Villains

Many stories are centered around their villains.

Villains come in many shapes and sizes, from the thoroughly evil to the determined to the confused, and their motives range from a thirst for revenge to a quest for an ideal.

Among some of the greatest villains are Captain Hook, whose loneliness drives him insane, Tom Riddle, whose fear forces him to go to any lengths to prevent his own death, Lex Luthor, who slowly loses his morals and his mind, Grendel, whose alienation caused him to attack… the list may go on and on.

A villain is not always evil. However, although the actions of villains are more often than not the result of the villain’s mistreatment, this, from the protagonist perspective, does not make them justified.

For instance, Harry Potter, the main character of J. K. Rowling’s series by the same name, was mistreated and neglected for most of his life, yet still retained his compassion and his morality, something which, as Albus Dumbledore would say, is more extraordinary than Harry himself can know. Another good example of such a person is Roald Dahl’s Matilda, of a book by the same name. Matilda was neglected by her family and abused by her principal. Matilda possessed such power that she could easily have been corrupted, but Matilda remained a true hero, honest, compassionate and open to friendship.

It is difficult to say whether humanity leans toward villainy or heroism, because both are mixed in, shaped by circumstances and reasoning. Take away a human’s trust in the person most important to him or her, and you take away his or her trust in humanity.

It’s a villain that makes his or her story…

And a really excellent villain often makes a really excellent story.