The Importance of the Villain
Niu - The Enemy of Man and Lord of The Void
Today, I'd like to go over the importance of villains in a story.
That's right. The bad guys are just as important as the good guys, if not more so.
First let's talk about what a good villain is.
They don't sit in a chair, petting their cats and laughing maniacally.
They don't just take pleasure in doing bad things for "badness" sake.
Often, a good villain is a person who is capable of being good, but fails.
They have traces of goodness in them, but they wrestle with some pride, resentment, weakness or some other vice.
On some level, their vices drive them to do bad things.
Those bad things then present a challenge to the hero of the story.
It allows them to grow stronger and overcome adversity.
We, as human beings with a fallen nature, can relate to such a villain.
We are all image bearers of God, so no human on earth is 100% evil. Even the most vile-acting humans bear that image.
On the other hand, we do not all bear the "likeness" of God.
Because of our fallen nature, we are prone to make choices in life that are not very God-like at all.
When we do, we often become the "villains" in someone else's life, as well as our own.
As an example, we'll look at Darth Vader, arguably the most memorable villain in modern times.
What exactly makes him a memorable villain?
Was it his dark force powers? No. Other characters in the Star Wars franchise had them as well.
Was it his hybrid-robotic body? Maybe it helps make him memorable, but not as a villain.
Was it because he was voiced by James Earl Jones? Quite possibly ;)
It was because underneath that robotic façade, there was a living man inside of him.
His pride and his ambitions made him into a machine. He could give commands, rule, and kill without an issue.
Still, there was humanity inside of him. He was someone's father, someone's friend, and someone's son.
In several scenes, the audience would see Vader's human side emerge, like when he invite Luke to join him.
Or when he saved his son's life at the cost of his own.
Clearly, Darth Vader was not pure evil. Rather, he was a fallen man who wrestled with darkness in his heart.
Yet, through his fallen nature and bad deeds, he provided Luke with the means to strengthen his own character.
Just like how a bodybuilder needs strong weights, a story's hero needs a strong villain.
I'm excited to share what the villains of the Breath Singer Saga world have to offer!
But that will be for another time.
God Bless,
Matthew
P.S.: What qualities do you think a villain should have? Reply to this blog below and let me know.