For example, you may use a serial killer from your hometown as the inspiration for your villain. Or you may pick a relative who did horrible things as the model for your villain.
For example, the villain in Stephen King’s Misery is inspired by his addiction to drugs and alcohol. King was afraid of his addiction so he turned it into a villain for his novel. [2] X Research source
For example, you may have a villain who shares the same need to belong or feel wanted by their family as the protagonist has. The villain may decide to take violent action to achieve their goal, while the protagonist tries peaceful action instead.
If you do want to use an abstract concept as the villain, make the concept into a character the reader can see on the page. For example, you may use a sinister businessman to represent a corporation. Or you may use an arms dealer as a representation of war.
Misery by Stephen King. Beloved by Toni Morrison. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. The Final Problem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. [5] X Research source The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith. [6] X Research source
For example, the villain “Voldemort” in the Harry Potter series has a name that sounds sinister and threatening. The villain “Mr. Tom Ripley” in The Talented Mr. Ripley has the word “rip” in his name, indicating violence and destruction.
For example, you may give the villain a violent childhood where they were bullied by their peers or abused by their parents. Or you may have a villain who was victimized by a predator when they were young and this resulted in their turn to evil. You can also give the villain feelings of being unloved or underappreciated by a parent or a sibling. This could then lead them to feel angry and vindictive.
For example, you may have a villain who turned when they were humiliated by bullies at school in front of someone they loved. Or you may have a villain who became evil when they watched their family be murdered.
For example, you may have a villain who believes in the rule of law, no exceptions. This may then make them villainous because they treat poor people who steal with disdain and seek to prosecute the less fortunate with no mercy.
For example, you may have a villain who loves their family and will do anything to protect them. Or you may have a villain who has a soft spot for animals. In fact, giving your villain more positive traits might even make them more scary. A villain who abuses children/animals, robs banks, and burns down buildings is certainly evil, but it might be even scarier that they have good traits. For instance, they might have someone (a child, sibling, cousin, parent, friend, etc) that they want to keep safe, which might remind the reader that anyone could turn into that villain.
For example, you may have a villain who wants to get revenge for the murder of their family when they were a child. Or you may have a villain who wants to have friends and to be loved.
For example, Stephen King describes the villain Annie Wilkes in Misery as: “Her nostrils flared regularly, like the nostrils of an animal scenting fire … That stony, obdurate look covered her face like a mask … Only her eyes, those tarnished dimes, were fully alive under the shelf of her brow. ” This description ties Wilkes’ physical appearance to dangerous elements like fire and uses adjectives like “tarnished” and “stony” to make her appear hard and damaged.
For example, you may have a villain who uses a formal way of speaking, even when they are saying awful or disturbing things. Or you may have a villain who barely speaks and only says one word, the same word, before doing something bad to a character. Take inspiration from classic bad-guy lines, such as, “Say goodbye to your dreams,” or “Did you really think you could defeat me?”
For example, the villain Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes series is just as smart and clever as the great Sherlock Holmes. He proves to be a real challenge to Holmes and makes the stakes much higher in the story.
For example, you may have a villain who targets someone the protagonist loves as their next victim. The protagonist may then have the goal of saving the person they love, while the villain wants to harm that person. They later may both clash with each other as they fight to each get what they want.
