Today, we’re taking a look at one of the most important characters in your story… the antagonist. This character is often underrated because we can tend to take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to villains. But the reality is that they are just as much a person as any other character in the story, so they require just as much attention.

If you’ve already read my Positive Change Arc series, you’ll probably remember that I talked a lot about the antagonist—in fact, I took up two posts just for that topic. But we’re going to look at this character in the light of a Flat Arc today, so be sure to compare notes to see how they differ from the Positive Change Arc antagonist.

1. The Want

I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it again… every character has something they want. And this is especially important for your antagonist because their Want will often be driving much of the story. This Want needs to be specific to the character and relatable to the readers.

Now, as far as what that Want is, you do have some liberties. The antagonist and the protagonist might want the same thing, but they have different methods of getting it (aka the Lie and the Truth). So they could be in competition for that Want/Goal, or the antagonist might try to recruit the MC to work on their team.

Another option is to give them totally opposite objectives—the MC’s Goal driven by the Truth, and the antagonist’s Want by the Lie. These objectives can get in the way of each other, causing either the protagonist to have to pursue the antagonist, or the antagonist to have to pursue the protagonist.

In “The Basket of Flowers,” there are multiple antagonists… each one with their own specific Want. However, Mary’s Goal—to glorify God in her life—ends up getting in the way of every antagonists’ Want, causing them to target her.

In “Pendragon,” Artos’ Goal of protecting the Isle of Britannia—and his loved ones—conflicts with the Wants of both Caydern and the Saxon raiders.

2. The Lie

Like a Positive Change Arc antagonist, the Flat Arc antagonist will also represent the Lie. This Lie will, of course, be opposite from the MC’s Truth—which puts the protagonist and antagonist at odds with each other on a more internal level.

Since the Want is driven by the Lie and the Goal is driven by the Truth, it should automatically create even more conflict between the MC and the villain. (More about that later.)

The antagonist, however, isn’t going to be the only one representing the Lie. In addition to any minor antagonists, contagonists, and other Positive Change Arc supporting characters, the Lie will also be represented by the world around the MC.

While the Adventure World of the Positive Change Arc represents a harsh version of the Truth, the Adventure World of the Flat Arc is going to provide somewhat of the same effect by trying to enforce the Lie.

In “The Basket of Flowers,” each antagonist has their own Lie to accompany their Want. While these Lies are different from each other, they all oppose Mary’s Truth with equal force.

In “Pendragon,” both Caydern and the Saxons disagree with Artos’ view of the one true God—and with his Truth that God gives His children grace to carry out their tasks.

3. The Ghost

The antagonist needs to have a reason behind his Lie and Want, which is where the Ghost comes in. This Ghost may be vital to the plot, or it may not. You can also tie it into the MC’s Backstory to create further conflict or connections between them.

In “The Basket of Flowers,” not much Backstory is given about any of the antagonists. But you can draw some conclusions based on Juliette’s jealousy and Helen’s spitefulness.

In “Pendragon,” we are led to assume that Caydern has gotten used to being the favorite, which causes him to immediately become jealous of Artos’ success.

4. Good qualities

This is another thing I stress a lot… just because the villain is meant to be “evil” doesn’t mean they can’t have any likable qualities. However, since this is a Flat Arc—where the MC believes the Truth and is generally seen as the “good guy”—there’s going to be more of a distinction between the antagonist and protagonist.

The Flat Arc is more like your typical hero story where things are more black and white. That doesn’t mean you can’t have morally gray characters, and it certainly doesn’t mean that your antagonist can’t possess good qualities. However, depending on the story, you might need to distinguish between the hero and the villain a little more.

In “The Basket of Flowers,” Juliette seems to have been a good friend to Amelia in the past—her main faults are that she’s very possessive and envious. She also shows that she’s not too far gone when she actually begins to pity Mary after learning of her fate. Helen, on the other hand, is a little bit more of a hardcore villain. She’s very unlikable and she has less of a reason to behave the way she does.

In “Pendragon,” Caydern is a very unlikable villain, which is fine since he’s meant to be unlikable. The audience is supposed to be more frightened of him than sympathetic. The Saxons are even less so since they’re less personal antagonists.

5. The connections and similarities

As I just talked about in the last point, the distinction between the antagonist and protagonist is going to be much more apparent in a Flat Arc. However, they can still be connected in some way, shape, or form.

This could be through their Ghost/Backstory… perhaps they have similar pasts, or perhaps their pasts were intertwined. They also might have comparable personalities or interests. Or, as I mentioned before, they might have the same Want/Goal.

In “The Basket of Flowers,” Mary and Juliette have a mutual friend in Amelia, which ties them together. While Mary and Helen have less in common, Helen seems to represent the type of person Mary could become if she allows her doubts and fears to consume her.

In “Pendragon,” Caydern also represents the kind of controlling, power-hungry man Artos might become if he turned away from his Truth. In addition, they’re both skilled fighters and horsemen.

6. The conflict and differences

Your antagonist and protagonist are probably going to have quite a few differences since their very beliefs are contrary. But besides the conflicting convictions, they could clash in numerous ways.

This could have to do with anything from personality, to methods, to relationships, to skills. While you’ll probably have no lack of conflict between the two characters, these extra differences will help to bring that conflict to a more external level.

In “The Basket of Flowers,” Mary’s approach to her friendship with Amelia is very different from Juliette’s. While Juliette is very jealous and possessive, Mary is quite humble and sweet. Mary and Helen are even more opposite since Helen is mean and hateful while Mary is kind and generous.

In “Pendragon,” Caydern and Artos are completely opposite in the way they lead. While one is selfish and demanding, the other is humble and sacrificial. They’re also different in their beliefs, as well as their loyalty to their country.

7. The reveal

Whenever you’re creating an antagonist, you always have to keep in mind how and when you’re going to reveal them. Will you draw it out slowly, or will the MC know all along who it is? Are they close to the MC at first? Will the reveal happen at a major plot point?

Depending on what type of character the bad guy is, you’ll have to decide their reveal ahead of time to make sure you properly create and introduce their character.

In “The Basket of Flowers,” Juliette is introduced simply as a harsh, unfeeling person before she lies about Mary stealing the ring. Helen, however, seems to be shown to be an antagonistic character right from the start.

In “Pendragon,” the Saxons are the first antagonists to be introduced. When Artos finally does meet Caydern, the audience can be pretty sure that he will play an antagonistic role in the future. However, many of his plans and the extent of his evilness are kept hidden, making for good plot reveals nonetheless.

Here are a few more examples of antagonists in fiction:

1. The other giants (“The BFG”)

2. Auto (“Wall-E”)

3. The circumstances of life; Mrs. Ferrars and Fanny (“Sense & Sensibility”)

4. Frank Miller and his friends (“High Noon”)

5. Millicent (“Paddington”)

Comment below the antagonist in your favorite book or movie!