September 28, 2020 • 10 mins
Who doesn't just adore Loki or fear Thanos? There are lots of great villains that are the perfect antithesis of the hero, and so are some of the greatest characters of all time. Learn all about making villains we love to hate in today's episode of Writers World!
We put a ton of work into every episode and invest our own time, unpaid to make each and every quality episode. If you would like to support us further, please visit our Patreon at patreon.com/writersworldpodcast The more you pay, the more exciting bonuses you get, all the way up to an exclusive shirt AND hoodie! Thanks for all the love and support everyone, and please share the podcast every way you can!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Bow before me, I'm your new ruler.
(00:09):
My name is Ken Mears.
And I'm Melissa Fales.
And welcome to Writer's World.
Ken, how do we create a villain?
(00:37):
When I think of creating a villain, I usually first turn to the hero and their journey.
When you're crafting a villain, they should suit the hero.
After all, you wouldn't pitch Lex Luthor against Tony Stark.
The villain and the hero really need to go hand in hand.
When I design a villain, I think about what impact I want them to have on the hero.
What traits in the villain will allow them to pack the most punch for the hero of my
(00:57):
story?
Is it a view that people are disposable, which directly counteracts the hero's view of
people being valuable?
Or is it having the villain be related to the hero, which causes a conflict in the hero
between their strong family values and the need to stop the villain?
Whenever a villain creates conflict for the hero, specific to the hero, they become the
right villain for the hero.
Yeah, the best way is definitely to create a villain is to put them at odds with the
(01:23):
hero.
What does the protagonist stand for and create someone who believes the opposite of that?
Or what does the protagonist want and have someone who doesn't want them to get it?
And you see this in Dark Knight Trilogy, where Batman and Joker literally believe the complete
opposite of one another.
So another way is the bad guys or the good way guys want something that the opposite
(01:46):
person doesn't want them to have, like I mentioned.
So for example, when the bad guys searching for world power, the hero stands in the villain's
way by saying, no, you can't kick out the Fairyland people.
No, you can't control the world, etc.
Or in the Lord of the Rings, where Frodo wants to destroy the ring.
Ken, what are some good ways or tips to keep in mind when creating a villain?
(02:07):
As I already stated, making them fit with your hero is a very important step in the
process of creating a villain.
Another tip I would give for creating a villain is make them relatable.
Think about Loki for a moment.
Part of the reason we love him so is that we can relate to his being the second best
sibling in his family.
Another tip with regards to villains is making them human in the best sense of the word.
(02:29):
I don't mean they can't be an extradimensional being, but most villains are going to have
some kind of weakness.
They won't have thought out every single outcome.
They won't always be smooth and suave.
The main villain of my Stones of the Middle-Lands series, the Malevolent one, is a great example
of this.
Although he is warped in unimaginable ways, he still has weaknesses.
(02:51):
He has moments when his all-nano-ing, powerful exterior breaks.
He even has temper tantrums when things don't go properly for him.
There's a really good internet video on some steps you can take to create a villain, and
it comes from the Closer Look channel, and it's called How to Make a Great Villain.
And three tips that they share throughout the whole video are, number one, the villain
(03:12):
needs more power than the hero, which is very interesting.
And he says that you must be creative.
And honestly, I think that the reason why is simply no one likes a winner, but everyone
loves an underdog, so you have to make it seem like the hero is the underdog, even though
they are probably going to win.
The second tip that they share is motivation, which we talked about earlier in having what
(03:37):
kind of motivates your villain.
Revenge, love, respect a father.
Some people just want to see the world burn.
Cough, joker, cough.
There's a lot you can pick from.
And the third and final tip is let your villain win sometimes.
He stresses how important it is to make it interesting to the characters and your audience.
(03:58):
And a bonus tip is be aware of your audience and how real you want it to seem.
It's definitely something important to keep in mind.
Why does a villain need to have a reason for why he's doing what he's doing?
Because believe it or not, people don't just wake up one day and say, hey, I'm going to
take over the world today.
Most villains were not always the big bad person we see.
(04:20):
Most were just like you and me until circumstances shaped them into what they are.
Again, returning to my main villain, the malevolent one, he was just a village boy a long time
ago.
But over time, he faced tragedy after tragedy, and that shaped his worldview.
He began to think of the world as a dark, uncontrolled place.
So he decided the only way to bring peace and unity to the world was to conquer it and
(04:40):
establish a new world order that he controlled.
He thinks it's the right thing to do.
Remember, villains don't view themselves as the villain.
After watching creating a villain by the YouTube channel by Tyler M.O.W.E.R.Y., I finally saw
why it is important to give your villain a reason why they are the villain.
In the video, he talks about various villains and why they are doing what they are doing.
(05:04):
And he gives the example of Magneto from X-Men, who believed that domain through power was
the only way to keep his people safe.
And how he came to this thinking was through his backstory, where he was a Jew in a concentration
camp and he saw his mother and people killed.
And then he started seeing mutants persecuted and he wanted nothing more than to stop his
(05:26):
people from suffering again.
Also, in the video, the narrator points out that suffering isn't the only way a villain
does the things he does.
Another cool one he mentioned was how an interstellar, which is a great movie, and giving away no
spoilers, one person has suffered a ton, but he believes that he has the power to save
everyone on earth because what has his suffering led to then for him to have this responsibility.
(05:52):
Also, when I was working on this week's script, I noticed that what causes a villain and what
causes a hero are very, very similar.
Ken, what are some villain must-haves?
I think the number one thing to give villains is a personality.
Nobody likes a plain old two-dimensional mustache twirler.
Okay, maybe some people do.
(06:13):
But even if they appear to be two-dimensional mustache twirlers, they should have some kind
of unique personality trait or quirk.
As I already said, all villains are human in one sense of the word.
Therefore they have personality and quirks within that personality.
Give them an adoration for the theater or a really odd love of raising koi fish.
Another must-have is, of course, as we already mentioned, a reason behind what they do.
(06:36):
I feel I've already explained this concept enough.
One last must-have in my book is a unique look.
Think about some of the most iconic villains.
What is something each has?
Their own unique sense of style.
Loki with his golden horns crown, Lex Luthor with the bald head in wheelchair.
Many great villains have a very unique sense of style that makes them not only look but
feel different.
(06:57):
Yep, that's true.
When you see Lex Luthor's bald head, you know it's him.
Also I think all villains must have a great name.
And I actually did want to talk about naming villains.
And there are a lot of ways to find a name for a villain.
There are name generators, nameless, stuff like that on the internet.
But whatever you choose should fill your reader or your character with fear and reflect who
(07:20):
the villain is as a person.
Some great examples.
Maleficent, the Joker, the Evil Queen, Corilla De Vil.
I went down a rabbit hole of villain names and now I know a lot more about serial killer
movies and people than I did before.
Wouldn't recommend.
But Ken, what are some of your favorite villains and just some great villain names in general?
(07:41):
I've already mentioned him several times, but Loki is a definite favorite of mine.
From his charming looks to his fascinating backstory, he has a lot of great villain qualities.
Another favorite of mine is my own villain, the Beloved One, because he is fundamentally
the antithesis of my hero James and also has a fascinating backstory and reasons behind
what he does.
And honestly, I could go on and on about my favorite villains from Killmonger from Black
(08:04):
Panther to Mysterio from Spider-Man.
And with regard to villain names, I think of techniques for creating names.
I think a great way to introduce a villain or give them a name is to go by giving them
a title.
Think who should not be named in Harry Potter.
Give them some kind of title that gives us an idea of how horrible the villain is and
why we should fear them.
(08:24):
Yeah, for sure.
And I would definitely say one of my favorite villains is the Joker.
I haven't been able to complete the Batman trilogy, but in the comic world, he is absolutely
amazing.
And he's average in the sense of superpowers, but the power he has gotten just from starting
off as nobody is crazy.
Ken, what are some villain characteristics you have noticed that are common?
(08:48):
I think most villains share the fact that they work as a direct antithesis to the hero,
as well as a unique sense of style.
Many villains tend to embody the hero's one true weakness, like Loki making Thor weak
because he cares about him as his brother.
And another common characteristic of great villains is that they are confident in themselves
and their plans, as well as having tragic backstories.
(09:09):
I'm sure there are a lot more if you really dive into it, but that's all I can think of
off the top of my head.
Some common types of villains are the villains you can identify with.
You can identify because you kind of see where they're coming from, you know their background,
and you can relate or feel sympathy.
There are the villains who are connected to the hero, the father's son, Voldemort and
Harry Potter.
(09:30):
And then the villains who are the equal matchers, where you honestly don't know who will win.
Honestly these common types of villains and common themes, honestly, are the best.
And that's why they're there.
And we hope today's episode was helpful.
If you like our podcast, please share it with your friends and family.
For sources in the transcript, visit writersworldpodcast.weebly.com.
(09:51):
Our Instagram and Facebook is at writersworldpodcastofficial.
And our Patreon is patreon.com slash writersworldpodcast.
If you want your questions or concerns answered.
Our email is writersworldpodcast.gmail.com.
Until next time, I've been Ken Mears.
And I've been Melissa with Writers World.
And keep on writing.
Bow before me, I'm your new ruler.
(00:09):
My name is Ken Mears.
And I'm Melissa Fales.
And welcome to Writer's World.
Ken, how do we create a villain?
(00:37):
When I think of creating a villain, I usually first turn to the hero and their journey.
When you're crafting a villain, they should suit the hero.
After all, you wouldn't pitch Lex Luthor against Tony Stark.
The villain and the hero really need to go hand in hand.
When I design a villain, I think about what impact I want them to have on the hero.
What traits in the villain will allow them to pack the most punch for the hero of my
(00:57):
story?
Is it a view that people are disposable, which directly counteracts the hero's view of
people being valuable?
Or is it having the villain be related to the hero, which causes a conflict in the hero
between their strong family values and the need to stop the villain?
Whenever a villain creates conflict for the hero, specific to the hero, they become the
right villain for the hero.
Yeah, the best way is definitely to create a villain is to put them at odds with the
(01:23):
hero.
What does the protagonist stand for and create someone who believes the opposite of that?
Or what does the protagonist want and have someone who doesn't want them to get it?
And you see this in Dark Knight Trilogy, where Batman and Joker literally believe the complete
opposite of one another.
So another way is the bad guys or the good way guys want something that the opposite
(01:46):
person doesn't want them to have, like I mentioned.
So for example, when the bad guys searching for world power, the hero stands in the villain's
way by saying, no, you can't kick out the Fairyland people.
No, you can't control the world, etc.
Or in the Lord of the Rings, where Frodo wants to destroy the ring.
Ken, what are some good ways or tips to keep in mind when creating a villain?
(02:07):
As I already stated, making them fit with your hero is a very important step in the
process of creating a villain.
Another tip I would give for creating a villain is make them relatable.
Think about Loki for a moment.
Part of the reason we love him so is that we can relate to his being the second best
sibling in his family.
Another tip with regards to villains is making them human in the best sense of the word.
(02:29):
I don't mean they can't be an extradimensional being, but most villains are going to have
some kind of weakness.
They won't have thought out every single outcome.
They won't always be smooth and suave.
The main villain of my Stones of the Middle-Lands series, the Malevolent one, is a great example
of this.
Although he is warped in unimaginable ways, he still has weaknesses.
(02:51):
He has moments when his all-nano-ing, powerful exterior breaks.
He even has temper tantrums when things don't go properly for him.
There's a really good internet video on some steps you can take to create a villain, and
it comes from the Closer Look channel, and it's called How to Make a Great Villain.
And three tips that they share throughout the whole video are, number one, the villain
(03:12):
needs more power than the hero, which is very interesting.
And he says that you must be creative.
And honestly, I think that the reason why is simply no one likes a winner, but everyone
loves an underdog, so you have to make it seem like the hero is the underdog, even though
they are probably going to win.
The second tip that they share is motivation, which we talked about earlier in having what
(03:37):
kind of motivates your villain.
Revenge, love, respect a father.
Some people just want to see the world burn.
Cough, joker, cough.
There's a lot you can pick from.
And the third and final tip is let your villain win sometimes.
He stresses how important it is to make it interesting to the characters and your audience.
(03:58):
And a bonus tip is be aware of your audience and how real you want it to seem.
It's definitely something important to keep in mind.
Why does a villain need to have a reason for why he's doing what he's doing?
Because believe it or not, people don't just wake up one day and say, hey, I'm going to
take over the world today.
Most villains were not always the big bad person we see.
(04:20):
Most were just like you and me until circumstances shaped them into what they are.
Again, returning to my main villain, the malevolent one, he was just a village boy a long time
ago.
But over time, he faced tragedy after tragedy, and that shaped his worldview.
He began to think of the world as a dark, uncontrolled place.
So he decided the only way to bring peace and unity to the world was to conquer it and
(04:40):
establish a new world order that he controlled.
He thinks it's the right thing to do.
Remember, villains don't view themselves as the villain.
After watching creating a villain by the YouTube channel by Tyler M.O.W.E.R.Y., I finally saw
why it is important to give your villain a reason why they are the villain.
In the video, he talks about various villains and why they are doing what they are doing.
(05:04):
And he gives the example of Magneto from X-Men, who believed that domain through power was
the only way to keep his people safe.
And how he came to this thinking was through his backstory, where he was a Jew in a concentration
camp and he saw his mother and people killed.
And then he started seeing mutants persecuted and he wanted nothing more than to stop his
(05:26):
people from suffering again.
Also, in the video, the narrator points out that suffering isn't the only way a villain
does the things he does.
Another cool one he mentioned was how an interstellar, which is a great movie, and giving away no
spoilers, one person has suffered a ton, but he believes that he has the power to save
everyone on earth because what has his suffering led to then for him to have this responsibility.
(05:52):
Also, when I was working on this week's script, I noticed that what causes a villain and what
causes a hero are very, very similar.
Ken, what are some villain must-haves?
I think the number one thing to give villains is a personality.
Nobody likes a plain old two-dimensional mustache twirler.
Okay, maybe some people do.
(06:13):
But even if they appear to be two-dimensional mustache twirlers, they should have some kind
of unique personality trait or quirk.
As I already said, all villains are human in one sense of the word.
Therefore they have personality and quirks within that personality.
Give them an adoration for the theater or a really odd love of raising koi fish.
Another must-have is, of course, as we already mentioned, a reason behind what they do.
(06:36):
I feel I've already explained this concept enough.
One last must-have in my book is a unique look.
Think about some of the most iconic villains.
What is something each has?
Their own unique sense of style.
Loki with his golden horns crown, Lex Luthor with the bald head in wheelchair.
Many great villains have a very unique sense of style that makes them not only look but
feel different.
(06:57):
Yep, that's true.
When you see Lex Luthor's bald head, you know it's him.
Also I think all villains must have a great name.
And I actually did want to talk about naming villains.
And there are a lot of ways to find a name for a villain.
There are name generators, nameless, stuff like that on the internet.
But whatever you choose should fill your reader or your character with fear and reflect who
(07:20):
the villain is as a person.
Some great examples.
Maleficent, the Joker, the Evil Queen, Corilla De Vil.
I went down a rabbit hole of villain names and now I know a lot more about serial killer
movies and people than I did before.
Wouldn't recommend.
But Ken, what are some of your favorite villains and just some great villain names in general?
(07:41):
I've already mentioned him several times, but Loki is a definite favorite of mine.
From his charming looks to his fascinating backstory, he has a lot of great villain qualities.
Another favorite of mine is my own villain, the Beloved One, because he is fundamentally
the antithesis of my hero James and also has a fascinating backstory and reasons behind
what he does.
And honestly, I could go on and on about my favorite villains from Killmonger from Black
(08:04):
Panther to Mysterio from Spider-Man.
And with regard to villain names, I think of techniques for creating names.
I think a great way to introduce a villain or give them a name is to go by giving them
a title.
Think who should not be named in Harry Potter.
Give them some kind of title that gives us an idea of how horrible the villain is and
why we should fear them.
(08:24):
Yeah, for sure.
And I would definitely say one of my favorite villains is the Joker.
I haven't been able to complete the Batman trilogy, but in the comic world, he is absolutely
amazing.
And he's average in the sense of superpowers, but the power he has gotten just from starting
off as nobody is crazy.
Ken, what are some villain characteristics you have noticed that are common?
(08:48):
I think most villains share the fact that they work as a direct antithesis to the hero,
as well as a unique sense of style.
Many villains tend to embody the hero's one true weakness, like Loki making Thor weak
because he cares about him as his brother.
And another common characteristic of great villains is that they are confident in themselves
and their plans, as well as having tragic backstories.
(09:09):
I'm sure there are a lot more if you really dive into it, but that's all I can think of
off the top of my head.
Some common types of villains are the villains you can identify with.
You can identify because you kind of see where they're coming from, you know their background,
and you can relate or feel sympathy.
There are the villains who are connected to the hero, the father's son, Voldemort and
Harry Potter.
(09:30):
And then the villains who are the equal matchers, where you honestly don't know who will win.
Honestly these common types of villains and common themes, honestly, are the best.
And that's why they're there.
And we hope today's episode was helpful.
If you like our podcast, please share it with your friends and family.
For sources in the transcript, visit writersworldpodcast.weebly.com.
(09:51):
Our Instagram and Facebook is at writersworldpodcastofficial.
And our Patreon is patreon.com slash writersworldpodcast.
If you want your questions or concerns answered.
Our email is writersworldpodcast.gmail.com.
Until next time, I've been Ken Mears.
And I've been Melissa with Writers World.
And keep on writing.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com