How to Write a Good Antagonist

Thanks to Grim Hollow for sponsoring this video: bit.ly/2ZyGjCT
Enjoy me trying to teach you about morality, suffering, evil, and my discarded screenplay.
Also I had to change the intro last minute so that's why it sounds weird please don't hate me.

[@Snipfragueur]

Spiderman : "But with tech like that, you could cure cancer !" Dinoguy : "But I do not want to cure cancer, I want to turn people into dinosaurs !"

[@fragile4408]

I forgot that had happened. Thank you for reminding me.

[@MarkAndrewL]

Hrmph. Stegron the Motherfucking Dinosaur Man is not "Dinoguy."

[@nocount7517]

@Reece Hunerdosse *Saurion

[@hopebringer2348]

Reece Hunerdosse Donkey!

[@macoy3943]

His name is Sauron

[@CL30]

What is evil? Well, it's a point of view. How many "bad guys" think they're the protagonist? *looking at murderhobos*

[@scripted_valor]

Evil is hostile according to the description in 5E' GM guide.

[@ThePurbleKing]

There's no alignment requirement for protagonists. Protagonists are the focus of the story, and antagonists are the ones who oppose them. "Evil" is only a matter of perspective *if* the word is used the way some people use "monster": As a way to control behavior and alienate those who they do not like. There are people that believe certain lifestyles are "Evil", but they aren't actually using the term the way it's meant to be used. They don't mean Good vs. Evil, they use "Evil" as "this thing I don't like". There's a reason why it's easier to say that burning someone alive for no reason is Evil, while punching someone for saying a mean thing is more debatable. Evil as a thing has its own definition that is not affected by winners and losers in a given conflict. Someone that wants to cause pain and misery for the sake of causing pain and misery is Evil in the context of alignment specifically because they're all about inflicting downsides on others with no perceivable benefits. But someone that wants to eliminate all members of a cult that wants to spread pain and misery is probably not doing it for Evil reasons. If you want to do something to benefit others, that's good. Good/Evil being used as Ally/Enemy has always been a manipulation tactic and always will be. Honest discussions about Good and Evil won't make those comparisons.

[@caboosemd123]

Heroes are triumphant while villains usually lose." History is written by the victors"

[@AGrayPhantom]

Meh. When my players want to play the bad guys, I allow them to play bad guys.

[@RadiantJo]

Scripted Valor ITS NOT OUR FAULT OK We just like going around murdering everything insight. Ok we might have a small problem.....

[@MegaNightmare4]

Evil at its core, is defined as leaving your shopping cart in the parking lot because you’re too lazy to put it back at the designated area.

[@occultblasphemer5972]

It's convenience for others. There is a shopping cart sitting there waiting for them as soon as they get out of the car.

[@TarsonTalon]

@@occultblasphemer5972 Not convenience for the guy who has to gather them. I would know. I AM THAT GUY. Oh wait, now I see your profile name. Makes sense.

[@chloenelson3951]

I wish I could like your comment multiple times

[@elijahnajera5425]

This is too damn accurate😑.

[@DarkVileScream]

Occult Blasphemer most people only get them from the store

[@narutofror]

When I heard at the end “anyone can turn into a villain” my brain went “they just need one bad day”

[@Tijnob]

which is a quote disproven by the comic it came from

[@lordyellowman]

I guess you could be right, but that would essentially be the absolutely minimum required and it would have to be a quite catastrophic day.

[@thejonathanhoch]

Watch the movie Falling Down with Michael Douglass

[@ScythesBlade]

@@lordyellowman Like.. losing your job, losing your wife, being press-ganged into working for a... well, gang. Then having some demon show up and throw you into a vat of acid, permanently scarring your entire body for life. When all you wanted to do is be a comedian?

[@epolty1994]

@@Tijnob which comic is it in?

[@Mira-rl9qw]

Wakfu made a villain that I fell in love with: A man fueled by his regret of having ignored his family due to his research, who now scours the world killing innocents and gathering their 'essence' to power a time machine so he can go back in time to when his family was alive, his excuse for that being "once I go back in time, all the people I have killed will be alive again." Brilliant design in my opinion.

[@LuisBrito-ly1ko]

Oh, you mean Knox.

[@logandunlap9156]

Nox is like the golden standard for villains.

[@LpsRoseGold]

That sounds like kingpin's story from "into the spider-verse."

[@Ixe2077]

@@logandunlap9156 Disagree, more like "anti-hero" if we were to scale his morality. It's not totally evil, or overly cruel compared to others, but it could be seen as messed up. But he is definitely not a villan.

[@MelonLight222]

He wins mind you, but only goes back like 10 second

[@altromonte15]

STEP 1: have the campaign start wtih the villain stealing from the PCs congratulations, you've created a lifelong bond of hate and the players will now burn the world down to get to your villain.

[@kylestanley7843]

Honestly? Fuckin accurate.

[@jakestavinsky3480]

Make them steal the left boot. Gets them everytime...

[@carsonlewis2666]

My primary villan in my Caimpaign destroys the organization that gave the players a home, work, and allies. With nothing left, the players have all the motive they need to fight, I think.

[@mrmcawesome9746]

Optional STEP 2: If you want moral dilemmas and relatibility in your villains, have it be a teenager who steals/kills so they can feed the orphans and street urchins of their city.

[@jakestavinsky3480]

@@mrmcawesome9746 A little cliched, make it a 20-something stealing enough to start her own small business so she can get out the slums and make a better life for herself

[@silaenus]

Best antagonist twist is the one where it was the players, all along.

[@hunterkoons2008]

Bad guy =/= antagonist. Antagonists oppose the protagonists, and the players are always protagonists, no matter their alignment.

[@corbinbarron8772]

Like if they help the enemy without knowing or release some sort of plague or villain

[@silaenus]

something like that, yeah

[@brodieknight772]

Yes, but only if the players are the ones who realize this. If someone else is like "it was youuuuuu all along", that's no good. You wan tth moment where one player is like "wait a minute... Are we evil? We're the bad guys right now, aren't we?". It can't be preplanned and forced upon them. It has to derive from their choices.

[@silaenus]

The post was meant to be a joke.

[@thesharkkiddo8703]

"Sorry that turned into a story" DUDE THAT WAS A HELLA COOL STORY!

[@kenthefele113]

@@notthemonad4305 Or a graphic novel.

[@gabagaba761]

@@kenthefele113 or a comic book

[@KatWarhound]

"If no one appreciates my work, and they all live to mock me, why should I even consider them?" -every DM ever.

[@domesticcat1725]

Rocks fall, everyone dies

[@PokemonButcher]

@@domesticcat1725 And that was when the GM decided not to share any snacks and turned off their wi-fi router. Then there were rot grubs, vargouille, shadows, and intellect devourers. Lots of them. And, finally, the true mastermind revealed: one lucky halfling bard who merrily ruins it for everyone. ...Then the rocks fall, and everyone dies.

[@tarvoc746]

Huh. I've been a GM for years and I've never felt unappreciated.

[@ryanoutram7059]

👀

[@feritperliare2890]

@@tarvoc746 than you are lucky with your players

[@waterdoggo4998]

"Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story" -Handsome Jack(One of if not the best videogame villain)

[@mr.cup6yearsago211]

Hisham Mastura god I love Handsome Jack so much. He’s pretty much living proof that a villain does not have to be sympathetic in the slightest to be enjoyable. Case in point: “This one guy in New Haven, right? He comes at me with a spoon. A SPOON! And I’m dying laughing, right? So anyway, I take that spoon and I scoop out his stupid little eyeballs with it, and his kids are all like ‘WAAAAAAAHH!’ And- haha haha, I don’t know, maybe you had to be there.”

[@cryw1092]

I mean, he's alright.

[@CodfishJoe]

He gets real tiresome, ngl. In order for me to get really attached to a villain, they have to be believable, something that Borderlands is flat out incapable of being. Funny? Often, yes. But never believable. To the extent that it kinda doesn't even try to be.

[@oneringtorulethemagicarp7199]

@@CodfishJoe the thing is, as someone who's met some absolutely mentally broken people... he's not actually that far off. I mean obviously there are certain things that are over the top, but given his traumas and lust for power his excentricism is not entirely abnormal. he hides his anxiety and anger under a figurative mask of humor, it's why once you get to the second half of the game things go so suddenly much darker. where before he kept all of his anger in jokes and quips as he still saw himself as the king of the world, but the moment you struck a blow that was personal his entire persona collapsed and the last act of the game acts as a show of jack having one continuous mental breakdown. just because a character acts in an extremely abnormal or unreasonable manner, doesn't make them unbeleivable.

[@burningbronze7555]

I never got the hero of my story thing.

[@bluevestedguy]

"I initially based this character on myself" "He becomes an inhuman monster" now I see why you make traps that TKO in 20 seconds

[@ajb779]

"You're the villain is someone else's story" is a quote I can't remember who said it, but it make me think of my actions more. But it works in this kind of setting.

[@thatguy5391]

I think handsome jack said something like that

[@NintendoDude360]

Possibly GRRM if i am correct.

[@crazyhercules9442]

“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain....”

[@AZUREPHOENIX777]

In Dragon Ball, it's the opposite.

[@KuroiShiAnimu]

Or live long enough to see your parents get shot in a dark alley after leaving a theatre

[@offgang2805]

That's why tony died. He was basically so close to being a villain, he's very Antisocial.

[@yuries19]

@@offgang2805 Nah, we all know Disney offed him because he was getting bored of the role

[@windhelmguard5295]

@@offgang2805 wasn't tony already the villain of age of ultron and civil war?

[@Tyler-zx7xn]

“Any good man can be vengeful, if he loses his future.” Holy crap man

[@CelestialPheonixKing]

Describes the big bad for my book PERFECTLY

[@ionavram4002]

"there is no such thing as an evil person" griefers

[@adronius147]

Genuine evil.

[@throg4657]

Team avolition

[@kimarous]

Even then, the same line of logic applies - what drove the action in the first place? Under what circumstances does one find joy in ruining the joy of others? Is it a misplaced act of retribution, lashing out against the world for a slight none of the victims will know about?

[@adronius147]

@@kimarous Personal satisfaction in most cases, which I would argue qualifies as legitimate malevolence. There are people who inflict suffering on others for no better reason than getting a kick out of it.

[@x900fulanito4]

@@adronius147 I do art...maybe not the most apealing or mainstream art..but if you do something that you love you need to reach perfection in it..and I love my art. -a griefer

[@austinbostrom5304]

There are no heroes. There are no villains. There is only what I want and how I’ll get it -Magneeto

[@gameitderp3415]

"You either die as a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." - Harvey Dent (The Dark Knight)

[@ThePortableTornado]

Because madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little... push!

[@thatrobedude1023]

All it takes is one bad day

[@thewishingpig]

Wii arr aliving in a socity

[@yag0d]

I thought that the point of The Dark Knight was to prove that the Joker is wrong

[@Blub31]

@@yag0d it was. It isn't wrong to think that people can be driven to do bad things through hard times, but that doesn't make it an absolute. Also I'm pretty sure he was just quoting the comic.

[@ThePortableTornado]

@@Blub31 yea just quoting a memorable line that fit with the video.

[@aso1777]

"All it takes is a little tribulation" A fancy word of saying "All it takes is a little push"

[@AceTaxiaGaming]

Doc Oc from Marvels Spiderman is a brilliant example of Tribulation creating a villain

[@Nechrostriker4]

Especially the PS4 game!

[@Biodeamon]

technically everything can be "solved" if you stab enough people and lets not sugarcoat things, some people just are assholes, but it takes particular strength of character to be a hero and sometimes there are just two "good guys" who will never agree

[@thassalantekreskel5742]

Looking at comics, some of the best conflicts arose from two heroes, or two teams, that misunderstood the situation and each thought the other was a villain.

[@Slann88]

Agreed there IS such a thing as bad, piece of shit people.

[@josh___something]

I mean, yeah, disney villains. But irl, there's probably a root cause to why they're such a dick. Maybe their rolemodel was an asshole? Maybe they've been abused? Maybe it's our best friend to excuse any heinous act without the need to explain it, "Mental illness"! (Even if doing this ultimately destroys the perception of anyone suffering from this, turning their plight into a boogeyman.)

[@sarahmellinger8125]

Person stabbing people stab them

[@cosmoreverb3977]

As the video title says, this explains how to design a good antagonist, and it explains it well, but sometimes a good Disney-style villain (if we're talking about D&D) can be great! Someone who's unabashedly evil, who knows they're doing bad things, and loves being cruel and eee-vil, is super memorable. It's why I could name a ton of Disney villains and what they're doing without issue, because of how much they enjoy being evil. While it isn't nuanced, and it certainly isn't fashionable in this day and age, it is both tons of fun as a DM and for the players to deal with. And then the players can feel good about defeating them! Ripping the rug out from underneath the players by having them realize they could've been the villains doesn't feel as satisfying. But keep in mind, this depends on the campaign. If you're running a gritty game, a Disney villain will be super out of place. I just think that people are much too averse to, and are given advice to not have, a villain who relishes their evil deeds.

[@fafdsfr]

You know, there really is something interesting about characters that identify as evil. They've seen what good is and decided that they want nothing of it, they'd rather be the bad guy than stick with what society decides is 'good'.

[@mr.cup6yearsago211]

To an extent, this also applies to Count Bleck from Super Paper Mario. Tbh I may be remembering his motivations in a slightly skewed manner, but if memory serves, he knows full well that he isn’t doing what’s right. He just doesn’t care, because he doesn’t see why anything matters anyway.

[@josh___something]

Disney villains are the best plot points. They're not so much a character, but a natural disaster your PCs get to punch in the dick. Honestly, while complex villains are great, and even AMAZING when executed correctly; having a well done "disney villain" has much more of an emotional high. (See: ozai from TLAB)

[@emberfreespirit8507]

You mean a Pure Evil villain? I know Red did a dissection of those on Trope Talks.

[@KrymsonScale]

@@mr.cup6yearsago211 You just explained why evil for evils sake can make a good villain.

[@Nazo-kage]

I have a few ideas for villains. Here’s one: Someone who was conceived, born, and empowered by several people willingly sacrificing themselves in the hopes that he would be the instrument of a dark God. However Fortune allowed him to be raised normally, and despite instinctively being aware of what the intended purpose for him was he does not wish for such things. So he grows up, becomes a loving husband, a loving father, a well respected member of his town, and a well liked Teacher. But tragedy stikes when a small group of adventurers went to a nearby mountain to slay a dragon. Not because it was a danger to the area around it, but because it was a gold dragon. And they felt that if a normal dragon had a huge pile of gold then a gold dragon would not only have even more, but they’re very body must be made of gold. So in their greed they attacked it only succeeding and angering it and wounding the party. Unfortunately they manage to escape causing the dragon to chase after them, and they decide to go to the nearby town for shelter bringing the dragon along with them. In the span of a single day everything the man held a dear was taken from him by rampaging dragon. And it was after the smoke has cleared and waiting through the bodies of all of his friends that he discovered the truth from the wounded and weak adventurers. With two of them passed out (cleric ranger) and the other twoto stupid or greedy take care (barbarian, rogue) about all the lives lost. Is the moment when he finally snaps. And it’s because of this that this particular villain has a deep hatred of adventurers.

[@ouroboros2727]

Plus they messed with the dragon. All hail the reptilians!

[@qrangejuice8225]

"When we examined our logs, we found the difference between the Geth that rejected the Reapers and the Heretics was a single algorithm resulting to 3.00450121 instead of 3.00450122." - Geth Infiltration Platform Legion

[@qrangejuice8225]

@Noblesse Obligee ME 2 just before his loyalty mission

[@FictionRaider007]

The best way to make villains is to think of protagonists and heroes from other stories or even past games you've played and enjoyed. Most heroes have noble ideals and motives that are shadowed by tragic circumstances. You may have to twist a few things that made them heroic or take away friends that kept them moral, but it takes less than you'd think. Whenever the players throw me a curveball and I need a villain on the fly that will last a few sessions while I scramble to make up something new, I present them with a new memorable antagonist to take up their time. I prefer to build far more complex & original villains but when I needed to make something up on the fly, here's a few I ran with: - A dark and brooding vigilante who is actually a powerful businessman who takes out his hatred of criminals by using his vast wealth to fund a private revenge crusade to violently end them, if not killing then at least magically crippling them. (Batman - The party being framed for crimes they hadn't committed at the time) - An "archeologist" who violently murders all competitors in his way to steal relics and sacred items from the cultures they belong to so he can gain money and fame by giving them to museums (Indiana Jones - the party having gained permission from the locals to quest for the relic to save them from great evil) - A young baron who spent years in hiding after his uncle murdered his father who has been convinced by a former flame to stage a violent uprising to reclaim his title and lands. Once he achieves it, he will reinstate the old status quo, casting out people of different races and cultures that his uncle has intergrated into their lifestyle (Simba - the other races basically being the hyenas that in this instance were Orcs. Adding to the complication was the party had three Half-Orcs who'd found relative peace living in the barony for several months.) - A young woman and her companions who are blindly following the instructions of a hag, believeing that she will grant them what they most deisre - home, love, intelligence and bravery - and in the process causing mass mayhem and killing important figures that they have been tricked into thinking are evil. (Dorothy Gale)

[@onedehydratedboi2217]

This is a very underrated comment

[@Tomotoya]

Love this approach. Just brilliant!

[@LuisBrito-ly1ko]

“The only truth I’ve found is that the world is a giant tinderbox: all it takes is someone to light the match.” - Cpt. Price

[@jandron8519]

This video came out in the perfect moment, cause I really need to start writing a villain for my first campaign. Thank you Runesmith.

[@vadaritis]

"Your only one bad day away from becoming someone like me" -punisher to daredevil... at least, i think thats the correct quote.

[@CarlosTorres-vj3vh]

I was just writing the BBEG of my campaigns so this came like sent from the Heavens. Thanks Runesmith!

[@jamesgreen90]

Katl Numbra similar thing happened last video when I was writing about my story that greatly involves giants

[@shayeslavinski9747]

Same man. My players are about a quarter through and that's when I'm introducing the villain. This was a god's send

[@sonicr1]

"Life is what you do with what's been done to you." -Spec Ops: The Line

[@shoto42]

I’ve been writing a book and I’ve fallen in love with the antagonist I made, I don’t really like making typical dark antagonist, but instead my antagonist is up beat and acts like a kid, but when it comes to a terrifying antagonist it’s when they are in complete control of the situation that makes the protagonist do desperate things to get out of it. This is exactly how I made my antagonist and I love it, it makes for some great discussions between the characters and fights, it also makes the protagonists have doubt about themselves

[@mrackz5694]

What’s his ideology’ or goal

[@grantsamson2384]

You're missing the most important type of villain motivation: "Boy I sure love blowing stuff up :D"

[@Karloss00]

"Everyone thinks they're the hero of their own story."

[@DianneAlexander4858]

My favorite characters are usually villains because they have cool and dark backstorys most of the time

[@Breached18]

Wheatly is my favorite twist villain. He came out of nowhere, but you slowly realize it would always happen, it's even hinted right at his turn. GLADOS becomes less aggressive upon being disconnected while wheatly becomes evil. Even at the end, we learn this isn't what he wanted, he just wanted to be accepted and not be pushed down. But alas, he's lost In space

[@emideleon4135]

Every time you said "there is no good and evil" I kept expecting you to end it with "only power and those too weak to seek it"

[@ellie623]

Me too! I guess Voldemort was right all along. 😂

[@worthasandwich]

My favorite villains to write are individuals with either tremendous power or recourses who act like children.

[@AegixDrakan]

Man you must LOVE the train wreck soap opera that is the real world, then. (Laughs, then cries a little inside)

[@prasunkumar117]

So you basically like to write manchildren

[@NodDisciple1]

@@prasunkumar117 So SJWs?

[@dementedmanatee5328]

@@NodDisciple1 sjws are not "individuals with either tremendous power or resources", this would be more of a Trump-like character

[@NodDisciple1]

@@dementedmanatee5328 George Soros? Gates? Bob Iger?

[@testedalexthegreat1759]

1:41 actually, darkness literally means the absence of light, darkness has been around before light and will be around when light disappears and the universe dies, light needs darkness to have a visible effect, darkness needs light to be gone in order to continue being dark.

[@jlaw131985]

I think it is likely that light won’t ever actually disappear from the universe, except perhaps for a slight bit of time if everything becomes a sort of homogenous, though at that point time wouldn’t really have a definition. The next Big Bang would likely be right around the corner.

[@OmniDan26]

fake, gay, and cringe.

[@testedalexthegreat1759]

@@OmniDan26 Says the gay Comic book adaptation bandwagoner.

[@excerpt4u]

Dude, I have so much respect for the fact that you used your own characters. As a screenwriter, I know how personal stories are and the fact that you used them for a study on evil gives you so many brownie points. Nicely done!

[@RPGGamer]

Fantastic summary of making a true villain. I always try to remember that the villain is the hero of their own story, as no one really thinks they're evil, but you've broken it down in far more detail, and given me so much more to think over.

[@Freekymoho]

This only really covers the tragic villain trope, which is a good one for sure but not the only one. The joker is a good example of a villain that isn't tragic. There are just genuinely bad people both in the real world and in fiction; sometimes a person is just made incompatible with all norms of morality an decency that can be assosciated with good. Other examples could include psychopaths; people born without the capacity to do true good, essentially, and sadists; people for whom the act of doing evil is both the method and the whole point of what they do.

[@kylestanley7843]

Trutru. In DnD terms I've always enjoyed the thought of a high functioning psychopath vampire, hiding itself in a city as a higher-up and using the city in the subtlest ways possible. Not like strahd, oh no, strahd was like the mofockin slenderman but with feels. This boi would actively avoid conflict, and he would be a genuinely bad person who submitted to the vision that he is what he is: a predator.

[@OlDirtySam]

For the joker example i would recommend kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqrcdmuZZ5xgb7s

[@rmcneil1340]

Yes there is absolute evil. Some actions can only come from evil imagination and mind completely warped beyond any logical understanding. Actually the Joker is a tragic villain. His mother said he didn't smile enough so she cut the side of his lip. Or was that just the movie version? Thank you for pointing out how this works for tragic villains. My antagonist is the way she because she is a bitch. There is an understanding though behind her behavior. Where she lives toxic behavior is acceptable. Maybe she is kind of tragic in her own way.

[@teebermoon3431]

Y’know I once made a story about a hero vs villain setup with a twist. When a skilled diplomat joined the “villains” side, he finds that all the villain wanted was to become the mayor of the town in which the story was set. Of course, things weren’t that simple. Due to neglectful parents and, in his later years, being framed as the villain made his methods harmful to others without him knowing/understanding. But the diplomat gives him the wake up call he needed, so he changes his ways and people start liking him. However, the “hero” doesn’t understand this, as he has only ever seen the world as good vs evil, so when the “villain” changes his ways they still as usual attack him and his followers, which is now most of the town. This causes his reputation to go down the drain. He ends up getting arrested for assault, murder and attempted murder, as people don’t see him as a hero anymore, so they don’t justify his actions. Anyway, I’ve been typing this for about 15 minutes now so I’m gonna stop.

[@luno9821]

3:50 had me cracking up. "Hmmm.. How can I make my paragon character suffer so that he becomes a despicable shell of his former self?" In all seriousness, the current literature climate seems to love fallen heroes way too much for some reason. I miss my infallible paragons.

[@anthonylanh4848]

I love that whenever I try to learn about how to make characters/campaigns/etc i end up watching long philosophical commentaries. D&D really strikes at the heart and soul of its DMs and players

[@trentglasgow7114]

This is just a good way to write a character in general

[@chromaticorb]

I'm literally starting my first campaign this Sunday, so glad this video just came out. I've been binging your videos recently too!

[@akuma9452]

Hey nice meta (red vs blue) icon

[@inbako9855]

Hey, my first DnD campaign is also this sunday, though I'm a player rather than a dm.

[@chromaticorb]

@@akuma9452 Thanks! That may be the first time anyone's recognized it

[@sigurdgram]

here's the thing, evil IS an absolute in dnd. there's a plane made entirely out of it. there are gods who are built out of nothing but the universal aspect of evil. asmodeus doesn't have the ability to see himself as the hero. asmodeus is undeniably evil and doesn't have the agency of mortals to be able to change himself or how he behaves. evil is a real tangible concept in dnd that things are literally made out of. that said, all of this is why I find generic demon lords to be boring antagonists. because they never had the choice, they never had an option, they're just playing out the role given to them.

[@kylestanley7843]

This is all a very good point, but even some DnD villains have compelling, human(ish) stories. See Strahd. That being said, I like demon lords simply because of how metal they are lol. Throw some HOTS music in the background and have a jolly good scrap! Lol

[@cetitanenthusiast776]

That sounds like a setup for a good villain. A being who is born of evil but realizes that it was the universe itself that made him/her evil and their villainous acts are all in the name of rewriting the natural order cause they don't bow down to anyone, not even abstract concepts.

[@sigurdgram]

@@kylestanley7843 oh, I'm aware it's entirely possible to have compelling stories of the road to hell being paved with good intentions. I'm just saying...well, he starts off with "I don't believe evil is an alignment or a concept" and that works in real life, but not in the cosmology of dnd

[@ascapedgoat8462]

“Madness is a lot like gravity: It just takes a little push...” - Joker

[@kuroganexy4342]

A villain is a corrupted hero. That is actually amazing, I never thought about that. Thank you for this video!

[@bradenmiller8127]

I got so invested in that story. You are an incredible writer and you inspire me to write stories of my own, stories that constantly float in my mind. You are incredible and I wish I could write a story that could hook someone in 5 minutes like you.

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

So... Write a hero. And let them fail.

[@PastryPuff9339]

This really reminds me of one of the main villains from my favorite book series. From his point of view, he just woke up after almost 2000 years and comes to help his people back to glory and fight against the people who put them into so much pain. In reality, he was the thing that right before he disappeared for 2000 years, scared his people into hiding and pain with his powers. The people who put them into that pain? That was a simple war that went away soon after he left. The people were actually starting to get along again. I love when you look at the villains POV and see a hero’s story.

[@krok_zilla6448]

Honestly the example plot sounds like a great idea for a potential superhero movie (with a few modifications).

[@grimasialander7183]

"Good and Evil is just perspective" In short, adhere to the Watchman style nihilistic story writing...

[@timeforamazingchest5271]

Good and evil come in shades, but to dismiss any objectivity in the matter is delusional.

[@andreialin3195]

"If no one appreciates my work, and they all live to mock me, why should I even consider them?" Well, seems like I'm already a "villain" then!

[@CydonianKryptid]

wow, you really outdid yourself this vid, love the jump youre making from dnd to writing in general

[@jeremystone9877]

Something I heard and I'm not sure where from, but I think it fits "You're the worst kind of villain. You're the kind of villain that genuinely believes they are the hero."

[@iconicnzz6414]

I feel like making a villain sympathetic and a perfect antithesis to the protagonist is both a lazy and greatly mistaken mindset when it comes to making an epic villain. The best villains are the ones that leave an impression on you, and while yes sympathetic villains have their place, it's no coincidence that the greatest villains of all time are bad-to-the-bone evil and irredeemably greedy, vicious, and conceited, cause that's what makes them a VILLAIN! In short, an antagonist is someone who opposes the protagonist. A Villain is someone and who looks cool doing it.

[@razkable]

A villian usually exists to challenge the hero...in a non super hero powered shounen kind of show they are less realistic...in that format it makes sense to have obstacles to overcome...in say a slice of life show an antagonist fits better someone you can redeem fix change

[@4ZRA3L562]

KID

[@colekanter5808]

Soooo? Can we see that screen play? Because it sounds awesome. Like Umbrella Academy awesome. please?

[@akuma9452]

Sweet

[@litewavegames3967]

I don't know much about that... Show? So when I saw this comment, my first thought was "Which Resident Evil game was that again?"

[@jdawg9722]

me and my homies love the umbrella academy

[@HandsomeRagz]

I'm a simple man, I see Jhin, I like the post

[@baconpantsable]

Step 1 of not becoming famous: Not publishing your screenplay

[@tarvoc746]

This, tbh.

[@josh___something]

Ideas /= execution. The idea of this screenplay is probably the best gift given. Because we get to imagine the best version of it, and not be hung up on nitpicks that everyone will individually have.

[@jayexcellence6898]

Very true

[@Ashley-of6ro]

I havent watched the video yet but this is exciting. A large portion of my over arching plot is oriented around villains, all with very distinct goals and personalities. They mold the world as much as the players (In a way, theyre my DM NPC but without actually making it less fun for the players since its all in the background).

[@18wolfspirit]

Backstory is a great place to start. For antagonists whose backstory is never really elaborated upon or even hinted at, I invent my own one that makes sense.

[@666thebeast4]

I think this works well for humans, who are neutral for the most part. However, exploring what a creature of true evil alignment means is far more interesting to me than cutting out the pure evil nature for more ambiguous stances. Devils and demons see the tribulation and terror of others as their own ends. They are the ultimate statists who steal and kill not only to further their plots but because that is how they express the core of their essence. Painters must paint, demons must kill.

[@timmcgough7714]

I wish I could understand the love for non motivated evil. I understand getting tired of wishy washy only kindve evil but doing bad for no reason at all " I kill because I want to kill" seems so flat to me. What's the appeal?

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

Tim McGough It’s less navel gazy than having the villains rant about motivation and allows for some fun over the top badness.

[@maytronix7201]

Dude...your videos are simply the best. Always entertained. Good job

[@Jack-te8om]

This has to be one of the most intriguing videos you’ve ever made!¡!

[@4bsyarCH]

8:05 ""there is no such thing as a villain, or a hero or an anti-hero. Just people living life and do what they think right."

[@WaywardVector]

Jhin never kills anyone. *IT IS THE PERFORMANCE THAT KILLS.*

[@sethgonzalez5076]

I love how you pick jhin for the screenshot

[@davidstone9624]

"he's a genius...I based him on myself" -- classic

[@skybladebloodheart4247]

Heres the thing sometimes a cartoonishly evil bad guy is exactly the correct choice.

[@thegreycrusader]

*"YOU'RE THE BANDIT, AND I AM THE GODDAMN HEROOOOO!"*

[@adinab3766]

Nice borderlands

[@frankalphonso268]

“I might’ve lost some of you by telling a story instead of providing bullet points” yea kinda but this was so well crafted I’m just gonna steal and reskin it

[@ethancoster1324]

Evil is like looking in a mirror and seeing only shadow. There are no reflections except those that we break.

[@candywalton8647]

Cool video, but I don't agree on the "there is no such thing as heroes and villains" part.

[@youronetruegodcthulhu5043]

To quote the Joker (From Killing Joke), "All it takes is one bad day"

[@CJAFTER5]

"I've been struggling to write a villain, i dont want him to be too serious and everyone i ask describes an intricate person, I want something more cartoonishly evil but that holds up in today's growing taste in more understandable villains with motives! Oh Logan made a video on villains, he's a pretty silly guy he should have what i need!" *Logan proceeds to run down 3 serious, amazing and complex characters and blurr the lines of villainy and present them as simply humans with flaws and fears* WELP... OuO;

[@Krixwell]

I realize I'm a year late on replying to this, but here's my take on making cartoonish villains while still thinking about it somewhat like this video: It's all in the tribulation. Make their tribulations ridiculously petty. That way they have motivations, but those motivations are not very serious and the villain feels more cartoonish, because the whole villain thing is a major overreaction. The best example of this has to be Doofenschmirtz from Phineas and Ferb, whose various villainous plans usually had root in something incredibly specific being mildly annoying.

[@dutchlinde56]

I saw this really great step-by-step guide on how to make a dnd villain somewhere on KZbin, and I’m gonna share it with y’all if you don’t want to watch the video. Step 1: Goals. At the end of the day, what does your villain hope to accomplish? World Domination? Revenge? Immortality? Step 2: Plans. How does your villain intend to achieve their goals? Perhaps they seek a rare magical artifact, or they intend to amass more political power? The possibilities are endless. Step 3: Assets. What tools does your villain have at their disposal that will help them achieve their plans and goals? Wealth and resources? Intelligence and charisma? A loyal horde of followers? Step 4: Personality. Describe your villain, flesh out their character.What are their motivations, their ideals, their flaws? Why are they the people they are?

[@magikapples9749]

“Respectable people with righteous ambitions - now let’s completely fuck them up”

[@barnsley19]

Great video, just wondering what the the music from 0:50 onwards is?

[@dkutjyrdli]

Lost time by Kevin Macleod

[@sylaspartain3437]

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villian."

[@sausagelessgumbog2b447]

If I become my worst nightmare then maybe I won't be scared anymore

[@CloakofAuron]

I think you should have a clause in regards to your definitions of evil and what makes a person/character evil. Because what you're defining is more "how a person can logically become a villain". Which is fascinating. But you're limiting things according to a definition that fits what you want to accomplish in this video: constructing an interesting antagonist. The sad fact of our world is that evil is real, and it doesn't have to have a logical base. Effectively conveying that with a villain makes an interesting "pure evil" villain, instead of the "victim of circumstance" or "grown-into" villain archetypes you're conveying here.

[@23DEATHNUMBER]

i agree

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

I second the agreement. More often than not people into the real world don’t have tragic falls into villainy.

[@Kn1ghtborne]

Arent those usually the people who havent gone through anything while being privileged ?

[@heroluka7088]

I dont think so, people that we perceive as true evil usually are there because of mental illness and I kinda include narcissism and psychopaths in there.

[@ilijapajkanovic5784]

How joker says ,,Just one bad day"

[@samuelarcuri8434]

Super cool to have something like this set-up and your party skips over all of this and goes somewhere else.

[@CharlesBalester]

Nice Grim Hollow segway

[@jamesharrington2385]

This video has a lot of research. Great video thanks! :) I cant wait to start my first DND campaign!

[@the_platypys33]

I just watched the video in the middle of January , and as i sat down and looked in the sky , thinking about the ideas you gave , a falling star came by , cutting the whole night sky in half ... Than my dog had the biggest doodoo ever and I had do deal with that . ( This is not a joke , I'm 100% serious) P.s thanks for the vid ! Helped me a lot

[@You-kd4qq]

I love the idea of twisting good people to make a villain. Of course, a villain almost always thinks they are doing the right thing, or at least are justified.

[@kazocky618]

Good and evil are in other words simply ideals of victors and losers.

[@thomasmonks5715]

Bro I'd watch your screen play on repeat, sound like theres a lot of intricate details and if the quality of your videos is anything to go off I'd say we'd all be in for a treat

[@vozzy06]

No EVIL is Every Villian Is Lemon

[@iech0526]

“How to write a good antagonist”, See’s thumbnail photo of Jhin from league of legends. My mind: YES. yes. YeS. YEs.

[@kalawaki]

This is a good video on making a complex villain, but I still think there’s a good place in writing for the ‘pure evil’ Villain. The ones full of charisma who are acting out their evil deeds and having fun with it as they do. There’s a reason people complain there aren’t enough Jafar’s, Ursula’s, and (pre-LA) Maleficent’s in movies anymore.

[@DemolitionCinema]

I made a villain that was cursed to be immortal, his motivator is revenge. Not because everything was taken away from him, but because he has to watch everything he loves slowly fade away.

[@shandaniel2999]

What about pure evil villains done right?

[@sunchipsluvah4057]

Frieza

[@thelittleredhairedgirlfrom6527]

Classic animated Disney villains (basically everything before Frozen)

[@Kn1ghtborne]

Those are rare My favorite type though I always felt the friends turned enemies thing has been overdone but I like the way its explained here

[@walberparker7111]

Johan liebert

[@PolishGod1234]

Melkor

[@lincolnmaahs18]

Great video I’ll totally use a lot of this when making my next villain! I’ve done lots of research on how to make villains and I’ve kinda figured it out, although not perfectly, but the tough part now is how I show the players most of this. I can show them the villains personality and their goals easily but what about their backstory and their slow change into a villain? How can I show that and make them feel and understand it rather than the villain just monologue it.

[@Kuro3k]

I'm overwhelmed that this applies to basically any story that one wants to create. Nicely done, sir.

[@noeteves5050]

Aa villain that has the same motives as the MC A villain that has a relatable history with the MC A villain that has a personally intense conflict against the MC. A relatable and sympathetic villain A rare villain whose main goal is paranoia,Genocide and vengeance.

[@thesuperfluousone2537]

"Madness, you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little.... tribulation."