They are the worst of the worst. They are the bad apples. They are cruel and unusual. They are evil, vile, abhorrent creatures, and that’s all because they are villains.
Villains, in many ways, are part of the heart of the story. In many instances, we read fiction particularly because the heroes of the stories we love are able to face great evils, vast darkness, and come out on top. We can escape the world where many of the bad things we face must simply be endured or have no easy solutions. However, in the realm of stories, villains can be defeated, evils can be vanquished, and the darkness can be brought to light. This is most satisfying when the villains are truly evil.
One of the things I enjoy about writing in fiction the most is creating villains that are dark, suspenseful, and drive stark contrast with the heroes in my stories. Taariq, the villain in Eternal Chronicles, is a djinn and a cold and calculating politician who slowly devolves into cruel madness as his losses against Aelon and his faithful stack up. His plans are self-serving, focused on revenge for a consequence which he brought on himself, and wholly insane.
There’s a scene where Taariq rips out the throat of one of his most loyal supporters for a momentary slight and then drains that supporter of all his power. This goes to another quality of dark villains. They must be unpredictable in their actions but consistent in their motivations. Many villains have to have a driving force behind their actions, but they are erratic, unhinged, and desperate, particularly when they start to lose. There’s a fantastic opportunity to dig into depravity as they do progressively vile things.
Taariq, in particular, is sadistic and abusive even to those he expresses what he would call love to. This quality is important, although it can be thwarted by the kind of villain who does all the wrong things for all the right reasons. But, when we think of the villains we loved from our childhoods, we often think of the classic Disney villains like Ursula, Jafar, Hades, Maleficent, and others. These characters were often evil simply for the pleasure of it. Evil can be its own sick reward.
As I continue to write other books, one great motivation I have found for villains is unchecked ambition. Pride, hubris, and the overgrown belief in their own superiority drives villains to continue to push for more and greater power. Whether its power over a government or a person or power or money, villains are always trying to gain or maintain control of something. When I write a villain, I’m letting them make decisions that would, from their perspective, help them gain something in their purpose to control their intended target. There is however something I try not to do.
Many writers today are obsessed with the morally gray villain. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, I think creating villains the audience can over-sympathize with waters down the strength of the hero. I don’t attempt to create sympathetic villains. People love a true bad to root against. Like Hitler and Stalin in World War II, I create villains that are obviously in the wrong even though they are convinced of their own merit. There’s power in a villain who is unapologetically evil even if they believe they are in the right. A character with no qualms about their actions is incredibly compelling and scary to read about.
Their inhibitions don’t even have to be down all at once. Some villains, particularly over several books, can have a slow burn where their power is chipped away at and diminished bit by bit until they tap into a chaotic desperation. Truly dark villains can surprise even the writer at times. There were absolutely moments where Taariq surprised me by the true depth of his cruelty.
If you are looking to write a really vile villain, make sure they have a goal. Then let them be the type of character that functions without regard for others and has either no or a skewed moral compass. Push them into desperation and let them fight to the death. Great villains always fall because good triumphs over evil, but that doesn’t mean that our readers can’t have the thrill of accomplishment in accompanying a hero through a harrowing journey to pull a villain off their throne, rescue a proverbial damsel from their clutches, and walk into happily ever after. The beauty of good is most evidence in its contrast with evil.
