Villain Inspiration
In most stories, there is a hero who triumphs over a villain.
The villain serves to accentuate the heroine. Villains are the white to your heroes black and vice versa. Villains show us the ups and downs to our hero; the good and the bad. And without the villain there is no heroism, or very little. The villain brings out aspects in a story that moves us, and shows us that our hero is only as good as our villain. The villain makes the hero, and without them, the hero doesn't shine. The hero doesn't exist.
Does the villain have to be evil? It seems like a "Well-duh!" question, but let's think on it.
So first let's ask what is evil?
My little cousin swore up and down that I was evil up until we were about twelve because I shared my Snickers with everybody but her. But she was also diabetic and real brat at that. Now she's willing to admit I wasn't but back then, never. In Medieval times, people were absolute in their belief that women deemed witches were evil. In recent times, some people are being so bold as to claim that all police officers in U.S are evil.
So my guess would be that evil is a perception. It is one truth that clashes against another, the truth that opposes your own being the malevolent one.
By definition, it would be:
adjective: evil
1.
profoundly immoral and malevolent.
(of a force or spirit) embodying or associated with the forces of the devil.
-
harmful or tending to harm.
(of something seen or smelled) extremely unpleasant.
noun: evil
1.
profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity, especially when regarded as a supernatural force.
a manifestation of this, especially in people's actions.
something that is harmful or undesirable.
However, when writing, evil can be all of these or completely different. As long as it characterizes both the villain and the hero.
Evil takes on a new face, especially when violence is involved, in stories. And evil's new face can be like bringing a gun to a knife fight. If it's done right, it's just plain wrong. And in a good story, the evil has to be wrong. It has to be bad. The villain has to have a truth that is rotten right down to the core of every individual who opposes it.
Evil in stories is more than opposing truths. Evil is a lie that must be brought to truth in the most debasing, get down and dirty, fight to the last breath way.
So does the villain have to be evil?
Well, yeah, they can be. But they don't have to.
However some form of evil has to be afoot if you want a hero. And an unevil, sometimes even nice, villain is very unorthodox without a twist.
It's been proven, people love villains burning evil down to the bone. But a villain who's not evil, it sounds interesting, but not without a twist. That could be that that the none evil villain is moved by circumstances that portrays him as evil or that they have a split personality. The villain could be confused or just not in control. Or maybe the villain is not the villain at all but is fighting for justice and the supposed hero is the mixed up one, and that detail, being confined until the very end of the story, is the twist.
But no, the villain doesn't have to be evil, but, in turn, they should be to everybody else, or at the very least, the hero. They should definitely be opposed, and do things that would make people, the hero even more so, cringe in opposition.
Think Joker to Batman.
I'm not saying make clowns even more creepier by making them without a conscience and having them kill people with gas that warps their face screepy. Noo, unless that's your signature. I'm saying make a worth while villain people will love to hate, or just love period. That they'll remember. That will leave and imprint too bold to disappoint.
And remember: Love, Or Hate, your villains. It's a requirement for a strong response.
I love all my characters and hate my villains in
And if you like them too remember to share all your love and opinions with everyone.
-Thanks,
Fey
