Making Evil Interesting—How to Add Depth to Your Antagonists

Every protagonist needs an antagonist. A warrior needs a monster to fight, a clever heroine needs an oppressive system to navigate, and a detective needs a maniacal mastermind to catch. Monsters and bad guys (and gals) are a must in every story, adding the challenges and obstacles your main characters must overcome.

But when it comes to writing villains and monsters, it’s easy to fall into the innate nature trap—they’re bad simply because they’re… well, bad.

Why is the demon terrorizing the family that just moved into the nice ancient house? Because it’s evil. Why is the dragon attacking the village? Because it’s evil. Why are the orcs fighting the elves? You know where I’m going with this, right?

And if you ask me, that’s just lazy writing (and an oversimplified worldview).

So am I saying there shouldn’t be evil characters with plain nasty motifs? That the demon is just a tormented soul, the dragon is just hungry, and the orcs felt oppressed and found back?

Overly empathizing with your villains can also create an unnecessary moral dilemma, and sometimes, no matter the reasons, the villains are still villains.

You don’t need to turn your characters into sappy, misunderstood underdogs who just need a friend. They can still be sadistic, egoistical, and maniacal—just with a bit of depth.

So if pure evil is boring and pure sympathy is overkill, how do you write villains that feel real without turning them into martyrs? Let’s explore some ideas.

Tragic Backstory

In novels, just like in reality, there is never pure good and bad, right or wrong. Every story has two sides. You might not want to believe it, but people (and dragons) have reasons for their unspeakable acts (although not necessarily ones that justify them).

A great way to add more depth to your protagonists is to let the reader into their world and share a bit of their background. Maybe they had a traumatic past. Maybe they’re struggling with mental illness. Or perhaps they want to achieve something they believe is good—just by the wrong means.

This doesn’t mean they have to be relatable or likable. They can still be terrible characters who do atrocious things. But not just because they were born bad.

Redeeming Quality

A redeeming quality is a trait or behavior that softens how the reader perceives your villain. It’s not about excusing their actions, but about adding contrast so their darkness feels more real and less of a cardboard cutout of evil.

A serial killer can have a pet lizard they love. A vicious monster that attacks adventurers in a dungeon might clean and decorate the dungeon when no one’s looking. An evil tyrant might be a talented musician.

Again, this doesn’t take away their evilness—it just adds another dimension to their character.

The redeemable trait doesn’t have to be obvious, like feeding stray cats or helping the elderly. It can be something small and subtle, a single moment when the villain acts out of character and shows a flicker of humanity.

A positive trait can make the antagonist more interesting and complex, and not just a cliché villain.

It’s All About Motivation

The most typical reason for an antagonist to rise is the quest for power and control. But isn’t that a little overplayed and boring? I mean, does that even sound fun? And what are they going to do with all that power once they have it?

You can make your villains really stand out by giving them motives beyond world domination for the sake of world domination.

Perhaps they’re trying to win a love interest or earn the approval of a cold parent. Perhaps they’re tormented by a condition that makes them incapable of tolerating the sight or sound of humans, and all they want is quiet. Or maybe they seek to end mankind to leave more room for cats.

In Perfume we meet a clear antagonist who does horrible things. They’re far from being relatable, but they stand out—their actions are driven by a twisted desire to create the perfect fragrance.

Your antagonist’s goal can be completely different, but it should make your bad guy interesting.

Conclusion

Every story needs monsters—whether in human form or not. But monsters don’t have to be just that. 

When you sit down to write your antagonists, brainstorm what makes them stand out, and give them a little depth.

Your readers will thank you for it, and your characters will be all the more memorable.

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