The villain of the story seems to have one of the most important roles in any story. They are the ones who causes chaos, forces the plot to reach its climax, and helps the protagonist change for the better at the end. However, it can be difficult to create a villain that sticks with the audience. Sometimes, stories can misuse their villain. Instead of the villain being important in their story, the villain is a lackluster character that seems to only be a means to an end. So, what can you do to ensure your villain is memorable and perfectly crafted to wreak havoc?

One of the best ways to craft a memorable villain is to make the reasoning behind your villain’s reign of terror feel impactful. Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello might be the perfect example of a villain. He is a villain that will always pop into my head first whenever I think of one. Why? He has no strong motivations for his wickedness. He is simply evil for the sake of being evil. Iago is jealous of Othello and everything that he has achieved; he also harbors hatred against Othello because he is a Moor (someone with darker skin typically from North Africa). Besides this, Iago has absolutely no reason to orchestrate a plan against Desdemona, Othello, and Cassio. He does it because he is a bitter man. And in the end, after Othello kills Desdemona for allegedly cheating on him and then kills himself, Iago refuses to admit fault and even kills his wife so that his plan can play out the way he wants it to. He is willing to tear everyone down, even though he gets nothing from it except for the sick satisfaction that the man he hated the most fell from grace. Truly, this is what makes him a perfect villain.

Another way to have a memorable villain is to make them charming. When the bad guy is able to keep the attention of your audience or characters and even woo them, it can make them more memorable. This way they can go under the radar, completely unsuspected. Their actions are fully reprehensible, but their personality makes the audience or the characters believe they are either innocent or can be reformed. This can also offer another opportunity for a sequel to your story: will the villain have a redemption arc, or will he betray the hero again in the end? 

You can also have your villain be fully jaded and power-hungry. Some of the best and well-known villains are the ones who do not care about the consequences of their actions. When they are told millions of people will die due to their greed and unsatiable desire for power, they are completely unaffected by the news. They continue on their war path because the only thing that matters to them is the power and glory they believe they will get. Having a villain that is willing to betray everyone they come across or ruin the lives of anyone who stands in their way are some of the best ways to make your villain memorable. However, it never fails that these villains eventually show a bit of humanity in the face of their downfall. And once they get what they want or they find an opening, they are back to their wicked ways, solidifying them as a perfect villain.

Every villain must have characteristics that make the audience feel as if their actions are truly as horrific and high stakes as the characters in the story make them seem. The villain should feel almost untouchable and unbeatable at the beginning; but as the story plays out, the cracks in the villain’s demeanor or plan should begin to show. This is typically the point they begin to struggle for control, making fatal mistakes that inevitably lead to their downfall. In those moments, the villain truly becomes memorable for the audience. How did they present themselves during times of distress? How did they justify their actions? In order to craft the perfect villain, it is imperative to create a villain with a personality, giving him just a bit of humanity to make us want to see him do better. In that moment, you can decide whether to make your villain memorable through his redemption or through his evil actions. Whatever you decide to do, ensure that you put enough thought into how the villain is betrayed. That is the only way to create the perfect, memorable villain.