What makes a villain likeable?

Make Them Cool and Competent It’s hard to hate a villain with style. If your villain has a knock-out costume, crazy cool gadgets, and memorable one-liners, your audience will hope they stick around. A touch of cool factor can also make a protagonist likable, but don’t overdo it.

What traits do villains have?

Villain Characteristics Checklist:

• He’s convinced he’s the good guy.
• He has many likeable qualities.
• He’s a worthy enough opponent to make your hero look good.
• You (and your reader) like when he’s on stage.
• He’s clever and accomplished enough that people must lend him begrudging respect.
• He can’t be a fool or a bumbler.

What makes a good anti-villain?

Anti-villains have noble characteristics, values, and goals, but how they strive for those goals is often questionable — or downright abhorrent. Like traditional villains, anti-villains stand in the way of the hero’s goal. But unlike a traditional “bad guy,” the anti-villain isn’t necessarily evil.

What do villains usually want?

Most villains share a desire to obtain power. Some villains only want to have power over your main character. Others want to take over the world and achieve ultimate power. When crafting your big bad, you should analyze your evil villain’s relationship to power.

What is a typical villain?

Villain Characteristics Checklist: He has many likeable qualities. He’s a worthy enough opponent to make your hero look good. You (and your reader) like when he’s on stage. He’s clever and accomplished enough that people must lend him begrudging respect. He can’t be a fool or a bumbler.

What makes a villain fun to read?

Some of the best villains in literature are also the most fun. Wicked is a good word here. A wicked sense of humour, a wicked way of viewing the world. This is entertaining and terrifying at the same time, which is a great way to enthrall the reader. Think about the Joker.

What makes a villain good or bad?

Sometimes a good villain is simply one you’d love to strangle with your bare hands. Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones is a perfect example of this. That little shit is so twisted and evil you find yourself truly hating him. Not an easy thing in a society where we try our best to be understanding.

How do you create a villain with depth?

When creating a villain that has depth, don’t add a reason to feel for him or her. A person who is inherently bad is better than someone we have to be forced to feel for. Villains who fall in a grey area between right and wrong are much more interesting.

How do you make a villain feel empathy?

Trying to create depth in a villain by just having a tragic backstory is a quick and lazy way to add empathy. Then there are the grey area villains that blur the line between good and evil. This is why Walter White is such a great character to watch, and he’s technically the protagonist.