@@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.
@@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
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. 😁
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!😂
“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
I like to write my characters this way- the hero's and the villain's goals are opposite, but they also need each other to discover themselves, somehow. Or, to use Abbie's ideas, the hero's destiny and misbelief are somehow connected to the ones of the villain- each one will discover their true desire as a result of their interaction. In other words, the a-ha moment will have double meaning- one meaning for the hero, another one for the villain.
I cannot wait to watch this. Writing a story with a poly relationship where one of them is the villain and the reason why the ‘hero’ falls. I have such a complicated love hate with that character in particular
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'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.
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.
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 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
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. 😂
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.
@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 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.
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.
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.
Thank you so much Abbie! You're videos are always so inspiring and helpful! Thanks for putting so much time into your TH-cam channel! It's helped me immensely! 😊
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."
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.
Where was this video 2 years ago when I first started writing my story? I highly recommend 13 Steps to Evil by Sacha Black. That's what got me going with my villains. The villains who was right there in your face got a back story and instead of growing and becoming better than his circumstances he grew to hate everything. He hated having everything he ever loved taken away from him. He was the bastard son of a noble who's only legitimate children were girls. Since he was a bastard his father couldn't give him an inheritance. His father gave him a strong military training thinking he would be of use to him. His father was a narcissist who thought he was too weak and needed to be tougher. His father's dogs killed his pet cat when he was a small boy. He fell in live with a girl and when he out the idea to his father to arrange a marriage his father arranged to have her father marry someone else. He hated his father so much that he killed him as soon as he was strong enough. Then he killed his only love's father and her husband thinking that they could finally be together and she hated him for it. It sent him on a bath spiraling out of control. He hired himself out as a mercenary because he liked the feeling of power he got from it. He could've been great only his hatred and desire for revenge whenever he feels wronged stopped him. Si when he sees the heroine he remembers the girl he loved and finds it difficult to want to kill her. She looks very similar to the love of his youth, petite and fair. When he has he in his clutches he has a moment where he remembers what he felt like when he was in love and for a moment he thinks he's seeing his love. Until he looks into her eyes and realizes that his love had green eyes and the heroine's are blue. Something snaps in him and he hates her for looking like his childhood love. As for the other true villain he is a thief. Wa born a their raised among thieves and knows no other life. His ambition is to be the greatest thief that ever lived. I'm still working on his back story and ironing him out. But he hired the other villain to teach him and a small group of thieves to fight and become efficient in stealing from.merxhant caravans. It was going to be their first step into his journey of greatness but then the hero put a damper in those plans. So in that way he is similar to the hero. He seeks greatness and dreams of knighthood but their goals are diffent. The story is becoming deeper and more complex as I work on these characters. It's almost to a point where I feel if I published it, I would be happy with it. There may always be thing s that I feel that I could work on and improve upon but in general I like I'm almost to a point where I could be happy with publishing it.
@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.
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.
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
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. In fact, she & jer kind could replace humans as the dominant species on the planet, which is why she & her kind 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. 5:36
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
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 believe we start out selfish & self-absorbed, so I think we do start out as evil, though good-enough families can mitigate some of that, if not all of that.
It's Gaston from beauty and the beast, oh yeah Abbie. I entered a writing competition I was wondering to write about my main story or the spin off beastings in the same world?
But in my opinion so villians are better without hearts. Its scarier to be unsure of why they are a monster or such a force Humanising them takes away from their effectivness I think of darth vader from the original film. A unknown force to be reckon with They they showed his back story in the prequals I think this devasted and weakened his character But also i guess execution plays a big part too
"She saw it now. Kneeling deep in the bloodied snow, she looked up to the heavens, seeing nothing but the abyss. It was her journey that had led her there. Her whole life's purpose, reduced to ashes and dust, dead as all her victims. The mother of her nation, the pride of all, reduced to a madwoman with a bloodied white gown and a maniacal grin on her face. In hindsight, it was all too obvious. After all, power was like a glass of wine. It flowed thickly and seductively, but after the end of its thrall, nothing remained, except for the hollowness that was always there, constant as the ruins of empires, for if there was one thing that empires did, it was fall, and fall hard."
Hi, Abbie🙂 I have a question: Do these tips you mention in this video work on a surprise villain? Because I'm writing a fantasy novel, where the villain is mostly hidden, and creates obstacles for the protagonist through his minions. But he meets the protagonist sometimes and pretends to be her helper so she doesn't suspect it at the beginning that he's the villain. He was also the best friend of the protagonist's grandfather but they became enemies and that's why he's after the protagonist.
@emokekolumban2287 It should work. I am doing a similar thing in my fantasy book. The main villain is my main character’s uncle. And it’s not revealed until later in the book that he is a villain. I’m pretty sure it goes along with what she was saying about make them look like a friend of the protagonist until all of a sudden they aren’t.
@CelestiaGJ In that case, I'm not worried anymore that my surprise villain will be boring or won't work well in the story. The only thing I'm a bit worried now is that it might be cliché that the villain's goal is revenge. 🤔
@@emokekolumban2287 I totally get that. If you are super worried about it then try adding a little more to the motives than just revenge. For example in my book the original motivation for the antagonist was simply to kill all werewolves because he hates them. However I was super worried about it being cliche. So I spiced it up a bit. Now the motives is that he is possessed by a demon type thing that wants to control all the different dimensions, and the werewolves are one of the only people that might be able to stop him. Protagonist is a half werewolf by the way 😋
Blade from Survivors by Erin Hunter. She is such a good villain until book 5 when she loses her mind and goes completely mad. Also Breeze from Survivors is written really well but I hate her so much!
Villains are hard ... supernatural villains are easier, especially if they're eldritch incomprehensible beings ... 'cause then you don't have to explain anything. Human villains are ... I just can't. I know they exist, I love the ones I read, but ... my brain doesn't like me when I try to do that. I guess i'll have to stick to lovecraftian horror. Oh, in the book, MiLady was not nice to begin with and Athos did not have a brother, although the Executioner who finally takes her out, did have a younger brother whom MiLady seduced to get her out of the nunnery and then abandoned and having lost his faith, he ended himself.
There are quite a few villains that I like and that I would love to see get redeemed!!! And I truly believe that they are very redeemable!!!! And some villains aren't even that bad but yet the people who wrote the book they're in or made the show or movie they are in have no interest in doing this. And some of these characters I'm thinking of are Disney characters and I think we all know by now that they have no interest in creativity!!!! All they want is MONEY!!!!!!!💰🤑
I don't know how well I did, but in my story in the final confrontation between the hero and the villain I have the villain justify his abuses using the same arguments that meat-eaters use to justify eating meat when arguing with vegans. As a meat-eater myself, it was quite fun to flip my perspective and find myself on the side of the vegans.
Not all books have villains, there may be just an antagonist (think Javert in Les Miserables--he's not evil, but he very much causes Jean Valjean problems).
I am completely stuck in my second chapter. I have gotten halfway through the material I have outlined for the chapter, but I am only two pages into it. I really don’t want to add a bunch of filler content, but it would be really difficult for me to make the scenes I have already written longer. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to try?😅
like they’re the worst truly despicable but at the same time ppl can’t help but love them. like they don’t agree w or condone their actions. and don’t even want them to succeed in any way. but also they don’t want any harm to come to them. despite it all they’re attached..?
just to note that trying too hard to make every villain this way would lead to a blander and uninteresting story. you should trust your gut on what your story needs, sometimes a one dimensional punchable villain who you just can't wait to take down will be a better service to your story
For anyone who reads Keeper of the Lost Cities. I loved this series, but i will not be finishing. If you have not yet read book 9.5 Unraveled, do not buy this book, and do not read it. Shannon Messenger has destroyed her writing by inserting homosexual characters. After twelve years of incredible writing, she decided she needed to cater to woke agendas, even after she told readers SHE WOULD NOT INCLUDE SUCH THINGS! It is really a shame she has done this. I and many others will be returning the book and never reading her work again. The book has been out for a day and half the reviews are negative. And those numbers will keep climbing. The title is rather ironic, since this will be her Unraveling.
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.
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
Who else loves Abbie👇👇👇
"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
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
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.
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! 😂
“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
I like to write my characters this way- the hero's and the villain's goals are opposite, but they also need each other to discover themselves, somehow.
Or, to use Abbie's ideas, the hero's destiny and misbelief are somehow connected to the ones of the villain- each one will discover their true desire as a result of their interaction.
In other words, the a-ha moment will have double meaning- one meaning for the hero, another one for the villain.
I cannot wait to watch this. Writing a story with a poly relationship where one of them is the villain and the reason why the ‘hero’ falls. I have such a complicated love hate with that character in particular
So true! Even villains/antagonists have internal conflict, just like the MC/protagonist…
Ohhh, I’m really interested in this topic! Thank you ❤
"All we want is world peace...or a piece of the world."
-Chrono Trigger
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'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
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 ❤❤
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.
I honestly like it when they're sarcastic towards the heroes' cause.
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 was JUST watching your other Villain video yesterday!😮❤ Keep up the great work!
I took some inspiration from Stalin to create the villain of my story. Whuch fits because he’s meant to be a dictator.
Finally this is the one I needed!!
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😊
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
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. 😂
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 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 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.
This came out with perfect timing. I've been brainstorming, trying to figure out the main villain in my book.
I LOVE this kind of videos! Abby, you're the best!❤
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.
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.
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
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!
I already have my villain name listed
Wow This really helped, thank you!!
Thank you so much Abbie! You're videos are always so inspiring and helpful! Thanks for putting so much time into your TH-cam channel! It's helped me immensely! 😊
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."
This helped me so much! I am trying to make a lovable but hated villain main 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.
This video showed me I need a plotline for my Villain. Prior to today, he was just a nebulous person in the distance.
This I must know!
❤❤❤
Where was this video 2 years ago when I first started writing my story? I highly recommend 13 Steps to Evil by Sacha Black. That's what got me going with my villains. The villains who was right there in your face got a back story and instead of growing and becoming better than his circumstances he grew to hate everything. He hated having everything he ever loved taken away from him. He was the bastard son of a noble who's only legitimate children were girls. Since he was a bastard his father couldn't give him an inheritance. His father gave him a strong military training thinking he would be of use to him. His father was a narcissist who thought he was too weak and needed to be tougher. His father's dogs killed his pet cat when he was a small boy. He fell in live with a girl and when he out the idea to his father to arrange a marriage his father arranged to have her father marry someone else. He hated his father so much that he killed him as soon as he was strong enough. Then he killed his only love's father and her husband thinking that they could finally be together and she hated him for it. It sent him on a bath spiraling out of control. He hired himself out as a mercenary because he liked the feeling of power he got from it. He could've been great only his hatred and desire for revenge whenever he feels wronged stopped him. Si when he sees the heroine he remembers the girl he loved and finds it difficult to want to kill her. She looks very similar to the love of his youth, petite and fair. When he has he in his clutches he has a moment where he remembers what he felt like when he was in love and for a moment he thinks he's seeing his love. Until he looks into her eyes and realizes that his love had green eyes and the heroine's are blue. Something snaps in him and he hates her for looking like his childhood love. As for the other true villain he is a thief. Wa born a their raised among thieves and knows no other life. His ambition is to be the greatest thief that ever lived. I'm still working on his back story and ironing him out. But he hired the other villain to teach him and a small group of thieves to fight and become efficient in stealing from.merxhant caravans. It was going to be their first step into his journey of greatness but then the hero put a damper in those plans. So in that way he is similar to the hero. He seeks greatness and dreams of knighthood but their goals are diffent. The story is becoming deeper and more complex as I work on these characters. It's almost to a point where I feel if I published it, I would be happy with it. There may always be thing s that I feel that I could work on and improve upon but in general I like I'm almost to a point where I could be happy with publishing it.
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.
Azula from ATLA is my favourite villain and my favourite Avatar Character
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.
With your help, I have created an anti-hero that I love. He’s my favorite character 😊.
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.
*Favorite villains:*
Emperor Palpatine ( _Star Wars_ )
Juggernaut (MCU)
Darth Vader ( _Star Wars_ )
Darkseid (DCU)
Thanos (MCU)
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.
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
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. In fact, she & jer kind could replace humans as the dominant species on the planet, which is why she & her kind 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. 5:36
Elphaba from the musical Wicked (i hope that counts) and Malifacent from the live action movie
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
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 believe we start out selfish & self-absorbed, so I think we do start out as evil, though good-enough families can mitigate some of that, if not all of that.
It's Gaston from beauty and the beast, oh yeah Abbie. I entered a writing competition I was wondering to write about my main story or the spin off beastings in the same world?
First one here let's go!!!!
Thank you angel🙏🏼
Ooh! What if the antagonist/villain is nature?
But in my opinion so villians are better without hearts. Its scarier to be unsure of why they are a monster or such a force
Humanising them takes away from their effectivness
I think of darth vader from the original film. A unknown force to be reckon with
They they showed his back story in the prequals
I think this devasted and weakened his character
But also i guess execution plays a big part too
"She saw it now. Kneeling deep in the bloodied snow, she looked up to the heavens, seeing nothing but the abyss. It was her journey that had led her there. Her whole life's purpose, reduced to ashes and dust, dead as all her victims. The mother of her nation, the pride of all, reduced to a madwoman with a bloodied white gown and a maniacal grin on her face. In hindsight, it was all too obvious. After all, power was like a glass of wine. It flowed thickly and seductively, but after the end of its thrall, nothing remained, except for the hollowness that was always there, constant as the ruins of empires, for if there was one thing that empires did, it was fall, and fall hard."
I would appreciate some more examples from literature or movies.
Hi, Abbie🙂 I have a question: Do these tips you mention in this video work on a surprise villain? Because I'm writing a fantasy novel, where the villain is mostly hidden, and creates obstacles for the protagonist through his minions. But he meets the protagonist sometimes and pretends to be her helper so she doesn't suspect it at the beginning that he's the villain. He was also the best friend of the protagonist's grandfather but they became enemies and that's why he's after the protagonist.
@emokekolumban2287 It should work. I am doing a similar thing in my fantasy book. The main villain is my main character’s uncle. And it’s not revealed until later in the book that he is a villain. I’m pretty sure it goes along with what she was saying about make them look like a friend of the protagonist until all of a sudden they aren’t.
@CelestiaGJ In that case, I'm not worried anymore that my surprise villain will be boring or won't work well in the story. The only thing I'm a bit worried now is that it might be cliché that the villain's goal is revenge. 🤔
@@emokekolumban2287 I totally get that. If you are super worried about it then try adding a little more to the motives than just revenge. For example in my book the original motivation for the antagonist was simply to kill all werewolves because he hates them. However I was super worried about it being cliche. So I spiced it up a bit. Now the motives is that he is possessed by a demon type thing that wants to control all the different dimensions, and the werewolves are one of the only people that might be able to stop him.
Protagonist is a half werewolf by the way 😋
@@CelestiaGJ Your story sounds interesting indeed. Thank you for the advice and best of luck and success with your book. 😊👍
@@emokekolumban2287 Of course. Best of luck to you as well👍
Blade from Survivors by Erin Hunter. She is such a good villain until book 5 when she loses her mind and goes completely mad. Also Breeze from Survivors is written really well but I hate her so much!
Villains are hard ... supernatural villains are easier, especially if they're eldritch incomprehensible beings ... 'cause then you don't have to explain anything. Human villains are ... I just can't. I know they exist, I love the ones I read, but ... my brain doesn't like me when I try to do that. I guess i'll have to stick to lovecraftian horror. Oh, in the book, MiLady was not nice to begin with and Athos did not have a brother, although the Executioner who finally takes her out, did have a younger brother whom MiLady seduced to get her out of the nunnery and then abandoned and having lost his faith, he ended himself.
YESS I don't have a steady villain in my book and they are all red herings bc tge real villain is the protagonist 😍
There are quite a few villains that I like and that I would love to see get redeemed!!! And I truly believe that they are very redeemable!!!!
And some villains aren't even that bad but yet the people who wrote the book they're in or made the show or movie they are in have no interest in doing this.
And some of these characters I'm thinking of are Disney characters and I think we all know by now that they have no interest in creativity!!!! All they want is MONEY!!!!!!!💰🤑
I was wondering if I could have my main character’s love interest become a villain only to protect her from being hurt
I don't know how well I did, but in my story in the final confrontation between the hero and the villain I have the villain justify his abuses using the same arguments that meat-eaters use to justify eating meat when arguing with vegans. As a meat-eater myself, it was quite fun to flip my perspective and find myself on the side of the vegans.
Who do you consider of being a villain in your book "The other world"? :)
Not all books have villains, there may be just an antagonist (think Javert in Les Miserables--he's not evil, but he very much causes Jean Valjean problems).
Best V is Theon Greyjoy
I feel a little called out for giving my villain a black trench coat 😂
How do I show their conflict and arc if the book is in a closed 3rd person pov?
First.
Ah not again. Ok second.
I am completely stuck in my second chapter. I have gotten halfway through the material I have outlined for the chapter, but I am only two pages into it. I really don’t want to add a bunch of filler content, but it would be really difficult for me to make the scenes I have already written longer. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to try?😅
Try re reading the beginning of the chapter. It will fire something off and might say, oh yeah, good luck.
@TMscifiwrtr thank you for the suggestion I will give it a shot. ❤
The world is grey, and People are grey. So, darker or lighter shades of grey make all the difference between an antagonist and a protagonist.
but what if i want to make a villain readers will hate that they love….
like they’re the worst truly despicable but at the same time ppl can’t help but love them. like they don’t agree w or condone their actions. and don’t even want them to succeed in any way. but also they don’t want any harm to come to them. despite it all they’re attached..?
I CLICKED SO FAST
me tooooo 🤣🤣
I was second because of silly ads 😅. This is the second time it happened for me.
I'm awake!
Claude frollo from hunch back of notredame - Abbie you need to do a character study on him for us!!! Pretty Please🙏
@@LNRyen a classic unhealthy Type 1 energram character
Tom Hiddleston doesn’t hurt, either.
BTW, how did you know that my whole NaNoWriMo is about a villain actively hiding in plain sight?
just to note that trying too hard to make every villain this way would lead to a blander and uninteresting story. you should trust your gut on what your story needs, sometimes a one dimensional punchable villain who you just can't wait to take down will be a better service to your story
For anyone who reads Keeper of the Lost Cities.
I loved this series, but i will not be finishing. If you have not yet read book 9.5 Unraveled, do not buy this book, and do not read it. Shannon Messenger has destroyed her writing by inserting homosexual characters. After twelve years of incredible writing, she decided she needed to cater to woke agendas, even after she told readers SHE WOULD NOT INCLUDE SUCH THINGS! It is really a shame she has done this. I and many others will be returning the book and never reading her work again. The book has been out for a day and half the reviews are negative. And those numbers will keep climbing. The title is rather ironic, since this will be her Unraveling.
This cant be the best option for a villain?