Fictional antagonists are fun to write about! They excite readers and make them want to read more. They are also a great way to mix up any genre. A well-written antagonist can single-handedly propel a story forward and often has some favorable traits even the protagonist doesn’t possess. Not all stories about good guys end in them winning and solving the problem. In fact, I’d argue that stories in which the white knight (or knightress?) lives happily ever after as he/she rides off into the sunset are predictable and cliché.
A good antagonist (well, good in the sense of being perfectly bad) must not only be distinguishable from the rest of a story’s characters, but she/he must be a fully fleshed out character. In other words, they can’t just be bad for the sake of being a foil to the protagonist. A good antagonist will have their own agenda when they arrive, and they must be able to get away with what they do because of who they are. Oh, and by the way, they probably won’t see themselves as the “bad guy.” In their mind, the story is about them. In many ways, they are correct.
Antagonists let us explore our dark sides
There’s a reason we love bad guys: They challenge us. They make us question our own actions and morality. They make us take a step back and look at others from a different viewpoint. We admire their strength, even if we fear the reasons for our silent admiration, and appreciate their forthrightness. In the process, they teach us something.
They make for great storytelling
Many people find bad guys enjoyable to read about and watch. Why? Maybe it’s because they are so true to themselves? Or maybe it’s because they often seem more confident than the typical protagonist. This genre gives you a chance to put your own spins on characters and stories. When it comes to thrillers, my favorite genre, it’s the strength and personality of the antagonist that generally determines how good a story will be.
They push our hero to their limits
Bad guys make fictional heroes stronger. By facing off against them, they teach our protagonists how to manage their own lives and careers while teaching us, how to be confident in our actions and in ourselves. Often it is an antagonist’s mistake or hubris that gives the protagonist the upper hand, learning from the bad guy’s mistakes and becoming stronger because of them.
Antagonists allow us to explore complex moral questions
A villain’s character is his/her story. How they live their lives affects their personality and habits, and that character is transferred to others. By reading a bad guy’s story, we get a better understanding of what makes them evil. We can discover what makes them human, how they lived, what they believed, and how that belief influenced their actions.
A strong antagonist forces us to think about the consequences of our decisions for a long time after we read their story.
Fictional bad guys help us process and deal with real-world bad guys
A fascination with bad guys has a long history. We love it when our favorite characters are wrong-doers or those who aren’t exactly nice. It makes us wonder what they are like behind the mask and how we would respond to them. Does this humanize real-world bad guys? Sure. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. We are all human, after all. And it is more often circumstances, not genetics, that determine if we turn out “bad” or “good.”
Certainly, this doesn’t excuse real-world bad guys, but it does give us, as a society, the insights needed to change lives for the better. Or maybe I’m just a fiction writer who likes to think that everyone, fictional or real, can be redeemed. What do you think?
