Why do stories have villains? Wouldn’t everything be better if there weren’t any villains? In real life, yes. In a story, no. The book is only as good as its villain or conflict. Without the conflict, the story would be boring. Books need great villains. The stronger the villain, the better the book. People love to see the hero finally vanquish the villain at the end. Making a believable villain is more complicated than having a character that gets in the hero’s way and does a few bad things. Here is how to create great villains for your novel. 
So, as writers, how do we create villains that aren’t boring?
Get their hands, tentacles, or pinchers dirty.
You have to show your villain personally doing evil. A villain that sits around on a throne or in a spaceship, giving orders, isn’t that scary. Take the Eye of Sauron. Yes, it is a creepy eye made of fire, but what does it really do? Their henchmen may be frightening, but not the actual villains themselves. However, the danger level increases if the readers see them actually doing the evil deed. A way around this is having them watch in approval if you don’t want them to get personally involved.
Their evil agenda needs to make sense.
If they have a purpose, the villain is more believable. There are people who do bad things in real life just because they are bad. However, this doesn’t work in the world of writing. The evil plot must make sense. In the Marvel movies, Thanos wants to help save all life by killing half of the universe. It makes sense to him. He isn’t evil for the sake of being evil.
Ask the questions: Why are they doing this? What purpose does it solve? How can the hero stop them?
Show them genuinely caring about something.
Villains are more real when they have something that they care about. In The Hunger Games, President Snow loves cultivating roses and uses those roses to upset Katniss several times.
They can have something that they cared for in the past, which can give them a painful backstory. This negative impact could be what shaped them into destructive, hateful beings.
Get up close and personal.
The villains people hate the most are the ones who personally make the hero’s life miserable. One example is from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. While Voldemort is a bad guy, he is nothing compared to the pink cardigan-wearing Delores Umbridge, who gives Harry a lifetime ban from Quidditch, tries to have him expelled, and enjoys torturing him in detention.
Without a good villain, the hero is nothing. The hero needs someone to struggle against and ultimately overcome. Don’t let the villain win.
Start writing.
About the Author
Jeff Robb – Spring 2024
Jeff is a third-generation Panama City local working toward his bachelor’s degree in Digital Production.
