When I think of villains, I immediately think of the kind from
classic
works of literature: Professor Moriarty from Arthur Conan Doyle’s world of
Sherlock Holmes, Mrs. Danvers from REBECCA
by Daphne du Maurier, Dracula, Iago from Shakespeare’s OTHELLO,
and Thomas Harris’ Hannibal
Lecter. Some actions by the villain are more unpalatable for the reader
than others. For me, a villain says a lot about the hero – both as a point
of comparison, and also by the way that the hero interacts with, and
chooses to combat or punish the villain. I also think that an author can
sometimes use a villain to make a point about society or human nature. For
literature geeks like me, there is no greater fun than deconstructing a
villain and pondering his motivations.
As a comic book fan, the classic Batman nemesis The Joker as well as Negan
from Robert Kirkman’s “Walking
Dead” series immediately spring to mind when thinking about villains.
In THE KILLING
JOKE by Alan Moore, the Joker’s actions are heinous but the glimpse
into his past, and his philosophical tirade at the end had me spellbound.
BATMAN: A
DEATH IN THE FAMILY, yet another critical book in the Joker canon,
shows how a villain can help define a hero and give the hero’s journey
greater meaning. The Joker’s actions in BATMAN: A DEATH IN THE FAMILY
humanizes a super hero, and provides contrast between Batman and Superman.
Now that zombie apocalypse villain Negan has made his appearance on the TV
show
“The Walking Dead” I was thrilled to learn that creator Robert Kirkman
is finally writing, and releasing in installments, Negan’s origin story.
Among all of the things I love so much about the world of “The Walking
Dead”, the complex characters and the various shades of evil that permeate
that world are perhaps the most compelling. In an environment in which
society has completely broken down, the lines separating good and evil are
razor thin and the qualities that make a good guy or a bad guy are
completely subjective and invites moral relativism. One of the great things
about a character like Negan is that he gets the reader to re-examine the
established “good guys”, and their choices, more closely.
Historical romances have their share of black-hearted scoundrels as much as
any other works of literature. Lord Radnor, from
WORTH ANY PRICE by Lisa Kleypas, is described physically as almost
resembling the classic vampire from the silent film “Nosferatu”. Giving the
villain such a persona that’s so evocative of gothic paranormal stories
gives the romance between the hero and heroine an added bump of intensity,
and sets the story up for an epic climax. In Alexandra Hawkins’ “Master of
Seduction” series the Marquess of Norgrave is established as a predator
who is concerned solely on his wants and needs. In the second “Masters of
Seduction” book – YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET
THE MARQUESS YOU WANT – Alexandra Hawkins shows how a hard-core villain
doesn’t mellow over time, but becomes just a bit better at masking his true
fiendish nature. As much of a heel as Norgrave is, hating him gets me more
emotionally invested in the story and rooting for his eventual downfall. In
THE
HUNTER by Kerrigan Byrne, the certifiable psycho is a mix of gleeful
Jack the Ripper and James Moriarty from the TV show “Sherlock”. Hannah
Howell writes some truly wicked characters in her otherwise sublime
“Wherlocke”
paranormal historical series, but her villainesses are some of the best of
the worst that I’ve ever come across. In IF HE’S
TEMPTED, Letitia Mallam brokers human beings for sexual slavery, and
does whatever she can to achieve her goals. I haven’t read a romance author
who captures a villain with the casual cruelty and lack of empathy as well
as Hannah Howell does.
To be honest, larger-than-life super villains intent on world domination
are some of my favorite kinds. At times, their goals are pretty
straightforward, their motivations simple, and I can sit back and be
entertained by the havoc they wreck. Having this type of villain around for
an entire series helps spur the story and action along in a big way. Mihaly
Szilagyi from Jeaniene Frost’s “Night
Prince” series has perfected the Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees art
of never really dying, and popping up to terrorize again. Szilagyi is just
as committed to finding ways to torment the fiercely sexy and broody
vampire Vlad, as Vlad is to hunting him down and making him pay. Szilagyi
often proves as elusive and hard to catch as smoke. This vendetta takes on
mythic proportions as Vlad hunts Szilagyi just as Captain Ahab is doomed to
always hunt Moby Dick. I love Jacquelyn Frank’s “Nightwalker”
series – a world of vampires, demons, and masters of the mind that would
give X-Men legend Professor X a run for his money. With mind demon Ruth,
Jacquelyn Frank has created a truly evil villainess and obliterates any
notion of women being the fairer sex. Ruth’s ambition and lust for power
are paired with a moral decay and sociopathic tendencies. The bad guys in
the “Nightwalker” series will have you very, very afraid. The “Lynburn
Legacy” trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan about a group of teenagers in a
small English village is a prime example of masterful storytelling, and
features an appropriately evil sorcerer. With his attempts to kill and
drain family members of their power, Rob Lynburn would never make the list
for husband or father of the year. With her “Lynburn Legacy”, Sarah Rees
Brennan gifts readers with sparkling dialogue and teenagers who are
anything but stereotypes. The “Lynburn Legacy” trilogy takes young people
who overcome their fear and sense of powerlessness, and work together to
defeat the ruthless villain.
Villains are just as complex and come in just as many varieties as the
heroes who do battle with them – whether nefarious manipulator and
opportunist, sadistic serial killer, evil magic user, comic book super
villain, and many more. There are slightly campy villains with transparent
motives and intentions, as well as more insidious sociopaths. As a reader,
I’ve learned to accept villains as a necessary evil, try to figure out what
the author might be using them to say, and observe how they mold my
favorite heroes.
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