![\"\"](\"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/VillainResize-1-1024x1014.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhen someone says the word \u201cvillain,\u201d the picture that comes to my mind is a smooth, evil, mustache-sporting, guy with a deep voice and a British accent. But is that all that the antagonist should be? Does he exist only to make life difficult for the MC, or is he something more than that? In this post, we\u2019ll be addressing several key elements to a good antagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, however, I want you to take a step back from all your preconceived notions of what a bad guy should be like. Don\u2019t think of them as just \u201cThe Antagonist\u201d, a non-dimensional obstruction in the MC\u2019s path\u2026 think of them as a character that\u2019s no different than any other character in the story. They have goals, misbeliefs, and backstories just the same as the MC. Now, it just so happens that these elements do<\/em> contradict the MC, making conflict between the two inevitable. But when it comes down to it, the antagonist is just another character with a Negative or Positive Change Arc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So as we go through the following points, check yourself to make sure that you\u2019re viewing your antagonist as a dimensional, living, breathing character, rather than a stereotype. Having this mindset beforehand is vital to creating a solid antagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Note: I\u2019m talking specifically here about the antagonist for a Positive Change Arc main character. However, some of these points might apply to the antagonist for a Flat Arc MC, which we\u2019ll cover in a future post.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s extremely important that your antagonist has a goal. And not just a destroy-the-world-and-kill-the-protagonist kind of goal. It should be specific, realistic, and reasonable (more on those in the next points). Now, that doesn\u2019t mean that the goal should be boring and normal\u2026 by all means, go wild. If your antagonist is a mad scientist, give him a crazy Want. Just make sure that you have a valid reason to make it crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as how this affects the MC, there are a few different options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, the antagonist and the MC have the same Want, which they join forces to obtain. But as the MC progresses in their own arc, they will realize that the antagonist is wrong, and will eventually turn against him. An example of this would be one of the subplots in \u201cDo You Believe?\u201d Percy and his brother, Kriminal (one of the antagonists), work together for much of the movie to steal money from a rival gang. But as Percy begins to see the truth, he starts making choices contrary to his brother\u2019s orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, the antagonist and the MC have the same Want, but they are in competition to get it. This occurs in many sports or romance movies, though it can happen in any genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Third, the MC\u2019s Want gets in the way of the antagonists\u2019 Want, thus forcing the antagonist to pursue the MC. This might be the most common of the three and is found in movies such as \u201cMonsters Inc.,\u201d where Sully\u2019s Want is to get Boo home. This conflicts the antagonist\u2019s Want, which is to kidnap Boo\u2014and other children\u2014to generate scream power for the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fourth, the antagonist\u2019s Want gets in the way of the MC\u2019s Want, which causes the MC to pursue the antagonist. The antagonist will then have to take action against the MC in order to protect his own Want. The movie \u201cBig Hero 6\u201d is an example of this. Hiro wants to get to the bottom of his brother\u2019s death and the theft of his microbots, so he begins to pursue the man in the kabuki mask, forcing the antagonist to fight back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s look at our two main examples to see the antagonists\u2019 Wants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In \u201cBeyond the Mask,\u201d the antagonist is Charles Kemp, Will\u2019s former mentor, and high-ranking East India Company official. His goal is to stop the American revolution and \u201ccreate havoc\u201d in the colonies, creating the need for law and order. This, of course, would be provided by him, giving him more money and power than he already has. Will\u2019s Want for redemption ends up clashing with this, since Will sees ample opportunity for redemption in thwarting Charles\u2019 plot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In \u201cIn Time of Need,\u201d the antagonist is Edgar Beasley, owner of the tenement house and factory where Tad lives and works. He wants to get a hold of Tad\u2019s inheritance by tricking the lawyer, Mr. Sinclair, into signing it over to him. Though Tad doesn\u2019t know why Mr. Beasley wants to use him, he knows that it goes against his Want\u2014especially after Mr. Beasley locks up his sister. This causes him to refuse to cooperate, forcing Mr. Beasley to go in pursuit of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the antagonist and the MC are going to be in conflict over their Wants, their Lies will actually tie them together. The MC may not realize this at the time, but the antagonist is more like them than they think. There are a few variations of the Lie, which we\u2019ll look at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, the antagonist and the MC have the exact same Lie. In essence, the antagonist is the Lie in human form, and the MC will receive a huge blow as they come to realize that they are no different from the villain. In \u201cBig Hero 6,\u201d Hiro and the man in the kabuki mask both believe in revenge and even have similar backstories. When Hiro tries to kill the man to avenge his brother\u2019s death, he\u2019s suddenly struck with the fact that he\u2019s behaving just like the antagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, the antagonist has a more extreme version of the MC\u2019s Lie. This might be the most common variation\u2026 the antagonist represents who the MC could become if they continue believing the Lie. In \u201cDo You Believe?,\u201d Kriminal is much more fierce and violent than Percy. However, the audience can clearly see how Percy could become like Kriminal if he continues down the wrong path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Third, the antagonist has a completely different Lie from the MC, but still along the same Theme. So if the Theme is forgiveness, then your MC\u2019s Lie could be \u201cI am not worthy of forgiveness,\u201d and the antagonist\u2019s Lie could be, \u201cOthers are not worthy of my forgiveness.\u201d While they\u2019re not the same Lie, they\u2019re still connected by the same Theme. The most common form of this variation will portray the antagonist and MC\u2019s Lies as complete opposites, but they can really be as close or as far apart as your story needs to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles Kemp\u2019s Lie is that some people are too evil to be redeemed, though he justifies his own evil deeds as necessary for \u201claw and order.\u201d (\u201cWe all have to come to terms with our contradictions\u2026 I have.\u201d) This Lie is the opposite of Will\u2019s, which says that he can earn redemption on his own. When we study this movie further, we\u2019ll see how having the antagonist and MC\u2019s Lies in opposition can deepen the blow of the Third Plot Point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Edgar Beasley\u2019s Lie is that Tad has nowhere to go for help\u2026 after all, who would give aid to a poor, worthless boy? Like \u201cBeyond the Mask,\u201d Mr. Beasley\u2019s and Tad\u2019s Lies are in opposition. Mr. Beasley\u2019s Lie also drives home the Third Plot Point, when it seems as though Tad really doesn\u2019t<\/em> have anyone to turn to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, just like the protagonist, the antagonist must also have a reason for both his Lie and his Want. Whether his backstory is elaborate or short, or whether that backstory is even revealed or not, the antagonist still needs something behind the Lie and the Want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often, stories will weave the MC\u2019s and antagonist\u2019s Ghosts together in some way. Other times, the antagonist\u2019s and a supporting character\u2019s pasts will be connected. The antagonist\u2019s Ghost may also have a lot to do with\u2014and might even hold the key to\u2014the main conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Depending on how important the antagonist\u2019s Ghost is to the actual story, you\u2019ll need to plan out its revelation. You can scatter different hints throughout the story, or you can save it all for a startling reveal at one of the major plot points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more help in creating your antagonist\u2019s backstory, go back and read my post on the MC\u2019s Ghost\u2026 many of those tips can also apply to an antagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles Kemp\u2019s Ghost isn\u2019t really talked about much in the movie. We assume he has some kind of motivation for his greed, but that reason isn\u2019t explicitly given. One of the only hints we do get is when Charlotte remarks, \u201cYes, I imagine such violence reminds you of India. Is that not it was there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n From this and other similar indications, we can assume that Charles himself worked over in India, doing similar things to what Will did. At some point, he became too old for the task and retired to England, where he continued to oversee things from a distance. The origin of Kemp\u2019s Lie and Want is not mentioned at all, leaving the audience to speculate for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Edgar Beasley\u2019s Ghost is\u2026 pretty nonexistent. The antagonist is really one of the main flaws of the story. For all we can tell, he\u2019s just a greedy, cruel man with no beginning to these qualities. However, his fierce irritation towards the children in his tenement house and factory could cause some to wonder if he was at some point just like them. Perhaps he worked hard all his life to rise from his lowly ranks, believing that a poor man like himself could not depend on help from others, and that he must make his own way in life. However, this is really just speculation, as the story itself doesn\u2019t give much indication of his true backstory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, just as your protagonist ought to have bad qualities, your antagonist should have good ones. While good and evil will always remain the same, people themselves are not black and white. Even the worst of villains do something \u201cgood\u201d in their lifetime, even if it’s small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not to say that this presence of good does anything to justify their wrongdoings. Rather, it\u2019s to show that they are human and realistic characters. It\u2019s also to make the antagonist relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?!\u201d You might exclaim. \u201cThe antagonist is the bad guy! We aren\u2019t supposed to relate to him!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the truth is, an antagonist who is relatable and possesses good qualities is often scarier than a downright evil villain. He\u2019s scary because he and the MC aren\u2019t even that much different. He\u2019s scary because, even though the readers know that he\u2019s wrong, he sounds so\u2026 right<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as all of us have strengths and weaknesses, give your antagonist some. Perhaps he has a soft spot for animals, or maybe he plans to give all of the stolen bank money to charity. Don\u2019t just make him a one-dimensional character\u2014give him his own quirks and talents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While we\u2019re on the subject of relatability, let\u2019s talk about relationships. Typically, we think of an antagonist as a nasty person that no one likes. But a great way to make your bad guy relatable is to give him someone to love. (And I\u2019m not referring just to romance). Most of us hold some kind of affection for someone else, so should an antagonist be any different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n So give your antagonist someone to care about\u2014be it a Love Interest, a brother, a daughter, an old college roommate, or a pet dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the flip side, you could also give the antagonist someone who loves him. Maybe he doesn\u2019t even love them back, but that person still cares about him. This shows the readers that this person sees some something good in this guy. It shows them that the antagonist is somehow lovable, despite him being\u2026 well, an antagonist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, there still will be those antagonists who really don\u2019t care about anyone, and, in return, no one cares about them. But these options are always good to consider, whether or not you end up using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles Kemp, while he\u2019s not particularly nice, does have a desire for justice\u2014though even his view of justice is warped. As for relationships, he doesn\u2019t seem to care about much of anyone. Charlotte does harbor affection for him, but that soon dwindles once she learns who he really is. Of course, this still ends up working out because Will is a lot like Charles. He, too, is in it for himself. In fact, the whole reason he\u2019s going after Charles at all is to prove himself\u2014getting others hurt in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, Mr. Beasley doesn\u2019t care about anyone, nor does anyone care about him. And his good qualities are even more lacking than Charles Kemp\u2019s. (As I said, the antagonist is one of the worst things about this story.) However, he at least has a healthy respect for the law, since he eventually complies to Mr. Sinclair\u2019s demands about treating his tenants and workers right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The antagonist and the MC ought to have some kind of connection\u2014something that binds them together. That could be similar personalities, the same skills, the same goal, the same Lie, or some kind of relationship. This goes along with what I was saying about relatability\u2026 not only should the antagonist be relatable to the audience, but he should also be somewhat relatable to the MC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles Kemp and Will are very similar in many ways. In fact, Will is almost like a younger version of Charles. Will is somewhat selfish in his goals, as is Charles, and both justify their wrongdoings by the things they\u2019ve done right. They\u2019re also both very smart, talented, and skilled. In addition, they\u2019re somewhat connected by their relationships to Charlotte, as well as the fact that Charles was once Will\u2019s boss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first glance, Mr. Beasley and Tad might not seem to have very much in common, but both of them are incredibly stubborn and wary of others. Not to mention the fact that Mr. Beasley owns the tenement house where Tad lives, and the factory where he works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as the antagonist and the MC have similarities, they also have their differences. This is to keep the conflict going between, even if there are moments where they might otherwise get along. (This occurs especially in stories when the identity of the antagonist is yet unknown to the MC.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main conflict between Charles and Will begins when Will resigns from his job. This angers Charles, who had planned to use Will in America. And tey both have different plot goals\u2014one to destroy the revolution, the other to help it. They also both want to win Charlotte over to their side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Beasley and Tad\u2019s conflict comes from their overall dislike for each other. They also have different goals regarding Ava\u2014Tad wants to protect her, while Mr. Beasley wants to hold her hostage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a good thing to keep in mind even as you\u2019re creating your antagonist. When are you going to reveal who he is? When will the MC find out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some stories, the antagonist and the MC are at odds from the beginning. In others, they don\u2019t meet face to face until later on. Still other stories have the antagonist and the MC in some kind of friendship or relationship, until the MC finally discovers who the antagonist really is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping in mind the placement of this reveal will really help you to formulate the antagonist\u2019s and MC\u2019s relationship and attitude towards each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles Kemp and Will are, at first, on fairly good terms. Charles was somewhat of a mentor to Will so, of course he is disappointed when Will decides to leave the East India Company. However, it seems that Will has already been suspicious of Charles\u2014which is evident by the hidden sword he carries in his cane. These suspicions are very quickly realized as Charles seeks to get rid of Will for good. From then on, they are most certainly enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Beasley and Tad, as I said before, don\u2019t really like each other. This comes from Mr. Beasley\u2019s mistreatment of his tenants and workers, as well as Tad\u2019s desire for independence. Though the main conflict doesn\u2019t start until a little later, Mr. Beasley and Tad are already behaving like enemies in the first scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a few more examples of antagonists for you to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Note: Not all of these antagonists are \u201ctraditional.\u201d Sometimes, the antagonist can be a situation, an animal, a natural disaster, or even the MC themselves. We\u2019ll talk about this aspect later on.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll have to stop there, but I\u2019ll be doing a Part 2 in two weeks to address some common questions regarding the antagonist. In the meantime, I\u2019d like to remind you of the template I gave you all at the beginning of this series. Now that we\u2019ve discussed the main elements mention on this template, you should be able to fill out the different blanks. After our Part 2 on the antagonist, we\u2019ll be diving into the actual plot points, so stay tuned!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment below your favorite antagonist from a book or movie!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Who\u2019s the most important character in your story besides the protagonist? You might be inclined to answer with a mentor character, a love interest, or a sidekick. But there is one person that we often don\u2019t think of in terms of importance. There would be no story, no plot, no anything but a bunch of scribbles on paper without this one character\u2014the antagonist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,21,4],"tags":[70,71,24,26,29,23,32,72,27],"class_list":["post-428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-plots-and-character-arcs","category-positive-change-arcs","category-writing-tips","tag-antagonist","tag-bad-guy","tag-character-arcs","tag-characters","tag-christian-writing","tag-plots","tag-positive-change-arcs","tag-villain","tag-writing-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=428"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":431,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/428\/revisions\/431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianwriter.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}