Let’s Talk Villains! 😈😈

Villains are perhaps the most important part of any novel. They may not be very likable in most cases, but if everyone did the right thing all the time and never hurt anyone, literature wouldn’t probably exist, right?

Anyway, there can be several types of villains. The most common types can be called (for all the Potter heads out there) the ‘Snapes’, the ‘Voldemorts’ and the ‘Malfoys’.

Let’s start with the ‘Malfoy’ type of villains. These are the people that I dislike the most. They are merely puppets of the evil mastermind, and are so stupid that they actually believe that they are going to get some benefit out of whatever they are doing. Of course, sometimes such types of villains are forced to do the dirty work because a member of their family has been kept hostage or something like that, but in most cases, it is done voluntarily. Almost in all the books I have read, the ‘Malfoys’ are easily defeated by the protagonist, and the mastermind himself has to fight. So there.

Next come the ‘Voldemorts’. These are portrayed as people in whom all the evil in the universe is residing. We hardly find any good traits in such characters. It is such type of villains that make us realize the protagonist’s goodness. Usually, they are equally or perhaps even more skilled than the hero of the story, and make the readers respect them, without wanting to. What? I don’t like Voldemort, but he is pretty talented with his wand, you have got to admit. Generally a novel ends with an epic battle between the ‘Voldemort’ of the story and the protagonist.

Finally, the ‘Snapes’. I know, I know, many of you would be crying out that he wasn’t actually a villain, but wasn’t he?

Such villains are the ones who are the most difficult to understand. Often, as in the case of the real Snape, they are double agents, with loyalties on both the sides. Even after you put down the novel, you think, “Was he the good guy or the bad guy?” If we try to think about it, we find several justifications for all the actions of such people. Everything they do, is for a reason, however complex, known only to them. Betrayal is a common trait associated with such characters.

So are there any more types of the ‘bad guys’ you have read about? Who do you and whom don’t you like? Comment below and let me know your views.

Bye, and happy reading!