Monday, October 15, 2012

Complex Villains

*I may or may not have a serious crush on Loki*


I have this problem. I LOVE bad guys. More often than not, they end up being my favorite character in a movie or book. Way more than the hero or the love interest. And the more complex, the better. I'm a total sucker for an evil character that isn't completely evil. One with a glimmer of hope that maybe...one day...he could be good. Maybe?

*Darth Vader, the ultimate complex villain*


My favorite "bad guy" is Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica. Talk about complex--he's the guy we just LOVE to hate. Any character that can make me want to shoot him dead one day and cry for him the next is amazing indeed.

*Why settle for one Gaius when you can have two?*


It's even more fun to WRITE a complex villain. I'm planning one right now for my Nano book who I think will be the most three-dimensional character I've ever written, period, and I'm SO excited! Tell me, who is your favorite bad guy?

20 comments:

Libby said...

I'm a HUGE Vader fan, HUGE. I hated Baltar soooo much. I kept hoping he'd be killed off. But I guess that hate kept people watching. Great show.

Suzi said...

I like the bad guys too, especially when they do change. I haven't written too many characters that are so horrible, but it probably would be fun, being the nice girl I am. :)

David P. King said...

I'm going with Sauron. I mean, you never see the guy, and look at what kind of power he has. Fear can make for a gripping villain. :)

Kathryn Purdie said...

I totally know what you mean! My favorite villain is the Darkling in SHADOW & BONE. I also love the villain from the ALIAS TV series (it's been so long that I can't even remember his name). But it comes down to complexity of character and that slight redeemable quality, like you said.

ilima said...

Libby-I know, I hated him so much too. But I knew they couldn't kill him off because of it.

Suzi-My first book has a lot more of the bad guy than I originally planned because he was soooo creepy fun to write! :)

David-Oooh, Sauron. Good one! Agreed on the fear factor!

Katie-You already know how I feel about the Darkling. *swoons* Let's start an I Love Villains fan club.

Jenny S. Morris said...

I was just telling my hubby while watching Avengers how awesome Loki is. I mean just watch him walk down a set of stairs and you can see the badness in him. Yet, you can totally feel for him when his brother got everything he should have had. And Vader, is awesome. Although I wish the actor had done him justice in Ep. 1-3. I also love Gaius. Captain Hook is another of my fav bad guys. Another villain that I fell in love with was Alexei Volkoff from Chuck. He was so evil yet ended up being so lovable. Oh, and Spike. LOVED him. OK. I'll stop. I think I have a problem too.

I have been really putting a lot of thought into where I want my bad guy from the 1st book to go in book 2. I can't wait to really get into his mind.

Johanna Garth said...

I think it's the complexity were drawn to. Good guys can be kind of bland.

Emily R. King said...

Hmm, my favorite would be Snape. Now wait a second, I know most people think he's a good guy, but he kinda wasn't. He rode a fine line, because the good things he did were selfishly motivated (in my mind). I really like that him being "bad" is debatable. HE'S a three-dimensional character!

Tobi Summers said...

Victoria Grayson from Revenge is up there as one of my favorites. All the characters on that show are pretty complex. She has these moments where you want to relate to her and even support her, and then she goes and does something else and all you want is for Emily to kick her butt.

ilima said...

Jenny-Ooh, yes, Captain Hook. And honey, I do think you have a problem, too. :)

Johanna-Amen.

Emily-Yes--Snape! I LOVE him.

Tobi-I love those characters. They make the show for sure.

Robin said...

I have crushes on villians too-The Darkling is my fav. from recent reads. I think Johanna has it right-it's the complexity of the character that we're drawn to.

Can't wait to read your next bad guy!!

Saumya said...

Ah, I love this!! I'd have to go with Snape even though he's not a complete bad guy. New to your blog and love it!! As a writer, this post helps me think about my antagonists.

Michelle D. Argyle said...

I'm in love with Loki too ...!

And from THE BREAKAWAY, Eric is my favorite. I'm in love with him even more than Jesse. So, so messed up.

ilima said...

Robin-xoxoxoxDARKLINGxoxoxoxo

Saumya-Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle-I really like Eric, too, FYI.

Angela Cothran said...

Easy peasy--Snape!

Martin Willoughby said...

If you love bad guys, what does that tell us about the man in your life?

Kelley Lynn said...

Ah, I'm so bad with favorites. I don't think I could pick...

I'm planning a complex villian for the next books in my series. I hope she's going to be as complicated as I'd like :)

jaybird said...

I love Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) from X-men. He is so complex and the fact that he survived a concentration camp, makes me feel for him like no other villian. He has such depth, and in X-men first class, the actor who plays young Magneto is super hot, and does an amazing job portraying the good and bad sides of him.

ilima said...

Angie-LOVE Snape.

Martin-Exactly. :)

Kelley-Ooh, I can't wait to read all about her.

Jaybird-I almost used Magneto in my post. He really is sooo complex.

Nicole said...

Yes - definitley love/hate a good bad guy! Loki is a great example. I was just watching the show Nikita the other day, and had the same thought about its villain, Percy. Man, that guy was an evil genius. I think part of what's fun about these villains is that the good guys have to work really hard to win. As readers, we're a little bit afraid they might not pull it off, and that keeps us hooked!