Everyone loves a good bad guy. So what makes a perfect villain we love to hate and secretly want to win? I propose that a perfect villain has to have at least three of the following qualities.
The Right Charm
The villain must have charisma or charm. If the villain doesn’t draw you in, why would you want to watch him or read about her? What would keep your attention? Why would their henchmen follow them? The great weakness of Voldemort as a villain in Harry Potter is that there is nothing positive about him that makes you believe that people would be devoted to him long-term. He rules only by fear, whereas someone like Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts movies has the charm and understanding of human feeling required to manipulate people’s affections.
The Right Face
We like our villains handsome but in a weird way. They can't be too ugly or too pretty. The face has to have something a little scary about it: too sharp a nose, overly prominent cheekbones, a cruel mouth, a scar. There has to be something about the face that gives one pause. Ian McKellen’s ability to portray great villains like Magneto and Richard III owes a good deal to his face.
The Right Voice
If the villain has a voice you'd listen to reading a grocery list, you're halfway there. Who wouldn’t follow Alan Rickman or Benedict Cumberbatch anywhere, villain or not? And you can't have a villain monologue if the bad guy isn't articulate.
The Right Style
There's something about a bad guy who knows how to dress. Villain fashion doesn't necessarily have to follow convention, but it's nice when a villain has a look that is neat, attractive, and all his own. Who doesn’t remember Hans Gruber’s line about his suit? And Lucius Malfoy just wouldn't be the same without his hair and his cane.
The Right Attitude
I love a happy villain. Give me a villain who is fulfilled in his career any day over some moping, reluctant figure. I love a villain who enjoys breaking the rules, who takes pleasure in upending the world order. Boyd Crowder’s smile, Moriarty's glee, the Joker's unrepentant nihilism--the right attitude creates the kinds of villains you almost have to root for.
The Right Motives
A villain is the hero of his own story, after all. A sad back story helps motivate his actions and gain audience sympathy even when they are planning atrocities. Magneto lost his family in the Holocaust. Loki has his family woes and adoption trauma. Dr. Evil has his mother with webbed feet. Okay, maybe that last one is less effective, but you get the idea. If the motive is pure cruelty for cruelty's sake, it rather ruins the fun for me.
The Right CharmThe villain must have charisma or charm. If the villain doesn’t draw you in, why would you want to watch him or read about her? What would keep your attention? Why would their henchmen follow them? The great weakness of Voldemort as a villain in Harry Potter is that there is nothing positive about him that makes you believe that people would be devoted to him long-term. He rules only by fear, whereas someone like Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts movies has the charm and understanding of human feeling required to manipulate people’s affections.
The Right Face
We like our villains handsome but in a weird way. They can't be too ugly or too pretty. The face has to have something a little scary about it: too sharp a nose, overly prominent cheekbones, a cruel mouth, a scar. There has to be something about the face that gives one pause. Ian McKellen’s ability to portray great villains like Magneto and Richard III owes a good deal to his face.
The Right Voice
If the villain has a voice you'd listen to reading a grocery list, you're halfway there. Who wouldn’t follow Alan Rickman or Benedict Cumberbatch anywhere, villain or not? And you can't have a villain monologue if the bad guy isn't articulate.
The Right Style
There's something about a bad guy who knows how to dress. Villain fashion doesn't necessarily have to follow convention, but it's nice when a villain has a look that is neat, attractive, and all his own. Who doesn’t remember Hans Gruber’s line about his suit? And Lucius Malfoy just wouldn't be the same without his hair and his cane.
The Right Attitude
I love a happy villain. Give me a villain who is fulfilled in his career any day over some moping, reluctant figure. I love a villain who enjoys breaking the rules, who takes pleasure in upending the world order. Boyd Crowder’s smile, Moriarty's glee, the Joker's unrepentant nihilism--the right attitude creates the kinds of villains you almost have to root for.
The Right Motives
A villain is the hero of his own story, after all. A sad back story helps motivate his actions and gain audience sympathy even when they are planning atrocities. Magneto lost his family in the Holocaust. Loki has his family woes and adoption trauma. Dr. Evil has his mother with webbed feet. Okay, maybe that last one is less effective, but you get the idea. If the motive is pure cruelty for cruelty's sake, it rather ruins the fun for me.
In my own books, my villains are the most fun for me to write. They can say and do things the hero could never get away with. They are filled with a confidence that decent people can rarely achieve. And as my vampire villain Luka says, enemies are more reliable than friends.
What are some other characteristics of your favorite villains of page or screen?
What are some other characteristics of your favorite villains of page or screen?
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