How To: Create Your Fantasy Bad Guy

6. Evil Intentions

I trust that you have built your fantasy world (I have a fantasy worldbuilding guide available on my profile that may help you). So, you know what is wrong with your world, or what will be wrong with your world.

If your hero's actions and motives are what drive the story - the emotional journey.

Your villain's actions and motives, although they can contribute to the story, should be what drives the plot - the physical journey.

So, if your villain is the shadow of your hero, then their ultimate goals will be the complete opposite of each other. In my hero guide, we already stated that Harry's ultimate goal is to kill/defeat Voldemort.

Voldemort's ultimate goal was originally to rid the wizarding world of muggle-borns. However, I would say that during the second wizarding war, the time in which Harry's story is set, this was more of a side goal and the goal to kill Harry became his main goal - the ultimate goal. As you can see, their goals are the complete opposite of each other. It was Voldemort's ultimate goal to kill Harry that drove the plot.

Now, we need to know why your villain has this goal. So, here is the example I gave for Harry's reason behind wanting to defeat Voldemort:

Not only the Wizarding World but also the muggle world will continue to be overrun by Dark Magic and Voldemort will probably kill everybody

Of course, Voldemort wants to overrun the world because he wants to rid it of muggle-borns. However, his ultimate goal is to kill Harry, because:

Harry may be who the prophecy referred to, which states that 'neither can live while the other survives'. As long as Harry is alive, the wizarding world has hope, they will become less afraid of Voldemort and begin to stand up for themselves, which he doesn't want to happen. He wants to make up for his past mistake and kill Harry, in turn scaring the wizarding world back into submission.

Now, what stands in the way of your villain and their ultimate goal? Whereas your hero will have antagonists in their way, your villain is a version of an antagonist, so will have protagonists in their way. Protagonists work against antagonists, just like how antagonists work against protagonists. So, here's the example I used in the hero guide:

Harry will have to find and destroy seven Horcruxes but has no idea where to start because not only is Dumbledore useless, but he's dead af

Other things that Harry came up against was his nemesis, Draco, and other antagonists such as the Death Eaters and the Ministry. So, what did Voldemort have to come up against?

Voldemort actually had his own nemesis - Albus Dumbledore, who constantly came between him during his attempts to get to Harry. He also came up against Aurors known as the Order of the Phoenix - which was founded by Dumbledore. He also needed to get himself a physical body, which he wasn't able to get until the time Harry was fourteen. He also found out that he couldn't defeat Harry with his own wand due to their wands sharing the same core.

There are some examples of what Voldemort came up against on his task to defeat Harry. So, the three things you need to establish about your villain is;

Their ultimate goal
Their motives behind the goal
What/who is preventing them from said goal

Just like when you are creating a hero and you put yourself in their shoes to get an idea of how they feel, you need to do the same with your villain. You may not think of yourself as the bad guy, but the truth is, everyone has their moments. You want to give and understand the reasons for your villains' actions and so do your readers. A villain is understandable, but also unforgivable. Your hero needs a worthy opponent - the better your villain, the more heroic your hero will seem.

I found a villain checklist online (I'll post the link in the comment section of this chapter). I'm going to state the ones I strongly agree with and explain why:

➼He/She's clever and accomplished enough that people must lend him begrudging respect

Your villain probably worked hard to get to where they are now or, depending on where your book begins, will be working hard to get to where they are. Take Voldemort, even Dumbledore admitted that he was one of the best students to attend his school, and he is recognised as the second most powerful wizard ever to have lived - next to Dumbledore. If your villain has accomplished something great, it shouldn't be ignored.

➼He/She has many of the same characteristics of the hero, but they're misdirected

This can be true. An obvious characteristic that both Harry and Voldemort shared was their magical abilities. However, Voldemort turned to the dark arts, whereas Harry did not. Perhaps something similar happened in your book. It could also be something such as your hero and your villain both having someone or something they care about but are fighting for them in different ways.

➼He/She should occasionally be kind, and not just for show

I agree with this 100%. Your villain may be merciless, but having someone do nothing but bad things for the sake of being bad makes your story fall flat eventually. Be revolutionary, make them kind for no other reason than because they want to be and watch as your protagonists and your readers sit in confusion. Voldemort actually showed 'kindness' a lot of times. He promised his Death Eaters protection and priority and stuck to his word right til his bitter end - both times. He even forgave (but still kept a close eye) the Death Eaters who betrayed him by giving up on him after the first wizarding war, such as Lucius Malfoy. He also granted Peter Pettigrew a hand after he cut off his own to rebirth him.

If only he could have found it in his heart to let Severus live.

Alright, I think we've covered everything we can about how to create your ultimate bad guy. We've explored their character and, hopefully, you understand their actions and motivations. The next chapter will include some things I think you should avoid when creating your villain.

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A/N: at the end of all the chapters, I am going to put a little exercise/question for you guys to do in the comments as a way for you to interact and really take something away from reading this guide. I will leave an answer regarding one of my own fantasy books for you to use as an example. Don't forget to vote and share this guide with whoever may need it!

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Exercise 6:

Name one time your villain was 'kind'.

My answer:

She ordered the guards to release Reuben when he got imprisoned and kept it a secret from the King and Queen
(Aurora, Fire and Gemstones)