Villains Vindicated (Creative Writing Seeds)

A “villain” is the term used to describe the bad person in a book or film. We usually use the word villain for a particularly “bad” or “evil” character, while we might say the word “antagonist” for someone whose actions block or create barriers for the main character. (For example, if your story is about a little girl whose bully keeps stealing her candy, the bully wouldn’t really be a villain, but they would definitely be an antagonist).

What are some examples of villains or antagonists that we can think of?

-          The Evil Stepmother (Cinderella

-          The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)

-          Jafar (Aladdin)

-          Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

-          The Queen (Snow White)

-          Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)

-          Scar (The Lion King)

-          Magneto (X-Men)

-          The Sheriff of Nottingham (Robin Hood)

-          Voldemort (Harry Potter)

-          Goldfinger (James Bond)

-          The Joker (Batman)

-          Darth Vader (Star Wars)

All of these villains are meant to make life very difficult for the main character. But what were these villains like before they met the hero?

For the purposes of this assignment, let’s treat these villains as real people.

·        Before they were villainous, what were their lives like?

·        Were they happy?

·        What did they like to do?

·        What happened to them to make them become villainous? (Were they betrayed, disappointed, or hurt by someone else?)

·        What kinds of bad choices did they make that led them to be so badly behaved?

·        What kind of story can we write so that we can explain or understand where these characters went wrong?

For some of these characters, we already have examples explaining how they got to be so bad, like Darth Vader or Magneto. We also have examples of how they are allegedly misunderstood, such as the Wicked Witch of the West or Maleficent. You can choose one of these characters, or another for whom there is not an existing explanation for how they became who they are.

These are your instructions:

1)      Choose a villain, either from the list above or of your own choosing.

Villain’s name: ________________________________________

2)      Use some of the following “autobiographical” questions to find out more about your character; put yourself in their shoes: how would they answer these questions?

a.       Where were you born?

b.       What are some of your hobbies?

c.       What are your parents’ names and occupations?

d.       How would you describe your childhood?

e.       What’s your favourite colour?

f.        What’s your favourite food?

g.       Who is your best friend in the whole world?

3)      Then answer these questions:

a.       How did your character go from being a good person to being a bad person? (Were they good to begin with?)

b.       What could have happened to them that changed them? Use your imagination!

4)      Then, tell a story from the perspective of the villainous character, explaining who they are and what happened to them. Your first line might be, “I wasn’t always a ‘villain’ … ”

Please note that all characters belong to their respective copyright owners.