Today, we’re going to talk about the single most important supporting character in your story… the antagonist. They are one of the main reasons the story is even happening, so it’s vital that you get this character right.

I’ve covered the antagonist already in my Positive Change Arc series, which you can find here, and I’ll be talking about them again during my Flat Arc series. But, today, I thought I’d look at this character from a different angle using examples from the Bible. Be sure to check out my two other posts on antagonists to learn more about their role in a character arc!

1. The arc

The most common type of character arc for an antagonist is a Negative Flat Arc, which is basically when the character holds to the Lie throughout the entire story. But the antagonist can also be a Negative Arc, which is when the character progressively gets worse in their beliefs—either from the Truth to the Lie, the Lie to a worse Lie, or an easy Lie to a harsh Truth. And they can even be a Positive Change Arc, which means they end up believing the Truth by the end of the story.

No matter which arc you choose for your antagonist, it’s important that you determine it before you begin your story, and that you stick to it. If you want to learn more about character arcs, you can check out my Plots and Character Arcs series here, and my Story of Humanity series here.

In the Bible, we see the perfect example of a Negative Change Arc in Judas. While he does start off believing a Lie, he ends up believing a much worse Lie. This eventually leads to him betraying Jesus and taking his own life.

In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the antagonist, Mr. Potter, is a strict Negative Flat Arc. He holds to his Lie until the very end, even though George Bailey, the protagonist, ends up prevailing.

In the movie, “Treasure Planet,” Long John Silver is a Positive Change Arc antagonist. Throughout the movie, he struggles to reconcile both his Lie and the Truth. In the end, he has to choose between saving Jim’s life or keeping the treasure he’s spent his life searching for.

1. Want

This is one of the most important elements for an antagonist. What they want is their whole reason for opposing the protagonist, so you need to have that determined. Whether it’s something huge, such as world domination, or something small, such as pick-pocketing a wallet, your antagonist needs to want something—and want it badly.

In the Bible, we see the king of Assyria as the antagonist in King Hezekiah’s story. His Want is simple… he wants to conquer Judah—more specifically, Jerusalem—in order to gain more power and land. This is in direct opposition to Hezekiah’s desire to live at peace in the land and to protect his country.

In the movie, “The Parent Trap,” the antagonist, Vicki, wants to marry Sharon and Susan’s father. Ultimately, she wants to do it because of money. This opposes the twins’ desire to get their parents back together, causing them to work against Vicki.

1. The Lie

This is generally the driving force behind the Want… this is why the antagonist does what he does to get the Want. It will be a misbelief or misconception of the world around them that causes them to make the wrong choices.

The Lie can oppose the MC’s Truth (if on a Flat Arc), or it can coincide with the MC’s Lie (if on a Positive Change Arc). I’ve talked about this element many times, so be sure to check out my other posts on the subject.

In the Bible, we see that the antagonist Haman’s Lie is that he must have power and fame in order to fulfill his life. This drives him to work against Mordecai—and the Jews—who get in his way.

In the movie, “Big Hero 6,” Professor Callaghan’s Lie is that getting revenge against the man responsible for his daughter’s disappearance will somehow make things better. This actually parallels Hiro’s Lie, which is that getting revenge for Tadashi’s disappearance will help. The fact that these two Lies are so similar eventually leads to Hiro’s realization that he and the antagonist aren’t so different after all.

1. The Ghost

Just as the Lie drives the Want, the Ghost causes to Lie. Whether it’s an ongoing thing or an event that happened in the past, the Ghost is what makes the antagonist believe the Lie. It can be something extremely traumatizing, or it can simply be a small event. Either way, it affects the antagonist enough to fuel his belief in the Lie.

In the Bible, Joseph’s brothers’ Ghost is their unsteady upbringing. They grew up watching their mothers fight for first place in their father’s life, and, later, had to look on as their younger brother grew to be the favorite. This causes them to believe the Lie that everything would be better if Joseph was gone.

In the movie, “The Incredibles,” Syndrome’s Ghost is his hero’s rejection of him as a boy. Since then, he decided to make his own way in life and to make everyone a superhero so that the real superheroes would no longer be special.

1. Good qualities

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you knew this was coming. Despite your antagonist being a bad guy who opposes the MC, they’re still human, which means they still have a few good qualities in them. You want your antagonist to be just likable enough that they’re almost relatable… which is far more scary than an unrelatable villain.

However, don’t make them too good. After all, they’re still the bad guy, which means there needs to be a line between them and the MC. That line can be thick or extremely thin, but it still should be there.

In the Bible, we do see a few good qualities in Saul, who opposes David. He’s a fierce warrior, and he actually did repent and back off from David a few times—though those truces didn’t last. In his youth, especially, we see that Saul was a much more likable person until the power of the kingship changed him.

In the movie, “Monsters Inc.,” the antagonist, Mr. Waternoose, seems to be quite a nice guy at first. While, towards the end, he reveals his true nature, he still retains a few qualities that are to be admired. His loyalty to the company and desire to provide the city with energy are great things. However, his willingness to kidnap children and extract their screams to fulfill those desires is what makes him evil.

Here are a few more examples of antagonists in scripture:

1. Absalom (and David)

2. Jezebel (and Elijah)

3. Pharaoh (and Moses)

4. The scribes and Pharisees (and Jesus)

5. Sanballat and Tobiah (and Nehemiah)

6. The princes of Persia (and Daniel)

And here are some other antagonists from fiction:

1. Charles Kemp (“Beyond the Mask”)

2. Trina Verton, Herr Klaus, Daiinn, Caraid Lachlan, etc. (“The Baker Family Adventures” series)

3. King Raymond (“A Higher Ransom”)

4. General Tremont, Little Caesar, The Assassins, etc. (“The Men of Grit”) series

5. Drago (“How to Train Your Dragon 2”)

6. TJ (“Courageous”)

7. Messala (“Ben-Hur”)

8. Charles Muntz (“Up”)

9. Goob/The Bowler Hat Guy (“Meet the Robinsons”)

10. Ercole (“Luca”)

11. Chef Skinner (“Ratatouille”)

12. Hopper (“A Bug’s Life”)

Comment below the antagonist from your favorite book or movie!