𝖶𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖳𝗂𝗉𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖫𝗈𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗌

𝖧𝗈𝗐 𝖳𝗈 𝖶𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝖠 𝖭𝗈𝗇-𝖳𝗋𝖺𝗀𝗂𝖼 𝖵𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇 𝖡𝖺𝖼𝗄𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗒

In crafting a villain's backstory, we often want the origin to be as powerful as the character themselves. As Chris Colfe says, "A villain is just a victim whose story hasn't been told."
Unfortunately, however, tragic backstories become tedious. Oh, of course their parents were eaten alive in front of them, their home was foreclosed on by a corrupt institution, the love of their life betrayed them, their favorite TV show was canceled, and they couldn't get the last scrap of mayonnaise out of the jar. Someone get the fainting couch, quick.
At a certain point, it's no longer a backstory – it's a sob story, which quickly transforms our empathy into pity, and finally into boredom. We roll our eyes and wish the villain had kept the melodrama to themselves.
On the other side of that coin, having a character who stomps on bunnies for no reason isn't exactly relatable, and a well-rounded character can't just burst into existence one day fully formed. Everyone has a history.
So how can you give your villain a backstory that tugs on readers' heartstrings, without making it a sob story?

✎ Don't Get Grandiose – Simple Can Pack a Punch

If more bad things happen to your villain, they're more sympathetic, right? It's a reasonable line of thought, but in fact, tacking more onto your character can make them into an overinflated bundle of Sadness™ that's less human and more trope. Even more so, an inflated backstory is difficult to follow. The events stop having individual meaning and blend together into a single wall of pity.
Instead, one or two crucial moments is all it takes.
For example: Lilith could've been forced back to Adam by the Guardians; he could've been physically and sexually abusive; she could've been forced to wear a wool shirt for months while locked in a closet until she caved. But the simplicity of her backstory, where subtle behavior and a meaningful conversation – confirming what Adam believed and what she had to look forward to – was enough. This didn't make her origins less exciting, but instead placed incredible value on what did happen.
Bonus: A simple backstory gives more credit to your villain – because they didn't need Larger Than Life™ circumstances to become who they are. They owned that talent themselves. Honestly, what's more scary: An unstoppable antagonist who took years of ill treatment and dozens of atrocities to become unstoppable? Or one who did it because they decided they wanted to?

✎ Unfair is Sometimes Better than Unbearable

In the same vein as above, 'simple' is not only good in how many hardships the villain faces – but also in what kinds they experience.
We've all encountered some pretty unfair situations in our lives. Whether it's being overcharged for our rent, getting the silent treatment from a friend, or having to pick up the tab on a date that was supposed to be Dutch Treat, life throws you minor or major irritations you don't deserve all the time. However, when's the last time you had your village burned to the ground?
Exactly.
Therefore, if a villain is treated unfairly in a way and on a level we can relate to, we're more likely to empathize. Cranking it up to 11 won't make it more heart wrenching – just less meaningful for us emotionally. When we can't connect emotionally, then we just connect intellectually – making it pity, not sympathy. Sob stories, the worst kind of backstory there is, are all about pity.
It doesn't have to involve death, it doesn't have to create a wound that can never be healed – it just has to be unfair. Tragedy doesn't hit us often, but unfairness is a regular experience.
For example, Lilith was expected to submit to Adam, who refuses to see her as a rightful equal despite her proving her abilities. This is unfair, but it's not unbearable. How many times have you been undervalued in your workplace, with friends, or with family? That makes it easy to sympathize with her plight – turning each of her victories not into "good for you," but "good for us."

✎ Make it the Kickoff Point, but Not the Definition of Their Goals

One event that shapes your entire life and future is something to be pitied. But an event that triggered your greater ambition – that's worth empathy, and then respect.
Let's use Megamind as a prime example. This super villain's journey began with total rejection from his school peers, motivating him to become the best villain there ever was, if he couldn't be an accepted good guy. Being socially rejected kicked off his journey, but after that, it was never about gaining their approval – it was about accomplishing feats he could respect. This didn't make us sad for his poor treatment the entire movie – it made us respect what he was accomplishing now.
Similarly, Lilith's origin begins with social slavery on every side. This motivated her strike out and develop power that rivaled even the angels. But notably, it wasn't to shove it in Adam's face; it wasn't even to prove him wrong, attaching her self-worth to his opinion of her. Lilith left the Garden because she wasn't being respected as autonomous, so she went to be autonomous somewhere else. It was her desire to be powerful and accomplish greater things that made her demand equality, but receiving equality from Adam didn't define her or her goals.

✎ Make it Specifically Relevant to Them

Death is probably the most tragic event one can face in life, and that makes it easy to heap on a character in order to give them a profound emotional hit and then a drive forward. But have you noticed how many characters have death in their backstory? Whether it's family, a lover, or a friend's death – whether it's a peaceful one or a gruesome one – death is a universal motivator. When it comes to making a uniquely enticing villain, 'universal' is the exact opposite of what you want.
The villain's backstory needs to be specifically relevant to them. Why would they of all people be motivated by this? How does it tie into their actions later on?
If you could apply that backstory to any other character in the story and it'd still make that character's action and goals the same, then it needs tweaking. 'This is a sad thing to happen to them,' can't be the answer. 'This is exactly what it'd take to make this character specifically act the way they do,' should be.

So, all that said...

A villain's backstory can still tug on our heartstrings, maybe driving us to wrap them in warm blankets while petting their hair softly. Yet the trick to keeping readers from rolling their eyes is the balance between 'Poor Thing' and 'Poor Baby, boo hoo.' These tips should help you strike the right measures.

If you're interested in an exciting read involving a Sci-Fi/Fantasy retelling of the Lilith mythos – the world's first female villain – then take a look at Ivars Ozols' Epic of Lilith. Featuring the 'true story of the Grim Reaper,' a unique take on the world's creation and the powers that keep it spinning, and freaking steampunk metal angel wings, support a fellow debut author and give it a read!

𝖼𝗋; its-a-writer-thing