What would be really unexpected in an evil character? How can someone be totally wrong and yet really fool people at first?

I'm really struggling with the idea of evil/good and looking at doing things differently as far as bad guys, and what to fight against? I'd just like to hear anything that anyone is thinking....

Depends what kind of evil we're talking about. Affably Evil? Chaotic Evil? Lawful Evil? Is the character an Evil Matriarch or perhaps a Magnificent Bastard?

Warning -- tvtropes.org can be addictive, sucking you into a wikitrawl that can last for days. Or, uh, so I"m told.

I don't want to cause a scandal but President Bush is probably the best example. He thought he was doing a good thing by bringing democracy to Iraq but ended up being labeled a villain for invading another country. Another example might be eco-terrorists blowing up logging camps to save the rainforest. Depending on the point of view, they're heroes or villains. Is that what you meant?

If you've ever read the comic Watchmen, I thought of one of the characters who ends up killing over half a million New Yorkers. I won't mention who it is because there's a movie coming out next year. But on the other hand, he does it to prevent nuclear war and thus saves more lives than he ends up killing.

In a way its evil, but in a way its like the ultimate good.

-Those who hate themselves so much they turn it out on others--for reasons of jealousy, bitterness, fear, anger--whatever--make good villains. And complex ones.

By the way... tvtropes IS addictive. I am now addicted. LOVE. ^.^

True evil works like that. Evil tends to be exaggerated for fictional purposes--you know the bad guy because he has spiked gothic armor, or a handlebar moustache, or a sinister laugh, or a black cowboy hat, or a name that sounds vile. Real evil dwells in the hearts of regular people who just took a certain feeling too far. There's members of the KKK that lead normal lives with nine-to-five jobs until they don the hood. Reports are that Charles Manson is a pretty easy guy to talk to, despite being totally psychotic. Hannibal Lecter is my favorite example--he's charming. He's intelligent. He eats people.

It's possible to be evil without showing it. You don't have to tell everyone you're evil. You probably don't think of yourself as evil. You just have an opinion that is highly disgreeable--maybe even ignorant or dangerous, but you have the sort of life experience that would justify this ideal to you. It seems right to you because of what you've been through, and other people just don't understand. You're not evil. You're enlightened. You know something they don't... and maybe you plan on educating everyone about it later.

Again, Hannibal Lecter--alot of the people he kills are people that you don't feel sympathy for. He kills the useless and the obnoxious. He culls the herd. It's an understandable viewpoint, he's just taking it farther than any normal man could. Jigsaw's the same way--he wants people to realize that they're weak, that they have problems that need to be overcome. He wants to make a change in people's lives. He's like an inspirational speaker taken way too far.

Oh, and TV Tropes isn't just addictive--it'll consume your life. I'm a raging trope-a-holic.

I just wanted to look at 'bad guys' in a different light instead of what we commonly think of a bad guy. I am tired of seeing the same kind of plot lines over and over. TVtropes did help. I had never been to that site before. The list of characters under each trope was especially helpful, as I could see what the description was for.

I have come up with a new baddie, but I don't want to spoil it in any way. I will say that she has the best intentions for everyone in mind. They're just really misguided.

You should watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. :) He's a... different kind of villain.




But I think the best (and creepiest) villains are those who genuinely believe that they are good, and right, and just: The kind of villains who smile as they commit unspeakably evil acts, and yet still have the charisma and clout to convince others that their way is right.


Like a cult member/leader. One who isn't just using his cult as a cover for misdeeds, but a man or woman who truly believes that their vision of the world is beautiful, and that what we have now is incomplete/wrong/sinful.

They don't hate the world, but pity it, think it sad and pathetic but worthy of change for the better - even if they have to force that change on those who are too blind to understand and share their vision.

One of my favorite examples of an unexpected evil "villain" is in the TV show Dexter (which if you haven't seen it, it is rated M or 18+ or whatever the TV equivalent of that is, but it is very interesting).

In the case of the show, Dexter who societally would be considered "evil" (he's a serial killer) is the protagonist which then makes normally good characters the antagonists. One of my favorite "antagonists" is one of the cops who is out to ruin Dexter. Society would view him as a hero, cleaning the streets and everything, but in the context of the show the viewers want him to fail so that Dexter can persevere. : ) It is very interesting.

I think interesting villans come out of the situation and the viewpoint you have more than anything else. A character who society might find good (oh, let's say a teacher or a firefighter or something) with very negative traits (womanizing, stalking, etc.) can be an amazing villain because it goes against what we are told to expect from certain professions.