How To Create A Villain

How to Create A Villain

The best villains? They don’t even see themselves as the bad guys. They’re 100% convinced that what they’re doing is right, even if it’s messed up. Maybe they’re trying to “save the world” by doing something super questionable, or they think enforcing strict rules is the only way to keep society in check. They truly believe they’re the hero of their own story, which makes them way more interesting and real.

And Yeah, your villain might want power, but the real question is: Why? Were they humiliated in the past and now want control? Did they grow up powerless and now crave it to avoid being vulnerable again? When you dig into their backstory and show us why they’re doing horrible things, it makes them a lot more relatable—even if they’re totally wrong.

Flat, one-note villains are boring. If your antagonist is going to stick with people, they need depth. Show us what’s going on under the surface. Maybe they lie awake at night, doubting their choices, or they’re still haunted by a massive failure that’s pushing them toward their goal. A villain with personal struggles and vulnerabilities feels way more human and way harder to fully

A great Villain doesn’t just fight the hero, they reflect them. They might have totally different goals, but at their core, they share similar traits, maybe ambition, stubbornness, or a tragic backstory. When the hero looks at the villain, they should see a bit of themselves, and that’s what makes the conflict between them so intense.

When the villain finally goes down, it should feel big. Their defeat shouldn’t just be a fight, it should hit them emotionally. Ideally, their downfall comes from their own flaws, maybe they got too arrogant or made a mistake because of their obsessive goal. The best villain defeats leave the audience feeling a little sad or conflicted, not just happy for the hero’s win.

More Posts from Jenna12381 and Others

11 months ago
Penelope And The Gang

Penelope and the gang <3


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1 year ago
I Turned The Cooper Gang Into Marketable Plushies. (at Least Design-wise)
I Turned The Cooper Gang Into Marketable Plushies. (at Least Design-wise)
I Turned The Cooper Gang Into Marketable Plushies. (at Least Design-wise)

I turned the Cooper Gang into marketable plushies. (at least design-wise)

10 months ago

Two underrated interactions between Murray and Sly, first from 2:

Sly: “You know how much I love messing with Carmelita.”

Murray: “Yeah…it’s weird.”

And in 3:

Sly: “-pry off that mask of Dark Earth and maybe we’ll get back the Carmelita we all know and love.”

Murray: “I do not love her!”

Usually it’s Sly sneaking some good natured jabs at his friends because he’s a sarcastic little shit, but those two moments are a rare glimpse at Murray’s perspective on Sly’s whole fucked up dynamic with Inspector Fox.

Firstly, that he thinks Sly’s a fucking weirdo about the whole thing, and secondly that it is very important for him that Sly knows that he’s the only one in the group who has this fucking hang up about Carmelita and to leave Murray the fuck out of it. 

Murray is usually all about wanting Sly to think he’s cool cause he looks up to him, but those two times are a rare time of him just looking at his good friend Sly and going “dude what the hell is up with you…” because even a life long friendship is not immune to those moments where you just have to look at your friend and wonder just what the fuck is going on in their head…and deciding that you would really rather not dig that up.


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1 year ago
The Ideal Cooper Gang 🤘😔🤘

the ideal cooper gang 🤘😔🤘

8 months ago

Thieves In Time Redux Meme #17

Let's do a meme starring our very own Sly Cooper for a change... This happens during Episode 3, right after Carmelita comes back...

Thieves In Time Redux Meme #17

Sly does this after taking advice from Bentley to be more honest with Carmelita. He takes that advice. It backfires. Horribly.

Guess what? Penelope gets to see them fighting. Again. Another peek into that dark future. She does not want her relationship with Bentley to turn into whatever those two are doing. If you've been paying attention, she's just gone through her change of heart by now.

Our heroine then decides to keep her secret of betrayal... Kind of like what Sly tried to do with Carmelita... That's not going to blow up in her face at all!


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1 year ago
The Background Colors Were A Pain In The Ass But Here Is The Mouse Girl! I Ironically Have To Yet Draw
The Background Colors Were A Pain In The Ass But Here Is The Mouse Girl! I Ironically Have To Yet Draw
The Background Colors Were A Pain In The Ass But Here Is The Mouse Girl! I Ironically Have To Yet Draw

The background colors were a pain in the ass but here is the mouse girl! I ironically have to yet draw any of the male characters in Sly Cooper but it's not my fault Penelope is so fun to draw.

1 year ago
I Wanted To Try Drawing Penelope And Oh My Goodness She Is So Fun To Draw

i wanted to try drawing penelope and oh my goodness she is so fun to draw

i changed/added a few things to her design for fun!

1 year ago
More Humanized Bentley&Penelope Fluff

More humanized Bentley&Penelope fluff

I LOVE the way the sword pose came out. I don’t even care that I forgot to add glasses to it! XD

1 year ago
“If A Fifth Sly Game Is Confirmed, I Personally Hope That We Not Only Get To See Penelope Redeem Herself,

“If a fifth Sly game is confirmed, I personally hope that we not only get to see Penelope redeem herself, part of me wishes that we can have actual platforming sections with her aside from the RC sections.”

Confessed by: coopergang1

(NO WAR IN BA SING SEEEEEE. ~Mod)

(Art by genevievetsai)

1 year ago

Penelope!

OMG I love her ^_^

Why I like them: Adorkable, nerdy, sweet, smart, kind of witty in her own way

Why I don’t: Does not fight a lot, I understand that her forte is RC gadgets, but she gets in trouble a lot.

Favorite episode: Flight of Fancy, China episode (names escape me) and Dead Men tells no Tales

Favorite season: Spring

Favorite line: “No one touches that turtle, but me…”

Favorite outfit: Her typical yellow sweater and overalls, pirate dress and lab suit in the new game

OTP: With Bentley. Love them 8-ever

Brotp: Hhm, she gets along nicely with the gang, probably Murray, he’s the friendliest :)

Head Canon: Sanest of the couple (i’d imagine Bentley getting too egotistical), stays quiet and acts grumpy once a month. Her last name is “Benneke” (I looked up Dutch last names)

Unpopular opinion: Probably that early after Sly 3’s release, she wasn’t very well liked by the fans back in 2005.

A wish: Not much except her to be back and more involved (does not have to outshine the gang) 

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen: Forever disappeared or forgotten or demoted to extra or breaking up with Bentley 

5 words to best describe them:

My nickname for them: Penny, Mrs.Wiseturtle X) (let this be canon in the future)

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jenna12381 - Thieves In Time Redux Writer
Thieves In Time Redux Writer

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