John August has actually written a lot about "bad guys" and how to write them well. I highly recommend reading them if you're at all interested in writing a good villain or just find them fascinating in general. Here's a link to one of his entries on antagonists: http://johnaugust.com/archives/2009/every-villain-is-a-hero
I haven't written a purely evil villain in quite awhile. Most of my antagonists are either simply doing their best to survive any way they can, are attempting to overcome a major obstacle or trauma that is blocking their way, or are just trying to live with their fundamental desires.
Someone had asked me about bad guys on a previous project of mine, and what they were like. I responded with: "There are none. No traditional ones, anyway."
But man, sometimes I have the simple desire of writing a true villain who simply embraces anarchy at its most chaotic. It can be a blast. As a reader or audience member, I usually like to root for the villains. If anything, because when they're featured in stories, there scenes have no fat in them. They really move the plot along. Plus it's easy to tell that actors have a grand time in performing the roles. Even the Academy likes a great villain.
An upcoming story of mine will have an antagonist who is a serial killer. A rather gruesome one, too, so I've been thinking about "bad guys" for the past few weeks, and how to make them fresh and engaging.
Who are your favorite villains? What bad guy scared you as a kid? Which antagonist truly challenged the main character in the story? What can we learn from these dark characters? Would Batman have been as popular a franchise without the Joker? What made Scar from The Lion King so different from other Disney villains? What made Tim Roth's character in Rob Roy such a memorable and sinister villain?
Something to think about.
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