Blog: The Villain Spectrum

Reading Time: 4 minutes read

Villains are an important part of storytelling. The villain is the evil counterpart to the hero in a story—often the antagonist, but not always. Not every story has a villain, but those that do must choose where on The Villain Spectrum they lie. Their motives and actions define whether they’re Evil for Evil’s Sake or Evil for a Reason.

What is a villain?

A villain is the evil character to counter your good hero. Often, they’re the antagonist to the protagonist, but that’s not true every time. They’re the evil force which combats good, whether the villain is the Big Bad™ or the main character. More often than not, the villain is the antagonist, but there are instances when they’re the main character or protagonist—such as Anakin from the Star Wars prequels. All villains are evil, but whether they’re just evil or have a good reason depends on the story and character. 

Villains are a driving force of conflict for the hero. They act as an obstacle for the hero—in between the hero and what the hero needs or wants. The villain drives the plot forward by giving the hero something to strive for or a force to fight against.

The Villain Spectrum

Every villain lies somewhere on The Villain Spectrum—somewhere between Evil for Evil’s Sake and Evil for a Reason. Some are hard on one edge or the other, but most lie somewhere in the middle. 

Evil for Evil’s Sake

Pure evil villains are often uncomplicated in their backstory while being terrifying for their lack of mercy and predictability. They commit inhumane, horrific acts for the sake of it. There’s no redeeming them, and they show no remorse for their actions. A lot of the time, they’re non-human beasts without the ability to feel empathy. 

This includes characters such as the Dark Lord, Sauron from The Lord of the Rings, as well as a generous amount of fictional depictions of aliens and demons. 

Evil for a Reason

A villain with a reason for being evil can be humanized. We feel sympathy for them, fall in love with them, and write fanfiction about them. Their backstory may be a sad one that led to them being evil, or there might be a greater evil coming that they wish to fight against. These villains have more depth. Sometimes they even make the audience question the hero’s motives. Who’s the real villain after all?

These villains include Erik (The Phantom) from The Phantom of the Opera and Logan in Fable 3 (spoilers for fifteen-year-old game). Erik has a tragic backstory which makes him sympathetic to the audience, whereas Logan is preparing to fight a greater evil than himself; making evil decisions to save more people in the future. 

A Mix of Both

Most villains, however, fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. They have their pure evil moments while having a reason for their evil actions. Often, they’re morally ambiguous or gray in that they don’t align with strictly good nor evil. Instead, where they fall depends on the specific situation and moment. 

These villains include Gus Fring from Breaking Bad, The Nowhere King from Centaurworld, as well as Scar from The Lion King. Gus has a complicated backstory which led him into the criminal world, but he also enjoys being evil for evil’s sake. The Nowhere King is split right down the middle with a backstory that gives a reason for his evil choices, but also he makes pure evil decisions. Scar desires power and will be evil to get it, but he also has a sad backstory which explains why he’s the way he is. 

Conclusion

Villains of all types are important, regardless of where they fall on the spectrum. Whether they’re pure evil or have a reason depends on what the story needs from them. Many of my villains are pure evil, or close to it on the spectrum. Serenity, Her Demons, To the Sky, and Heroes Journey all have pure evil villains. That being said, my favorite villains to consume have a little bit of both going for them, such as Poseidon in Epic the Musical. 

Different types of villains allow for different types of conflicts in a story, from lots of actiony battles to more internal struggles.