A character who actively causes harm or opposes the protagonist through morally wrong actions - the story's source of threat and danger.
A villain is a character defined by harmful intent, immoral actions, or a willingness to cause suffering in pursuit of their goals. Unlike a general antagonist (who simply opposes the protagonist), a villain carries moral weight - the reader is meant to recognize their behavior as wrong. That said, the best villains aren't cardboard cutouts of evil. They have reasons for what they do, even if those reasons are twisted, selfish, or delusional. A great villain makes the story's stakes feel real because the reader believes they will follow through on their threats.
Your villain is your story's pressure system. They're the reason your protagonist can't just walk to the finish line. A memorable villain doesn't just create obstacles - they create dread, fascination, and the genuine possibility of failure. The stronger your villain, the more meaningful your protagonist's victory (or defeat) becomes.
Iago is literature's masterclass in villainy. He destroys lives through manipulation alone, and his motivations are so petty and murky that scholars still debate what actually drives him.
Annie Wilkes terrifies because she's ordinary. She's a nurse, a fan, a lonely woman in a farmhouse - and she's capable of unimaginable cruelty delivered with a smile.
Cersei Lannister starts as a scheming queen and evolves into one of fantasy's richest villains. Her fierce love for her children makes her sympathetic even as her cruelty escalates.
Henry Winter is a villain wrapped in intellectual glamour. His calm willingness to kill to protect a secret feels chilling precisely because it's so controlled and rational.
Even pure evil needs a reason. Power, fear, ideology, trauma, pleasure - give the villain something that drives them. 'They're just evil' is never enough.
A villain who keeps failing isn't scary. They need wins. Let them hurt the protagonist, outmaneuver them, take something that can't be recovered. Real threat requires real damage.
A little mystery goes a long way. You don't need a full trauma timeline to make a villain work. Sometimes the most terrifying thing is not fully understanding why someone does what they do.
Your villain should exert pressure throughout the story, even when they're offscreen. Their influence, their agents, or the fear they inspire should be felt in every act.
Write your villain's origin moment - the single scene where they decided the world works differently than everyone thinks. Keep it under 400 words. The goal isn't to make the reader forgive them. It's to make the reader understand the exact moment their worldview cracked and something darker filled the gap.