How to Create LIKABLE Villains (Writing Advice)

The fact the Joker was as much a terror to the mob as he was the cops and Batman always stood out to me as a genuinely likeable villain. He was a threat to everyone

The relationship between the hero and the villain is important, too. Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty, Dr. Who and the Master, Superman and Lex Luthor. In each instance, I think the hero and villain have a grudging respect for each other. And I'd say my favorite villain of all time is The Joker. He's crazy, but in an intelligent way.

Hannibal Lecter. Genius with manners paired with complete disregard for human life paired with the likeable and down to earth heroine.

One of the reasons why I really enjoyed the first Avengers was Loki. Hiddleston really gave a fun and likable villain portrayal imo

Likeable villains are the most interesting to me when I can identify with them a little bit but still hope they lose. If they end up winning it is all the more surprising.

I love the green goblin in the original Spider-Man trilogy, as well as Doc Ock. They’re phenomenal characters played by extraordinary actors.

Hans was in control until near the end of Die Hard, when John McClane "altered the plan" so much that at the end Hans was panicking and making reckless decisions, even snapping at Holly when he was so calm and cool at the beginning.

Magneto is up there for me. Because his story is so believable and how much he cares about Charles despite everything

Vincent from Collateral is my favorite villain ever. He's super charismatic and checks all of the points you mentioned. Tom Cruise played him so well, I wish he'd do more villain roles.

I'm surprised to not see Negan from The Walking Dead not in the likeable or unlikable villain videos. Even though he is now considered a protagonist, no one can deny that his debut to the world in the TV version was met with so much hatred that I'd argue he even rivaled Joffery. He also represented one of the greatest character redemption arcs I've ever seen.

Tywin Lannister Cunning, charismatic and confident. Orchestrates The Red Wedding and is even able to reasonably justify it as making peace by killing a dozen at dinner rather than thousands on a battlefield. He calls out Joffrey as not being a true King, and who can forget "We could arrange to have you carried"

Magneto is the villain that I really love. I would love to see a video about writing good Anti-heroes! Punisher and Tyrion Lannister to name a few! Edit: Been watching some old videos and discovered the antihero one lol

Most loved villain? Always has to be The Joker from The Dark Knight, stunning performance

Don't forget the original Khan played by Ricardo Montalban in Star Trek II. One of the coolest villains ever. Second vote would be for (even though he was never on screen as far as I know) the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn from Timothy Zahn's post-Return of the Jedi novels, starting with Heir to the Empire. He was so cold and calculating, always seeming to know the Rebels' next move no matter how secret they kept it. Scary thing when a villain knows what you think he/she could never possibly know.

Askeladd is such a great villain that many see him as an antihero. The setting being 11th century viking raids works in favour of his moral ambiguity.

Another thing I like about these villains is they make the future look bleak even when they're gone. Joker is killing the mob because he wants to pave the way for more villains like him, Harvey Dent is just the start. Without the Joker Bane wouldn't of been able to take over the city. The Terminator inadvertently help create Skynet as we learn in the sequel paving the way for the apocalypse

Askeladd from Vinland Saga has got to be my favorite. On the one hand, you can see just how cruel and brutal he's capable of being. Yet he's intelligent, crafty, and strong in his own right even should his plans fail. Additionally, you can see the seed of something deeper woth him as you come to find of his Welsh-Roman background, the relation to Arturius, and his clear desire to find a king worth serving under. Even as he uses Thorfinn and pretends not to care, it's clear he sees him as something of a son. Great, well-developed villain that doesn't shy away from being the bad-guy with a "just misinderstood" trope, but you love him all the same.

You are a great, I have never written a story or read a lot of books but your channel is by far my favorite, the amount of preparation and research you do for each video is stunning!

A tip I have thought of for making a likeable villain even if they are truly pure evil is when you introduce them don’t make them seem evil. Make them seem like they are a regular person. That's why I love Hannibal Lecter, when he's introduced he seems just like a totally regular charming guy who you could sit and have dinner with. However slowly you see something is off about him, how he acts, how he talks and even how he moves. Then it all builds up to when he breaks out and you truly see what he is capable of. As well another thing I love about Hannibal is how they build him up to be this hulking psychotic monster, when they talk about him you think he will look like a wrestler turned serial killer but then you see he's just like a regular guy

I like Silco from Arcane. He’s less a villain and more just the leader of two sides in a conflict. And even though he is the antagonist to many in the story, audiences empathize with his motivations.