What makes a great Villain/Antagonist in a story?

[TheGoldenToon]

Title. Is it the backstory, motives, psychology/what makes them tick, design, how despicable they are, how surprisingly sympathetic (some) can be, how serious or threatening they are, how funny they are? I'd really love to learn other peoples input on this subject because I think antagonist are one of the most intriguing and honestly in some cases the most fun parts of a story if done right. Feel free to use examples and/or tropes from any series, franchise, genre, and media.

 

[Deleted member 114691]

i think the same, about how antagonists are one of the most intriguing parts of a story. in my opinion, it would be surprising actions/moral ambiguity

N is proposed as a villain but he really isnt. and his motives are understandable (to me).. i was like. wait... how is he wrong?! at a lot of points. and komaeda from dr2; his death was surprising and the reasons/motives behind it were super crazy and it was so unlike anything else covered in media. others are toshio (shiki), joshua (twewy)

usually, protags don't pull these unusual actions because they're just good. when you find out what these antagonists think, they are placed in a gray zone. this is more human and fun to see.. its up to the player to decide if they are good or bad (kind of). compared to a simple villain who exists for the protagonist's purpose alone and does expectable things; like taking control of the region for money/status, or a desire which isnt expanded upon, etc.

but these guys aren't the actual villains... so actual villains, i just like how much they make me hate them (lol). this might just be me because i dont usually hate people, so having that feeling makes them memorable. like envy from fmab (i still cried when he died though *beats myself up*) ooor ghetsis.

also this question is so good! what about you/what do you think?

 

[TheGoldenToon]

also this question is so good! what about you/what do you think?

Apologizes for the late response, I felt I needed to think up a good answer. I often think about comic book or movie villains and how they handle their motives, if they're going to be a generic "take over the world" villain or a villain that makes me go "Okay, I may not agree with how you're doing this, but I can totally understand why you're doing it!" Guys like the X-men villain Magneto or another Marvel villain Killmonger

at least the MCU version from the Black Panther movie

or DC comics Mr. Freeze from Batman: The Animated Series are just a few that come to my mind; really characters that fit the tropes of Woobie Destroyer Of Worlds and Well Intentioned Extremist are the kind of bad guys that will typically interest me the most. Though not necessary, a bad guy with standards can also grab my attention.

Of course there are still some antagonist that I love to see be just flat out super evil and love to hate them. 'Course it can help when these kind get their well deserved comeuppance in the end. The TMNT (2012) incarnation of the Shredder is one that comes to mind and I was pretty much ready for the turtles to bury him six feet under after killing Master Splinter a second time

for context, Splinter was killed by him the first time in the Season 3 finale only for time travel to play a role to undo said death, but his second death was permanent.

.Long story short, I didn't mind when Leo was holding the Shredder's helmet in the end, declaring him dead.

The kind that make me laugh and/or are so charismatic can also be a real treat, the Team Rocket TRio of Jessie, James, and Meowth can actually be very random and funny when they're not just going after Ash's Pikachu, and it helps that they've even teamed up with Ash and his friends before, thus showing they're not truly as evil as way bigger threats. It also helps that all three of them actually have backstories so we end up knowing a surprising amount about them, even more than even Ash. Also I love Jessie's Wobbuffet.

 

[Fan of Jarrus]

Why is Vamdemon worshipped for overpowering the hero Digimon army? Well-written villains should not be OP unless they are gods.