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HII

it is no secret that the story is as good as it’s villain. and I love me some good villain!

let me tell you, if a story is lacking in it’s villain’s characterization, the book loses a star or two for me.

there are great villains in books i’ve read, and not so great ones. but the what inspired me to write this post, was Voldemort from harry potter just as I was reading the chamber of secrets .

1- INTELLIGENCE

I think this is the most obvious one. I mean of course for the protagonist to have hardships, and competition, the antagonist must be as smart or even smarter than the protagonist. it just adds a lot of excitement and suspense to the story as a whole! as well and just making the villain more interesting.

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Cersi and moriarty are great examples for this.

2- SYMPATHATIC PAST

this may be what I look at in a villain’s character the most. if you understand where they come from, you may understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. a sympathetic villain is the greatest type of villain, because we’ll see the human side of his character. we may even be able to identify with his motives.

Voldemort, The Darkling, Kill monger, are great examples.

3- LEADERSHIP QUALITIES.

of course a villain would have his army, faithful servants, and sidekick. sure, some of them will follow him because of their own rotten soul, but the villain has to have some leadership qualities in order for him to lead. remember not all leaders are ones who fight for the good.

Voldemort, octavia au lune

4- ENIGMATIC

I know I’ve just said that having to understand the villain’s past and be sympathetic with it will make us understand the villain’s character and motives. but just as well, when there’s a mysterious part of his\her character, and not completely understanding their actions, whether because of a contradictory actions, or unexpected ones, make me keep thinking about the villain and keep wanting to get inside her\his head!

The Jackal,

5- CHARISMATIC

whether the villain works alone, or is leading an army, being charismatic is one of the most important aspects of creating a villain. sure enough the protagonist will have his\her own charisma ( or so I hope) so there is no discussing it, that having the villain to be charismatic, and drawing the readers and the other characters to themselves will be an essential thing to their arc.