1. Selfishness. Ultimately, villains are people who want what they want and don't give a rat's ass about the ramifications for anyone else.
2. Show them being thoughtless or cold or cruel in little ways. Mocking someone undeserving is always a good tactic. Villains are unpleasant in little ways.
3.I like villains with layers. I want them to have an interesting goal, or an unusual but nifty upbringing, or some small good bit that is nonetheless entirely insufficient to offset their villainy. I like charming-but-evil villains, or highly competent villains.
4. The villain motivated by raving insanity, or who has a completely stupid goal, like destroying the world. Also, too many villains are random bullies and control freaks. In the real world I think those sort of people are opposed much more readily than charming selfish pricks. Control-freak-bullies beat their spouses and children and end up on tabloid TV. Charming selfish pricks make millions of dollars by stealling pension funds.
5. Many villains are bullies, and are therefore fundamentally insecure. They won't trust intelligent and competent henchmen. They need someone they can be sure of controlling.
6. Hans Gruber, in Die Hard. Charming, competent, confident, clever... He's a villain because he's selfish and values nothing but his own goals.
I kind of like the Wicked Witch of the West, too, for all that she is cartoony. She's upset by her sister's death, and her expectation of inheriting her sister's ruby slippers isn't unrealistic. She's driven and clever, too.
7. Voldemort is rather cardboard. He wants to run the world, blah blah blah. Poor boy was raised in a bad household, teased for being a freak because he was a wizard, wah wah cry me a river. He's a selfish prick without any charm or likeability, and rather cardboard in his personality and goals.
1. Selfishness. Ultimately, villains are people who want what they want and don't give a rat's ass about the ramifications for anyone else.
2. Show them being thoughtless or cold or cruel in little ways. Mocking someone undeserving is always a good tactic. Villains are unpleasant in little ways.
3.I like villains with layers. I want them to have an interesting goal, or an unusual but nifty upbringing, or some small good bit that is nonetheless entirely insufficient to offset their villainy. I like charming-but-evil villains, or highly competent villains.
4. The villain motivated by raving insanity, or who has a completely stupid goal, like destroying the world. Also, too many villains are random bullies and control freaks. In the real world I think those sort of people are opposed much more readily than charming selfish pricks. Control-freak-bullies beat their spouses and children and end up on tabloid TV. Charming selfish pricks make millions of dollars by stealling pension funds.
5. Many villains are bullies, and are therefore fundamentally insecure. They won't trust intelligent and competent henchmen. They need someone they can be sure of controlling.
6. Hans Gruber, in Die Hard. Charming, competent, confident, clever... He's a villain because he's selfish and values nothing but his own goals.
I kind of like the Wicked Witch of the West, too, for all that she is cartoony. She's upset by her sister's death, and her expectation of inheriting her sister's ruby slippers isn't unrealistic. She's driven and clever, too.
7. Voldemort is rather cardboard. He wants to run the world, blah blah blah. Poor boy was raised in a bad household, teased for being a freak because he was a wizard, wah wah cry me a river. He's a selfish prick without any charm or likeability, and rather cardboard in his personality and goals.
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