Forsgren: Great villains need more than black hats - East Idaho News
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Forsgren: Great villains need more than black hats

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It’s been said that if you want to make a hero great, give him a fabulous adversary. But a great villain is so much more than just an obstacle for the hero to overcome. A great villain is not just a dude (or lady) in black. A great villain can be a charismatic personality that keeps you glued to the screen or turning the pages. A great villain can make the hero even more heroic.

I’ve noticed over the years that great villains are few and far between. Too many times, villains in movies or TV are personifications of ideas or concepts rather than full-on fleshed-out characters. While that can be effective, villainy seems a lot more more villainous when it’s more personal. Even evil ideas need people to carry them out.

Here are a few things that make for great villains in fiction, movies, books – heck, you can even apply this stuff to the villain of your Dungeons and Dragons gaming group.

A GREAT VILLAIN NEEDS TO BE ALMOST INVULNERABLE

Galactus

Can a hero be heroic if he doesn’t really face adversity? Nope, sure can’t. That’s why a great villain should be powerful, nigh undefeatable. Not only does that make it feel like your hero has accomplished something, but it also helps to create drama, as it fosters doubt as to whether the hero is up to the task of beating the villain.

A great example of this is the Fantastic 4 villain Galactus. A giant space-faring being in a pink antler helmet, Galactus may look silly (although, less silly than when Fox turned him into a cloud in the second “Fantastic 4” movie), but the dude is no joke. He eats planets and imbues his chosen heralds with fantastic cosmic powers. The Fantastic 4 only achieves victory over him when they get their hands on a gizmo that will destroy the entire universe, including Galactus and themselves. The extreme nature of what they potentially sacrifice to defeat Galactus makes the Fantastic 4 all the more heroic in this story.

A GREAT VILLAIN NEEDS CLEAR MOTIVATIONS

Luthor

Gruber

One of the most frustrating things is when you have no idea why the bad guy is doing what he’s doing. Take Lex Luthor in “Batman v Superman”, for example. In the theatrical cut of the movie, Luthor has a clear goal: to get Batman to kill Superman. But his reasoning for wanting Supes dead is unclear. His plan is so convoluted and complicated, it makes you wonder what happened to push him to the point where he was mad enough to come up with such an unwieldy scheme. And we don’t get that answer.

Compare that to “Die Hard” baddie, Hans Gruber. Hans has a very simple motivation. He’s greedy. But because we know what he’s after it helps us to make sense of what he’s doing. And when you can see where a villain is coming from and his actions make logical sense, that can be awesomely unsettling.

A GREAT VILLAIN CAN BE LIKABLE, BUT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

Loki

Everybody loves Loki. The main heavy from the first “Avengers” movie is a fan favorite. He’s funny, charismatic and has magnificent cheekbones. Loki’s one of the most memorable movie bad guys in recent memory because he’s so likable. He’s also the latest in a long line of bad guys you want to be buddies with. Other members of this lineage include the aforementioned Hans Gruber and Freddy Krueger, who’s completely demented but has a pretty funny sense of humor.

But a villain doesn’t need to be likable to leave an impression. Just as effective are the villains you love to hate. Jacob Hale from “Sons of Anarchy” comes to mind here. Hale is a constant thorn in the sides of show’s protagonists, the members of a gun-running biker club. Hale works so great as a villain because while he’s doing the right thing in trying to rid the town of the bikers, he’s doing it for completely selfish and self-serving reasons. You hate the guy for that and it makes it much more satisfying when he gets his comeuppance. When you have a personal stake in whether or not a villain gets justice, said villain has done his or her job.

WHEN IN DOUBT, GREAT VILLAINS RIP OFF DARTH VADER

Vader 2

If there’s one villain who embodies everything you need to make a great villain, it’s Darth Vader. Imposing physical presence? Check. Tragic, sympathetic backstory? Check. Nearly-impervious to damage? Ask Han Solo if blasters can hurt Vader. He’s also a great villain because of his connection to Luke Skywalker. Not only is Vader Luke’s father, but he’s also a shadowy reflection of Luke and what he could become. Is it any wonder lesser bad guys, like Shredder from the “Ninja Turtles” movies rip off Vader so often?

Next time you’re Netflixing a show, reading a novel or sitting in a theater taking in some cinema, pay attention to the bad guy. See if he (or she) has any of these qualities. Odds are that if he/she does, the villainy he/she commits will be a lot more memorable.

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