How to Create a Powerful Antagonist

How to Create a Powerful Anatagonist

Want to create a powerful antagonist that readers will love to hate? Read on. Interested in building an anti-hero? See my post on creating an anti-hero character and get the anti-hero template.

I always had difficulty with antagonists. They seemed to me to fall into two categories: the melodrama villain, committing evil acts for the sake of it, or sociopaths revelling in their graphic cruelty to the protagonist. Both types repelled me, the former because they lack depth and believability and the second because I am unable to stomach cruelty. I can’t even handle BDSM stories where the hero punishes the heroine with her permission and a safe word! I needed a way to develop antagonists that I could write. Antagonists I could get inside the skin of and understand.

One of my favourite antagonists is John Travolta’s character Gabriel Shear, in Sword Fish. It took me a while to figure out why, then it hit me: he believes that what he is doing justifies his actions. He is committed to his own (admittedly twisted) moral compass. I could understand that. Another favourite type of antagonist for me is the Machiavellian type, the sort that sits in the background playing politics, or the tragic antagonist who does everything for a twisted version of love. I realised that I needed to create antagonists that had reasons for their actions, antagonists who had flaws and redeeming qualities, who weren’t just evil and cruel for the sake of it, but had reasons for their actions which made sense to them.

So I created an adapted version of the character template for antagonists.

I begin with the premise that every antagonist is in pain. They are broken on some fundamental and (usually) irrevocable level. The antagonist character arc leads them to an inevitable self-destruction, they should have a choice point like the protagonist, but they will (usually) double down on their brokenness and choose the path of destruction not redemption. Sometimes they do choose redemption and sacrifice themselves in the process. Whatever choices they make, there should always be a path to redemption for them, and a point at which they go past it. This will give them depth and make them human. Of course, the depth of their humanity and internal conflict will vary according to the genre you’re writing. But generally, readers will relate better if the villain has a degree of humanity in them. Readers will certainly remember them.

To develop your antagonist, delve into the source of their pain. What makes them cruel, vengeful, ruthless, selfish, abusive, power hungry, greedy, slothful, cowardly, lustful… Why do they behave the way they do? Once you know this, how does it relate to the protagonist? The most powerful stories have at their core a tight relationship between the antagonist and the protagonist, the more personal the better for deep emotional impact. Capture all of this in specific sensual detail, this is an essential part of your antagonists makeup, it is the core of why they do what they do. It is the key to understanding and being able to relate to them.

When you understand these two things, you can construct the antagonists story by fleshing out their psychology. Do they have a mental illness (if so, what caused it? What broke them? What will trigger an episode now?). What is their Achilles Heel? This is a weakness that the protagonist can exploit to defeat them. It should be hidden from the protagonist until the climax when the protagonist uses it to finally defeat them. It should be inherent in the structure of the antagonists character and make perfect sense when it is revealed. What is their fear, this may relate to the achilles heel. What lies do they tell themselves about their past to justify their present actions?

Now make your antagonist a little bit likeable. Identify their happiest memory, which demonstrates a softer side and give them at least one or two redeeming features, no one is 100% evil, and even the most hardened criminals are loved by someone.

Now build out their justification narrative, their pivot point of redemption and their real need. What do they really need to heal their pain and change? Even though they won’t choose this path, you need to know what it is so you can dangle it in front of them and watch them turn away from it.

Complete the remainder of their story by detailing the story problem (it must relate to their pain, how will going after this story goal assuage their pain?). What is their motivation, build out their justification narrative as they spiral downwards into more and more desperate acts of violence, cruelty or destruction. What is their end goal? What does success look like and what do they think it will give them? How will it assuage their pain?

What are their personal stakes in this? How are they leveraging big stakes to get what they want? And what is their moral compass? How far will they go, what won’t they do to achieve their goal?

If you answer all those questions, you will build a solid, believable antagonist who will be a worthy opponent of your protagonist and whom your readers will remember even while they are hating on them. Get the Antagonist Template.