When creating any type of villain for a fantasy novel, it is important to make them as complex as the hero. In order to truly understand the plot and make the main conflict more two-sided, villains need complexity. We need to know about this character from the beginning until the end of the story. Villains are the foils of our heroes. Like the hero, they have a motivation behind their actions and their own set of beliefs. Without them there is nothing at stake. That way when the final battle commences, the stakes are put at an all time high for both sides. Besides that, villainous characters are without a doubt almost always the most popular character in fantasy or any other literary genre.
However, what if the villain's complexity was suddenly taken away? In short, nine times out if ten it would be disastrous. The cliché of revealing a random, unexpected character to be the villain does just that. A rising problem in many fantasy stories and somehow in modern Disney movies, the complexity of these characters are lost through a cheap plot twist. It can be damaging to a strong story, especially if done three-thirds of the way through the plot.
A notorious example of such a plot twist occurred within the Captain America comics when the character out of thin air revealed himself to be a Hydra agent since World War Two. People in the comic book community were outraged at the sudden reveal, feeling betrayed by Marvel. Captain America to many was a symbol of American heroism. He represented the courageous American Patriot, an unfortunate rarity in today's society. To many in the darkest of times, he gave hope. Taking all that away ruins what many feel the character stands for. Thankfully, this example ended up being reversed in future comics and for most the whole Hydra agent twist was just a bad dream. Still, such a needless move that barely derailed a classic character needs to be addressed.
Unless you can find some way to still make the character as interesting as before, this cliché needs to be avoided like the plague. For every twist villain done right, nine more are done wrong. Do not take the risk of using this trope unless the villain can stay complex.
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One Hundred Fantasy Clichés That Really Need To Rest In Peace
RandomFrom the same writer that pointed out some of the worst tropes in popular culture in A Hundred Clichés That Need To Die comes the much awaited sequel with a twist. See why the fantasy genre in fiction is extremely flawed and has numerous clichés th...
