What do you look for in a villain?

[MassiveGeek]

I need them to be total fuckwits in a charming way. And preferably, they shouldn't be completely devoid of interest for intimacy, complete asexuality both in physical and emotional sense just takes away so much from them, in my opinion. I want my villains to be human - they can still be ruthless and horrific people, while maintaining a drive to fuck someone's brains out once in a while.
I dunno, maybe I need to project a bit. But I like them having some sort of sex drive.

 

[Optiluiz]

I like villains that aren't villains; their goals are just opposite the protagonist, so there ends up being a conflict, but no one is necessarily evil.

 

[badgersprite]

Entertainment. That's really all it comes down to. It doesn't matter whether it comes because the villain is really hammy and over the top and just really enjoyable to watch, or because they're fucking terrifying in how much of a threat they are, or because of how different or alien and unknowable they are, or for how sympathetic and tragic they are, or even just for how much your audience hates them and wants nothing more than for the heroes to kill them.

They need to be interesting. You need to be invested in seeing what happens to them. How you get there really doesn't matter. Just like any successfully executed character, a good villain needs to capture the audience and their attention and thereby drive the plot and fill it with some sort of sense of tension.

Entertaining.

When I see what the villain is doing, I want to think both "Dude, what the fuck!" and "Shit, that was cool!"

^^ Exactly. A good villain should be able to just make you damn glad you sat down to watch/play/read that story.

 

[IndianaJonny]

He is played be Alan Rickman.

 

[William Dickbringer]

Take Elfen Lied, they attempt to make Lucy this sympathetic character who's had a terrible life due to her deformity and tries to justify her actions, get what they're going for, but they fuck up ROYAL because her actions are just too evil to justify, it's hard to sympathise with a character who tortures young girls.

...I'm confused I don't remember lucy torturing young girls I remember her killing young girls

O.T. I like any villians as long as they are good they can be well educated sophisticated chess master dressed to kill or they can be an apathetic psychopath that wants to burn the world down for the hell of it as long as they are well done I'm good

 

[n00beffect]

For me a villain shouldn't be evil for the sake of evil. That's just obtuse. He should believe himself to be just and righteous, as the best villains do. Also, he should possess intelligence, and actually use 'good' to do 'evil', or rather to attain his own interest.

 

[AngelArms]

Take Elfen Lied, they attempt to make Lucy this sympathetic character who's had a terrible life due to her deformity and tries to justify her actions, get what they're going for, but they fuck up ROYAL because her actions are just too evil to justify, it's hard to sympathise with a character who tortures young girls.

...I'm confused I don't remember lucy torturing young girls I remember her killing young girls

O.T. I like any villians as long as they are good they can be well educated sophisticated chess master dressed to kill or they can be an apathetic psychopath that wants to burn the world down for the hell of it as long as they are well done I'm good

Nana, even if she reverted to the Nyu personality in the first encounter (Which I don't remember her doing but it's a long time since I saw Elfen Lied) I clearly remember her tearing off her fingers, then her arm, then her leg. That's torture.

 

[Arcane Snowman]

...I'm confused I don't remember lucy torturing young girls I remember her killing young girls

It's been a while since I've watched it, but doesn't Lucy

Spoiler

rip off Nana's arms and legs?

On topic: the villain who does what he believes must be done to safeguard, overcome or otherwise benefit the good of whatever it is he holds dear, tend to be quite compelling as well. The operative from Serenity for example.

Edit: that being said, it all depends on the tone the piece is trying to set. Twirly mustache villains have their place.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Alucard from Hellsing is my favorite type of villain. He's not a hero, he's not got the best interests of the world at heart. He does care for people, but he ultimately cares selfishly, not altruistically. He might be more an anti-hero but he's the perfect villain type.

 

[Terminate421]

1) Their motivation
2) Their emphasis on things
3) Their strengths

 

[Magicmad5511]

Intelligence, manipulative and cruel. Possibly making jokes or at least toying with the hero.

Preferably uses mind games and manipulates them into his service just to prove a point, not just out for money or just to kill the hero.

Really the less powerful they are the better.
I mean that while some super villains are super powered, villains like Joker or Hugo Strange are my favorite. They are simple men but cause more trouble than the super powered ones just through there twisted and wickedly intelligent minds.


Really Joker is my favorite villain. He messes with Batman, tries to show the chaos of the world ad even if given the chance to kill Batman he might not because it's just so much fun fighting him.

 

[XandNobody]

When I look for a villain, I look for someone who only wants to watch the world burn.

No, despite that quote use, I do not look for the Joker type, as it is insane and obsessed with making others insane, that's a clear want and goal, and makes them invalid.

Literally, I'm talking a dude who has no goal other than to be a villain, period. To the point where the only way to stop him is to kill him, because there is nothing else to stop him but making the world burn before he does. Literally the dude who is just bad, and has no goal one can compromise in any way. Now that is a villain.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

Any kind of villain can be cool, if they are written well.

The best ones are ones that expose something troubling about human nature in their villainy, so serial killers and the like.
I tend not to like villains who are just evil corporate heads or whatever. Greed is a pretty boring motive for a good villain.

 

[William Dickbringer]

Take Elfen Lied, they attempt to make Lucy this sympathetic character who's had a terrible life due to her deformity and tries to justify her actions, get what they're going for, but they fuck up ROYAL because her actions are just too evil to justify, it's hard to sympathise with a character who tortures young girls.

...I'm confused I don't remember lucy torturing young girls I remember her killing young girls

O.T. I like any villians as long as they are good they can be well educated sophisticated chess master dressed to kill or they can be an apathetic psychopath that wants to burn the world down for the hell of it as long as they are well done I'm good

Nana, even if she reverted to the Nyu personality in the first encounter (Which I don't remember her doing but it's a long time since I saw Elfen Lied) I clearly remember her tearing off her fingers, then her arm, then her leg. That's torture.

...I'm confused I don't remember lucy torturing young girls I remember her killing young girls

It's been a while since I've watched it, but doesn't Lucy

Spoiler

rip off Nana's arms and legs?

On topic: the villain who does what he believes must be done to safeguard, overcome or otherwise benefit the good of whatever it is he holds dear, tend to be quite compelling as well. The operative from Serenity for example.

Edit: that being said, it all depends on the tone the piece is trying to set. Twirly mustache villains have their place.

ok now I remember now and I'll give that to you

 

[jthm]

Gorgeous, flowing locks, dreamy eyes, a love of poetry and a desire to burn everything to the ground. *sigh*

Wait, what were we talking about? Oh... I'll stop drooling now.

Actually, I prefer "villains" who aren't necessarily bad, but have unclear/unusual ambitions and problems. Albedo from Xenosaga, Kain from Legacy of Kain (yes, I know he's not exactly a villain, but that's my point), Shadowlord from Nier etc.

Also, I like creatures considered villains incorrectly.

Spoiler

Raincoat Killer from Deadly Premonition is awesome.

Kain is more an anti hero in legacy of kain. In soul reaver 1, he fits the bill for a villain.

When I look for a villain, I look for someone who only wants to watch the world burn.

No, despite that quote use, I do not look for the Joker type, as it is insane and obsessed with making others insane, that's a clear want and goal, and makes them invalid.

Literally, I'm talking a dude who has no goal other than to be a villain, period. To the point where the only way to stop him is to kill him, because there is nothing else to stop him but making the world burn before he does. Literally the dude who is just bad, and has no goal one can compromise in any way. Now that is a villain.

Uh... that sounds exactly like the joker. Even the joker says so. He wants chaos, I don't think he much cares how sane you are. Batman is clearly insane, he's just insane on our behalf. Joker targets him and civilians alike.

 

[Akihiko]

Well, for a serious story. They have to be relatable. As in, you can see where the villain is coming from. He isn't just being evil for the sake of it which I find to be incredibly unbelievable. Be it just backstory explaining how the villain got to be so screwed up, or they just genuinely believe their methods will help even if it means killing in the process.

 

[aei_haruko]

I want to have a villian be one who wants to make the world better, and who is brilliant. Also one with very wide empty eyes that stare right into your soul. Oh, and hes gotta be really freaking powerful

 

[Epilepsy]

Apart from the obvious like "needs to be well written" the one key thing a villain really needs is to be a threat. To me, their goals, personalities or intelligence mean nothing if I don't believe they can oppose the protagonist, in a way that it is genuinely possible that they could win, or at least seriously harm the hero or their objectives.

 

[Dfskelleton]

Also, I like creatures considered villains incorrectly.

Spoiler

Raincoat Killer from Deadly Premonition is awesome.

Oh, yes. He was freaking awesome. Horror games seem to have abandoned the concept of one, big, undefeatable monster who must be evaded rather than fought, accompanying the lesser, killable monsters.
OT: I enjoy villains who have good reasons for what they're doing (Example: Most of the members of FOX-HOUND in Metal Gear Solid), but I also really like villains who are very clearly out of their mind, and do what they do because of so (Example: Caleb from Blood. What's that you say? Caleb was the hero? What hero burns innocent civillians to death for the sake of fun, laughing like a maniac while doing so?).

 

[Not-here-anymore]

Option 1: The villain believes that what they are doing is for the best; they see themselves as the good guy, no matter what horrors they're committing (Watchmen is probably the best example here)

Option 2: The villain is completely batshit insane, and just wants to screw things up for everyone. Example: The Joker.

There are very few villains in the middle ground that work. Pretty much everything there is a revenge story of some fashion, and those are massively overplayed.