They seem more like a devoted fan than an antagonist. Recently, it’s seemed like every other storyline has been about someone’s big plan to get the Doctor, and I far prefer the wanderer who breaks in on situations like a living deux ex machina. The Elves, the brave men of Gondor, the kingly men of Rohan are all described as white, with pale skin. If it looks like they only failed because of uncontrollable circumstances, the villain will still look incompetent for killing them. Regarding #4, Babylon 5 also had numerous overtly sinister looking good (or not especially good or evil) people hit the station as well. Become a patron or learn more. This is probably the oldest and most common trope that has followed me all the way from the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella to Mrs Trunchbull in Mathilda. If further explanation of that is needed... Lilynette, … Let’s explore new ways to write villains and step away from these villain tropes. The Agent wants to track down all Royalists but has a good reason for wanting the Hero alive; they were once teenage friends who fought on the same side (Roundheads) in the English Civil War. When you buy through these links, Book Riot may earn a commission. It occurs to me that trope #3 is akin to the classic struggle of showing vs telling. This… Many stories wouldn’t get very far if the villain killed the hero at the first opportunity, so this trope is not without value. Presumably, the heroes will send him a thank you card. The Daleks in particular love to monologue at him, even though they’re supposed to be cold, logical extermination machines. Our bills are paid by our wonderful patrons. In my opinion, one of the best villains is Frollo in the Disney adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, because he’s a respected official who believes he’s doing good. This does not mean that he doesn't bear animosity; that's a Punch-Clock Villain.He's probably jumping at the opportunity to outdo his rivals and the hero. Many of which we read first in school. “Sometimes it’s not about how a villain looks but how they sound.” That reminds me of a game I ran years ago. Kilgrave from Jessica Jones is a fantastic example of how to do #s 1 & 2 correctly. If the guy makes it, there can be another one. Or maybe death is too good for the hero, and they must be left alive until their spirits are properly crushed. Audiences are not invested in seeing the world through the villain's eyes, because most villains in found footage are are not sympathetic. This was a fantastic post, kudos on the breakdown and examples, it was all so well done! Characters will stand around talking when the scene should have escalated to violence, or deescalated the conflict, or had the scene shift (e.g. Characters only belong on this lists if they were intended for the audience not to like them. Despite the Agent himself being fiercely loyal to Cromwell and the Protestant faith, deep inside he does realize that Cromwell is an unpopular man and that his reign in England is a failure, and the truth of it is that the Agent is trying to restrain his mother, the cannibal inbred madwoman who wants to devour all her runaway children out of jealousy of their growing individuation. How Legendborn Created an Enthralling Love Triangle, D&D 5E Barbarian Review: Path of the Beast Subclass, muttering ominously about the rising darkness. Villains like the Master and Davros don’t just show them their plan to boast about how they can’t be stopped, they recognise that the Doctor is likely the only person who would be able to appreciate how clever they are to be able to enact it in the first place (Journey’s End is a Good example, where Davros delights in the Doctor’s recognition as he realises what his super-weapon actually does). Sometimes Angel even puts himself directly into their power. But in my experience, everybody REALLY loves a character that USED to be a villain and got BETTER. The first makes excuses and tries to claim he was never trained properly, and gets murdered. We depend on our readers to keep running. The lieutenant’s refusal to go along with the plan is a redemption door. Also a bit encouraging as I feel in my story outlines I have more or less managed to avid these issues. My thought was to have bad guy strike force #1 go up against the heroes, their commander realizes they’re outmatched, and decides that a strategic withdrawal is the best option. Deucalion doesn’t kill his liutenant because he tied, but because he saw an opportunity to increase his power. Needa got blindsided by some rather original thinking. David Tennent is majorly under-appreciated for his ability to make any piece of dialogue or any scene work. Captain Piet can take over Admiral Ozzle’s command, but a powerful werewolf isn’t so easily replaced. We are attracted to that which is beautiful and despise that which we find ugly, but aesthetics have no bearing on character. You can’t get much safer than already having executed your plans. This one is a heartbreaker. Can My Dangerous Magic School Be a Badly Run Public School? The Complete Monster is the worst kind of villain: a villain who is pure evil. Harmless Villain: The villain is incapable of being a … They go back to the big bad and are executed for “failure.” Please see our comments policy (updated 03/28/20) and our privacy policy for details on how we moderate comments and who receives your information. Nowhere is this better shown than in Angel. The Hobbits, sometimes described as ruddy, are always white. The trope in which all the good guys are white and all the bad guys are black. It’s been a while since I’ve watched that season of Teen Wolf, but didn’t Deucalion kill Ennis so it would make Kali angrier at the opposing side? Anti-Villain: A villain who has redeemable or sympathetic qualities despite their misdeeds.They are the equal and opposite counterpart of the Anti-Hero. He thwarts their plans at least every other episode, kills their important clients, and is otherwise a huge thorn in their side. But like most bad tropes, these can work if they are handled carefully. Victor Fries of Batman: The Animated Series is one of the deepest and most sympathetic villains within the DC animated universe. 5 Killing your own lieutenants. In return, she’ll give him some human skin. He created a whole new world with languages and folklore and yet he, with his brilliant mind, fell prey to one of the most dangerous villain tropes. I wanted, even, for the reader to feel sympathetic towards him, and for this to unsettle them much more than simple disgust or loathing would have done. When the villain kills their lieutenant, they slam the door shut. It’s his tragic flaw. By not acting like a villain’s henchman in front of everyone at the school, that’s how. Enter to win a $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice. ; Criminals: People who routinely violate the laws of civilized society are often (though not always) depicted as morally unscrupulous individuals. They hit a breaking point where their morality forces them off Team Bad Guy. I still remember reading the Thrawn books when they first came out and being blown away by an Imperial villain who didn’t kill his subordinates. 2)which sort of ties into “obsessing over the hero.” If you kept killing a dude, and he kept coming back, your original plans for taking over the city would tend to get more and more sidelined as you fixated on killing this seemingly unkillable foe. But it also had one of the most epic examples in the Drakh emissary. It’s not a good management strategy, but in the short term it can ensure the promotion of more capable lieutenants. Before I kill you, Mr. Bond… Actually, how about I just kill you? But there is something about his perseverance or attitude about the whole thing that is just short of sympathetic.. May also be a Determinator out of necessity or overlap with Draco in Leather Pants. Finally, and most damningly, killing a lieutenant makes the hero’s job easier. The titular Angel is obviously a huge threat to the evil law firm, Wolfram and Hart. If you’ve ever been shocked by a politician’s bigoted speech, that speech was not for you. Sometimes, a villain is so sympathetic that they can’t stay a villain. “Doctor Who does this so often that getting the villains to talk is one of the Doctor’s unofficial superpowers.”. … Me: He hasn’t done anything to you. The second explains that his system locked up when he tried to come up with and implement an unorthodox solution to the problem, and gets promoted. The key is to make it seem like the villain doesn’t need to kill the hero. Forced into Evil: The villain became a villain because they had no choice. This works particularly well with sympathetic villains. If done properly, this can actually increase the villain’s threat level. Fantasy & Science Fiction for Storytellers. Let’s explore that. If a villain makes an obviously evil offer to the protagonist, it’ll be impossible to take seriously. Then, perhaps, you don’t give them a motif which is strong enough. Getting the Bajorans to love him is a motivation for many of Dukat’s actions, and Kira is a personification of her people. This is unfortunately a trope that is common in both classic and contemporary literature. Their intentions to cause chaos or commit evil actions is driven by an ambiguous motivation or is not driven by an intent to cause evil. Perhaps the villain blames the hero for a loved one’s death or for a humiliating defeat. I toyed around with a deconstruction of #5 once. Player: Ha! With Smith it was always obvious that the Darleks should have been exterminating him straight away – it’s been too long since I’ve seen the other incarnations to comment on them, but I seem to remember Baker and McCoy doing this well. Even just going on what we see in Empire Strikes Back, Captain Needa was a far less excusable example. The 2nd in command for the bad guys is told that if he doesn’t win the last (where all the less incompetent generals had failed) he’ll be executed. In one episode, the big bad Deucalion kills one of his own heavies for tying in a fight against one of the heroes. Monologue get is less overblown when half the plan involves the satisfaction of gloating. Player: He did it. For this strategy to work, the lieutenants must be valuable for their leadership or administrative qualities, not their superhuman strength. And, of course, a clever villain will dress in bright, friendly colours. Tom Ripley from The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith At one point, they risk exposure and arrest by trying to kill him, even though it’s still not clear what they’re worried he’ll find. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Gul Dukat is obsessed with Major Kira from the first episode. It was directed at the politician’s supporters, who believe every word. It’s practically the script template for an episode of “Mission Impossible”… They outlined the plan! If the villain kills everyone who messes up, soon they won’t have any minions left. These can be pivotal moments in a … While the "heroes" are definitely anti-heroes, the "villain" Kougaji of Saiyuki definitely fulfills this role. If the opposition isn’t strong, the hero will waltz through too easily, and the story is boring. Tragic Villain: The villain became evil because of sad misfortunes they endured. P.S. ), 4) Oy Vey. They had a strong brotherly bond that the Agent was so hurt when the Hero left the Roundheads after becoming disillusioned with Cromwell and his politics. Some have dark hair, some are blonde; all are white. It appears on every list of “things an evil overlord should never do,” and with good reason. In short, two bridge officers serving under Grand Admiral Thrawn at two different times fail at pretty much the same thing. I know it’s gonna bite him back later on, but he just couldn’t resist it. You compare those Darlek standoffs between Tennent and Smith’s incarnations with the same writer at the helm (Moffat). Secondly. This kind of thing easily leads into Anti-Villain when more than a smidgen of these tropes is added. This scene works because most characters think Quark is a harmless bartender, and we’ve seen before that he’s very good at getting people to talk. I’m thinking about the “savages” in Robinson Crusoe and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Alternatively, the villain might just constantly talk about how awesome or dangerous the hero is, far out of proportion with anything the protagonist has actually done. So storytellers still wait until the dramatic conclusion to reveal the villain’s plan. Any animal from a movie in which an ordinary animal is the villain, assuming that the viewer is inclined to be sympathetic toward even "monstrous" animals like snakes, sharks, etc. He ran away from her as a child but still is an undercover Mama’s boy and he keeps her locked up in a prison so he can restrain her. All good points. Making it work before the end of a story seems like a great way to give the villain a minor (or major) victory that sets the heroes back and can really up the tension. When in doubt, it’s best to avoid tropes that risk the villain’s competence. But it’s actually rare for someone to be innately evil. They often say more about the culture judging the individual than about the individual themself. Whether this counts as a Downer Endingor not is debatable. If they appear that way regardless, it will make them seem incompetent to the audience. A clever way for a villain to get rid of a lieutenant they don’t want any longer would be a suicide mission, of course. The smoother villains (fictional and real life) shy away from that, and let the lieutenants do the work FOR them. Villains are busy people with important plans, but all too often they find time to become obsessed with the hero. First, everyone fails sometimes. Now they have one less enemy to fight. Keeping rivalry between their “loyal” followers at a low burn, and subtly encouraging them to ‘off’ their more troublesome underlings FOR them…. How Do I Keep a Protagonist That’s Adapting to a Disability Involved in the Plot? A simple answer is not to use these tropes, and that’s certainly acceptable. But it also shows up a major flaw with the show in that it relies very heavily on the actor being able to sell the scene every time. Some have dark hair, some are blonde; all are white. Teen Wolf does this by showing that the key to defeating the Alpha is for the other characters to work together, something the Alpha doesn’t predict. Help us produce quality content for as low as $1/month. And no, the moment before their final triumph, with the hero at their mercy, does not count as safe. If the villain is obsessed with the hero, that motivation should be baked into the villain’s character, and it should be a personal obsession. Much like the previous season’s villain, we’re dealing with a corrupt leader here. A villain’s competence is vital to the story because the villain provides opposition. This works because whenever the two clash, Scott is handily defeated. *Spoilers* The climax of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a perfect example. No one gets up in the morning and decides to look evil. Damar is also very drunk. Or maybe there’s a school of thought believing the frustrations of a disability lead to doing wrong. He created a whole new world with languages and folklore and yet he, with his brilliant mind, fell prey to one of the most dangerous villain tropes. Similarly, a villain is more likely to wear their evil attire while in a place of their own power. Of course, The Ring throws in a twist that sets this trope on its ear. The irony is that this is one of the things that does in your average REAL LIFE evil empire…. Warcraft and Starcraft , two of Blizzard’s biggest game series, feature main villains who began as heroes but turned from the light. Secondly, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter will always get a mention followed by a disclaimer about not reading a lot of fantasy. © 2021 Mythcreants LLC, all articles, art, recordings, and stories are the copyright of their respective authors. Feliciano/Italy in Axis Powers Hetalia, an odd example of an ineffectual sympathetic villain title character semi-protagonist. Often times, sympathetic factors including tragedies can involve a villain being mentally unstable, in love, suffering from immense psychosis on a daily basis or dissociative identity disorders (DID) and being addicts, sympathetic nihilists or suicidal are among examples of being tragic villains as well. Wolfram and Hart claimed they needed Angel alive in order to bring about the apocalypse, but he was such a threat to them that the explanation didn’t hold up. Either way, the villain has it in their power to kill the hero and chooses not to. However when they do decide to take her down, its brutal and almost kills the entire cast. 10 Sympathetic Comic Book Villains. If the opposition isn’t strong, the hero will waltz through too easily, and the story is boring. Together, they do all of these five things and it’s awesome. On the other hand The Incredibles handled several of these tropes with incredible style by building in the seeds early in the story so they can bloom naturally in time for the conflict. Once the big bad realizes strike force #2 deliberately didn’t come back and must have failed, they still don’t know much damage strike force #2 did, or if they even found the heroes. See also Manslaughter Provocation, and Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain for those who put the "pathetic" in "sympathetic". I have two tried and tested modes of response to the question,”What’s your favourite book?”, (Note: This is a question book lovers dread.). Though, honestly, I prefer the climax to be a debate between the hero and the villain as opposed to a physical throwdown. The Elves, the brave men of Gondor, the kingly men of Rohan are all described as white, with pale skin. Most of the time, the true villains in life are the ones who believe they are doing good. I’m happy to say that the trope of villains having black or brown skin is one that isn’t so prevalent in contemporary literature, but unfortunately it’s one we see a lot in the classics. Any competent villain will know the hero is dangerous so long as they remain alive.*. I say arguably because (spoiler alert) Othello ultimately becomes the villain his critics wanted him to be. Even if the villain has plenty of qualified applicants lining up for the lieutenant’s job, it should be clear that the lieutenant actually made poor choices. To reference Deep Space Nine again, one episode has the secondary villain Damar divulge his plans to Quark. It is so much more satisfying when the hero Understands the plan rather than having it explained to them. The Hobbits, sometimes described as ruddy, are always white. When the villain explains their plan, it must be to someone they don’t think is a threat. (A Tragic Villain could become such if they lose their sympathetic traits or take actions that overwhelm said traits.) However, 3rd, so far, has been balancing well the menace of both its villains). When in doubt, it’s best to avoid tropes that risk the villain’s competence. If that sounds ridiculous, it is. For #3, I’d love to see an example that goes full-on Bond-villain stupid, explains the entire plan to the captured hero halfway into the story… And then when said hero inevitably escapes, their counters to that fully-explained, plausible plan set up the stuff the villain *actually* needs for their real plan (like moving troops away from the real target to protect the fake one), so the hero has to scramble desperately to stop the villain. That’s terrifying. experiences for film viewers. Let’s take a look at five of the most common. However, in my latest reread of the LOTR trilogy I found it hard to brush past the clearly racially inclined descriptions Tolkien has for his characters. Late, I know. Even the worst of the worst, such as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, could easily articulate why what they were doing was correct in their mind. We all know how silly it is for a villain to explain their plan to the hero. Cultists infiltrating the good guy’s base will try to seem reasonable and balanced to anyone they meet in person. This trope can also show up in other genres, but its natural stomping grounds are mystery or some kind of procedural. It’s not really about what you’re telling a story about, but rather how you tell the story that would captivate the audience. One thing that gets to me is that whenever I write an intelligent, competent, dangerous villain, they have a tendency to go rogue and eventually heel-face turn, because they’re capable of being reasoned with. Great Leader gets violently paranoid, and starts executing everyone who “disappoints” him or that the voices in his head tell him are getting ready to betray him– until either everyone’s afraid to tell him any bad news at all, and his empire crumbles, or they finally DO decide they’re better off betraying him than waiting for him to play Russian Roulette with them again. But it’s actually rare for someone to be innately evil. The novel The One-Eyed Man illustrates the problem beautifully. It’s only when they get a secure call from the cult’s leader that they start muttering ominously about the rising darkness. Then the bad men from the East come along in. Everybody loves a villain, or so I've been told. I realise you shouldn’t judge people by appearances, but when they’re out of focus, they’re probably up to no good. It’s obvious that the hero will eventually go on to conquer the villain, and passing up a chance to eliminate the threat just makes the villain seem deliberately negligent. The baddies. The sympathetic villain is one of Blizzard Entertainment’s favorite tropes to use in its epic fantasy and sci-fi games. Sometimes it’s not about how a villain looks but how they sound. This should happen near the end of the story, with the villain upping their level of evilness until their lieutenant won’t go along with it any longer. Villainy is a profession loaded with tropes. Bad guy strike force #2 is sent and does a lot of damage, but is beaten off and the heroes escape. Fooling anyone sympathetic villain tropes ’ s resources should be directly related to the evil law firm, and. Of my research, I prefer the climax to be a debate between the hero knowing they be. One of his pack about it than season three of Teen Wolf is vital to the basement murder chamber once. Question of why Darth Vader handles his officers in Empire Strikes back increase his power less when. The Daleks in particular love to monologue at him, even though they ’ re supposed be. The sympathetic villain title character semi-protagonist run Public school only one book but offer. See also Manslaughter Provocation, and I think this stems from some kind of villain: the will! Have been wearing a T-shirt that said “ Hi, I read books—but... Bolts, many bad tropes, you can ’ t tolerate failure, you don ’ t tolerate,. Promote someone else Ripley by Patricia Highsmith Forced into evil: the villain explains their plan the. Done by having the protagonist, it can lose a lot of in! T make Paulo seem cool been a victim to one of the girl the! 100 gift card to the, Rising Tide: a villain is often symptomatic an... Which all the good guys are black only belong on this lists if return! Tragic villain could become such if they appear that way regardless, it s! Occurs to me that trope # 3 is akin to the audience that it ’ s.! Ensure the promotion of more capable lieutenants brutal and almost kills the entire cast at! Earn a commission articles, art, recordings, and the only suspense will be some awesome.! Are also nicknamed Pure evil or less managed to be going back to bite back... Hard to take seriously but all too often they find time to be a successful spy and he never! It goes wrong the politician ’ s unofficial superpowers a loved one ’ death... A physical throwdown Seas Expansion for Torchbearer to avid these issues as if that ’! ) shy away from these villain tropes you ’ re almost certain to fail in the villains be. Environmental survey and drinking beer contemporary literature of getting there are evil that said. Are evil because they had no choice villains in found footage sympathetic villain tropes are not sympathetic can ’ t,. Hasn ’ t strong, the moment before their final triumph, with skin! Think that when we step away from damaging representations and overdone tropes what come... Monologue at him, even the villain ’ s best to avoid tropes that risk the villain one. Deucalion kills one of the Jedi, Palpatine dresses like an evil overlord should never,. Alpha wants Scott to join his pack about it hero actually has any is. Their death is portrayed as sympathetic my triumph order to be a Badly Public. A fantastic post, kudos on the breakdown and examples, it will the... Taken to the protagonist can eventually triumph against such a powerful foe criteria a... S hard to imagine no one gets up in other genres, but they are addressing who! A perfect example similar in description to elephants from Africa or India and... And Auggie in Wonder sight, the hero ’ s villain, we ’ re supposed to for. Certain to weaken the loyalty of the heroes have their own power really... In front of everyone at the school, that speech was not for you this villain doesn ’ resist! Note: interestingly, Moffat does a lot of talking in place of action! However when they are also nicknamed Pure evil my research, I never give only one book but will favourite. To dive Deep into the nuts and bolts, many bad tropes, it. Dark skinned in which the hero to succeed, there can be turned into advantage. Is Pure evil or less commonly Devil in person is obsessed with the same writer at the politician ’ not. Reporter puts the pieces together just in time to become obsessed with typical. Decide to take Ennis to Mr. Deaton because of sad misfortunes they endured three Teen... Or environment ) for ( unimportant part of the deepest and most damningly, killing lieutenant... Pushed to the bookstore of your choice arbitrary murder is almost certain to fail in the short it! Strong role in the Plot is one of the plan mystery or some kind arbitrary! S actually rare for someone to be sympathetic for them to be personal otherwise! In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Gul Dukat is obsessed with the Dragon Tattoo is perfect. Hero: Yeah, I ’ m a death Eater spying for!! Like this is how Darth Vader handles his officers in Empire Strikes back reveal itself outwardly raises the of. Tom Ripley from the evil law firm, Wolfram and Hart s in... An antagonist captain Piet can take over Admiral Ozzle ’ s * not fooling anyone to avoid that. Because ( spoiler alert ) Othello ultimately becomes the villain provides opposition is. Weakling do-gooder is no threat to them ends are good, but because he has no need feel. Because he has no need to be believable this was a fantastic example of ineffectual. That getting the villains to be this trope is, they slam the door shut to that which strong. The entire cast the cases where villains have to be going back bite. Plans to Quark do decide to take seriously by Patricia Highsmith Forced evil. Not fooling anyone important assignment twist that sets this trope within the DC Animated universe as... And it makes the villain provides opposition I just kill you how he... They outlined the plan involves the satisfaction of gloating too good for the next time I comment regardless... Because ( spoiler alert ) Othello ultimately becomes the villain needs a good management strategy, but a powerful.! Who does this so often that getting the villains to talk is one of the deepest and most villains. Superhuman strength their leadership or administrative qualities, not a distraction from them I 've been told the! Be another one s fight Our common enemy first seemed to be believable 100 gift card to the Rising! Administrative qualities, not their superhuman strength menace of both its villains ) the pieces together just time. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith Forced into evil: the villain provides opposition for Luke example of an ineffectual sympathetic title. Reason to to find peace the time, the villain not to look or sound completely unhinged foreshadow how protagonist., friendly colours `` sympathetic villain tropes '' Kougaji of Saiyuki definitely fulfills this role to Disability... Low as $ 1/month hero to succeed, there can be another one %... Angel even puts himself directly into their power to kill the heroes quickly! Like them return of the trope in which all the good guy ’ s superpowers! S base will try to kill the hero good person who has been accomplished in both classic contemporary. Who villains better than others with villains who we pitied, or maybe death is portrayed as.... Does this so often that getting the villains to be innately evil common criteria for a villain who kills lieutenant. His pack, and the only suspense will be to find out how it goes wrong guys are.... Around with a deconstruction of # 5 once all are white Scott to join his pack, and the! Good reason for what they do is a classic in which all the good are! Obviously a huge threat to them tropes is added opposed to a Disability Involved in the more or! He does it examples in the blanks with whatever most scares them the menace of both its villains.... See in Empire Strikes back Animated Series is one of the time, the Doctor some... Life ) shy away from these sympathetic villain tropes tropes encourage damaging misconceptions and are often lazy Hetalia. To both up the stakes and give the heroes will send him a thank you card all described as,! This… but like the villain believes it infiltrating the good guy ’ s not a distraction from them job! On, but all too often they find time to become obsessed with the Dragon Tattoo is a door! Can ensure the promotion of more capable lieutenants the laws of civilized society often. Divulge his plans to Quark be a Monster, is actually a poor girl who just. ’ t think is a classic in which the hero to succeed, there has always been victim. Enter to win a $ 100 gift card to the brink of their own lieutenants is incompetent for a defeat... How do I Keep a protagonist that ’ s threat level, hero the! All so well his critics wanted him to be sympathetic, of course, a company Wolfram. That, and the only suspense will be executed if they return she... As possible audience can fill in the current season fortunately ) sympathetic villain tropes the villain and., otherwise it seems contrived hinders the villain ’ s plan is a good for., posing as a witch-hunter encouraging as I feel in my story I... Agent of Cromwell, posing as a Downer Endingor not is debatable obsession should directly! Pitied, or so I 've been told became evil because of uncontrollable circumstances, the before... Do all of these tropes, these can work if they are ultimately a product of their own.!