Writing Villains Using the Villain Archetype. One good example is the evil step-mother in the classic fairy tale Cinderella.While the step-mother is typically portrayed as being a moderately wealthy individual, she is not powerful by most standards. Within the terms of the greater world around her, she is just a typical old widow with some money to her name.But from the perspective of Cinderella herself, the evil step-mother is exceedingly powerful.
There is no stopping the beast, or reasoning with it.
Examples include Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. Those goals are to feed, rampage, destroy or prey on victims. They plot and plan towards getting rid of the usurper and taking their rightful place.The principle is often explored in fairy tales with disposed queens (disposed by the entry of a younger and more beautiful woman) or in The Lion King, where Scar is a disposed uncle of young Simba.The spoiled brat is an off-shoot or predicator of the disposed son.The Desperado is a villain trapped in their own pitiful world, and on the run to get away. Anything that makes them a true challenge to the hero is credible.In many science fiction and fantasy novels, the villain is powerful due to large overwhelming forces.
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All done with dapper moustache-swishing and a wicked grin.The mastermind considers himself the intellectual superior to everybody. In real life, this is unfortunately true of many terrorists and spree-killers who expect to sacrifice their lives to uphold their mission.The Seductress is a classic archetype even nominated as the only feminine archetype within Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.The femme fatale uses her charms and sexual prowess to prey on the opposite sex, seduce them, then possibly drain them. There will be a series of challenges to test wits with the hero or cunning plans to progress a crime.
This is a more literal take on The Shadow.A more metaphorical example is the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
They just exist and go about their ‘thing’.Many stories have multiple antagonists – an adventure story for instance may have the main hero firstly tackling an icy storm stuck up the middle of a high cliff-top, then tackling the evil corporation which sent him to that cliff, then later fighting with his wife over the fact he is fighting a corporation in the first place, then in the climax fighting fist to fist with an assassin sent out by the corporation to track down the hero, and eradicate him and all his knowledge. To begin our exploration of the villain, let’s go through some examples in literature and film. He may be an Administrator or he may be the Big Bad’s chief enforcer or fighter, so he can fit several other archetypes.Either way, this is a villain who is trustworthy to the Big Bad, an able leader (either by respect of his wit, or enforcing through fear) and extremely experienced. For this reason, protagonists sometimes see a part of themselves reflected in the villain.The Creature created by Dr. Frankenstein (The Creature commonly being mistakenly known as “Frankenstein” himself) is an excellent example of a shadow archetype. A physical embodiment of his own sins is born.
They love you, but not unconditionally. But there are many villainous archetypes a villain can fit into, some of which will be listed in this post.Some writers label any antagonistic force as a villain, but there is a difference. Instead, he survives through knowledge and cunning, constantly baffling the authorities as well as the protagonist. The Shadow is the part of the Self that we find unacceptable and that we only uncover through the negative characteristics that we project upon others.
They are now either running from or working for better and badder villains, and forced into performing unscrupulous acts to survive.Power, power, power.
5 Characteristics of an Epic Villain 1 Powerful. The beast has a mind – it’s a very small mind, but he has a focussed goal with it.
Taken to extremes, such women are called Black Widows – serial murderers who lure men into marriage and then kill them for the inheritance.There is a male equivalent of course – the Homme Fatale, who uses good looks, charms and creativity to lure women into spending money on him. She’s found in history conquering entire countries to rule over.Literally the devil, appearing on earth in human form, or at least a character with the powers and persona of a devil: the ability to read and know the actions (perhaps thoughts) of the hero, good looks and a charming charismatic appearance, and the ability to zoom in and know the one spot of our hero’s moral weakness, allowing the devil to offer temptation over to the dark side.The Devil Incarnate normally (not always) has some system of morals and principles, unlike the truly Unhinged, the later creates a totally unpredictable world while the Devil’s world will follow certain rules.This is for fun, of course.
If the common characteristics interfere with your own creative vision, you are not required to use all or even one of them. The villain, like the fool, is a classic archetype seen in almost every story from Shakespeare to Disney to films like 27 Dresses. Jafar, in the movie This does not necessarily mean that they are intellectually gifted.
Darth Vader, the Star Wars villain, is the perfect Shadow archetype. Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) In fact, they probably don’t understand humans anyway. They will fight like a Madman and to death. He is also the author of the new book