What makes a villain interesting? I can give you several good examples of interesting villains, or at least villains that I find fun to read:
Walter from the Gunslinger Heptalogy.
Zabulon (or Zavulon if you drink your vodka neat) from the Night Watch Tetralogy. (They're not words you get to use everyday, ok) Jubal Early from Firefly.
There are other villains who are just as, or even more famous, who are missing something that these guys have. For instance:
Sauron (need I even say from where?) Emperor Palpatine (some movie or another)
The one thing I see that each of the first three characters have in common is that they are all likable in some way. Walter is carefree and full of laughs, even if those laughs can drive a man to madness. Zabulon comes across like a kindly grandfather who just wants you to have a nice time and not worry so much about how the world is falling apart. Jubal Early is a dry comedian, who had the best lines in the entire tragically short lived show. They each have a certain charisma. We wouldn't want to be the victim of their evil intents, but it might be fun to have a drink with them.
The other two: just not nice at all. They are just plain evil and nasty and unpleasant.
So, why do we like the first three more. I don't just mean, why do we like the kind of person they are portrayed as. That's obvious. But why do they read better? This isn't a rhetorical question. I'm puzzling it out as I write. Any of those top three could carry a story by himself. The bottom two are simply a foil to the heroes. Is it just that they are more interesting? Ok, but what makes them interesting? Perhaps the contrast between characteristics. Charismatic and jolly combined with cold-hearted and evil is certainly an odd combination. Or is their a deeper psychological reason for our preference for this kind of character. Perhaps we like to see evil portrayed in a light-hearted manner. As Ralph the Creepy Lift Operator would say, Evil is mostly ok! That says something not so nice about the way my mind works, which lends it a bit of validity.
Then there's the other side of the coin. We like our heroes a bit Anti-Hero. Whose cooler, Han Solo or Obi-wan Kenobi? You might say Obi-wan, but what if Han Solo could open a beer with his mind? See? Just as we like our villains with a smile and a bounce in their step, we like our heroes full of angst, pouty frowns, and cruelty. Or at least harmlessly wicked.
Batman(DC)/Punisher(Marvel)
Captain Jack Sparrow
Riddick
Max Rockatansky, Mad
Is it because we relate better to heroes who aren't perfect? Is it because we think good is boring? Both?
Have I ruined your favorite book for you? I hope not.
There are other villains who are just as, or even more famous, who are missing something that these guys have. For instance:
Sauron (need I even say from where?) Emperor Palpatine (some movie or another)
The one thing I see that each of the first three characters have in common is that they are all likable in some way. Walter is carefree and full of laughs, even if those laughs can drive a man to madness. Zabulon comes across like a kindly grandfather who just wants you to have a nice time and not worry so much about how the world is falling apart. Jubal Early is a dry comedian, who had the best lines in the entire tragically short lived show. They each have a certain charisma. We wouldn't want to be the victim of their evil intents, but it might be fun to have a drink with them.
The other two: just not nice at all. They are just plain evil and nasty and unpleasant.
So, why do we like the first three more. I don't just mean, why do we like the kind of person they are portrayed as. That's obvious. But why do they read better? This isn't a rhetorical question. I'm puzzling it out as I write. Any of those top three could carry a story by himself. The bottom two are simply a foil to the heroes. Is it just that they are more interesting? Ok, but what makes them interesting? Perhaps the contrast between characteristics. Charismatic and jolly combined with cold-hearted and evil is certainly an odd combination. Or is their a deeper psychological reason for our preference for this kind of character. Perhaps we like to see evil portrayed in a light-hearted manner. As Ralph the Creepy Lift Operator would say, Evil is mostly ok! That says something not so nice about the way my mind works, which lends it a bit of validity.
Then there's the other side of the coin. We like our heroes a bit Anti-Hero. Whose cooler, Han Solo or Obi-wan Kenobi? You might say Obi-wan, but what if Han Solo could open a beer with his mind? See? Just as we like our villains with a smile and a bounce in their step, we like our heroes full of angst, pouty frowns, and cruelty. Or at least harmlessly wicked.
Batman(DC)/Punisher(Marvel)
Captain Jack Sparrow
Riddick
Max Rockatansky, Mad
Is it because we relate better to heroes who aren't perfect? Is it because we think good is boring? Both?
Have I ruined your favorite book for you? I hope not.
1 comment:
I think we relate to people who have both good and evil in them. I can't relate to Sauron or Morgain. They are pure evil and totally powerful. Even Jack from The Shining loves his kid. Although the house is the bad guy there.
Antagonists that have some humanity grab us because we can see a little of ourselves in them. When they die or get vanquished or whatever we almost feel bad. my .02
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