@@CelestiaGJ Magnifico from Wish was a great character, who should have been the main character, with Ashia being the antagonist instead, symbolising and being a parody of the entitled gen z youth of today
@@DrawlingsStoriesAndMore I wish Disney would make a grimdark fantasy movie, with an anti hero princess as the main character, who goes on a negative character arc. Imagine Tangled mixed with Dark Souls.
13:01 "Most bad people don't wear black trench coats and laugh _maniacally_ in the shadows," Abbie guffaws in a darkened room. "Sometimes the villain is the person you think is your friend," she reveals as she looks away, unable to maintain eye contact. 🤔I think Abbie is embracing her villainess arc. 😁
@@AbbieEmmonsSounds about right, I’ve given myself a title: The Remorseful Author…mainly because the phrase “What have I done” is used a lot when writing my characters backstories and the story itself…
@@vegpedro7632 Most horror movies are terrible, low-grade shock entertainment. They're not great stories in the slightest. People watch horror movies for gore. The few great horror stories like The Shining are complex and show how human beings can stray from virtue and into villainy. Dracula is another one. Jonathan Harker is in a rivalry with Count Dracula for the heart of his Mina, and he has to stop himself from becoming like Dracula to do it. Silence of the Lambs is another. Hannibal Lecter is a brilliant man who fell into a similar darkness to Buffalo Bill, and Clarice secretly fears becoming corrupted by people like Lecter.
"In my life, I worked only for peace. Nothing less, nothing more. Now I see that only power rules the world. I will achieve that power. No cost is too great, no sacrifice too sacred. All will bow to me, or be destroyed." -Arcanophage
So on point, Abbie. Writing a villain truly IS easier said than done. It was only once I tried to write a believable villain, that I actually realized this is hard!😂
An interesting fact: The villain often does not see himself/herself as diabolical. I love that " Give the Villian a goal." Thank you once again for the amazing videos 🙏🙏
@dreamychocolateone my main character goes to war against his father because his father kidnaps the love of his life, and during the course of the war the main character goes darker and darker in search of his love, ending in a duel between father and son, with the son killing the father and taking over the kingdom. But killing his father will destroy the main character and set up a second book
I admit every since I subscribed I have learned a lot. And discouraged in equal measure. I think I wrote a mistake with with each book attempt when I see more steps or structures etc. Not sure If I can manage all this.
@@PastorErickMiller Don’t worry about making mistakes. I felt the same way when I first found miss Abbie’s channel. I honestly thought that my book was going to be a complete wreck, but then I started showing parts of it to my friends and they all told me that the book will be epic and they can’t wait to read the entire thing. My advice would be if you are super worried about it try showing the book to your friends and see what they think, and don’t worry about making mistakes in the first draft. You can always go back and fix them later.
My villain doesn’t appear very often, but everyone is aware of this person’s existence. But it’s also a sort of imposter type of plot. Nobody knows who is pulling the strings but they are aware it’s happening. My villain is pure evil and seeks power and control of all people. I’m fairly early in the book but it feels intense writing those scenes
“All of this! Everything! It was all for us! This is our only chance to make it back home- to save our people! I dreamed of us having to finally feel safe. It was all for us.”
Yes I do believe what you said is true but sometimes I wonder why do we love some villian that are soo unapologetically evil and just themselves ....without any internal conflict, the guy is just evil to put it simply ""yeah Imma destroy the world now"" . They do have often times a the most charismatic aura and drip. I don't know if y'all are getting what I mean. And internal conflict if not done correctly feels forced. Audience catch if internal conflict is there just for the sake of being there
My most sincere thanks for content creators like yourself who share your knowledge and experiences. This video in particular was especially helpful with my current novel. (I was struggling with where to take my villain's backstory - but we're on track now.) Thank you!
My favorite used to be Darth Vader, until the prequels, hearing Anakin's back story gave me a different perspective. Now, I would have to say that Loki in the MCU is because he's conflicted and has a redemption arc, but it transfers to Thanos after Loki's redemption because Thanos is SO dangerous and not because he's powerful, but because he thinks he's right. When a Villain has that conviction in their belief, there is no reasoning with them making them 10x more dangerous... at least to me.
Yes, that's so true!! When a villain justifies their actions (and even convinces themselves that they are doing the best thing for humanity) that's what makes a truly wicked and dangerous character 👀
One of my favorite villains is Keyser Soze in the Unusual Suspects. The whole film one thinks the villain is a myth and then the team of anti heroes start dying one by one and the protagonist tries to evade the antagonist but everyone dies except the last teammate who’s in police protection….. only to find out in the last moments of the film that the weakest teammate is actually the antagonist. It was brilliant.
I am writing my novel. The thing I like the most about writing the villain is the feeling of freedom. I kind of forget to please the reader. As an amateur writer I just love to find ways to apply pressure on my hero to reveal their inner beauty. Whether it's by making the villain a chicken and running away at a critical moment, or being ruthless, by controlling the majority of the narrative/fight untill people want payback or simply just listening to a what not to do Abby video and ask myself, is there one rule I could not resist breaking? Is there something so much fun to write that its worth breaking a rule?
Hi, I just discovered your videos and I must say, it's one of the most helpful channels on the subject ever. It's genuinely impressive how you manage to blend together; real authenticity, deep knowledge and experience on the storytelling and writing field, a bunch of creative and detailed methods, easy to understand and to put to practice and a dynamic and very natural presentation which makes it very agreeable to watch. I'm also in love with your voice ( I am french but it's easy to understand every word and it's very pleasing to the ear too). I'm actually plotting out my first series and I'll definitely take inspiration from you, so thanks !!!
Top villains: • Daniel Plainview from _There Will Be Blood_ • Alex from _A Clockwork Orange_ • Gny. Sgt. Hartman from _Full Metal Jacket_ • The entire cast of _ 12 Angry Men_ , minus Henry Fonda's character Every one of these baddies I would take out for a beer...even after knowing all the horrible things that they have done or the really messed up prejudices that they've got. They are the best representation of the Jungian Shadow Self that I have seen on film.
My villain was never a human to begin with, so she doesn't view things from a human point of view. She views things from a spider's point of view because she is basically a spider in human form, but she can assume the form of a spider the size of a car. She possesses human intelligence, but is unburdened by such emotions as mercy, pity, compassion, or remorse. She sees them as weaknesses. She is a predator whose only concern is the survival of her kind. Her favored prey is humans, & she & her kind could potentially replace humankind at the top of the food chain, & as the dominant species on the planet, which is why they must be eradicated to the last individual. She is not evil, she is simply following her nature, the nature of a spider, to hunt & feed on prey, to mate & reproduce, & to survive. In fact, everything she does is for the survival of her kind. She doesn't see herself as evil, she is just doing whatever is needed to ensure the survival of her kind.
I'm trying to work this stuff out right now! The hero has trust in authorities, belives that they're in a higher position because of their morality and knowledge. He follows them blindly. The antag IS an authority figure. She knows how corrupt the government is and specifically a company she works for and believes the only way to fix it is to wreck it from the ground. She is hidden in plain sight since the hero looks up to her, sees her daily until the reveal. I'm trying to figure out if i should redeem her or if she'd be too stubborn to let go of her resentment.
You must be reading my mind, because I’m trying to figure out how to write my villain as a three dimensional person and not a cardboard character. It was a pleasant surprise to find this video in my feed. Thanks.
One of my favorite villains, from Disney at least, is Scar in The Lion King. He is such a well executed bad guy, that has crystal clear motivations and is just entertaining to watch, arguably more interesting than either Simba or Mufusa (partially because of the queer coding that was common with Disney at the time). In my novel my antagonist is similar to Scar, and has a similar relationship dynamic with my main character, a young princess who is born with a curse. I am going hard into the creepy uncle archetype with the antagonist.
I agree with these points, but I also think that it's okay to make a pure evil character with no sympathetic emotions as long as we enjoy seeing-reading about them. I really like all your videos and find them super helpful, keep doing what you do!
I would also suggest that in many ways the "chosen one" trope works better for villains than heroes, it's not important if they are chosen but that they believe they are, then they can feel justified in whatever they have to do
One of my favorite villains is the Evil Queen in Once Upon a Time. She has great reasons on why she does what she does and sometimes you tend to root for her, or despise her entirely
Everything Magneto feared, his fears being what caused the rift between him and Xavier, came true in Logan. Turns out, he wasn't a villain at all. He was a hero trying to save mutants from the evil humans that Xavier was protecting. That sort of story twist gets my juices flowing when you realize the "hero" is the one on the wrong side of history, but he can't know it until history is written and all of his mistakes are known. Does Xavier do some good, yes. But he fails to do the ultimate good. Does Magneto do some awful stuff, absolutely, but it was because Xavier kept blocking him from better choices. Had they teamed up from the beginning under Magneto's vision of how to proceed mutants may have gained the freedom they were after, but we'll never know. That was a great piece of writing. The moment that bit was revealed it changed everything you thought you knew and made you have to go back and watch all of the earlier films to see what you missed. It made you face palm every time you found clues right there the whole time. Welcome to Marvel Comics. They do complex stories where heroes can be antagonists, and the bad guys are trying to save the world.
I think a richly written villain is controversial in their actions and empathizing with them sparks debate. imo if you're looking for a masterclass in writing villains, an easy place to start is Star Wars' Darth Vader. Such a fun franchise to get into! And, honestly, the films are popular for a reason. Anyone who loves storytelling, I'd suggest checking out the Star Wars IP. Let's talk about Darth Vader aka Anakin Skywalker. He started off the hero in Clone Wars era and to this day remains one of the most iconic villains of all time. Even if you've never seen Star Wars and have no knowledge of the films, you likely recognize Vader's dark helmet. The classic Imperial March theme song is easier to remember than the Star Wars theme itself. Bro literally killed children, yet people care about this guy. Why? Here's why. The original movie series revolves around his fall from grace and his last chance of redemption. Star Wars is a story of hope, which Anakin embodies. In the end, the love for his son triumphs over loyalty to his dark master and he chooses to do the right thing. He chooses to be Anakin instead of Vader. If Anakin can be redeemed, then anyone can be. I think that's the power of a well-written villain. They, like the hero, embody the theme of your story. They're actively in your protagonist's way of their goals and act as a foil to them. They are what the hero could become if they make all the wrong choices/ don't learn the lesson of the story. Which means your villain has a great deal of power in stressing the urgency in that "truth you want to scream from the rooftops" as Abbie calls it. They are the "so what? why should I care?" that the audience asks. If you don't learn the lesson, this horrible dude could be you- that sort of vibe. By redeeming someone like Vader, we grew to care for Anakin, understood why his friends mourned him, and understood why Yoda helped Luke realize he needed to give his father a chance to choose better versus destroy him outright. This made his final choice to do the right thing so impactful. It helps people who might feel they're not worth saving that "hey, if people can care about this guy saving the galaxy after causing so much suffering, then maybe there's a chance for me to have a happy ending too, maybe it's not too late for me to change". It might be fiction, but good fiction can impact reality. This is the power of good storytelling. You can easily track Vader and anyone's character arcs and build their character profile using Abbie's templates. Doing analysis like this can really help when you're developing your own villains. Understand how others did it so you can "steal" their techniques in your own work :))
Count Dooku from Star Wars and Saruman from Lord of the Rings are two of my favorite villains, because they are both just so epic, they were formerly on the good side, and they have so much depth!
I don’t write romance. I write action, sci-fi, superhero with a touch of noir. But I must say watching these videos have improved my writing and has made it easier for me to get out of writers block.
I think I have a pretty good villain for the novel I’m working on. For context, it’s a Cold War Spy Thriller. The villain is an East German computer expert who is hired by the USSR to hack into the American space shuttle so they can take over a satellite network that’s designed to intercept ICBMs in mid flight. He’s supposed to be an insufferable genius and the background I have so far is that he was conceived unwilling at the end of WWII when a Russian soldier had his way with his mother and he’s deeply embarrassed by this fact. Wondering if anyone has any good pointers because I haven’t had time to develop him
Hi, Abbie. I am Julia, the blind girl who sometimes writes to you. I wanted to send you a message here, hoping you might read it and reply to me. I am grateful to have met you, even though I live in Italy and we won't, probably, never meet (do you know how nice it would be to do it in person?), to have had you as a teacher for years on TH-cam (since 2022), to have had you as an even more official teacher for almost a year with your Live Trainings, to be able to continue these lessons with you. You do free videos every week, you are very generous, when I had problems you helped me, I think you are very sweet and very humble and I wish I had even half of your positivity. I think you are very good. Even though I don't follow the three-act story structure, you are also the one who made me understand the importance of outline but at the same time creativity, the freedom to write what I want. In fact, you are in favor of fanfiction, and you once wrote to me that I have to write in the medium I most prefer, and that is this. And that practice makes a writer a better one and it is true. My beta reader says I improved with Show, Don't Tell this year, that the reader is more immersed in the story and in the characters. It's been a while since I've followed your Livestreams, but I will. When I hear you say, even in the lectures you do monthly on Patreon that I listen on delay, that there are writers from India, Pakistan, Poland, etc., I say to myself: “She is a humble person who started from fanfiction and has done so much. She's written a lot, but she also does a lot for us. She does so, so much for us! For me.” I swear to you that if I compare what I learned in three years in an Italian writing class, which was very useful to me anyway, but from which I unsubscribed, and what I learn from you, the two are not even comparable. Abbie, you have helped me a lot more than you know. You explain everything so well, with story examples. You are the best writing teacher anyone could have. You've moved me so much with your books, I've felt so immersed, so represented in various characters, including Tessa, that I'm itching to read more. Please, publish a novel soon! You have become, after Danielle Steel, my second favorite writer, and I'm so happy to have your three books that sometimes I find myself reading bits and pieces and imagining you standing next to me and reading them to me, and I'm crying with joy. You seem like a sweet and sensitive person, so, so sweet, empathetic, and you love pets like I do. You have a dog and Rockett, I have three cats, and I'm glad we also share the passion for writing. I love you, Abbie! With all my heart, Giulia
After watching this video. I just realized that the villain names "Pain" From Naruto is the completed example of Villain. He has all of the point that Abby mention. He clearly makes audience think that he is the hero from his own story...
One of the best literary examples of hiding the villain in plain sight has got to be The Winners by Fredrik Backman. It's a book with multiple POVs, and the villain's POV is written just like the other characters, you root for him just like you do for the other characters and you only learnt that he's the villain late into the story when he commits a terrible deed. It completely shakes you up, you have no idea where to place your loyalties and you empathize with the villain till the end even though he does things that make you want to throw the book out of the window and stomp on it multiple times. One of the best written villains I have ever seen
Oh my word yes. For me he is a love hate kind of character. It is funny to watch him mess with people but so annoying when the team is on a time crunch. 😂
My villain goes through his negative arc during the course of the story at the same time my MC does, and in a way, they react in the same way: killing her
I feel like shows like the She-Ra Reboot or The Dragon Prince are an amazing study of interesting villains (and characters in general). Almost every single every single villain (and hero) gets the opportunity to show their motivation, their fears and beliefs. And for all of them it shows a realistic, dynamic and nuanced alignment. Just as you said, they believe themselves to do the right thing, when in truth, the reality is usually much more complicated.
(Of course unless you're writing a book series, TV shows have very different opportunities to let this play out, but I still think it brings home the point of how to think of the characters very well.)
You in America might know Curd Jürgens as he once played the villain a iJames Bond movie. Some years later he played in a mini series and was very mysteriously and all the signs pointed at him. But in the end he was the puppet of the real villain who was played by a less well known actor and who appeared in plain sight. So the viewers were quite surprised in the end.
Compare this to The Closer Look's In Defense of Pure Evil Villains video. He likes pure evil forces of nature like Sauron, and motive less psychopaths like the Joker. It seems mostly to be a genre difference. Abbie is more into historical romance, Closer Look comic book and fantasy. But I think regardless of your genre you need to consider the story as a whole. A complex, sympathetic human villain can be great. But the pure evil Joker works because he's Batman's opposite - the Joker is the ultimate test of the Batman's moral code. If Batman would ever kill it would be to kill the Joker. Conversely Abbie's discussion of George Warleggan from Poldark is good and for that story, a complex human villain works. Deciding what kind of story you're writing and what fits best is important.
I had a villain I couldn't write for a story long ago. I knew what he was, a Shadowknight that gets his magical powers from an evil living Shadow Sword, who in turn gets its power from the energy released when it kills something/someone. I know he's on a quest to ruin the protagonists' plans, but he's 1 dimensional; I can't write him. Who is this guy? Then I decide, since the movie Prometheus, to attack his motives. What does he want in life? He wants to murder that freaking sword. He can not stand one single minute of that thing whispering in his ear, berating, belittling, threating, taunting him. He would do anything to kill that sword in the most horrific way imaginable, but only in a way that lets him keep his power. Now I know who this guy is. Now I can write him. I appreciate so much the greater insight into approaching villains; your insight is always appreciated. I only did part of it and that alone was so much better. And yeah, I thought about having him go through a redemption arc. Starting with the realization that Paladins have some pretty cool powers.
My favorite villain is Bowser, because he has three sides to him that can basically be summed up as "cocky meat head," "big teddy bear" and "godzilla."
Wonderful video. What do you think about the very understated villain? For example, The Operative in the movie Serenity. He really only hints at his beliefs a couple of times and knows that he doesn't belong in the "better world" that he thinks he's creating. He even admits "I'm a monster. What I do is evil... but it must be done. " I'm not sure what it is, but something about him makes him one of my favorite villains.
I have a similar character. He does what must be done as a way of preserving the greater good. He's charming and charismatic, a good friend throughout the series. Which makes it heartbreaking when what must be done comes into conflict with the MC.
I think there's a lot to be said for understated villains! Oftentimes they feel more true to life. Even if you don't have opportunities in your story to reveal a lot about the villain's beliefs/background, you can still reveal bits and pieces, like with the dialogue snippet you just shared from Serenity. Dialogue (and the character justifying their actions) is a great way to reveal internal conflict!
I'm quite happy with just how deeply conflicted the antagonist of my story is, and I don't think I'd be this happy with it were it not for Abbie and her awesomeness. My antagonist, Mr. Donovan, was highly gifted from a young age. He was writing ideas about digital consciousness transference at the age of _six._ The adults in his life saw his potential, but their approach kind of broke him. He was thrown into the adult world very early, always around scientists and professors, and was not really able to have a childhood. They held him to extremely high and harsh standards, basically expecting him to act like an adult scientist. As a result, he grew up with a deeply rooted perfectionism and a fear of failure. This fear led him to his decision to merge his consciousness with AI, falsely believing this would make him perfect. He started going downhill from there. He becomes increasingly desperate to achieve perfection through technological means, which only gets him in deeper and deeper trouble as he's constantly trying to outdo himself, never satisfied.
This is so cool! It would be an AMAZING backstory for the creation of AI as a whole too! To cut off parts of himself that hes displeased with, not recognizing the humanity he's losing as anything important, until all that's left is some.... creature who's not even a person anymore, strive to be anything and everything perfect....in all the categories it could conjure up. As a maybe plot twist, maybe the AI eventually realizes that its counterpart was more perfect than it ever will be in some way, desperately bringing back what humanity they cut themselves free of ❤
I like Haytham Kenway of Assassin’s Creed. You play as him for a while and he’s such a gentleman and a badass, a great hero - until you find out he’s a Templar, and is at war against the Assassins. You really see how from the other perspective, they’re the heroes of their own story.
@xxaleksi I have a very similar thing going on in my book series. Where the villain isn’t ver active until later in the first book. Then he becomes hyper active in the next two books.
6:22 That's pretty similar to what Transformers One did. When the protagonists discover the truth, one learns from it and the other falls into darkness.
Tbh I just give the mc and the villain really interesting/confusing philosophies that clash yet neither of can bee seen in black and white, and both have a decent argument for being "correct"
My preferred villain is Richard III. But he was a villain in literature. In real life he had some good traits. So if he would have won the battle against the later Henry VII he would have probably become one of the respected figures in history. But the Shakespeare gives him the words "Now is the winter of our discontempt made glorious summer of this sun of York." and so on until the last word of the opening wich IS the word "Villain". It shows why he chooses the way he takes very well.
Watching this, and then shortly after watching the Powerpuff Girls "Twas the Fight before Christmas," and if there's a character that fits this mold perfectly, it's Princess Morbucks. She DEFINITELY is someone who strongly believes that she's a good person, but everyone around her KNOWS she's the biggest, brattiest, most selfish, self-centered person in existence. She's EVERYTHING you HATE about a villain. You WANT to see her fall flat on her face when it comes to foiling her plans, especially this one where she's determined to switch the Naughty and Nice list so she's the ONLY person to get a present, which, for her, is to be a Powerpuff Girl
This video really helped me with some brainstorming for a book I want to write someday. Here's what I've come up with (feel free to give me feedback). Thank you, Abbie! Victoria and Angel are siblings and were born into a royal family. Angel is younger than Victoria and Victoria is next in line to be the Queen of the kingdom. Victoria wants full control of everything, whether it what her friends eat to the entire kingdom (thus wanting the role of Queen). Although Angel was tremendously more popular than Victoria - at some point, stole all of Victoria's friends. Victoria began to act like her sister. Even though Victoria tried to be caring and kind like her sister, people prefer Angel (nicknamed the "Perfect Heir"). People would do literally anything for Angel. This is when she realizes she cannot beat Angel because she thinks she is an embodiment of perfection and perfection = control to Victoria which fuels her desire to be perfect further. When the throne was handed to Angel and not her, that was her breaking point. Out of anger, Victoria murders her own sister to get the crown (with hesitation of course). Then she realizes that she doesn't need just to be perfect but her entire kingdom as well to gain full control ( realizes this when peasants riot and make a mess in response to Angel's death). So she punishes her kingdomsfolk for any little mistake they do whether through people or herself. Victoria's biggest fear is to not have control. This is still a WIP, again, feel free to give me feedback! Also again, thank you, Abbie!
Some of the best written villains that I have seen depicted in various narrative mediums are: Otto Octavius and Harry Osborne from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, Gnag the nameless from the Wingfeather Saga, "The Silver Prince" from Ember Falls (book two of the Green Ember series), and Nemo from The Extraordinary Adventures of Jules Verne (animated TV show). Nemo is a slightly Moriarty style villain, controlling I operations from a distance in a number of episodes - including the first one - where only at the end do we get the revelation that it was this mysterious Nemo who had set the lesser antagonists in motion. His backstory is gradually explained over the course of the series, and once or twice he almost relents after our heroes speak to his heart. What really twists the knife about him being so villainous is that he is charismatic, handsome (I won't deny it), and a genius. When the final piece of his history falls into place, everything he has done makes sense to some extent, and the utter destruction of what he was to turn him into what he is now almost makes you cry. The rest of the show is obviously geared toward a young audience, but there are a few additional aspects of the story that make it worth it. I highly recommend it.
My favorite villain at this moment would have to be dark Vader, mainly because the persona he brings is pure menacing and very strong in his belief in the force.
Ah, one of my favorite topics of writing. For me, the villain is always were I start, not the protag, and when outlining character arcs, I work backwards. Who is the villain, what is their endgame, and how do they get there/is defeated? Then I build the hero's arc around the villain I created. I've read this general sentiment in the comments: "Make your villain a dark reflection of your hero." This is sound advice, albeit pretty basic, but it kinda falls apart if you're writing an ensemble cast narrative with lots of POV's and moving parts. Sometimes you'll have multiple protags and antags, so don't always try you make this advice work just for the sake of it. Cersei Lannister was one-of-a-kind petty and narcissistic. She had no real opposite or equal. Anton Chigurh from 'No Country for Old Men' was absolutely terrifying and the protags most certainly weren't the light side to his dark. Heath Ledger's Joker, even though he desperately tried to coin himself as Batman's counterpart, was simply a crazy dude who loved to instigate chaos. The best villains I've come across aren't dark reflections of heroes, but whose goals are so depraved that somebody is forced to act against them because there's no other choice. Another bit of my own personal advice for cosmic horror, if you are attempting to write some sort of eldritch monstrosity that is essentially the villain of your story, don't try to explain their motivations. It's more creepy and horrific when they are incomprehensible and unknowable. 'The Colour Out of Space' or 'Annihilation' doesn't work if the thing terraforming our planet is given a voice. Something came here riding a meteor and now the area around where it impacted is becoming alien. That doesn't need an explanation or motivation. Although I love Stephen King, he often gets that wrong with his cosmic villains by explaining too much. Let the reader stew in the dread of NOT knowing. A villain beyond human comprehension should remain beyond comprehension.
For me it's easier write an antegonist than a protagonist. Here is some tips for people who feel difficulties to write a villain character. That could help you: First of all, always think that, in the world, it seems that to be bad is better rewarded than being good (at least in a short time). If a character is corrupted, he will want to explore more by his own and make things like he/she wants. And the second one is that, negative emotions are stronger (revenge, sadness, fear,...etc) than positive (compassion, complacency and others). It's easily to conect harder with a character who is passing through something bad, dark or sad, and the motive of that character to be a villain is "the easy path" for them to calm down that emotions. I don't know if you know what i mean or if i'm expressing myself clear. English is not my mother language ^^' Have fun everybody!! Anyways, thank you @Abbie Emmons, for the tips to *The Dreamers* :D
my favorite villains are the ones who have to be written doing cartoonishly evil acts even when they don't fit the antagonist, because otherwise the protagonist might be wrong about something
I think one of the best villains I have ever seen is Dio Brando in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. He is such a complex character, and his relationship to Jojo is so well done. I recommend reading/watching that to anyone who struggles with creating good villains. I also love Joss Merlynin Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier-he’s a horrid villain, but so very human.
Something I wish I could do is answer these questions in the comments as I go along just to get a conversation started but I'm too scared that I'll overshare and ruin it all for myself STILL though, this video is very informative, your videos greatly inspire me
Although I can give an answer to the last one: I want to make a villain who truly feels smart, someone who's always one step ahead but don't act condescendingly about it, a villain who has resigned themselves to their goal solely to the point where their desperation for their goal has eaten away at the person they used to be, leaving behind a shell that you could swear is them, but not quite anymore. I want to make a villain that, should their circumstances have been different, they could have brought good change to the world without having to rely on such drastic measures, someone truly capable and gifted
Michael Connelly and other crime fic authors use the misdirect very well. Especially in books like The Poet by Michael Connelly. In my current WIP I have my protagonists (3) go after a robbery crew for a crime only to learn it was someone else
Send this video to Disney because god knows they need it.
I’ll say. They most definitely do.
@@CelestiaGJ Magnifico from Wish was a great character, who should have been the main character, with Ashia being the antagonist instead, symbolising and being a parody of the entitled gen z youth of today
@@unicorntomboy9736 I totally agree
Disney does need a lot of help with their movies these days!!!!
@@DrawlingsStoriesAndMore I wish Disney would make a grimdark fantasy movie, with an anti hero princess as the main character, who goes on a negative character arc.
Imagine Tangled mixed with Dark Souls.
13:01 "Most bad people don't wear black trench coats and laugh _maniacally_ in the shadows," Abbie guffaws in a darkened room. "Sometimes the villain is the person you think is your friend," she reveals as she looks away, unable to maintain eye contact.
🤔I think Abbie is embracing her villainess arc. 😁
😂 love this
🤣🤣🤣🤣 villain origin story: you became a writer
@@AbbieEmmonsSounds about right, I’ve given myself a title: The Remorseful Author…mainly because the phrase “What have I done” is used a lot when writing my characters backstories and the story itself…
I loved it 😂😂😂😂😂@@AbbieEmmons
@@sparklyDayz I would agree-
The villain should be a reflection of what the hero could become. The villain should be a cautionary tale.
@@StratumPress what if the main character is no different from the villain
I dont see this happening in horror stories
@@unicorntomboy9736 Then you're desperately trying to confuse people to be edgy.
@@vegpedro7632 Most horror movies are terrible, low-grade shock entertainment. They're not great stories in the slightest. People watch horror movies for gore. The few great horror stories like The Shining are complex and show how human beings can stray from virtue and into villainy. Dracula is another one. Jonathan Harker is in a rivalry with Count Dracula for the heart of his Mina, and he has to stop himself from becoming like Dracula to do it. Silence of the Lambs is another. Hannibal Lecter is a brilliant man who fell into a similar darkness to Buffalo Bill, and Clarice secretly fears becoming corrupted by people like Lecter.
@@StratumPress My book has the MC go through a negative character arc, so they become as bad and evil as the villain
"In my life, I worked only for peace. Nothing less, nothing more. Now I see that only power rules the world. I will achieve that power. No cost is too great, no sacrifice too sacred. All will bow to me, or be destroyed."
-Arcanophage
Who else loves Abbie👇👇👇
ME 😊
Meee
🥹💗 Thank you!! I love you all too!
@abbieemmons I really really like u a lot ur advice is so helpful and it really helped me with a lot of my writing 😊❤
@@AbbieEmmonswe love you too! You inspire us to create great stories
So on point, Abbie. Writing a villain truly IS easier said than done. It was only once I tried to write a believable villain, that I actually realized this is hard!😂
I love Frank Underwood from House of Carda
@unicorntomboy9736 I like President (Coriolanus) Snow from The Hunger Games. That dude is highly 'flicted! 😂
It's definitely harder than it looks! I'm glad you found this video inspirational 😉
An interesting fact: The villain often does not see himself/herself as diabolical. I love that " Give the Villian a goal." Thank you once again for the amazing videos 🙏🙏
I hate writing villians because they are so difficult, so thank you Abbie!
Ask yourself what you're afraid of your protagonist becoming if they made all of the worst choices and that's your villain.
I hope this video helps! 😌
So true! Even villains/antagonists have internal conflict, just like the MC/protagonist…
I need my villain in my book to be DEEPLY HATED so this perfect!!😆😆😆
@dreamychocolateone my main character goes to war against his father because his father kidnaps the love of his life, and during the course of the war the main character goes darker and darker in search of his love, ending in a duel between father and son, with the son killing the father and taking over the kingdom. But killing his father will destroy the main character and set up a second book
@ Ooh! Omg that is a book! I’d love to read it 😆😆😆
I admit every since I subscribed I have learned a lot. And discouraged in equal measure. I think I wrote a mistake with with each book attempt when I see more steps or structures etc. Not sure If I can manage all this.
@@PastorErickMiller Don’t worry about making mistakes. I felt the same way when I first found miss Abbie’s channel. I honestly thought that my book was going to be a complete wreck, but then I started showing parts of it to my friends and they all told me that the book will be epic and they can’t wait to read the entire thing. My advice would be if you are super worried about it try showing the book to your friends and see what they think, and don’t worry about making mistakes in the first draft. You can always go back and fix them later.
My villain doesn’t appear very often, but everyone is aware of this person’s existence. But it’s also a sort of imposter type of plot. Nobody knows who is pulling the strings but they are aware it’s happening. My villain is pure evil and seeks power and control of all people. I’m fairly early in the book but it feels intense writing those scenes
“All of this! Everything! It was all for us! This is our only chance to make it back home- to save our people! I dreamed of us having to finally feel safe. It was all for us.”
Yes I do believe what you said is true but sometimes I wonder why do we love some villian that are soo unapologetically evil and just themselves ....without any internal conflict, the guy is just evil to put it simply ""yeah Imma destroy the world now"" . They do have often times a the most charismatic aura and drip. I don't know if y'all are getting what I mean.
And internal conflict if not done correctly feels forced. Audience catch if internal conflict is there just for the sake of being there
yeah only when they're hot
Ohhh, I’m really interested in this topic! Thank you ❤
Just a life-saving video! Idk why but one thing I know is that Abbie ALWAYS uploads MUCH NEEDED videos in the RIGHT TIME. Love you ❤
I was JUST watching your other Villain video yesterday!😮❤ Keep up the great work!
My most sincere thanks for content creators like yourself who share your knowledge and experiences. This video in particular was especially helpful with my current novel. (I was struggling with where to take my villain's backstory - but we're on track now.) Thank you!
I honestly like it when they're sarcastic towards the heroes' cause.
My favorite used to be Darth Vader, until the prequels, hearing Anakin's back story gave me a different perspective. Now, I would have to say that Loki in the MCU is because he's conflicted and has a redemption arc, but it transfers to Thanos after Loki's redemption because Thanos is SO dangerous and not because he's powerful, but because he thinks he's right. When a Villain has that conviction in their belief, there is no reasoning with them making them 10x more dangerous... at least to me.
Yes, that's so true!! When a villain justifies their actions (and even convinces themselves that they are doing the best thing for humanity) that's what makes a truly wicked and dangerous character 👀
Watching this genuinely helped me flesh out my antagonist and, by flow on, more of the overarching plot of my story. So thank you! ❤️
Correct 💯 timing of this video.
Thank you so much Abbie.
I read your written books 2 to 5 times to get grip in your writing style ❤❤
Finally this is the one I needed!!
One of my favorite villains is Keyser Soze in the Unusual Suspects. The whole film one thinks the villain is a myth and then the team of anti heroes start dying one by one and the protagonist tries to evade the antagonist but everyone dies except the last teammate who’s in police protection….. only to find out in the last moments of the film that the weakest teammate is actually the antagonist. It was brilliant.
I am writing my novel. The thing I like the most about writing the villain is the feeling of freedom. I kind of forget to please the reader. As an amateur writer I just love to find ways to apply pressure on my hero to reveal their inner beauty. Whether it's by making the villain a chicken and running away at a critical moment, or being ruthless, by controlling the majority of the narrative/fight untill people want payback or simply just listening to a what not to do Abby video and ask myself, is there one rule I could not resist breaking? Is there something so much fun to write that its worth breaking a rule?
I LOVE this kind of videos! Abby, you're the best!❤
Hi, I just discovered your videos and I must say, it's one of the most helpful channels on the subject ever. It's genuinely impressive how you manage to blend together; real authenticity, deep knowledge and experience on the storytelling and writing field, a bunch of creative and detailed methods, easy to understand and to put to practice and a dynamic and very natural presentation which makes it very agreeable to watch. I'm also in love with your voice ( I am french but it's easy to understand every word and it's very pleasing to the ear too). I'm actually plotting out my first series and I'll definitely take inspiration from you, so thanks !!!
Oh my! I've been plotting a villian story and this video has helped me to think deeper and make my villian spark. Thank you Abbie😊
Top villains:
• Daniel Plainview from _There Will Be Blood_
• Alex from _A Clockwork Orange_
• Gny. Sgt. Hartman from _Full Metal Jacket_
• The entire cast of _ 12 Angry Men_ , minus Henry Fonda's character
Every one of these baddies I would take out for a beer...even after knowing all the horrible things that they have done or the really messed up prejudices that they've got. They are the best representation of the Jungian Shadow Self that I have seen on film.
I have come to appreciate a lot of villains out there. Darth Vader, Sauron, Loki, Silco, and Bhaal. The darker the night the brighter the light.
"All we want is world peace...or a piece of the world."
-Chrono Trigger
You are cultured. I am personally proud that you know that game.
@bethanysanchez5068 the game is a classic. Wish more people knew it.
My villain was never a human to begin with, so she doesn't view things from a human point of view. She views things from a spider's point of view because she is basically a spider in human form, but she can assume the form of a spider the size of a car. She possesses human intelligence, but is unburdened by such emotions as mercy, pity, compassion, or remorse. She sees them as weaknesses. She is a predator whose only concern is the survival of her kind. Her favored prey is humans, & she & her kind could potentially replace humankind at the top of the food chain, & as the dominant species on the planet, which is why they must be eradicated to the last individual. She is not evil, she is simply following her nature, the nature of a spider, to hunt & feed on prey, to mate & reproduce, & to survive. In fact, everything she does is for the survival of her kind. She doesn't see herself as evil, she is just doing whatever is needed to ensure the survival of her kind.
that's pretty cool
@SlipsunLightOfHeaven Thank you
Oooooooo! Very interensting and creative actually! Keep it up.
I'm trying to work this stuff out right now! The hero has trust in authorities, belives that they're in a higher position because of their morality and knowledge. He follows them blindly. The antag IS an authority figure. She knows how corrupt the government is and specifically a company she works for and believes the only way to fix it is to wreck it from the ground. She is hidden in plain sight since the hero looks up to her, sees her daily until the reveal. I'm trying to figure out if i should redeem her or if she'd be too stubborn to let go of her resentment.
So like Bourne before he became Bourne?
@sharkinator7819 What franchise are you referencing?
@@SprinkledCactus the Bourne series. They made 5 movies with Matt Damon starting with the Bourne Identity
Respectfully, I feel like the relatable, “hurt people hurt people” villain is a cliche if its own now.
You must be reading my mind, because I’m trying to figure out how to write my villain as a three dimensional person and not a cardboard character. It was a pleasant surprise to find this video in my feed.
Thanks.
This is a great breakdown! Thanks, Abbie!
One of my favorite villains, from Disney at least, is Scar in The Lion King. He is such a well executed bad guy, that has crystal clear motivations and is just entertaining to watch, arguably more interesting than either Simba or Mufusa (partially because of the queer coding that was common with Disney at the time).
In my novel my antagonist is similar to Scar, and has a similar relationship dynamic with my main character, a young princess who is born with a curse. I am going hard into the creepy uncle archetype with the antagonist.
13:06 the edit on this one surprised me lolol also good job, not sure if it's a day-to-night filter or what hahaha
I agree with these points, but I also think that it's okay to make a pure evil character with no sympathetic emotions as long as we enjoy seeing-reading about them. I really like all your videos and find them super helpful, keep doing what you do!
Same, I like grey villains, but pure evil is so enjoyable to read/write sometimes!
Yeah it's more realistic
I love your videos, Abbie - I love your cute upbeat way of inspiring instruction - keep up the great work.
I always go back and rewatch your videos.
1:26 #1 a heart
5:01 #2 give your villain deep seated motive
7:54 #3 give your villain a clear goal
11:37 #4 avoid making your villain a cliche
I would also suggest that in many ways the "chosen one" trope works better for villains than heroes, it's not important if they are chosen but that they believe they are, then they can feel justified in whatever they have to do
This came out with perfect timing. I've been brainstorming, trying to figure out the main villain in my book.
What if you want a villain who spans volumes, not just one single novel?
Have the villain win, and the protagonist/s lose in book one, and the reverse in book two
Or have other obstacles/villains in each book, with the overarching threat of the main villain. Like Sauron or Voldemort.
One of my favorite villains is the Evil Queen in Once Upon a Time. She has great reasons on why she does what she does and sometimes you tend to root for her, or despise her entirely
I binged The Penguin last night and it’s so good. Oz’s ambition is revealed in the first five minutes and he wants to be loved
Everything Magneto feared, his fears being what caused the rift between him and Xavier, came true in Logan. Turns out, he wasn't a villain at all. He was a hero trying to save mutants from the evil humans that Xavier was protecting. That sort of story twist gets my juices flowing when you realize the "hero" is the one on the wrong side of history, but he can't know it until history is written and all of his mistakes are known. Does Xavier do some good, yes. But he fails to do the ultimate good. Does Magneto do some awful stuff, absolutely, but it was because Xavier kept blocking him from better choices. Had they teamed up from the beginning under Magneto's vision of how to proceed mutants may have gained the freedom they were after, but we'll never know.
That was a great piece of writing. The moment that bit was revealed it changed everything you thought you knew and made you have to go back and watch all of the earlier films to see what you missed. It made you face palm every time you found clues right there the whole time.
Welcome to Marvel Comics. They do complex stories where heroes can be antagonists, and the bad guys are trying to save the world.
I think a richly written villain is controversial in their actions and empathizing with them sparks debate.
imo if you're looking for a masterclass in writing villains, an easy place to start is Star Wars' Darth Vader. Such a fun franchise to get into! And, honestly, the films are popular for a reason. Anyone who loves storytelling, I'd suggest checking out the Star Wars IP.
Let's talk about Darth Vader aka Anakin Skywalker. He started off the hero in Clone Wars era and to this day remains one of the most iconic villains of all time. Even if you've never seen Star Wars and have no knowledge of the films, you likely recognize Vader's dark helmet. The classic Imperial March theme song is easier to remember than the Star Wars theme itself. Bro literally killed children, yet people care about this guy. Why?
Here's why. The original movie series revolves around his fall from grace and his last chance of redemption. Star Wars is a story of hope, which Anakin embodies. In the end, the love for his son triumphs over loyalty to his dark master and he chooses to do the right thing. He chooses to be Anakin instead of Vader. If Anakin can be redeemed, then anyone can be.
I think that's the power of a well-written villain. They, like the hero, embody the theme of your story. They're actively in your protagonist's way of their goals and act as a foil to them. They are what the hero could become if they make all the wrong choices/ don't learn the lesson of the story. Which means your villain has a great deal of power in stressing the urgency in that "truth you want to scream from the rooftops" as Abbie calls it. They are the "so what? why should I care?" that the audience asks. If you don't learn the lesson, this horrible dude could be you- that sort of vibe. By redeeming someone like Vader, we grew to care for Anakin, understood why his friends mourned him, and understood why Yoda helped Luke realize he needed to give his father a chance to choose better versus destroy him outright. This made his final choice to do the right thing so impactful. It helps people who might feel they're not worth saving that "hey, if people can care about this guy saving the galaxy after causing so much suffering, then maybe there's a chance for me to have a happy ending too, maybe it's not too late for me to change".
It might be fiction, but good fiction can impact reality. This is the power of good storytelling.
You can easily track Vader and anyone's character arcs and build their character profile using Abbie's templates. Doing analysis like this can really help when you're developing your own villains. Understand how others did it so you can "steal" their techniques in your own work :))
Count Dooku from Star Wars and Saruman from Lord of the Rings are two of my favorite villains, because they are both just so epic, they were formerly on the good side, and they have so much depth!
Thank you very much Abbie for all your writing videos. They have been very helpful in my journey as a writer
God bless you.
This video showed me I need a plotline for my Villain. Prior to today, he was just a nebulous person in the distance.
I always accidentally make my villains too silly and less evil as I go on in the story
this was very helpful thank you ☺️
Loki is my favorite villain! Abbie, have you seen the Loki series? I would love for you to do a science of story study video on that.
My struggle is I tend to make my villain more relatable to he point where my readers want the villain to win in stead of the hero.
I don’t write romance. I write action, sci-fi, superhero with a touch of noir. But I must say watching these videos have improved my writing and has made it easier for me to get out of writers block.
This I must know!
❤❤❤
I took some inspiration from Stalin to create the villain of my story. Whuch fits because he’s meant to be a dictator.
I like taking inspiration from the German history to create villians, so it's cool.
@@AisyahHeartly ayo thats hitler
I think I have a pretty good villain for the novel I’m working on. For context, it’s a Cold War Spy Thriller. The villain is an East German computer expert who is hired by the USSR to hack into the American space shuttle so they can take over a satellite network that’s designed to intercept ICBMs in mid flight. He’s supposed to be an insufferable genius and the background I have so far is that he was conceived unwilling at the end of WWII when a Russian soldier had his way with his mother and he’s deeply embarrassed by this fact. Wondering if anyone has any good pointers because I haven’t had time to develop him
Hi, Abbie. I am Julia, the blind girl who sometimes writes to you. I wanted to send you a message here, hoping you might read it and reply to me.
I am grateful to have met you, even though I live in Italy and we won't, probably, never meet (do you know how nice it would be to do it in person?), to have had you as a teacher for years on TH-cam (since 2022), to have had you as an even more official teacher for almost a year with your Live Trainings, to be able to continue these lessons with you. You do free videos every week, you are very generous, when I had problems you helped me, I think you are very sweet and very humble and I wish I had even half of your positivity.
I think you are very good. Even though I don't follow the three-act story structure, you are also the one who made me understand the importance of outline but at the same time creativity, the freedom to write what I want. In fact, you are in favor of fanfiction, and you once wrote to me that I have to write in the medium I most prefer, and that is this. And that practice makes a writer a better one and it is true. My beta reader says I improved with Show, Don't Tell this year, that the reader is more immersed in the story and in the characters.
It's been a while since I've followed your Livestreams, but I will.
When I hear you say, even in the lectures you do monthly on Patreon that I listen on delay, that there are writers from India, Pakistan, Poland, etc., I say to myself:
“She is a humble person who started from fanfiction and has done so much. She's written a lot, but she also does a lot for us. She does so, so much for us! For me.”
I swear to you that if I compare what I learned in three years in an Italian writing class, which was very useful to me anyway, but from which I unsubscribed, and what I learn from you, the two are not even comparable.
Abbie, you have helped me a lot more than you know. You explain everything so well, with story examples.
You are the best writing teacher anyone could have.
You've moved me so much with your books, I've felt so immersed, so represented in various characters, including Tessa, that I'm itching to read more. Please, publish a novel soon!
You have become, after Danielle Steel, my second favorite writer, and I'm so happy to have your three books that sometimes I find myself reading bits and pieces and imagining you standing next to me and reading them to me, and I'm crying with joy.
You seem like a sweet and sensitive person, so, so sweet, empathetic, and you love pets like I do. You have a dog and Rockett, I have three cats, and I'm glad we also share the passion for writing.
I love you, Abbie!
With all my heart,
Giulia
aw thats wholesome :D
After watching this video. I just realized that the villain names "Pain" From Naruto is the completed example of Villain. He has all of the point that Abby mention. He clearly makes audience think that he is the hero from his own story...
One of the best literary examples of hiding the villain in plain sight has got to be The Winners by Fredrik Backman. It's a book with multiple POVs, and the villain's POV is written just like the other characters, you root for him just like you do for the other characters and you only learnt that he's the villain late into the story when he commits a terrible deed. It completely shakes you up, you have no idea where to place your loyalties and you empathize with the villain till the end even though he does things that make you want to throw the book out of the window and stomp on it multiple times. One of the best written villains I have ever seen
Wow This really helped, thank you!!
This helped me so much! I am trying to make a lovable but hated villain main character.
I enjoy the Q character from the next generation. He showed up right when you didn't want him to 😅 thanks again Abbie.
Oh my word yes. For me he is a love hate kind of character. It is funny to watch him mess with people but so annoying when the team is on a time crunch. 😂
Boone Waxwell in Bright Orange for The Shroud, from John D MacDonald's Travis McGee series. Just chilling.
My villain goes through his negative arc during the course of the story at the same time my MC does, and in a way, they react in the same way: killing her
I feel like shows like the She-Ra Reboot or The Dragon Prince are an amazing study of interesting villains (and characters in general). Almost every single every single villain (and hero) gets the opportunity to show their motivation, their fears and beliefs. And for all of them it shows a realistic, dynamic and nuanced alignment. Just as you said, they believe themselves to do the right thing, when in truth, the reality is usually much more complicated.
(Of course unless you're writing a book series, TV shows have very different opportunities to let this play out, but I still think it brings home the point of how to think of the characters very well.)
You in America might know Curd Jürgens as he once played the villain a iJames Bond movie. Some years later he played in a mini series and was very mysteriously and all the signs pointed at him. But in the end he was the puppet of the real villain who was played by a less well known actor and who appeared in plain sight. So the viewers were quite surprised in the end.
Compare this to The Closer Look's In Defense of Pure Evil Villains video. He likes pure evil forces of nature like Sauron, and motive less psychopaths like the Joker.
It seems mostly to be a genre difference. Abbie is more into historical romance, Closer Look comic book and fantasy. But I think regardless of your genre you need to consider the story as a whole.
A complex, sympathetic human villain can be great. But the pure evil Joker works because he's Batman's opposite - the Joker is the ultimate test of the Batman's moral code. If Batman would ever kill it would be to kill the Joker.
Conversely Abbie's discussion of George Warleggan from Poldark is good and for that story, a complex human villain works. Deciding what kind of story you're writing and what fits best is important.
First one here let's go!!!!
Darth Vader is my favorite villain, with Sauron running a close second.
I had a villain I couldn't write for a story long ago. I knew what he was, a Shadowknight that gets his magical powers from an evil living Shadow Sword, who in turn gets its power from the energy released when it kills something/someone. I know he's on a quest to ruin the protagonists' plans, but he's 1 dimensional; I can't write him. Who is this guy? Then I decide, since the movie Prometheus, to attack his motives. What does he want in life? He wants to murder that freaking sword. He can not stand one single minute of that thing whispering in his ear, berating, belittling, threating, taunting him. He would do anything to kill that sword in the most horrific way imaginable, but only in a way that lets him keep his power.
Now I know who this guy is. Now I can write him.
I appreciate so much the greater insight into approaching villains; your insight is always appreciated. I only did part of it and that alone was so much better.
And yeah, I thought about having him go through a redemption arc. Starting with the realization that Paladins have some pretty cool powers.
My favorite villain is Bowser, because he has three sides to him that can basically be summed up as "cocky meat head," "big teddy bear" and "godzilla."
Wonderful video. What do you think about the very understated villain? For example, The Operative in the movie Serenity. He really only hints at his beliefs a couple of times and knows that he doesn't belong in the "better world" that he thinks he's creating. He even admits "I'm a monster. What I do is evil... but it must be done. "
I'm not sure what it is, but something about him makes him one of my favorite villains.
I have a similar character. He does what must be done as a way of preserving the greater good. He's charming and charismatic, a good friend throughout the series. Which makes it heartbreaking when what must be done comes into conflict with the MC.
I think there's a lot to be said for understated villains! Oftentimes they feel more true to life. Even if you don't have opportunities in your story to reveal a lot about the villain's beliefs/background, you can still reveal bits and pieces, like with the dialogue snippet you just shared from Serenity. Dialogue (and the character justifying their actions) is a great way to reveal internal conflict!
I'm quite happy with just how deeply conflicted the antagonist of my story is, and I don't think I'd be this happy with it were it not for Abbie and her awesomeness.
My antagonist, Mr. Donovan, was highly gifted from a young age. He was writing ideas about digital consciousness transference at the age of _six._ The adults in his life saw his potential, but their approach kind of broke him. He was thrown into the adult world very early, always around scientists and professors, and was not really able to have a childhood. They held him to extremely high and harsh standards, basically expecting him to act like an adult scientist. As a result, he grew up with a deeply rooted perfectionism and a fear of failure.
This fear led him to his decision to merge his consciousness with AI, falsely believing this would make him perfect. He started going downhill from there. He becomes increasingly desperate to achieve perfection through technological means, which only gets him in deeper and deeper trouble as he's constantly trying to outdo himself, never satisfied.
This is so cool! It would be an AMAZING backstory for the creation of AI as a whole too! To cut off parts of himself that hes displeased with, not recognizing the humanity he's losing as anything important, until all that's left is some.... creature who's not even a person anymore, strive to be anything and everything perfect....in all the categories it could conjure up.
As a maybe plot twist, maybe the AI eventually realizes that its counterpart was more perfect than it ever will be in some way, desperately bringing back what humanity they cut themselves free of ❤
Me why immediately thinks about zuko and azula from Avatar The last Airbender.
I like Haytham Kenway of Assassin’s Creed. You play as him for a while and he’s such a gentleman and a badass, a great hero - until you find out he’s a Templar, and is at war against the Assassins. You really see how from the other perspective, they’re the heroes of their own story.
Thank you angel🙏🏼
my villain(s) are not much into play in book 1 but more in the background for until later books for reasons
@xxaleksi I have a very similar thing going on in my book series. Where the villain isn’t ver active until later in the first book. Then he becomes hyper active in the next two books.
6:22 That's pretty similar to what Transformers One did. When the protagonists discover the truth, one learns from it and the other falls into darkness.
Tbh I just give the mc and the villain really interesting/confusing philosophies that clash yet neither of can bee seen in black and white, and both have a decent argument for being "correct"
My preferred villain is Richard III. But he was a villain in literature. In real life he had some good traits. So if he would have won the battle against the later Henry VII he would have probably become one of the respected figures in history. But the Shakespeare gives him the words "Now is the winter of our discontempt made glorious summer of this sun of York." and so on until the last word of the opening wich IS the word "Villain". It shows why he chooses the way he takes very well.
Lord Cutler Beckett from Pirates of the Caribbean is my favorite villain : D
Such good advice! I need to clarify my villains' precise goals and fears.
Favorite villain? Gul Dukat, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Watching this, and then shortly after watching the Powerpuff Girls "Twas the Fight before Christmas," and if there's a character that fits this mold perfectly, it's Princess Morbucks. She DEFINITELY is someone who strongly believes that she's a good person, but everyone around her KNOWS she's the biggest, brattiest, most selfish, self-centered person in existence. She's EVERYTHING you HATE about a villain. You WANT to see her fall flat on her face when it comes to foiling her plans, especially this one where she's determined to switch the Naughty and Nice list so she's the ONLY person to get a present, which, for her, is to be a Powerpuff Girl
This video really helped me with some brainstorming for a book I want to write someday. Here's what I've come up with (feel free to give me feedback). Thank you, Abbie!
Victoria and Angel are siblings and were born into a royal family. Angel is younger than Victoria and Victoria is next in line to be the Queen of the kingdom. Victoria wants full control of everything, whether it what her friends eat to the entire kingdom (thus wanting the role of Queen). Although Angel was tremendously more popular than Victoria - at some point, stole all of Victoria's friends. Victoria began to act like her sister. Even though Victoria tried to be caring and kind like her sister, people prefer Angel (nicknamed the "Perfect Heir"). People would do literally anything for Angel. This is when she realizes she cannot beat Angel because she thinks she is an embodiment of perfection and perfection = control to Victoria which fuels her desire to be perfect further. When the throne was handed to Angel and not her, that was her breaking point. Out of anger, Victoria murders her own sister to get the crown (with hesitation of course). Then she realizes that she doesn't need just to be perfect but her entire kingdom as well to gain full control ( realizes this when peasants riot and make a mess in response to Angel's death). So she punishes her kingdomsfolk for any little mistake they do whether through people or herself. Victoria's biggest fear is to not have control.
This is still a WIP, again, feel free to give me feedback! Also again, thank you, Abbie!
I would love to read a book of yours with a villain character
Silas character in Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal is great example of writing good villain
Some of the best written villains that I have seen depicted in various narrative mediums are: Otto Octavius and Harry Osborne from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, Gnag the nameless from the Wingfeather Saga, "The Silver Prince" from Ember Falls (book two of the Green Ember series), and Nemo from The Extraordinary Adventures of Jules Verne (animated TV show).
Nemo is a slightly Moriarty style villain, controlling I operations from a distance in a number of episodes - including the first one - where only at the end do we get the revelation that it was this mysterious Nemo who had set the lesser antagonists in motion. His backstory is gradually explained over the course of the series, and once or twice he almost relents after our heroes speak to his heart.
What really twists the knife about him being so villainous is that he is charismatic, handsome (I won't deny it), and a genius. When the final piece of his history falls into place, everything he has done makes sense to some extent, and the utter destruction of what he was to turn him into what he is now almost makes you cry.
The rest of the show is obviously geared toward a young audience, but there are a few additional aspects of the story that make it worth it. I highly recommend it.
Abbie one video on Best Friends to Lovers romance trope as well please! Thanks! 💗😇
My favorite villain at this moment would have to be dark Vader, mainly because the persona he brings is pure menacing and very strong in his belief in the force.
Ah, one of my favorite topics of writing. For me, the villain is always were I start, not the protag, and when outlining character arcs, I work backwards. Who is the villain, what is their endgame, and how do they get there/is defeated? Then I build the hero's arc around the villain I created.
I've read this general sentiment in the comments: "Make your villain a dark reflection of your hero." This is sound advice, albeit pretty basic, but it kinda falls apart if you're writing an ensemble cast narrative with lots of POV's and moving parts. Sometimes you'll have multiple protags and antags, so don't always try you make this advice work just for the sake of it.
Cersei Lannister was one-of-a-kind petty and narcissistic. She had no real opposite or equal. Anton Chigurh from 'No Country for Old Men' was absolutely terrifying and the protags most certainly weren't the light side to his dark. Heath Ledger's Joker, even though he desperately tried to coin himself as Batman's counterpart, was simply a crazy dude who loved to instigate chaos. The best villains I've come across aren't dark reflections of heroes, but whose goals are so depraved that somebody is forced to act against them because there's no other choice.
Another bit of my own personal advice for cosmic horror, if you are attempting to write some sort of eldritch monstrosity that is essentially the villain of your story, don't try to explain their motivations. It's more creepy and horrific when they are incomprehensible and unknowable.
'The Colour Out of Space' or 'Annihilation' doesn't work if the thing terraforming our planet is given a voice. Something came here riding a meteor and now the area around where it impacted is becoming alien. That doesn't need an explanation or motivation. Although I love Stephen King, he often gets that wrong with his cosmic villains by explaining too much. Let the reader stew in the dread of NOT knowing. A villain beyond human comprehension should remain beyond comprehension.
Thank you for the wonderful videos, super helpful! Any chance you can identify the song track/artist on your outro? I'm really digging that vibe. 😊
For me it's easier write an antegonist than a protagonist.
Here is some tips for people who feel difficulties to write a villain character. That could help you:
First of all, always think that, in the world, it seems that to be bad is better rewarded than being good (at least in a short time). If a character is corrupted, he will want to explore more by his own and make things like he/she wants.
And the second one is that, negative emotions are stronger (revenge, sadness, fear,...etc) than positive (compassion, complacency and others). It's easily to conect harder with a character who is passing through something bad, dark or sad, and the motive of that character to be a villain is "the easy path" for them to calm down that emotions.
I don't know if you know what i mean or if i'm expressing myself clear. English is not my mother language ^^'
Have fun everybody!!
Anyways, thank you @Abbie Emmons, for the tips to *The Dreamers* :D
my favorite villains are the ones who have to be written doing cartoonishly evil acts even when they don't fit the antagonist, because otherwise the protagonist might be wrong about something
A story is only as good as the villain is bad.
The Beldam from Coraline is one of my favourite villains.
I think one of the best villains I have ever seen is Dio Brando in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. He is such a complex character, and his relationship to Jojo is so well done. I recommend reading/watching that to anyone who struggles with creating good villains. I also love Joss Merlynin Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier-he’s a horrid villain, but so very human.
Something I wish I could do is answer these questions in the comments as I go along just to get a conversation started but I'm too scared that I'll overshare and ruin it all for myself
STILL though, this video is very informative, your videos greatly inspire me
Although I can give an answer to the last one:
I want to make a villain who truly feels smart, someone who's always one step ahead but don't act condescendingly about it, a villain who has resigned themselves to their goal solely to the point where their desperation for their goal has eaten away at the person they used to be, leaving behind a shell that you could swear is them, but not quite anymore. I want to make a villain that, should their circumstances have been different, they could have brought good change to the world without having to rely on such drastic measures, someone truly capable and gifted
Michael Connelly and other crime fic authors use the misdirect very well. Especially in books like The Poet by Michael Connelly.
In my current WIP I have my protagonists (3) go after a robbery crew for a crime only to learn it was someone else
I was wondering if I could have my main character’s love interest become a villain only to protect her from being hurt