Darth Vader’s intro at the end of Rogue One was terrifying. Really the first time I saw him as not a tall robotic moving guy who we all knew was good with the force. He ripped those guys to shreds before boarding Leah’s ship which really gave a new respect for him
Vader's intro in ANH is amazing too. It sets up two characters in one intro. He comes on board.. Chokes a man by holding him off the ground and throws him against the wall so hard it scares you. Then, you meet Princess Leia, who immediately get's in this Vader's face. She isn't afraid and immediately demands he answer for what he's doing. We see a scary villian and a leader who's not afraid of them in one scene.
I think Gus Fring from Breaking Bad has a fantastic villain entrance in part because it's so unassuming. It demonstrates all these steps in such a mellow and careful way. It shows how shrewd and calculated he is, while giving a small slip of the facade when Walt suggests they are alike. I've just always thought it was a very well executed scene.
Actually, I think that it's a great point to show when a character slips or breaks his character for a brief moment. It can make someone creepy, make you question who he really is, or show that there's more to him than you thought...
Hans Landa's introduction in the first fifteen minutes of Inglorious Basterds is one of the best villain introductions ever put to film. It displays everything about him - his cunning, his charm, his pride in being good at his task, even if he wishes it was more important to him. You instantly get a sense of how utterly terrifying he is and it causes him to steal every subsequent scene he's in.
That whole movie is a compilation of awesome character introductions. Hans Landa is a standout among them for sure, but that makes it all the more impressive Aldo Raine's speech, The Bear Jew's tunnel approach, Hugo Stiglitz's murder compilation
That scene was insanely intense. Your hoping against hope that he doesn’t know where they are, but he does. And he’s just having the conversation to be sure.
Not sure how well-known this one will be, but I've got to give a shout out to the entrance of Megatron from Transformers Animated. Moments earlier, his crew, having just been introduced, are all bickering amongst themselves, then the doors open, we get Megs, and all of them shut up instantly and stand at attention. No music, just the sound of the guy's metallic footsteps as he walks past before ordering a status report. No humour around the guy, just straight to business. Loved it 😊
Thank you so much for mentioning this. I’m a lifelong Transformers Animated fan, it’s maybe my favorite cartoon of all time, and their rendition of Megatron is my favorite. He’s a real powerhouse, and a genuinely intelligent villain to boot. No matter how bad things get for him, he always thinks, or talks, his way out of it
One of my favorite villain entrances is that of The Judge in Blood Meridian. He's immediately described as physically huge and imposing, but rather than demonstrating his physical power, the scene demonstrates his charisma, intelligence, craftiness, and sway over the people around him.
His entire first sequence is impecable. What immediatelly comes to my mind when I think about this chapter of the book is his "outro", when the Kid is riding out of town after setting the hotel on fire and he sees the Judge staring at him. "When he passed back through the town the hotel was burning and men were standing around watching it, some holding empty buckets. A few men sat horseback watching the flames and one of these was the judge. As the kid rode past the judge turned and watched him. He turned the horse, as if he'd have the animal watch too. When the kid looked back the judge smiled."
I know I'm the minority here, but I think the judge is a lame villain. Cormac does this thing with his villains you see. They talk so gd much Cormac's own words bleed right on out, and he's an insufferable asshole 😂
Okay i feel like theres a 5th one the Megamind in me cant help but add. Presentation! How a villain looks (fashion wise) and how the location frames them can play a huge part in selling their personality or unique skill. You buy thanos beating the hulk because the ship around them is already in smoking ruins. Vader walking through smoke with his cap fanning out behind him as he boards Leia's ship is an iconic shot from the first star wars movie. Scar's personality and way of holding himself in front of mufasa sells him as the villian even if mufasa never shows fear during the scene (tho maybe that was the point of the mouse? To have something fear Scar when the King couldnt).
Well, the toucan cowers every time Scar starts getting close, which is actually a lot more impactful since we can't really see the mouse's fear. His interactions with Mufasa also show that he's not personally powerful, but charismatic. He says himself that he's not strong enough to face his brother directly, but he's a lot more clever. Also, Mufasa doesn't fear him at all because he sees no reason to. From his perspective, Scar is the weak failure that refuses to fall in line, not the clever schemer he really is.
Hans Gruber’s intro in Die Hard is a classic. I love how calm and in control he is the whole time while his minions around him frantically carry out his wishes.
Love your idea of Demonstrate don’t describe rather than show don’t tell. I think a lot of beginning writers (myself included) tend to think we’re doing villain intros right by describing just how fearsome or devious the villain looks through the characters’ eyes rather than letting that fearsomeness be seen right away. Better to leave the way a villain looks up to the reader’s imagination with a few key descriptions and give them the villains actions to solidify their terror. Especially important for a visual medium. Great advice!
"Show, don't Tell" doesn't really tell me anything, especially since my personal medium is writing. You know, the act of _telling_ your audience everything while being physically unable to show them a single thing. "Demonstrate, don't Describe" gives a slightly better idea how to do it right.
I think the Wilson Fisk (AKA Kingpin) introdcution in Daredevil season 1 was perfect. He was hinted at, spoken about in hushed whispers, and didn't make an appearance until episode 4. Up to this point you know (have been told (by way of conversation and body language)) that he runs a criminal organisation with multiple syndiates at his control, inspires fear, and is in control of the Hell's Kitchen underworld. The scene is so at odds with expectation. He is standing in front of a large white painting. After some conversation with a woman that approaches him, she describes art as only being important in how it makes you feel. "It makes me feel... alone." In such a softly spoken way that Vincent D'Onofri delivers, it gives me chills. Knowing what the character is and the raw violence he is capable of, the subdued entrance works perfectly.
The flood's introduction in Halo CE followed this really well. 1. Demonstrated skill by showing how easily it wiped out not only Keyes and his marines, but also the covenant. 2. Demonstrated its uniqueness by showing that it can infect and reanimate bodies. 3. Demonstrated its success because it was freed from containment and forces THE MASTER CHIEF to flee. 4. Most importantly, demonstrated the fear it caused expertly with the entire eerie buildup of the first half of the level, and the frantic escape for the second half. It starts off far quieter than every other level, you see covenant troops fleeing from seemingly nothing, you find a marine who's gone crazy and starts shooting at you in a panic. Then a cutscene divides the two parts of the level in a creepy found-footage style perspective as Chief taps into a marine's helmet cam. You watch as a squad gets DEVOURED in the room you're standing in RIGHT now, and then you're swarmed by them with intense and creepy music against an entirely new enemy.
Combustion man is actually really interesting because he really doesn't have any backstory or character development, he never says a single thing, but we all love him as a villain, partly because sparky sparky boom man is funny, but also because he's more like a force of nature I suppose. The episodes where he appears are actually some of the most interesting and enjoyable to me.
A moment where the villain makes it clear that the difference between them and the protagonist (or protagonist stand-in) isn't a disparity of purely material, privilege, or general power in nature; it's a matter of will, ability, skill. I am where I am because I'm better than you. You are where you are because you have not attained my level.
Joker, Thanos, there's so many goated villain introductions to choose from... but the best one has to be Negan's. Killing off a fan favorite main character is one thing, but deciding which one to kill by eenie meenie miney mo is just....next level. He demonstrates his overwhelming power/skill, demonstrates his uniqueness via bat, eenie meenie miney mo, and other eccentricities, demonstrates his success by killing off one MC (or two) and letting the others live because he still wants them to work for him, and demonstrates fear by turning Rick into a puddle of tears and snot (not to mention he terrifies the audience by the possibility of him killing a fan favorite off). I can't see it ever being topped imo
But negan's intro is partly ruined because it's split between the finale of season 6 and first episode of season 7. Watching as it came out was infuriating because we didn't know who he killed until 9 months later. And then he kills two fan favorites. They should have had him kill Abraham in season 6 finale and then glenn in season 7 first episode.
The kethric intro will stick with me as the first villain in a game that I was truly intimidated by. I expected a standard angry yell and just kill the goblin like they always do. But when he pulled it out and demanded she try again I was like “oh dang. This is serious.” Like I was genuinely dreading having to fight him.
Really? Ignoring the battle between the gods and Uxia, Darkseid kinda showed all four. Skill: That damn Omega beam and overwhelming power, with an endless horde at his arsenal Unique Aspect: Comforting Superman and a warrior's funeral for Wonder Woman Success: I mean, he did win. As in brutally screwed over the entire Earth with the anti-life equation Fear: Isn't the entire montage kinda screaming fear at you?
I have to say, the scene at the end of rogue one really checks off all the boxes for me here. Yes, Darth Vader’s introduction in episode 4 works just as well, but I really felt the fear in the rogue one scene.
One of my favorite villains is Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad - and I love how his entrance is Walter waiting, waiting, waiting in prolonged anticipation for him to show up at Pollos Hermanos, until eventually connecting the dots that the man he's been waiting for has been in the background the whole time. This obviously highlights Frings surface qualities as a cautious and deliberate distributer fronting as a successful businessman -- but it makes the escalation of conflict between him and Walter throughout the next two seasons so suspenseful and exciting to watch. There is never a moment where the character feels static as the narrative slowly reveals just how ruthless he is capable of being, and as a result, those few scenes where Gus goes full mask off remain among the most shocking and intense viewing experiences I can recall. And I think that payoff was so great partly because showrunners committed to demonstrating how unassuming and easy-to-miss Gus is right in the beginning.
When he mentions the villains wielding fear, around 9:05, I thought of the shown entrance of Lilith in Diablo IV. She doesn't wield fear - she gives people hope, but that hope is shown as a demented, twisting thing that turns people into abominations. Also an effective entrance.
I'm interested to see how this would apply to twist villains. One would think that it would apply to the reveal scene, but bits and pieces could be filled in with foreshadowing over the course of the story.
I think it depends on the twist villain I’d say they’re seemingly aligned until the twist they’re a huge asset to the protagonist but unpredictable because of whatever motivational difference they have
I think you can still apply a lot of these principles without revealing the twist so it's quite functional m just avoid having them show their true colors so to speak. A martial arts mentor who's a twist villain might show a unique technique, maybe be a little unnecessarily brutal, but still command respect from their students instead of outright fear. Hint, but don't outright tell the reader they're a villain.
Ketheric is not main villain but damn, his entrance was amazing. Actually another red villain (who played knows who I’m talking about) from the game has great vibe in theirs introduction too.
Fun fact about “show don’t tell.” It’s writing advice for screenwriters back when there was no sound… so when they had to ‘tell’ something they’d have to cut away to text on the screen. Recognizing the context of advice can really help give it some color!
Gaunter O'Dimm's (proper) introduction in the Witcher 3 covers all 4 steps I think. He STOPS TIME for everyone except Geralt in order to have a conversation with him, give him a job, and then leave. The fear is palpable in every dialogue spoken throughout the scene. That's easily one of the best villain intro's I've ever seen alongside the likes of Hans Landa and Darth Vader.
While I agree in your choice of Gaunter O/Dimm, I'd argue that the stopping of time by itself isn't really what instills fear since that could easily be an illusion of some kind. It's not until he kills one of the NPCs by shoving a spoon through their head while time is stopped that the fear really begins because without a single word he lets us know that he could end us at any time and there isn't a thing we could do to stop him; we continue breathing only because right now he finds us entertaining and we don't have the slightest clue as to why that is.
I think one of my favorite ways is utilized is through subtly building them up in the background with hints in the world, before slamming the heroes with a demonstration of why they are so renown and feared. I also like when characters turn into villains over time, then pulling off a successful intro
One thing that can be added for a less common type of villain is leaving a feeling of mystery (this might fit under Unique Aspect or Fear, depending on the villain). It could be an unexplained ability, the way their own allies react to them, or like, a nickname idk Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean has one of my favorite intros of any character Ever. The main character has history with the villain and is obviously scared before we see him, and his victory is demonstrated before the villain is shown with a whole destroyed ship in the middle of the ocean. The survivors are suffering from extreme trauma, there's weird fish hybrids, then the flying Dutchman emerges from under the sea. And after the villain is Finally introduced, his first line is "Do you fear death?" followed by what seems to be an offer of immortality. The scene is capped off by Davy Jones inexplicably teleporting hundreds of feet with the coolest transition ever, demanding a hundred souls as payment, showing that his character has a troubled past, and leaving a mysterious goop that seeps into the main character's hand. Before the scene, your only question was "Who's Davy Jones?" And all the scene did was feed you more questions to ask.
I think a 5th element which is a bit more situational is the build up. Some of the most iconic villain intros I've seen have been when a villain is felt constantly throughout the story before they first appear, so that their appearance is paying off the presence that came before. Of course, some villains are more understated in impact based on the story, or want to appear to early for this pay off to be meaningful; but if possible a villain introduction can be both pay off and more set up in the same scene.
Perfect example is the Inheritance cycle's King Galbatorix. Doesn't have any scenes, only in the back stories for the first 3 books, but his presence is through the whole series
I have never seen or "felt" a villain's entrance like Negan from Walking Dead. To add to the fact that it was a 2 parter with the second part coming 1 year later, and you still felt the horror. I wasn't a fan of the series beforehand, so I didn't know anything about him, and I was just amazed at that. Peak TV
The intro of omni man, the way once he kills the first guardian. And the fact the music stops and he begins his genocide. Really makes the scene feel more real without any music in the background and it really works.
Before i even watched the video, my FIRST thought was "2003 Grievous." Arguably the greatest intro to a villain ever, and none of his appearances in live action and animated media after his time under Genndy have come anywhere close.
The Kilmonger intro was and is very iconic. It showed that he was highly intelligent, well versed in history, and his aura was one of danger, similar to a wile animal on the lose. It why she was scared of him
Arnold's intro in Terminator 2 does this perfectly: 1) power and skill: takes a cigar to the chest and knife to the back without flinching 2) unique aspect: clueless about humanity - enters biker bar naked and asks for clothes and motorcycle 3) succeeding: walks out of the bar "bad to the bone" 4) fear: owner paralyzed as he takes his shotgun and shades after this perfect setup, turns out he is the hero, not the villain
I know you mostly do movies on this channel, but my favorite villain entrance has got to be the assassin in white at the start of The Way of Kings. All of your aspects plus an introduction to the magic system and worldbuilding.
Gonna give some shout outs to One Piece's exceptional villains and how some of its most overarching villains are introduced. - Blackbeard is introduced actually very lowkey, but it's very effective. He's introduced in a bar next to Luffy, and his introduction shows that he is the exact opposite of Luffy in almost every way through a very simple way. Have them like and dislike different foods and get into an argument over it. They both get the same food item. Blackbeard loves it, Luffy hates it. Except then, after the scene at the bar, Blackbeard meets Luffy when he's exiting the town and gives us one of the most defining speeches in One Piece, and shows his single similarity to Luffy: "A man's dream never dies". Blackbeard and Luffy both have dreams, and they have the will to see it through, their dreams are just so at odds that they are fated to clash eventually. We don't even know this man is a villain at this point, we only learn he's a villain later, but it's so effective. - Dracule Mihawk isn't necessarily a villain, but he is an antagonist, and Zoro's major goal throughout the series, and he's introduced with a bang. The Straw Hats are fighting a crew that have just gotten their shit wrecked on the Grand Line and are trying to make up their losses, when out of nowhere a single man on a small rowboat appears, Dracule Mihawk. The captain of the crew reveals that this is the man who destroyed them on the Grand Line, single handedly. Mihawk then cuts his boat in half with one swing of his sword, and we see the power of the greatest swordsman in the world. Zoro naturally challenges him to a duel, because Mihawk is Zoro's goal. Mihawk doesn't like this young upstart, so he fights Zoro using a comically small necklace knife and rocks his shit in, demonstrating the sheer breadth of power between the two. When Zoro loses, he impresses Mihawk enough for Mihawk to give him an honorable death with his true sword. When Zoro turns around, presents his front to him, and says that "a wound on the back is a swordsman's shame", Mihawk's only response is "Excellent." before cutting him down, but very notably sparing him, telling him to get stronger and to surpass him. A fantastic introduction.
I think CP9's proper introduction at Iceburg's manor before Aqua Laguna hits all these key points. They successfully attack and get the information needed from iceberg, and defeating the Straw hats without outright killing them, even though they could. All while demonstrating they're main powers, and core aspects, being undercover, and utilizing the Rokushiki, and making it seem like the Straw hats are responsible for the attempted assassination of the Iceburg. As far a villain/antagonist introduction, CP9 is top notch. Probably the only introduction I think comes close to their introduction is that of Kaidou's when he falls from a sky island.
I honestly loved the introduction of Emperor Nefarious from the recent Ratchet and Clank, hes introduced by casually chucking Ratchet through a window, is very calm and collected the whole time, and casually wipes out an entire stand of audience members who were cheering for his defeat when it's pointed out that the galaxy wants him gone, he dominates the entire scene
I think another reason why Ketheric is so memorable (probably most memorable of the 3) is how Vader - esque he is. For all intents and purposes, Ketheric Thorm feels very much like a very well done BG3 version Darth Vader
The Voice acting is also a pretty huge part. JK simmons cadence is phenominal. when you consider Larian isn't always the most pretty of developers and that game rendered cutscenes can get... wonky. the presence his voice alone gives him I don't think is far behind James Earl Jones at all honestly.
@@TGPDrunknHick the game and cutscenes might be buggy, but all the VAs are killing it. Our party, 3 main antagonist masterminds, Raphael, Auntie Ethel, the Narrator, etc
I’m happy this came around my feed. I have a couple other channels I watch for writing advice (Terrible Writing Advice being chief), but this is different and fresh to me. Thanks for doing this.
One of my favorite villain intros is Cell from the _Dragon Ball_ franchise. His build-up and introduction is amazing and unnerving. As for how these 4 steps apply.... 1. Demonstrates he's a competent fighter by getting in a fight with Piccolo while demonstrating his knowledge of the Kamehameha and Special Beam Cannon. 2. Demonstrates his unique skill of gaining his power by absorbing (or more accurately, drinking) people. 3. Surprisingly gets his ass kicked by Piccolo at first, but just illustrates that he is not quite ready yet to take on all of our heroes. And he succeeds in getting the drop on our heroes by covering his escape with a Solar Flare. 4. Our characters have witnessed, either directly or indirectly, Cell reduce the human population of an entire town to zero and the latter reveals he'll be even more terrifying when he achieves his goal. Not sure if these count, but that's just how I see it.
I agree, I remember watching all the episodes that lead up to his introduction and by then I was scared of Cell. You could argue the same with other major villains in Dragon Ball
@@LuisSierra42the only other character introduction that I feel comes close to Cell is Goku Black's. King Piccolo's build-up was pretty good, but the actual first time we see him is kinda lackluster.
To your last point, it's the whole "fill the box before you start thinking outside of it" kind of thing. Know the rules, so you are better equipped to bend or even break them.
Oh my god… having the birth of the Xenomorph playing under the credits gave me chills! Easily my favorite movie monster and, to me, one of the most iconic monsters/villains of modern fiction! Magnificent essay! First time viewer and this was an INSTANT “like, comment, and subscribe!” Thank you for posting! 🤩❤️👍
Hans Landa! I had to go back and watch it, because I remembered him winning outright. But no, he decides it'd be more fun to let someone escape. It's also interesting what "winning outright" means. You'd hope everyone who saw Endgame also saw Infinity War, but taken on its own, Endgame introduces Thanos in exactly the opposite way: He's accomplished his goals entirely, and so has no need to project fear or demonstrate skill.
Does it hit any point in this video though? He is not shown doing anything really, skillful or otherwise. All he does is greet Morgan and thank her for coming. We don't see much fear from Sabine. I enjoyed the scene not as an entrance, but as a return. I have enjoyed Thrawn in the books a lot, so seeing him in live action was cool, but the execution itself wasn't brilliant.
@@jasonsomers8224that's because this isn't a first time entrance for this thrawn. That happened in Rebels and his first meeting with one of our main team hits all 4 of these points. He out smarts hera showing why he's a brilliant strategist and reveals his unique trait of studing the art of destroyed worlds (studying Sabine's art is how he figured out their plan), the rebels lose that mission having to flee Heras home planet, and when thrawn corners hera and reveals he knows she isn't just servant you immediately see her fear of being cornered without backup with thrawn. Thrawn's return in ashoka is a "surprise bitches I ain't dead" moment instead of a fear introduction. Dave made it extra flashy for those who might be watching ashoka without watching rebels. But he doesn't take it to the point of villain introduction. Because characters through out the last few episodes have been hyping up how terrifying his return would be for the galaxy.
@@jasonsomers8224sabine wasn't in thrawn's entrance scene, so of course you won't see fear in her. As for the points of the video: -skills / unique trait: thrawn is a strategist, his intro shows him realizing who baylan and shin are, then learning about sabine's capture. From the moment he learns of this, you can see him already having some form of plan in the making, which shows what type of vilain he is -success: he successfully managed his plot to bring mirgan and her crew to him -fear: he is surrounded from people on his side, of course they won't show fear, however, they show awe in front of him Overall, the scene may not be iconic but it's effective in conveying who thrawn is
One of my favourite villain entrances is Scarpia in Tosca. The way his iconic leitmotif cuts through the choir boys and the Sacristan's cheerful noise in instantly intimidating. You have heard about him before, and he does not disappoint.
Thank you for this one specifically. Your videos are always awesome, but this one dropped at a PERFECT time for me. My cousin and I are both working on manuscripts, and supporting one another as beta readers and tweak-suggesters, but we’ve founded our common weakness to be Villian Intros. Something just never feels quite right and they come across as underwhelming, even with constant editing. I’m sending this to him now, and we’re having a meeting of the minds later- I think you may have saved both of our books 😅 ❤
Great video! If you guys want another example, check out the scene from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly when the villain is introduced. It's called a breakfast with Angel Eyes.
Sarevok from Baldur's Gate 1 has a pretty good intro. He comes in with a few buddies looking for you, but your foster father basically says "run, I'll hold him off" and dies in the attempt after killing nearly everyone else in Sarevok's group. You don't know anything about him until like half way through the game.
One of my favorite characters, Kumawaga Misogi from Medaka Box, I'll always remember his introduction. Bathed in blood, smiling naively while the top most powerful character from the last arc are bleeding, pinned on the walls, to which he asserts that he didn't do it, in spite of his two hands holding the bloody murder weapons. A character so out there and illogical, sickingly evil, an unknowable menace that gives you the chills by just standing there.
I am always happy when you describes aspects like these and they fit naturally what I have already written. I was quite happy with that particular villain entrance of mine. Interestingly, this also fits the introduction of one of my heroes to a tee, in some intentional subversion.
Yeah. Many forget that that writing it's first, then the analyzing. It's descriptive rather than prescritive, it's more like when you have something that doesn't feel right, that isn't getting what you want to express across, that you look for ways to improve or change that particular scene or character.
I was waiting for Vader as well. Not the biggest Star Wars fan, but as far as iconic villain introductions goes, I consider that near the top. Fits all the listed steps as well: - His power and skill in capturing a ship and commanding a skilled armed force (jokes about Storm Trooper aiming aside) - Shows his unique aspect in his use of the force, and in every character's deference to him as a clearly high-ranking figure - He succeeds in capturing the ship and Leia, but not the plans he came for - Fear: Emerging from the smoke. That mask. That music. That voice. Perfect.
The rest of the game it is kind of wastes it because he is not terribly interesting afterward, but Corypheus's introduction in Dragon Age Inquisition is incredible. He crushes your stronghold with his army and pet dragon, leaves all the heroes thinking they are going to die and tells you basically god is dead and I am going to repace them (and you can believe him) and it leaves you just escaping by the skin of your teeth. It is a very well done sequence.
You bring some of the best literary analysis on this platform, period. An Andor dialogue dive would be amazing. That show’s writing I day say rivals early Game of Thrones.
I think one of my favorite villain intros is younger toguro in Yu yu hakusho, he gets 2, one when he’s playing an act for tarukane and one when Yusuke meets him in town and we meet the real toguro, but even when he’s playing pretend, toguro just has a presence, the moment you see him theirs this aura of menace that never really goes away, and when he tortures yukina in the scene he’s introduced he tells her to get used to her situation and suffering it will make things easier which in hindsight is such a good line because without telling you too much it lays the groundwork for the eventual reveal of his real motive of wanting to die in battle and end his own suffering, then you have his second reveal, when he’s no longer playing a part in someone else’s game, when he utterly terrifies the main cast with his sheer presence, Yusuke always has a quip or a one liner but here he’s speechless, he’s shaking, it’s the first time we’ve seen him truly afraid, and the wording in toguro’s threat to, he doesn’t say “I’m going to kill everyone you love if you don’t comply” he says “I’m going to kill everyone you’ve ever met” and you immediately know without question that he could do thst
i love your videos sooo much. constantly taking notes when watching. your analysis is always clear, powerful and creates a direction for improvement. whenever I feel stuck with my scripts and need to strengthen the message, I know I'll find everything I need here.
As someone working hard on fine tuning his antagonists, this video is as helpful as it is eerily timely. Also, I'm trying to demonstrate how formidable she is through a restrained, outwardly polite dialog scene. Which done right, a la Tywin, is amazing, but crap it is hard.
One of the best feelings I get in media is when an almost force of nature threat is introduced, especially after what felt like a tough victory, something like in the Battlefield 1 trailer the Zeppelin appears, or the wolf in Puss in Boots. Something that is truly invincible and that guarantees your defeat, something to which opposition means nothing. I love when that is well implemented.
One of my favorite villian intros is from the series Firefly - Train Job, Adelai Niska. Adelai Niska was one of the most dangerous enemies of Malcolm Reynolds and his crew. He was the leader of a criminal syndicate that dealt in murder, extortion, robbery, smuggling, and drug trafficking.
John Doe is almost a subversion of the trope in many regards, and its why it works so well. 1) Power and skill. The first time we see him, he almost gets caught by our protagonists, and has to run away to fight another day. 2) Uniqueness. Sure, this is the entire plot of the story. He's intelligent and creative, viciously sadistic, and intensely focused on his message. 3) Success. He has had successes, but only outside of the viewers frame of reference. We are investigating the aftermath up until his introduction, and then he is in our custody, and he is portrayed as self-obsessed, nihilistic, and over-confident. We assume he is going to fail, right up until we open the box. 4) Fear. He's disturbing, and his crimes are graphic and gory, but at no point, do our protagonists fear him, right up until we open the box. A masterful film, with a masterfully written villain, that proves that there are always ways to do exceptions to rules, as long as they are done right.
"Oh you’re a villain alright, but you’re no super villain." "Yeah? Whats the difference?" *** welcome to the jungle guitar riff drops *** "PRESENTATION!!!”
Love the analysis. In my own work, I want to delve into how this structure can be applied to protagonists, much like what you described in your John Wick video a few years back regarding how to write a terrifying protagonist. I'm writing an urban fantasy story that has no villains. There are multiple groups each pursuing what they feel to be morally sound, even if it's just surviving in the world built by the ruling class. But most crucially, they can all be perceived as villains by certain others. I want to write it so that only when you pull away, you realize they're all simply struggling to do what they think is right. In the meantime, I want to use the perspective of fear and perceived evils to drive home the sense of injustice felt by every character, thinking only they themselves can instill or uphold justice. So the story has many antagonists, but no true villains, however each of these characters are powerful in unique ways, and inspires fear in others. Thank you for the videos. This can definitely help me flesh out my story.
I've been struggling with my main antagonist because she ISN'T a villain, she's a reasonable authority figure who just isn't impressed with my MC's wide-eyed idealism. But this post just inspired me. SO MUCH. I hadn't thought about how I'd introduce her. I need to introduce her WINNING. Saving the MC, even, on the battlefield. Showing how far he has to go before he can earn her respect. I need her to dress him down like a schoolboy.
Yeah. Make every character's introduction memorable. Aundience should know from an introduction what the character's deal is and whatever purpose you want it to have on the story, at the very least.
@@Cityweaver Oh. Well, then, her introduction better pull the audience's strings, and hard, so that when she gets to fulfill her purpose, it could hit even harder.
The "hit me again" trope goes further back, it's interesting that he isn't exactly a villain but the story treats Zaraki Kenpachi like one and he is a super compelling antagonist in the first arc of Bleach because of it.
Wilson Fisk in daredevil on Netflix is the perfect example of showing his calm and caring aide before his dark and brutal side with the head crushing in the car door
I think a fantastic example of this, and also an interesting subversion in a lot of ways, is the introduction of Kaido, from One Piece. First, he had been hyped up for years in the story, being one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, described as "The Most Powerful Creature Alive," and being so fearsome that even the entire institution of the Marines was practically shitting themselves at the thought of facing him during the Paramount War. Given how absurdly powerful the Marines are -- they set up the Paramount War and were willing to take on Whitebeard, the Strongest Man in the World, and another Emperor, as well as his hundreds of allies, head-on, just for the sake of... well, that's spoilers, I guess. But they even would have WON that fight, too, if a THIRD Emperor hadn't shown up unexpectedly to put a stop to things. Seeing these extremely powerful, arrogant characters quaking in their boots at the mere mention of him immediately sets the tone for how frightening he is. In the lead-up to his actual on-panel introduction, the narrator describes some of his accomplishments, without identifying who he actually is. The narrator describes a man "looking for a place to die," who has formed a hobby of trying to off himself. He had been captured by the military 18 times, and been sentenced to execution 40 times. However, every attempt to kill him -- including his own -- fails. Guillotines and spears shatter on contact. Nooses simply snap under his weight. In his most recent attempt, he jumped from an island in the literal clouds, forming a deep crater upon impact. But all he got for his efforts was a mild headache. In anger, he declares, "Fine, if I can't die, then I'll start the biggest war the world has ever seen!" This demonstrates his skill -- extreme durability -- and uniqueness, in that his motivation is actually just to find a way to die. This also subverts showing him succeeding, because he actually fails completely in his goal, but considering that his goal was to kill himself, it only goes further to establish how monstrously strong and dangerous he is.
I’m working on writing a fiction novel right now (with heavy biblical allusions, social commentary, and philosophy) This is SO helpful. Not only do you show how to set up a villain, you explain that there are multiple ways to set up villains. I’m going to have two villains, one “puppeteering” the other. Alex is his own antagonist, trying to end his own life. He is taken seriously, but is shown to be weak in a heart wrenching way. It shows the success of the protagonists, and foreshadows their eventual success with him But Dominus Mors is something else. It is natural, yet makes the unnatural being of people feel threatened. Dominicus Mors felt like such a hard villain to introduce, because it is hard to make an idea form an entire character (that being death). Mors needs to show that it cannot be defeated, only accepted; that the heroes cannot “win the fight”, only accept that the resolution given to them is regret-less. This task seemed utterly impossible when I first conceived. You helped a lot with how I want to form its character, thank you SO much!!! (And for those of you paying attention, you may have noticed that I used two separate ways to spell Mors’s name. That’s because it is known as ‘Lord Death’ and ‘Sunday Death’. This foreshadows that Alex dies on a Sunday, and has multiple biblical allegories that show “god” as cruel but repetitive, also referencing “I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream”)
The initial deathblow-surviving villain also harks back to the Green Knight in the medieval tale where the young knight Gawain acquiesces to play a 'game' with a stranger: strike him once with his great ax, but if he survives, Gawain must prepare to receive the same blow a year hence. Gawain beheads the stranger, who picks up his head, reminds Gawain to turn up at the appointed hour, mounts his horse and departs. The recent film was atrocious, but the poem is great.
Hannibal Lecter's introduction in Silence of the Lambs is also an excellent one: 1. Power/Skill - Under ridiculously heavy security and effortlessly psychoanalyses Starling 2. Uniqueness - He's an insane yet highly intelligent cannibal psychologist from whom our protagonist needs help 3. Success - Stays completely on top of the conversation despite Starling's efforts to turn it to her advantage, and he only throws her a bone and lays the groundwork for them to meet again because a random incident from another inmate irritates his sense of courtesy 4. Fear - A long build-up telling us all the horrible things he's done, and Starling reacts with considerable disquiet despite being in absolutely no danger I think his one is helped a lot by the build-up, since part of Hannibal's charm is the balance he strikes between being unimposing and polite but so inhumanly creepy that it makes your hair stand on end. Another great one is Calvin Candie from Django Unchained: 1. Power/Skill - Has two slaves fighting to the death for his amusement, and is so blase about it that he's clearly got a lot of experience at this 2. Uniqueness - He considers slave fighting to be just a bloodsport, so it doesn't stop him being a charming gentleman 3. Success - Actually NOT; he falls for the heroes' ploy immediately, establishing him as dangerous and bloodthirsty but not all that smart... lulling you into a false sense of security that is undermined when Stephen starts to get suspicious 4. Fear - He's sufficiently terrifying that his slaves risk their lives fighting each other rather than risk his wrath, and the heroes need to go far onto his home turf for their plan to work, and on the way there he has another slave torn apart by dogs
Haven’t watched the video yet, but Ketheric Thorn is one of the only characters to leave my mouth agape. JK Simmons + his character intro was terrifying.
I enjoy when a villain has to get stronger in order to bring down an established system being enforced by heroes (think the disaster curses from jjk, the league of villains from jjk and Garou from opm) it can be really fun to see our protagonist and antagonist growing simultaneously and is a great breath of fresh air.
You know how sometimes you luck out and get a professor that seems to answer all the questions you didn't know how to ask, someone who fills in all the gaps that made your foundation in that topic wobbly? That's you for me. Thank you!
My favourite in recent memory is the entrance of Grand Admiral Thrawn in 'Ahsoka'. The gold-plated star destroyer looming overhead, the legion of dark magic infused storm troopers that chant Thrawn's name like acolytes worshipping a god. An admittedly quite portly Thrawn just walses upto the camera. *That is frightening*. His presence in the scene is palpable, and he does very little to personally instill fear. Everything surrounding him is pointing to how scary he is.
I think the introduction of the White Walkers in the first chapter of A Game of Thrones is amazing. As well as the Nights King introduction in the episode Hardhome of the show.
