As I continue to study heroes and villains, I'm struck by how particular villains are. Generally, they are the ones five steps ahead of everyone else, infinitely adaptable, and capable of nearly anything. What's sometimes frustrating to me is that because of the huge setup that makes the villain all powerful, there has to be some weakness (usually a silly item like water against the Wicked Witch, or kryptonite, or maybe popcorn). It seems a bit foolish to spend so much time showing the power of a villain, and then let him get offed because he had a bag of grapes tossed his way (no, that wasn't a specific example).
The villains that are making my list of all-time top bad guys are not treated this way. For a current example, think of Voldemort. If there's any specific weakness he has, it's pride/arrogance. Yes, there is the wierd way that he can't kill Harry Potter, but good enough reasons are given for those that it doesn't come off as weakness. More importantly, he doesn't suddenly act foolishly at the end just to make the plot work out. He continues acting to complete his purposes throughout, it's just that he doesn't win.
On the other hand, think of Lex Luthor. He is a brilliant mastermind who always comes up with incredible designs and schemes, yet nearly always does something dumb and that's what allows Superman to win. It drives me nuts. Allow the hero to succeed without dropping the villain's IQ, or suddenly neutralizing their power. The reader feels cheated.
My absolute favorite villain is the Evil Queen, Maleficent, from Disney's old animated Sleeping Beauty. She is fantastic: powerful, smart, completely wicked. She died because the hero got in a lucky throw with his sword, yet even as she died she nearly killed him anyway. It's wonderful, scary, and gives the audience no reason to believe the villain won't succeed. A truly brilliant villain.
- M
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