how to make a worthy villain

[Zenomew]

I'm looking to develop a villain who is not only a worthy adversary but also someone who is not exactly evil

• They are brilliant and utterly devious, a smooth operator. They are also savvy and does not fall for obvious traps; bringing him/her down is no easy feat.

• They have a goal, and they're not going to stop until they've completed it. Even when the goal is suicidally over-ambitious, they succeed with style.

• They are charismatic, often charming, their personality is like a physical force. While they exist on the darker end of the moral spectrum, they never take disgusting actions that undermine their magnificence, leaving them diabolical but in a way the readers can't help but enjoy..

• Most importantly they know what mercy or kindness is they are not the type to randomly kill someone for no reason or burn puppies just to show how evil they are

• What are some key elements or traits I should consider to make this character well-rounded and entertaining?

Especially considering that it is in an Xianxia setting and the villain would be hanging around for a couple centuries fighting against the protagonist

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Compelling villains are usually those who believes what they are doing is good, but is actually harmful. And they get disillusioned in the end.

 

[Zenomew]

Compelling villains are usually those who believes what they are doing is good, but is actually harmful. And they get disillusioned in the end.

Yeah about that the character that I am working on knows what he is doing is wrong but does it anyways
Basically he follows these rules from the evil overlord list

I will make it clear that I do know the meaning of the word "mercy"; I simply choose not show them any.

I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them

I will make sure I have a clear understanding of who is responsible for what in my organization. For example, if my general screws up I will not draw my weapon, point it at him, say "And here is the price for failure," then suddenly turn and kill some random underling.

I will spare someone who saved my life sometime in the past. This is only reasonable as it encourages others to do so. However, the offer is good one time only. If they want me to spare them again, they'd better save my life again

 

[great_sloth]

Make them laugh like this:

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

 

[BearlyAlive]

The easiest way to make them a good villain would be to make them competent and not chaotic evil. That should be more than enough for the reader to notice your villain means business.
Let them be one of the major players or be an uprising power. Give 'em an organization, some competent underlings, and a defined moral codex. Maybe even let others know about it. Then let your MC and the villain or his organization clash diagonally. By that I mean let them start neutral or as allies and slowly move the trajectory of both parties' motivations until they're enemies.

 

[Zenomew]

I am trying to live a slow life by cultivating

Transmigrated into an unknown world with a farming (?) system Yuriko just wants a quite easy life earn money,buy a computer and achieve immortality unfortunately this world is anything but peaceful

www.scribblehub.com

Only 2 ch but let me know if the villain Lin Qi is going in the right direction

 

[Indicterra]

For me the greatest villian was Amon from lord of the mysterious.

Whenever he appeared, I was not sure MC will win in that fight. Despite the fact that MC's never loose in such genre.

His character truly brings out the horror of a trickster

 

[Zenomew]

For me the greatest villian was Amon from lord of the mysterious.

Whenever he appeared, I was not sure MC will win in that fight. Despite the fact that MC's never loose in such genre.

His character truly brings out the horror of a trickster

Definitely Amon is one of the greatest villain but he is more of a god who sees humans as toys (and crazy dude spilt himself into multiple Amons who are also his own followers) and is basically a guy who likes chaos (in his words intresting things)

Mine is more like a human who became a god and sees the entire world as one big problem that he is trying to solve...the sort of guy who wants to create orderly world but failed horriblely

He is the opposite of Amos who hates the unconcering attitude of gods towards mortals but is causing more problems by trying to bring order

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Yeah about that the character that I am working on knows what he is doing is wrong but does it anyways
Basically he follows these rules from the evil overlord list

I will make it clear that I do know the meaning of the word "mercy"; I simply choose not show them any.

You'll have to show your readers why he won't do that. The more logical and relatable the reason, the better.

I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them

Connect this to the first reason.

I will make sure I have a clear understanding of who is responsible for what in my organization. For example, if my general screws up I will not draw my weapon, point it at him, say "And here is the price for failure," then suddenly turn and kill some random underling.

Uh, this isn't mark of villainy; it's the mark of an organized, reasonable leader.

I will spare someone who saved my life sometime in the past. This is only reasonable as it encourages others to do so. However, the offer is good one time only. If they want me to spare them again, they'd better save my life again

Tis fine, and can be put to good use depending on your execution. Though yeah, this is kinda cliche nowadays.

 

[Zenomew]

You'll have to show your readers why he won't do that. The more logical and relatable the reason, the better.


Connect this to the first reason.


Uh, this isn't mark of villainy; it's the mark of an organized, reasonable leader.


Tis fine, and can be put to good use depending on your execution. Though yeah, this is kinda cliche nowadays.

can I add a few more points


If my supreme command center comes under attack, I will immediately flee to safety in my prepared escape pod and direct the defenses from there. I will not wait until the heroes break into my inner sanctum to attempt this.

Even though I don't really care because I plan on living forever, I will hire engineers who are able to build me a fortress sturdy enough that, if I am slain, it won't tumble to the ground for no good structural reason.


If I decide to hold a contest of skill open to the general public, contestants will be required to remove their hooded cloaks and shave their beards before entering

I will be an equal-opportunity despot and make sure that terror and oppression is distributed fairly, not just against one particular group that will form the core of a rebellion.

As an equal-opportunity employer, I will have several hearing-impaired body-guards. That way if I wish to speak confidentially with someone, I'll just turn my back so the guards can't read my lips instead of sending all of them out of the room.

All members of my Legions of Terror will have professionally tailored uniforms. If the hero knocks a soldier unconscious and steals the uniform, the poor fit will give him away


Anyone inquiring after the secret of my strength will be fed a line of plausible nonsense as to how this strength can be lost. If the bogus advice is followed, the leak shall be properly investigated.


If an associate begins to transform into something large and threatening, I will immediately act to neutralize the threat, and not wait until the transformation is complete. Likewise, if an enemy begins to metamorphosize into something else, I will immediately start whacking away at it, instead of watching in fascination.


I will never assume that an enemy is dead unless the remains are available for examination, and will keep in mind the possibility of cloning technology or resurrection magic.