We construct villains for the powerful emotions they inspire in audiences who fear and hate them. They focus blame, transforming anxiety and frustration into indignation and purpose.
James M. Jasper, Michael P. Young, and Elke Zuern, Public Characters: The Politics of Reputation and Blame (2020, p. 127)
Punishment should fit the crime and have the quality of poetic justice. In other words, the way the villain dies or gets his just comeuppance should directly relate to his sins.
Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (2020, p. 255)
The more evil the villain is, the braver the Hero is able to be.
Kim Hudson, The Virgin’s Promise: Writing Stories of Feminine Creative, Spiritual and Sexual Awakening (2010, p. 120)
The best villain for a heroine is one who is bent on separating her from her support network.
Gail Carriger, The Heroine’s Journey (2020, p. 240)
Villains can be looked at as the hero’s Shadow in human form. No matter how alien the villain’s values, in some way they are the dark reflection of the hero’s own desires, magnified and distorted, her greatest fears come to life.
Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (2020, p. 193)