JassaReal asks: How do I make a complex, rounded Villain character? I really like those types of villains specially if they have grey morals.
I've got two great Wattpad Stars here to provide answers. First is IntoTheTempest, a fantasy writer with several completed stories you'll want to check out, including Swordmaster (link in the comments) which features a morally grey villain. Here's what Tempest has to say:
I'll start off by saying I don't use villain and antagonist synonymously. A character can be their own antagonist. Or their circumstances can be the antagonist. Just needed to get that out of the way.
For me, what makes a really great morally grey villain is a good ideology with extreme methods of execution. What they want isn't necessarily bad, but what they're willing to do to get it is extreme. I suppose, in theory, this could also work in reverse—horrible ideology but with peaceful methods of execution—but I haven't seen it in reverse.
Case in point: Erik Killmonger from Black Panther. Yes, Killmonger was right. Wakanda was wrong for abandoning the world. Wakanda was selfishly hoarding its wealth and resources while the diaspora was suffering. What also made Erik great was that he was relatable, at least to the target audience. Nobody was relating to T'Challa. He was a pampered prince raised in ivory towers. He didn't know the struggle. Killmonger was angry, rightfully so, at colonisers and Wakanda.Where he went off the rails was his plans. He wanted to arm the diaspora with weapons and basically repeat history with black people as the colonisers. While I don't entirely disagree with that approach, I recognise it would not have ended well. He would basically turn "his people" into the very thing he despised.
But Killmonger was still right. Black people did need to be armed. But not with weapons. Black people needed to be armed with the knowledge and resources to combat oppression and become masters of their own destiny. Which happens a little bit in the second movie.
Anyway, I hope this example helps. Wakanda salute
Next up is ClarissaNorth, a romance and paranormal author with numerous great stories you should check out, including And Then You Die (link in comments) which features a morally grey villain. Here's what Clary has to say:
What you need to remember about villains is that, in their opinion, they're not the bad guy. No one sets out to be the villain of their story. As fun as a moustache twirling, train track tying, cackling villain can be to write, they're flat stereotypical characters who offer very little to a complex narrative.
If you want a realistic but morally grey villain then you need to ensure, first and foremost, that they truly believe in what they're doing. If their plot is in the name of revenge, then they must believe the hero, the world, or their adversary is deserving of it. To them, this is karmic balance. It's justice. It's righting a wrong. If they want to take over the world it could be that they see inequality and feel they could do a better job. Their new world order might, to their mind, bring peace when in fact it erases free will. The most frightening people out there are the ones who buy into their own dangerous rhetoric.
There are of course some villains who just want to cause chaos. The Joker played by Heath Ledger is a great example of this. They just want the world to burn because it's fun, they're bored, it's something to do. Those characters make fantastic villains because they can't be negotiated with. They're a destructive force and have no moral compass. They just do what they do because they can.
But if you want to make a morally grey villain, or a complex villain, they need to have an arc just like your hero. Think about what set them off on their journey. Why do they want to reshape the world or hurt people? Do they perceive those people as bad? Villains like this are a mirror image of your hero. Both want to achieve their goals, but the only difference is that your hero is hindered by their desire to conform to societal moral archetypes while your villain is willing to throw those out and subscribe to their own set of rules. They view the world through a different lens.
To them, the ends justify the means, no matter what.
Thank you, Tempest and Clarissa! Be sure to check out their profiles and maybe share some love. If you direct a comment at one of them, be sure to tag them because they won't be notified of comments on this post.