What do you think makes a good villain?

[speaker-to-trolls]

In literature, what do you think makes a good villain?. In particular, do you think that the audience should see things from a villain's point of view?.

In my experience I tend to root for the villains if things are shown from their viewpoint. I rooted for Duquesne in Skylark, and I rooted for the Kzin in every single Man-Kzin Wars story, regardless of how nasty they were. In both these instances the story is at some point shown from the antagonist's POV.
However, when I read Small Gods, which is told from the point of view of nearly everyone but Vorbis, I rooted for the good guys. This isn't because I don't think Vorbis is a good character, I think he is written very well, and is one of Pratchett's best villains. But I didn't want him to win for some reason.
A lot of people these days seem to like villains more than heroes, but personally I think that if someone is the antagonist then you shouldn't want them to win, otherwise why is the story focussing on the protagonists?.

That's just a few of my ideas on the subject, what do you think?.

[Dartzap]

Well, in alot of Pratchett, the Heros are often the slightly misguided sort of baddy as well, for example Nobby can considered as a sort of misguided hero, in that he a picker of trifles, and on the other end of the spectrum you have the tulip and Pin, ruthless and until the end have no soul.


I think for an effective Villien, you need have a proper person who can balance it out, you dont want fullout loony, and you dont want the ifiot who spills the beans because he thinks your going to die.

to have a perfect villen, you need someone Human and can be passed in the street (metaphorically) and not be seen to be the right bastard that they are.

You do not need the type who go's "Ah ha ha ha ha! soon Mr Hero, your world will be mine! Unless somone presses THIS button! Ah Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

[Junghalli]

In my experience I tend to root for the villains if things are shown from their viewpoint. I rooted for Duquesne in Skylark, and I rooted for the Kzin in every single Man-Kzin Wars story, regardless of how nasty they were. In both these instances the story is at some point shown from the antagonist's POV.

That's because, as a writer, you have to have a sort of empathy with someone to write from their point of view. You have to get inside their heads and understand why they do what they do. In the process you-I don't think humanize them is really the right word but there's a kind of respect you have to have for them to imagine yourself in their place. But if you're only looking at them from the good guys point of view then of course its easy to just write them as pure scum or more-or-less evil incarnate.

[Chmee]

For me, a really well-written villain is someone whose viewpoint you completely understand ... someone who is not a villain in their own eyes at all, but whose actions qualify as evil when objectively viewed. You should understand why they act the way they do, even if you completely disagree with what they choose to do.

[Asdeed]

I think the best villains are the ones who 'almost' have all the makings of a hero. But at some point they went tragically wrong, like Dr. Doom and the lab accident that disfigured him and skewed his perspective towards villainy.

Okay so maybe I was just reading a Fantastic Four comic, it's still true dangit!!!

[Lord Revan]

I like villians that are evil realistic way and are not evil they because they're "bad" guys.

[Crazedwraith]

Goatees and strong lungs for the laughing.

[Setesh]

Goatees and strong lungs for the laughing.

'nuff said

[Mayabird]

Since someone else has already said what I was going to say:
Swivel chairs.