get yourself a man who looks at you the way athos looks at milady when she comes back from the grave to haunt his house

Tho it is a cartoon, Zuko from avatar: the last airbender has the best redemption arc of all time

I'm only on the first point, but I think it's sometimes refreshing and delightful to have villains who are just so into their villainy. Just a few good examples being the Joker, Belos from The Owl House, and Ursula. They're having so much fun being assholes, and they have zero compunctions about being evil. In our world of sympathy for the devil, sometimes it's nice to have someone just as evil as people in real life can be. For example, there are quite a few US politicians who seem to take great joy in causing pain to others. It's nice to see when a story understands that people like that DO exist.

Namaari from “Raya the Last Dragon” is a perfect example of “I guess I’ll be good now.” SPOILER ALERT: The theme about trust clashed with the story, with very little reward. Namaari’s supposed “redemption” could’ve easily been interpreted as just trying to save her own skin. There was no followup for it either, just a group hug 🤢

I often struggle with villains, so I'm always looking for tips, so thanks for this! My favourite example of a redemptive arc is Regina Mills (aka The Evil Queen) from the TV show Once Upon a Time. It takes several seasons for her to be redeemed, and the backstory of how she became a villain is only gradually revealed through flashbacks, but that just makes it more satisfying in the end. Funny how both of our examples are linked to Snow White!

Even if the cab driver was killing people just because he wants "revenge" for the unfairness of life, this is a pretty strong reason for me. Actually, quite powerful. Honestly, in real life, so many crimes don't have a "WHY", it's just painful and cruel. Now, in writing, I think it's all about how you pull it off. Example: How can we all still love Darth Vader, the guy who killed entire planets? His own daughter never forgave him and yet, we did. Man, I can't explain that. I just love the guy (because he is fictional, okay?).

Yay, so glad this is here! I'm writing an anti-hero/villain and this is going to help a lot. You guys are awesome!

Redemption arcs should be used sparingly. I believe there are places for flat negative villains who do not change and who never redeem themselves. I recommend learning more about these in Story by Robert McKee and Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland. We've run into an absolute glut of "sad misunderstood bad guy who just needs love and forgiveness" to the point where it's becoming overdone.

One of the best - if not THE best - villains I've ever seen in anything is from the MMO Final Fantasy XIV, and his name is Emet-Selch. The writers of the game used three of the tips you outline here (tip 1, tip 2, and tip 5) when writing him, and they turned him into one of the most beloved characters in the game's entire history. Emet is a masterclass in how to write a truly amazing villain who will also leave your heart shattered by the end.

I needed some inspiration for a villainous character. Thank you both!

Rebecca's arc in the first series of Ted Lasso is a good example of redemption, and illustrates the show's themes of second chances and forgiveness. The twist is that Ted doesn't realise she's the villain until the end of the series.

Other thing that makes me remember the villains is what was the consequences to their missbehavior. Many times, if the villain just is arrested, dies or is killed by the protagonist, it feels either like they were immobilized or that their suffering just ended. I once watched a soap opera where the villain, trying to get a higher standard of living, lost the guardianship of her son, who ended up being raised by the man who first hired her and who she tried playing the the confidence game with a child that ended up being from other man . She lost her job and got a new one cleaning a zoo's animal areas. While falling in the mud in the elephant's habitat, she was humiliated by some kids and the new guardian of her son's domestic servant, who was holding the villain's son at the moment. What I like to think is "What will my villain have to deal with, for the rest of their life, that they would consider worse than dying".

I love Outlander so much, I take it apart and study it. One example of a protagonist saving a villian is when Jamie Fraser helps the pirate Stephen Bonnet escape the gallows, only for him to come back and all but devastate their family.

So glad you guys used the Sherlock tv series as one of your villain examples. I would argue, however, that the cab driver in A Study in Pink had a reason for why he was murdering people: for his kids. He was dying and was out of his kids' life, so every person he killed, Moriarty would pay him and the driver would send it to his kids. I wasn't a fan of the villain from The Blind Banker-can't put my finger on why even though it does follow the example of writing "one dimensional" villains the right way. One day, I want to analyze the show to see how to write a jerk protagonist. When done right, a jerk protagonist is intriguing and interesting. And when they reach rock bottom, it hits you hard because it shows that despite them being spiteful, they are vulnerable people who still feel. In two episodes of Sherlock, I was in tears, particularly in The Reichenbach Fall.

Give your protagonist a reason to spare the villain... Another thing I think is absolutely amazing!!!

With your Freya-example, I get to think of The Hunchback of Notre Dame a little bit. Although Quasimodo, was never the real villain, or any type of villain at all. How ever, he was lied to through most of his life. And not until later, the end of the book, he finds out that Judge Claude Frollo, was the villain all the time.

No. 4 Misdirection: The Mentalist /USA TV did this Moriarty bait & switch with 'Red John' for six seasons; No. 5 Redemptive Arc: Lady Kaede - Kurosawa's Ran (Japanese 1985) so redeemable, she went from Super-Villain to (super-damaged) Hero of the Story. Great discussion, thank you.

I disagree with a point in the sparing point, which was that the invincible villain who keeps coming back isnt engaging. To me it actually creates an incredibly investing story, because the heros keep attempting to kill the villain, but they just cant. It creates a struggle that is, to me, one of the best ideas in storytelling, whenever i see it its done amazingly. Its also better when the heros know they cant win but they still try, its an amazing struggle for the characters. Edit: not saying that sparing the villain is bad, or that they should always be invincible.

Another great episode. I do have some things to say, though: 1. I think a villain doesn’t always need to be deeply conflicted. In certain stories, completely evil villains are really fun to read/watch and I wouldn’t have them any other way. A villain always has the choice to do good but certain characters have either never considered it, or haven’t been taught to consider it. Emperor Palpatine is pure evil and he’s a blast to watch (he does check this episode’s box of hiding in plain sight). Joffrey Baratheon is an absolute psycho who takes pleasure in causing pain and he’s thrilling on page and on screen. I think villains can be exempt from the need of conflict in a character, if they fit in the story. A more archetypal character without conflict can really enhance the story in different ways. I think that kind of villain does have to spark conflict in other characters, whether they are a hero, villain or somebody in between. 3. I think that giving the villain a reason to spare the protagonist can be cool to. This has to be explained and set up properly, though. One of my favourite (narrative) games is 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man. In this particular universe, Peter Parker works for Otto Octavius (doctor Octopus). It is obvious to anyone who knows Spider-Man’s rogues gallery even a tiny bit, that Otto will become evil. The game uses that knowledge to build a relationship between him and Peter that makes the player not want Otto to turn evil. He eventually does, of course. He amassed five other villains to create the Sinister Six. They defeat Spider-Man, but Otto gives the Wallcrawler one final warning to not get in his way. He knew Peter was Spider-Man. It is evident that Otto clearly still cares for Peter quite a bit. The revenge quest he is on… outweighs that, unfortunately.

I had a completely opposite impression of Sherlock villains. The cab driver got money for each murder and sent it to his children - a pretty solid reason. On the other hand, Moriarty claimed he was just bored, and Sherlock was the only one decent rival to have fun with. Like what kind of reason is that..? isn't that exactly a "mu-ha-ha" bad guy? and they don't show us anything from his background, just absolutely no idea why he became like that. I love Sherlock for many things but I got bored each time they gave Moriarty screen time

For the villain in my story, I want him to be dangerous to the protagonist in more of an internal way rather than external. So I've made it a rule for this villain that he never uses physical violence or intimidation unless he absolutely has to. Instead, his power is in his ability to perceive and unearth a person's deepest fear so he can use it against them. Essentially, if he's confronted, he'll strategically disarm his opponent emotionally until they lose the confidence to face him. I plan to have him do this to the protagonist a lot. And it'll probably work every single time, until the protagonist has an aha moment that is.

In the book Athos is a Count and Milady De Winther is his wife, but he has never seen her naked. In an accident riding her shoulder garment is ripped and he discovers there the branded markings of the 'fleur de lis' - the markings of a thief, traitor or murder at the time. He dares not trust her claims of innocence and condemned her - as it is his duty - to death by hanging. He never forgives himself for being blind and for not trusting her, and yet still loving her. He fears her, yet knows he's the only one she fear's and will obey. (With one exception the execusioner - who's sister she killed) - She loves him, but is also rotten to the core - though she claimed to first having been guilty of the crimes condemned for after he scorned her. - Yet she's a ruthless and cold-blooded murder, whom has no regrets and no remorse. She's a charming psychopath whom he in the end stops by the help of D'Artagnan. And the execusioner finally gets her beheaded on an island so she cannot escape nor poison the minds of the musketeers.

Love Sherlock! I purchased the entire series, including the Abominable Bride, which has a twist toward the end. Moriarty and Sherlock are like bookends one good and one evil, they admire each other.

Ahhh this is so cool and just the video I needed today to plot my villain story. Villains in general hold a special place in my heart (it all began with disney villains and Scar from Lion King) so this one is gunna be good book for me to write. I am British and HAD to watch Poldark after your first mention of George in a previous video. I loved it. Even characters like Demelza had so much depth! In October I even visited the Poldark mines in the South!

SO HAPPY TO SEE I'M NOT THE ONLY STILL OBSSESED OVER POLDARK YEYYY. The writing is so good in that show, my favorite along with the borgias

The antagonist in my WIP hits three of these points: she has her agents hidden in plain sight so someone we though was a friend is a spy. Protagonist has a reason to spare them because the antagonist is the mother who abandoned her as a child. And the villain is a misdirect because her actions are in preparation for a greater evil coming for all of them. The villain might also get a redemptive arc when they have to work together against the greater threat

I love, LOVE Sherlock so much! Even though his character is not so much lovable but you can't help but root for him. Hope you guys can make one podcast about unlovable character like Sherlock.

A good Villain can certainly add a lot to your story. Some of my favorite Villains - Darth Vader - Probably the most Iconic villain of all time, and for good reason. Vader feels like a force of nature, ominous, powerful, seemingly unstoppable. Joker(the dark knight) - certainly a villain for mature audiences, yet Heath Ledger delivered a captivating performance. The dark knight would be an empty shell without him. Grand admiral Thrawn - From Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire series. Thrawn is a brilliant tactician, one step ahead of the heroes at every turn. He is a loyal commander, whose crew would die for him. He is a joy to read. Captain hook - From Walt Disney's Peter Pan. Dastardly, honorless, and comically evil... I can think of no other Villain who I would rather see get what he deserves. He wears the hat of both Jester and antagonist simultaneously, and these roles are well balanced. Dagger - From the How to train your Dragon Netflix series. He is as crafty as he is crazy, a Stoic said. Watching his deranged plans fall apart is always fun. And those are some of the Villains I most enjoy watching/reading about.

Upon your recommendation, I'm subscribing to BBC. I am using your point number four. My favorite villain of all time is the Joker as portrayed by Heath Ledger. What a great portrayal. I just subscribed to you both. Thanks for your efforts of paying things forward in terms of your collective knowledge. Thanks.

thank you guys so much for doing this podcast. It's really going to help my series because I've always felt like my villain's have been so cheesy and cliché. But, now I'm also kind of mad at you because I had an amazing idea for a way to write a villain for my story and it would work perfectly, except I love this character so much and I would hate to ruin him. But, thanks to you LOL, I might just have to. Thanks!

You guys outfits are so like spring/summer vibe! And love the new setup😍😍😍 and thank you so much for this helpful video about villain. Not to mention, miraculously, I checked off everything you guys have mentioned what a villain should be. Means I am on the right track haha😄👍

In my current project, the "main" villain is the main character's favorite cousin. MC is younger and has always looked up to her cousin as a role model, only to be utterly crushed when she learns the truth. The "villain in plain sight" is just so juicy.

I have to say thank you, because while watching this, I figured out how to make the main villain work, and OH BOY, does he work now! I feel positively gleeful over how evil but complicated he suddenly became.

I am so lucky to have found this! You clarified most of the things that i couldn't identify. Each topic makes perfect sense. Thank you.

Another good turn around for a villain is in BBC's Robin Hood. Guy of Gisborne makes the turn around. :) I miss that show. :)

This is so interesting. This is probably why out of all the Villians in the Marvel Universe movies, why Thanos stands out in my mind. My favorite Villian is Strahd the vampire from the DnD universe and campaign. He's a Villian with allot of depth.

In my humble opinion one of the best conflicted villains shows up in Star Trek Into Darkness. Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan is a memorable villain because anyone will simpatiza with him. There is a back story that provides him with a reason to be evil. One that anyone would understand. Amazing actor that can go from truly evil to truly heartfelt in the same scene. Just wow!!!

you girls are helping me a ton out here, thank you both!

This was super insightful thank you!

Loved the Poldark series and always felt the way you both do about George Warleggan. He envied, admired, and despised Ross all at the same time. I also love British shows. They usually do in depth work on their character development that usually translates into great storylines. Now I'm going to have to watch the Oliver Twist mini-series. Great podcast. Thank you and Happy New Year.

George is the perfect example. I realised that the best villains imo are the one who make me doubt. The ones that I spent a long time wondering « I don’t know if I hate their guts, or if I kind of have affection for them ». That’s what happened with George. I wanted to punch him in the face for like 3 seasons but George still made me cry and pity him. Still a douche, but with a human side. Same with Aunt Lydia in the Handmaid’s tale. You hate her but then she shows some humanity and you start wondering. And then you hate her again. Those are the villains that I can’t get out of my head.

the three muskeeteers is one of my all time favorite books. i remember reading it as a kid.

Ooo, I like the framing on this one. Well done, Kate 👏

That was my opinion of George Wayleggen at first, then someone suggested that George was secretly gay and in love with Ross, but was unable to properly express those feelings and knew Ross would never return them anyway, thus, the poor behavior. I gotta admit, they made a compelling argument.

aaaaaa so glad that i found this channel!!

Just in time. Thank you for this!

I really like these technical vlogs. Thank you.

🤣🤣my family and I literally do that with every movie: "What's-his-face-from-that-movie-we -watched-last-week." Or "the lady from such-and-such movie."

"The greatest villain is the one you never knew was there in the first place." -Harumi, Ninjago, Season 8

Wait, in the study in pink the old cabbie driver killed all those people because Moriarty gives his children money for each kill

One of my favorite villains is Jigsaw from the Saw series. He is someone who battles with cancer and in order to instill gratitude to his ungrateful victims for the gift of being alive, he puts them through horrific tests. They need to cut off a limb in order to survive, because he ties them with handcuffs to a room and it will be filled with poisonous gas or something, so they've got to beat it fast. Therefore, every time they need to make grim choices or else they die. Wicked sick !

Very nice! ❤

Yay!!! So excited to watch this!!

SILCO in Arcane on Netflix. SUCH A GOOD VILLAIN. Also also video game related, the best decision they made with Dragon Age Inquisition is making it so the late game revealed super complex, esp if youre an elf character, big bad could be your love interest. And in a later DLC you could even confront him.

What a great video! You guys are great!

**me taking notes for how to be a better person**

You don't understand how y'all have just helped me. This video is favorited.

I think I'm the only one who doesn't watch movies but animes since villains in animes are the most unpredictable villains ever. There is a group of friends who are 12 year old kids and everyone is different. Then there is one that is very brave and strong who seems to be the main character who can't talk. The other one is cool, the other is smart, ones is chubby and likes food etc. 11 kids and one of them likes to play video games and can't get of his little game console. Came out he is an Ai and he was controling the main character by remote with his game console to gain information from the group and to lure them to a specific place. Yet he changed throughout the journey and became the traitor to the actual villain etc. This is what I like. Movies with real actors don't have that level of creativity to me unfortunately

Thank you so much for this video, it was so helpful in breaking down concepts that are currently frustrating me to put into words. And I agree, these kinds of villains are definitely top tier. What you said in tip #4 got me thinking. When and how can that one-dimensional muahaha villain really work with today's audience? Do they really stand out? Honestly I'm fine with them in the fun, campy movies. Sometimes it's relaxing to consume something with a black-and-white/one-dimensional villain and straightforward plot, especially when I'm feeling overwhelmed by the world and just want a breather. They also work well in fairy tales for the most part. Really glad stories are multidimensional like that, they can inform or make you think or they can simply entertain. I believe that's why certain tropes will continue to live on. Barring that, this video also made me think of some of my favourite kinds of antagonists, the more "unknowable" type--again your point rings true, what a terrifying concept, to not know. When a villain looks perfectly regular but is a straight-up narcissist, a master manipulator with a grandiose view of themselves, the tendency to twist reality for everyone around them, and the actual power to impact the world on a wider scale? Chilling. Just look at Light Yagami or the titular character of the Hannibal series. I believe this works best with the hidden in plain sight villain. The deception, the whiplash, the tension, the way everything before that takes on a new meaning-- **chef's kiss** When the antagonist has reasoning that humans could never hope to connect with? Love to see it. Especially when it's an entity with a Blue and Orange morality, operating with a moral structure so alien to us that it just cannot be evaluated by any of our moral constructs. How do you circumvent that? Gets me every time. My favourite of these are when Death is personified (neither good nor evil, simply doing it's job with terrifying efficiency), when A.I. operate according to their programming without empathy (Michael Fassbender in the Alien movie chills my blood to this day), and that time someone told me about a series I can't remember except the alien was disturbed because, by our own basic instinct, we commit the unforgivable monstrosity of eating, when the lives of all living things are equal. A human eating a plant or animal is tantamount to cannibalism, ergo humans go against the natural order and should be exterminated. Now that's pretty compelling. Don't get me wrong, I'm fully recruited to your core concept of Internal Conflict (the lifeblood of every story), but just thought I'd leave this here for anyone interested in a way too long comment lol. Thanks again for all your hard work, stay safe and thank you for brightening my night!

Id say the worst kinds of villains are ones who act like a happy person one minute than switch on you for no reason, but trick you into thinking you're their friend prior to them acting against you, at least you know a big bad is prone to doing bad things, a person who switches is unpredictable and are the worst, I literally have no hope for people like that

Great video! My latest antagonist checks all these boxes. Funny that my readers seem to want my female protagonist to end up with him instead of her "true love!" Question for Abbie: I recently read 100 Days of Sunlight - and loved it! Your story didn't have an external protagonist. I would love to see you talk about that on a video, since I have another story where the antagonist is "joy." (the emotion, not a person). I think some stories can work really well without a major antagonist - like yours did!

LOVE Sherlock! I've watched it all the way through more than once 😊

I'd just like to add that the "Ilsa" character in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" uses all five of these suggestions. With that being said, I think these are great suggestions for an "under-villain", if you will, as nothing I heard here was "terrifyingly unforgettable". A truly terrifying villain has interest in neither redemption nor obfuscation.

Might I say that it's wonderful that you siblings have a business of passion together. And further off-topic but worth mentioning, your sis is gorgeous!

Another way to make an intriguing villain by hiding them in plain sight while also misdirecting: Put them in a place where they don't even have any idea that they could have been or are the villain. Introduce them as a protagonist who later on discovers that they were the villain being hunted down the entire time. Make them seem like they're honestly the good guy. If this is done right, it sends chills down the spine at the plot twist--or when we meet the character who put your "villain" in that position. I can think of two examples but I don't want to spoil them. This is one of my favorite styles and can lead to a morally gray character or anti-hero type of protag. If it somehow actually leads to a truly honest character at the end of it all who no longer has that morally gray area then it can become cheesy... but it's a thrill when done well.

The 2011 live action Red Riding Hood movie did a really good job using the second point. I really liked how they handled it, cause you just did not see that coming, and it was great.

I mean, possibly, but when I think of some of the most effective villains I've ever read, one of them fits #2, another might barely fit #1 (depending on which villain in that book you focus on), and another only occasionally fits #2. Full disclosure, I'm lumping a few villains from one book together in the second example, and doing the same (but with a series) in the third. Possibly it has to do with my affinity for the mastermind archetype. BTW, you absolutely should read 'Towards the Gleam', 'That Hideous Strength', and the Hannay series by John Buchan. As a side note, conflicted villains can work really well, but unrepentant villains can be amazing. I say this as somebody with a total of (counts) .5 conflicted villains (he only becomes a villain after he stops being conflicted). Also: good antagonists, for when your protagonist is more than gray.

I love it when they take a normal person and put them into a bad situation where they're forced to make increasingly desperate and bad decisions that lead them down a dark path that they feel like they can't turn back from. Kinda like Anakin after he turns on Mace Windu. It's like the point where he feels like he made his bed and now has to sleep in it. Same with Harvey Dent in the Dark Knight. Basically, I like the Joker's Philosophy that anyone is a bad day away from becoming the villain of the story. All it takes is a desperate need, believing they have no options but the dark path. And they continue to make these bad decisions because they justify the ends over the means even though they continue to become closer and closer to the villain they despise. Or they choose self-preservation over what's right. Like the case with many people in Nazi Germany who just fell in line to save their own lives and family members over doing what they feel is right. It's such a conflicting path where a person must decide to do what's right versus protecting their family or themselves and creates a lot of tension that people will be so conflicted over and question their own moral compass and whether they'd make the same decisions.

Whenever we see a fellow Brit in an American film, we just know he's going to be the baddie.

Great information! Very helpful. Also, films that did great villains - Sam rami’s Spider-Man trilogy

Hi Kate & Abbie. Have you ever seen Breaking Bad? Is a really interesting good-to-bad-to-good character arc. Thank you as always for the video and the interesting tips!

I loved this one!

Thank ya'll so much for this very valuable information! It will help me very very very much! And I know quite a few books that lack reason to spare the villain (not giving out names) and so they don't, but I still don't see why the villain can't just be destined to die, so why can't it?

Thanks. My book is going to be MUCH better because of these tips. I love the misdirection idea.

'he resurrected himself AGAIN?' made me snort out loud. Great video!

I started to make a counter argument for Marvel villains just to balance out the BBC of it all lol but honestly, outside of Loki, I couldn’t really find one that was comparable. However, I will say in Marvel’s (and DC’s) defense the whole comic book movie franchise never really set out to be Shakespeare. Their target demo isn’t exactly going to the theater for the well crafted dialogue so I guess I’ll just leave it alone. . Thanks for the excellent show, ladies! This has given me some fun, new ideas! 💜

for those who say an inherently evil villain doesn't work, my counter-argument: BIG JACK HORNER from Puss-in-bots the last wish. he is not complex, his motivations are shallow, he is a psychotic, irredemably terrible person who can never be satisfied. yet, Jack horner is incredibly entertaining, and genuinely threatening. a very delicate balance that otherwise really good stories have attempted and failed in the past. this largely works because he's just that hilarious, almost every scene involving him is filled to the brim with relentless dark humor, which is only amplified by his shallow desires and casual atitude tward death (not Death as in the character). despite his simplicity, he is booming with personality, he doesn't feel like the "mwah hah hah" generic evil man, he just genuinely does not recognize or care how horrible he is. it feels believable largely because the other characters are complex in their own ways, and they react to his horrifying antics as one should. jack's insanity doessnt work in a vaccume, which is why he's paired with the concioous-cricket (totally not jiminny for copyright reasons) for him to bounce off of and OMG they're fantastic together. the comic-releif cricket even gets his own character arch, having to witness jack's behavior. he learns that sometimes, you cant find the good in a person, finally snaping and jack's just "duh, what took you so long?" it also helps that the current climate for animated villaIns is the now overused and dry twist villain, or to have no villain at all. the few good ones on their own work well, but with one after another, its getting incredibly stale. big jack horner is a direct response to that, serving as a great refresher, as the audience finally gets a real villain again, but his execution is a commentary that this kind of character CAN be done well.

Thank you! I hope to finish writing a novel 1 day.

Working on my own world where the veil is broken releasing creatures of myth and legend back into our world and I needed to work on the villain a bit more

I have a villain that is in a position where I haven't fleshed why he is. There's plenty of reasons I'm sure I can come up with for why he'd become one due to a personal conflict of some sort or more. He's actually in plain sight as an antagonist from the beginning but not the main but more along the lines of the unknown biggest threat at the time. Some due try to save and or redeem him but I don't see it happening and he does lead to a bigger threat. I actually confirmed that recently.

My villain is moving against the hero who was his mentor like a surrogate father and son and doesn't tell the reader till later lol I'm stoked that your list applies to him

I appreciate that at least 2 of the examples--Oliver Twist and The Musketeers--are at least from books that your viewers can pick up easily, both being classics that are often available for free in e-book formats. But not everyone has access to BBC here in the U.S. For instance, we needed to bring our cable bill down and since they no longer have a package with Basic and Expanded (which would have allowed me to access the channel) we had to switch to a package that gives us our local channels plus 15 more, and in a family of four adults, you can guess that coming to a consensus on which 15 non-premium channels those would be was not easy to come by. Surely there are *some* shows/movies/popular/classic books here in the states that you could point to as examples? And if not, could you at least give us more clips that really express the ideas you are pointing towards without us necessarily needing to already be familiar with the character from a BBC show that we might not have access to? For instance, the most famous example and one of the best imo, of making a villain a misdirection is Snape from the Harry Potter series. By the time you finish "The Half-Blood Prince" the reader is *sure* that Snape really is a Death Eater and has been in league with Voldemort all along, and it isn't until "The Deathly Hallows" that you really understand what a complete and total ass Harry's father was to him all through school (James Potter was a bully, plain and simple; convince me otherwise) and what Snape has been doing all this time to keep Harry safe because he is _Lilly's_ son, and however much Snape may still despise James, he has never stopped loving Lilly.

I don't think you always need to complicate the villain. Sure, a complex motivation and backstory definitely makes a villain interesting, but a over the top evil without any such thing can be fun too, sometimes. I think, for villains, more than their characters, it's how they affect the protagonist, and the story at large, makes them effective and memorable. Even if their characters are black as tar, without any nuance, if they present enough of a challenge for the protagonist(especially if they put the protagonists through hell), they become the sort of icon of fear that's very effective to the story. For example, take Sauron. Sure, he has a complicated backstory explained in prequel books, but he's pretty one dimensional in LOTR. Even Voldemort isn't that complex. But the effect of their names in their respective world alone make them memorable. Heck, even the Joker's motivation in The Dark Knight are so ambiguous that we're still theorizing whether he was military guy, or if any of the backstory he gave is actually true. All we know is he just wants to spread chaos, and even that could be a lie to misdirect Harvey Dent. A completely incomprehensible character, yet very effective because how he affects the protagonist. Or take John Doe from Seven. It was pretty damn scary how he got under the skin just by doing what he did. And they're just a few examples of villains who aren't overly complex themselves, but are pretty fun. So, yeah, I don't think you necessarily need to make an identifiable or sympathetic villain to make them terrifying, how their presence and actions affect the world, regardless of their motivation, can make them a pretty good villain. Also, theatrics help.

I disagree about villains being conflicted. Seeing as they tend to lead the plot, I feel a villain that is fully invested in their goals to be more effective. Secondary villains can make that work, but I think main ones need to be all-in to keep the plot going.

Well, two greatest villains in my stories are Lady Mad and The Warlock. Lady Mad is an Immortal that got her Title removed. She is still an Immortal and has huge Magic by human standard. But she cannot use this Magic without chanting spells like human Mages do. And that makes her significantly weaker than other Immortals for whom using Magic is just like breathing. Lady Mad was always a weird one. She was in love with one of the Immortals. The most powerful of them all, Lord of The Blade, Daten. But Daten never loved her back. In her desperation she went too far. She hurt many people and forced Daten to act. He took her Title from her and made her a nobody, but didn't take her immortality from her. Lady Mad is a weird one. She goes after my main protagonist because he is connected to Daten in a very weird way. She mistakenly thinks that my main guy *ACTUALLY IS* Daten in hiding, which is not true. She both loves and hated Daten and she cannot say herself which feeling is stronger. In her desperation she mastered all human kinds of Magic and also technology and she combines them both in very unique ways. But every single time she comes close to killing my main protagonist - she hesitates and that gives my protagonist a chance to win once more. But she is also able to escape unharmed. You can say she's the type to try to stab you in the back, then kiss you passionately and lose herself in that kiss completely, allowing you time to escape. And she isn't exactly ugly either so being kissed by her is pretty weird experience - on one hand she's a beautiful woman, on the other she's crazy and her moral code basically never really existed. *** The Warlock. I call him a villain simply because in most cases that's the role he plays in the story. But Warlock is not really evil. He just has his plans and doesn't really care about collateral damage. Which more often than not puts heroes and mercenaries on his path. He's very grey character. He's not the vengeful type. He doesn't really make a big deal of the fact that he lost. He never does anything out of spite or to take revenge. He simply moves to another plan. Because he always has tons of them. I suppose the only difference between Warlock and people like Magnus de Grey Skull is that Warlock likes Black Magic a little bit too much and is too certain of his plans for his own good. But Magnus also makes that mistake sometimes. Just not as often as Warlock. One of Warlock's greatest "achievements" was the destruction of planet Minerva just before the Great Kingdom era, which resulted in The Curse which had split reality apart. The Rift collapsed 12 thousands of years later resulting in massacre of 90% humanity that existed back then. Because of that he is despised by nearly all Mages in the world, even the black ones. Because the destruction of Minerva is seen as senseless act of cruelty and a stupid move because of how risky it was. And sure enough the risk was indeed too great it seems as Warlock's true gual was The Holy Grail, an ancient artifact that was being kept on Minerva - but in the end of the day Warlock failed to capture it. But this doesn't change the fact that the ultimate fall of human civilization is Warlock's handiwork, whether he intended it to be that way or not. Warlock isn't really after main protagonist of my stories, because of who Warlock is and what his plans are - my main protagonist often just happens to be in the way.

the third point (and partially first) is exactly Lavender, the villain of book 2. She was antagonist/rival in book 1, but rose to be the villain in book 2. She is the MC´s sister and wants to destroy the MC (but ultimately can´t) and the MC is on the defensive, conflicted on whether she should fight back or not. Sometimes she does fight back, sometimes she can´t bring herself to, but for sure can´t kill her

When you realize the points he makes about being evil apply to you.

It's quite an interesting video ( correct me on my point of view ) ! I tried to create a villain in which his goals are ambiguous ( having fun = destroying and killing people , but wants people to have fun in their lives ) and the result seems pretty good in the way that other characters are pretty much throwing hands at him for his philosophy. P.S : One of these characters throwing hands is also a villain .😅

Motive is the most important thing for a villain. They need a good reason why they are doing what they are doing

My villain is both the ominous figure in the black cloak and the villain hiding in plain sight. The trick is my protagonists don't realise that the friend they are interacting with is the same person as that mysterious blacked cloaked figure they've been trying to stop.

As much as I love the example for #3 (I probably would watch that show) I know of so many people who hate those kinds of villains. Like the protagonist saving the villain because of 'love', depending on how it's portrayed, is so aggrevating! So they destroy your life are literally making you and other people you love miserable and you just keep letting them get away because you're in your feels??? Well then I think you deserve to die mate and may you and your crazy bitch rest in peace and finally find happiness together in the afterlife cause nah. It can start to get annoying at a certain point when their ONLY reason for sparing thrm is love eapecially when the villain keeps hurting people the protagonist says they care about and they aren't doing anything to stop them because again, they're in their feels!

I've watched Winter's War and Maleficent and I think the best character redemption was the movie Maleficent where they explain why she is the way she is. I like the character arc that movie shows. I also enjoyed, though not as much, Maleficent 2 that shows where she goes after the first movie. Not as powerful but still shows how situations can change someone from good to evil and how the epiphany turns them back to themselves with more self awareness. All of them are good movies.

*Villain did a genocide* Hero: Yeah, sure I'll spare you but you need to prove your didn't mean it. Or you'd have a good reason why you genocided. Villain: But I can do better, I swear. You know, I had a bad childhood... I didn't make it into art school so I just had to get revenge on humanity Hero: Oh, sure. People can be so mean. I get you, dear Adolf. Not working for me, sorry :D These kind of villains you mention there should be used sparingly. In general, people want stereotype villains, because it's great to see them fail/die at the end.

Sherlock is so ridiculous. I can't believe I watched that whole series. Moriarty is essentially reverse flash. "Remember that time you fell down the stairs and broke your arm? It was me all along! I paid the carpenter to make the top step slightly uneven!" "Why?" "Iono, bored I guess... BWAHAHA?"

New epi on Thursday? This is someth8ng to see

Not all villains have to be sympathetic and complex to be iconic and unforgettable. Just look at the joker from the dark Knight and Geoffrey from Game of thrones. They are so iconic and memorable because there so evil. There not miss understood victims they evil basterds and they own and enjoy it, the way they just enjoy being evil is so entertaining and fun.

The best way to make an unforgettable villain is to make them relatable. If you can understand and agree with their points they're much more terrifying.

Having read a lot of Dickens, I can tell you that the adaptations are pretty faithful, always. And Oliver Twist is no exception. It's like Dickens is too sacred to mess with for most filmmakers, and I would agree. 😅

I wish you would use more accessible stories. I have Amazon Prime, BritBox, and Peacock, and I had Netflix for a couple of years. I keep trying to find Poldark and Pride and Prejudice (the one you keep showing clips from) and I can't find any of them. Recently, I was trying to find Around the World in 80 Days. Couldn't find it.

read the book a study in Scarlet! the villain in that is much more conflicted and complex than Moriarty is. its a really good tragedy with an entire subplot that explains why the villain has done what hes done.