Screenwriting : Using Empathy to Create a Better Villain by Maurice Vaughan

Great share, Maurice Vaughan. I always try to inject some humanity into my villains whenever possible. Some are even redeemable while others just "want to watch the world burn." LOL

I do the same thing, Leonardo Ramirez. I haven't written many (or any) redeemable villains, but I might do that for the feature spec script I'm working on. The story is set up for it already.

I did it for "Agents of C.O.W." Maurice Vaughan but even then, there was a big bad baddie lurking in the shadows.

Yeah, Leonardo Ramirez. Always a big bad baddie looking to take over when the boss is defeated. Reminds me of "Batman" (and a lot of superhero and crime movies). I just thought of a half idea for an animated story. It's a twist on the Big Bad Wolf.

Very cool Maurice Vaughan ! I like it!

yes for sure Maurice Vaughan but villains are not just redeemable, they prefer to perish or go down in their acts of ill acts than to turn a new leaf.

Thanks, Leonardo Ramirez.

A lot of villains do prefer to perish or go down in their acts of ill acts than turn a new leaf, Emmanuel Don Mstar Godwin. Some villains seek redemption though. That's a powerful writing tool. Redeeming a villain.

I am a sucker for dog rescue videos. Give me a broken dog in a shelter that eventually has a happy life. Why?

Because I have rescued dogs in the past. I am a dog person. I can empathise with these videos at a most basic emotional level.

Same with a character. If you want people to think about your work for long after they see it. Make them feel it is them, that is somehow reflects them.

Excellent read! Recently, I received some script notes that told me to add more empathy to my film's villain, so running across this article was perfect timing.

Sometimes making villains likeable is the funnest part! I'll never forget the day my daughter—who was so impatient for the final episode of QotG that I let her beta read the final draft—left a one-word message in my voice mail: "MOM!!!!" I knew exactly what she was referring to: The moment the QotG villain died in a completely unexpected way after becoming someone you could feel empathy for...and might even have hope that he will turn over a new leaf, after all. Nope. I didn't let him off that easy. Haha!

Glad the article helps, Karmin Mosley.

Bravo, Sallie Olson! It's not easy to make someone feel that much empathy for a villain and make someone react that way to their death.

Great point, Dan MaxXx. I just watched the scenes from "L.A. Takedown" and "Heat." Huge difference.

Love this, Maurice Vaughan!! Great share!

If nemesis is archetype of “villain” (opposed to say forces of nature, anarchist, monster etc) I never like to empathise too much or they lose vicarious thrill & I ask do they have strength & ability to defeat protagonist. It’s more tense if protagonist has no hope. However small seeds of humanity work for me. A twist that can work is a reason is revealed whereby villain views themselves as Saviour. They may have killed a whole bank but their child needs a life saving operation.

"I never like to empathise too much or they lose vicarious thrill." Great point, Debbie Croysdale. It's definitely a balance.

Thanks, Maurice Vaughan, for the resource on creating empathy for villains. I still LOVE Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons in PEAKY BLINDERS, prob b/c he's a combo of being a badass, but scarred and blinded by Tommy.

We have to remember that the villain is a flawed being, human or not. In some ways, we can relate to him/her and his/her motives, without necessarily excusing the behavior, the actions or the moral (or lack thereof) compass.

I agree, the story must make us wrap our arms around the villain’s backstory and motivation for doing what they do, embracing them with empathy. thanks for the reminder.

You're welcome, Kelly E. Keough. I've heard of "Peaky Blinders," but I haven't had the chance to watch it yet. It's on my watchlist.

You're right, Marcel Nault Jr. The same for other characters. Other characters in our scripts can relate to a character's motives without excusing the behavior/etc. I wrote a script a while back. At the end I was gonna have a cop let her friend/the main character go free after the friend committed crimes, but the cop decided to arrest her. The cop understood why the friend committed the crimes, and the cop related to her actions, but the cop couldn't excuse the friend's behavior or let her go free.

Great topic to discuss. Some of the most complex villains are ones that have their own logic behind what they do and have a backstory that supports their worldview. Moral ambiguity and grey areas are a great way to engage and challenge and audience.

"Moral ambiguity and grey areas are a great way to engage and challenge and audience." I'm saving that tip, Ewan Dunbar. Thanks!

It's like Heath Ledger's Joker with those gruesome scars. Or Lyutsifer Safin's family being killed in chemical attacks in No Time to Die. Or the bully with a tragic home life. Those little things help us understand the villain's jaded reaction to horrific events pushed them from good to evil