Journal/Blog

10-26-22 - Villains

Villains, Antagonists, BAD guys

So, it's interesting to me how different villains can be depending upon the genre, or author, or time period that the work was produced, among many other things that affect them. They each have their own degree of 'bad guy'ness that is appropriate for their audience.

We have our Bond villains - obsessed with taking out their prime nemesis and also (usually) bent on world domination. In the older movies, they can be quirky, even humorous at times. They are certainly memorable.

There are the Shakespearian antagonists - malicious in their own right, but also very classy and refined in their speech and sometimes their methods. Et tu Brute?
For me, these bad guys are relatable to the black and white movie gangsters that spray a barrage of bullets (producing no blood, but lots of dramatic deaths) and the 70s/80s villains that could kick, punch, or shoot straight and true and have the same effect (no blood, lots of twitching usually). They serve their purpose, usually delivering a lesson for the audience, but aren't all that scary.

Disney villains! Let's see, Snow White was actually a pretty good depiction of a Grimm's Fairytale, in my opinion. There was nothing about the Evil Queen that made me think, "Hey, I can relate to her. She has a good point." That's what it feels like to me that most children's cartoons/stories have become. They tend to make every bad guy morally ambiguous, which certainly is not the case in real life. There are some real bad people who - for whatever reason - just want to hurt people. I think we could do with a little more Grimm reality and less "let's make an entire set of movies about the backstories of our villains so that we can understand them better".

That being said, I mostly love the humor that has been injected into the new kid's movies. It makes them much more pleasant for the grown-ups! And no, I am not saying that we need to take adult level bad guys and stick them in cartoons - but I do think that we could find a better balance.

Dystopian worlds - here we go for megalomaniacs and their cover stories of, "Do what I say because it's for the good of humanity, but really I'm doing this for my own amusement and because I want to control everyone and everything!" I mean at least the Bond villains are good enough to just come right out and say they want to rule the world. President Snow's games are in another realm compared to sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads. (sorry, had to do a 'nod' to Dr. Evil)

Lastly (and ghastly), we have our horror story villains. From psychological to blood, guts and gore - these are the ones that I, personally, have no interest in watching or reading. I have never been a fan of horror and don't enjoy being scared.
That being said, if I watched/read these, I would prefer the ones that are geared towards your mind rather than just slash 'em and hack 'em.
I do prefer supernatural reasoning, too. Actually - I can say that I have watched the new It movies. I read most of the book but ending up putting it down - no offense to Mr. King, he's a terrific author - because it wasn't worth it for me to finish it any longer. My time is better spent towards pursuits I prefer.
It was an intriguing concept and definitely a genuinely disturbing version of a villain - one that cannot be reasoned with, preys on its victims in ways that cannot be readily anticipated and cannot be defeated by traditional means. Throw in the fact that its preferred prey is kids, he came up with one seriously unique and memorable character.
Also, it had the thing I want the most - the bad guy gets it in the end!

For my own personal writing experiences, I have to admit that I do not like writing a villain's part, especially if told from a first-person point of view. It doesn't go with my personality and can be a challenge. I have been told I can write their part well, but quite frankly, it always leaves me feeling bad and I have to distance myself from it for a while to get back my balance.

Maybe that's an indication that I am successful at it? I do know that I want to be true to all of my characters. I want the audience to feel a part of the story and that requires breathing life into these two-dimensional beings that we shape with letters and spaces on a page, even the ones that make you itch to reach the finale, so you can end the miserable existence of the life you created for them.