Though his reasoning was noble, his method was far less so, with the character being two-faced long before he was Two-Face. Instead, the best villains are complex, fully realized characters with their own motivations, goals, and desires. He was a radical and dangerous foe for the titular Black Panther, but he's one Marvel villain that's heavily grounded outside the movie screen. Their stronghold, temples, armor, equipment, minions, names resemble this motif. Character traits are similar to the audience - ordinary humanity 4. In addition, the type of being that she is was created specifically to. At the core of all the set texts is a tragic hero or heroine who is flawed in some way, Toomes' anger is more towards the upper class than anything, a common enemy in today's culture. The villain finds it incredibly cathartic to break society, a person's life, or the economy as if they were the contents of a rage room. With a great villain, your story is sure to be a hit. RELATED:10 Most Unlikely Friendships In Batman Comics. Still, it sends a message. The villain is not embodied in physical form. He's lost so much on his rise to power, that he essentially seals his fraction of humanity away behind a cybernetic shell. Here are a few characteristics commonly found in tragic heroes: They're usually a pretty good person They won't be perfect (that's kind of the whole point), but tragic heroes are typically well-intentioned people with a solid moral compass. He's sympathetic, but that doesn't make him right. Sometimes it seems the villains are the more interesting party; they're more chaotic, more complex, and sometimes more understanding than the heroes they fight. specification. This villain is obsessed with perfection. Have some tissues ready, things are going to get emotional as we discuss 20 tragic villains' backstories. Another characteristic of the literary tragedy is more obvious: a heartbreaking ending. But as the show progressed and matured, we learned the real reason behind the monarch's madness. A villain can be human (or have human qualities). This villain treats the world as their experimental subjects, seeking ever greater knowledge without regard for morality. But it makes it all the more worth it to see him redeemed in the end. Some tragic features will be more in The villain is passionate about a particular culinary experience - fine food, a particular favorite drink or vice, and will go far out of their way to indulge in their delights. | Melodrama Examples in Theatre. Some of these villains can even be anti-villains and/or remorseful, or even Villains by Proxy. Jason's inability to appreciate what he has leads to him losing everything, while Medea's unrestricted hunger for vengeance leads her to murder her own children toin her own wordsstrip her own life of happiness in order to do the same to Jason. Her world has been ripped from her and she wants to bite back. The long history of tragedy plays effectively granted the word its modern meaning. The film gets most of its horror elements not from the zombies, but from the vengeful spirit of the town's witch, Aggie Pendergast. Battles will be magical or proxy based. According to Aristotle in the Poetics, the following characteristics are representative of a tragic hero: 1. Join the Dndspeak Patreon today for even more exclusive content! Chad Walker . Outraged at being cast aside for another woman, Medea plots the death of Glauce, her father, and eventually her own children to get back at Jason. This villain is obsessed with gold. The villain is thin to the point of emaciation. 6 DARTH VADER. Some seeCarrieas a supernatural thriller, others see it as a tragic horror story,but we think of it as a tale of sweet revenge. He grew to be fueled by envy and pride, and the rest is history. The villain desires to morally corrupt their opponents more than they desire any tangible gain. /!\ Pure Evil villains CAN NEVER be Tragic. As dark as the Hatter's backstory is, it's still one of the sadder Batman stories the animated series gave us. was bullied and tormented by everyone he knew, after being strongarmed into rushing the titular game, Asuna just asks him why he didn't just pit the blame on an anonymous Hacker Group within the game who was pretending to be him, enjoy the destruction and death that he causes. Hannibal Lecter is the classic psychopath archetype, a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. They are, willingly or not, starting to resemble a Lich. He is not eminently good or just, though he inclines to the side of goodness. Eventually, Othello regained control, but the Coldstone arc is definitely one of the most complex and serious ones of the series. This villain lives for the cheese. The villain has a surprising hobby, like coin collecting or pottery. They believe that what they are doing is right, or at least necessary, and this makes them much more interesting than a villain who is evil for the sake of being evil. The villain wants to retire and is seeking or grooming a successor. Movies, tv shows, comic books, and video games are what he considers his wheelhouse. The villain is motivated by undying vengefulness over a severe long-ago harm. Annie Wilkes is the classic deranged fan archetype, obsessed with her favorite author, Paul Sheldon. He is like us, but as Butcher points out, raised above the ordinary level by a deeper vein of feeling, or heightened powers of intellect or will. There are some villains where all you see is the anger and evil they give off, but with Demona, you see pain and fury. Some tragic villains can even be fueled with hatred and pain from their experiences or they can even become completely dominant with fear if their tragedies scarred them for life with no recovery whatsoever. It's trying to prevent this at all costs, but as its mind reverse ages the unpredictability and lack of longer term planning keep getting worse. Joking aside, we can't deny a spot for one of the most tragic characters in horror. They want to do anything to help or support this person, even despite this person's protest. There are three ways to deem a villain as tragic: Tragedies are sympathetic and mitigating factors and Freudian excuses for many villains villainies and most of the time, some of these villains have a chance/choice to redeem themselves at the end of a story. This also applies to Organizations and/or Hostile Species whose members are driven by tragedies. If a tragic plot describes the disastrous downfall of the protagonist, it is easy to see that . However, the story "Face The Face" by James Robinson and Don Kramer would serve to flip Harvey's life upside down once more. understanding of the human condition. The villain has a favorite weapon. The plot is intended to illustrate matters of cosmic rather than individual significance, and the protagonist is viewed primarily as the character who experiences the changes . The villain appears to be small or weak, however their tactics make them difficult to fight. She is vicious and resourceful and will stop at nothing to have her revenge. He's mentally unbalanced, but still, we can't help but feel bad for this lovesick musical maniac. The tragic hero's powerful wish to achieve some goal inevitably encounters limits, usually those of human frailty (flaws in reason, hubris, society), the gods (through oracles, prophets, fate), or nature. The term "human" can extend to anthropomorphized animals, aliens, etc. His plays were originally written in Danish but were successfully translated and spread. The villain obeys the law. This villain is cruel and brutal, and likes to show the players just how powerful they are with vulgar displays of violence. Dramatic Farce Characteristics & Examples | What is Dramatic Farce? Hi. While characters having flaws and being brought down by those flaws often creates a logically-satisfying catastrophethose characters had agency, yet made poor choicescharacters being brought low despite their best efforts creates an unfulfilling ending that generates anger toward the harmful socio-environmental issues. Exceptional beings - a person of great public and social importance 2. A malicious, deceptive and bitter usurper who seizes England's throne by nefarious means, Shakespeare's Richard takes delight in his own villainy. The villain is obsessed with (destroying, enslaving) their own kind. Note: Just because a villain redeemed themselves in the end, is an anti-villain, an extremist, a fallen hero, is insecure, has honor, are on & off and has remorse doesn't automatically mean they're tragic if they never had a tragic past to begin with (e.g. Catharsis: Examples | What is Catharsis in Literature? Juliet's father has set up a marriage between her and a different man, whom she does not love. 96 lessons. He is unabashed in his evil motives, shamelessly proclaiming in his famous "Now is the winter of our discontent" speech: "I am determined to prove a villain". Outside of his scarred face, Two-Face's coin is his most defining trademark, but it actually has a very disturbing history. Growing up in an abusive household, Harvey Dent's mentally unstable father would beat him depending on the result of a coin toss. After his funding was cut, he suffered a lab accident that turned him into the menace in the metal suit. King Lear is the King of Britain so therefore has pre-eminence. Two-Face then kills Madeline out of revenge, with the character's narration beingrevealed to be a confession from Harvey to Batman. Villains who are tragic or sympathetic often suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder or PTSD, become Delusional, Insecure and/or Egotists because their experiences twist them towards insanity; many of them can also be Fallen Heroes and/or Vengeful, if not both. So bad and so sad, these baddies show that it's not always good to be evil. Two-Facedoes not get the respect he deserves, as while his gimmick is a bit difficult to take seriously, he has a very unique appeal. The villain is oddly stingy, reluctant to spend even relatively small amounts of their great resources. The show was no stranger to dark content, but the introduction of Coldstone and his internalpain is really quite intense. This villain gives seminars to underlings, monologues on the party's failures while beating them up, and can even sometimes be found in deep conversation with some of the greatest minds of the modern age to reduce their own ignorance. Coldstone is a fusion of the gargoyles Othello,his beloved Coldfire, and the evil Iago, mixed in with Xanatos's cybernetic technology. Drawn by Chuck Patton, Harvey's motivation is to prove that he and Cyborg aren't so different. Iago from Othello is the classic manipulative villain archetype, a deceitful and cunning character who seeks to destroy the title character. Like the previous examples, the story centers around the characters in the title. When his wife is killed out of revenge by an Irish gangster, it's kind of his fault, making his scarring feel like less of an injustice. Once a free spirit of the forest, Maleficent was the benevolent winged protector of the fae and fairy folk. The villain is terrified of something common or seemingly harmless. Muzan Kibutsuji, Johan Liebert, Lord Voldemort, Koba, Donquixote Doflamingo, Dio Brando, Lady Van Tassel, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, Gaku Yashiro, Bobby Earl Ferguson, Kilgrave, Retakka, Lord Commander, Adam Taurus, the Scarlet King, Porky Minch, most versions of the Joker, Griffith, Captain Vidal, Yuma Lau, Ozai, Alexia Ashford, Ricardo Diaz, Shiranami, Poison Ivy, Cinder Fall and The Batman Who Laughs). A villain is the antagonist of your story whose motivations and actions oppose the protagonist and drive the plot of your story. By following the tips outlined in this article and studying some great examples of villains, you can create a compelling antagonist that readers will love to hate. Most are not in full control of themselves due to being evil not by choice but instead being victims of forces beyond their control. When Harvey wants to end the affair, Madeline kills Marilyn, which shatters Harvey's mind and causes him to re-scar himself. The villain was banished from another dimension. Jason is a vengeful spirit driven by the cruelty of camp counselors. Contagion, i'm sitting at the side of Satan. Hubris : excessive pride An ancient proverb goes, "Pride goes before a destruction, and haughtiness before a fall."Excessive pride is a common trait that tragic heroes have before their downfall. Erebus and Kor Phaeron then came to him in his darkest hour and told him of gods who. Too late did he find out that Teridax wanted to rule alone. Tragedy in literature is defined as a genre that focuses around a noble character who struggles against strong external challenges. While there were certainly others, very few Greek dramas have survived the ages, and each of these three men had stellar records amongst the prestigious state-sponsored theatrical competitions in Athens. (A Tragic Villain could become such if they lose their sympathetic traits or take actions that overwhelm said traits.) Naturalist-inspired plays invoke a far different understanding of catastrophe than in classical tragedy. (Ex: Imhotep's fear of cats in 'The Mummy'). Holt McDougal Literature Grade 9 Common Core Edition: Online Textbook Help, Holt McDougal Literature Introductory Unit, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Constructing Meaning with Context Clues, Prior Knowledge & Word Structure, How to Use Context to Determine the Meaning of Words, How to Determine if Your Essay Addresses its Purpose, Tragedy in Literature: Definition, Characteristics & Examples, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 1: Narrative Structure, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 2 Characterization & Point of View, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 3: Setting, Mood, & Imagery, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 4: Theme and Symbol, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 5: Author's Purpose, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 6: Argument & Persuasion, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 7: The Language of Poetry, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 8: Author's Style & Voice, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 9: History, Culture, & the Author, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 10: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 11: The Odyssey, Holt McDougal Literature Chapter 12: The Power of Research, English 103: Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, SAT Subject Test Literature: Practice and Study Guide, College English Literature: Help and Review, Common Core ELA - Language Grades 11-12: Standards, Common Core ELA - Speaking and Listening Grades 9-10: Standards, Common Core ELA - Writing Grades 11-12: Standards, Common Core ELA - Speaking and Listening Grades 11-12: Standards, Study.com ACT® Test Prep: Practice & Study Guide, Study.com PSAT Test Prep: Practice & Study Guide, Study.com SAT Test Prep: Practice & Study Guide, Writing Review for Teachers: Study Guide & Help, Strategies for Logical Reasoning Questions on the LSAT, Formal Logic Problem Solution: Steps & Tips, Recognizing Misunderstandings & Points of Disagreement, Using the IRAC Method on the LSAT Writing Sample, Mandatory Reading List for English 102: American Literature, Mandatory Reading List for English 103: Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, The Benefits of Online Publishing for Students, Using Precise Language & Vocabulary in Informative Texts, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Aeschylus: c. 524 BC to c. 456 BC. 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