Post #7 DIY MFA: Favorite Supporting Character Archetype

The villain! When I was eight-years-old, I threw my hairbrush at the television screen. How could Mr. Smith even think to do such a thing?  I bristled with childhood rage.

The antagonist invites me to join the story. My emotions ignite, and I become one with the protagonist. We’ll solve the injustice together and save the world!

We suffer along with Lisbeth Salander when she believes justice is unobtainable through the courts. The rapist in Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson ignites anger. I stood cheering beside Lisbeth when she took matters into her own hands and used the tattoo machine to right the wrong.

What about the first scene in Mr. Robot? Elliot robbed a child pornographer his façade as a respectable businessman. Villains touch raw nerves, but the reward when the protagonist wins is more satisfying than if I had donned a shield and sword myself.

Villains provide fodder that lets the story sizzle. Energy ignites, and we are off to right the wrongs of the world.