Androxine Vortex
Archmage
I do not like villains who are evil for no reason. Typically, a villain starts out as good or in some cases neutral. Something happens to them or something begins to change their way of thinking that makes them lose their pathway. I like it when villains have a slow decline into their "evil" ways. Like a quote from my Dawn of War II game, "Small steps corrupt."
Maybe the villain is more of a politician? I can see a room full of politicians trying to win the favor of each other so even though they may not be "evil" they will have deceit in their nature and selfishness about their actions and motives. Maybe the villain just chooses to ignore their sense of morality? Maybe they go about plundering towns, not carring for the lives they destroy but instead focus and crave on their greed to reap their rewards.
Even though a lot of people say that there is a gray line between good and evil and that there really isn't good or evil, there is. It might be difficult to understand but there clearly is. That's why it's our job as a writter to invent a villain who doesn't see it that way, who might believe themself to be good. Or maybe they know what they are doing is bad but they do it anyway for some sort of gain. We have to find a way to justify their actions, at least in their mentality.
Someone mentioned pity. Think about Gollum. He is evil, not by his own fault, but it's safe to say he has darkness within him. Bilbo knew Gollum was going to kill him and eat him and yet, he spared him because he saw a tortured creature wallowing in the darkness, and he took pity on him. I think Gollum is a fantastic sympathetic villain because at times you love him, and others you hate him.
I've been reading the Silmarilion lately (possible spoilers!!!)
and I really like how Melkor (Morgoth) became evil. He started out as a holy being who was created to sing beautiful music. And it was beautiful but he wanted to glorify his part of the "theme" so he often went away from his brothers and sisters (into the void) and thought of ways to make his own glory. I like this because Tolkien made a point that when he was alone in the void, and because he began to think thoughts alone, his new thoughts were not like his brethren who all took equal share in the "theme" and "thought" together as one. I don't know why but I think this is really cool concept, that since he departed away from what he was supposed to be doing and everyone knew how to act accordingly and all had the same mentality, since he went away from them and thought new thoughts of his own(selfishness) he basically had a new mentality, a new way of thinking, thoughts that were different from his brethren.
There's all kinds of ways to make villains, but in regards to your problem with sympathetic ones, and all ones in general, it depends for me on the specific villain and reasoning behind his/her ways. I do get annoyed if someone goes out and kills a lot of people and people say, "well, he was bullied as a child." Is this a believable concept? yes, it is, it happens every day in our real world socirty, sadly. But looking at it from a fictional viewpoint, it can be boring because i think we are so used to it by this point. But as I said there are ways to make good sympathetic villains, you just have to make them stand out, that's all.
Maybe the villain is more of a politician? I can see a room full of politicians trying to win the favor of each other so even though they may not be "evil" they will have deceit in their nature and selfishness about their actions and motives. Maybe the villain just chooses to ignore their sense of morality? Maybe they go about plundering towns, not carring for the lives they destroy but instead focus and crave on their greed to reap their rewards.
Even though a lot of people say that there is a gray line between good and evil and that there really isn't good or evil, there is. It might be difficult to understand but there clearly is. That's why it's our job as a writter to invent a villain who doesn't see it that way, who might believe themself to be good. Or maybe they know what they are doing is bad but they do it anyway for some sort of gain. We have to find a way to justify their actions, at least in their mentality.
Someone mentioned pity. Think about Gollum. He is evil, not by his own fault, but it's safe to say he has darkness within him. Bilbo knew Gollum was going to kill him and eat him and yet, he spared him because he saw a tortured creature wallowing in the darkness, and he took pity on him. I think Gollum is a fantastic sympathetic villain because at times you love him, and others you hate him.
I've been reading the Silmarilion lately (possible spoilers!!!)
and I really like how Melkor (Morgoth) became evil. He started out as a holy being who was created to sing beautiful music. And it was beautiful but he wanted to glorify his part of the "theme" so he often went away from his brothers and sisters (into the void) and thought of ways to make his own glory. I like this because Tolkien made a point that when he was alone in the void, and because he began to think thoughts alone, his new thoughts were not like his brethren who all took equal share in the "theme" and "thought" together as one. I don't know why but I think this is really cool concept, that since he departed away from what he was supposed to be doing and everyone knew how to act accordingly and all had the same mentality, since he went away from them and thought new thoughts of his own(selfishness) he basically had a new mentality, a new way of thinking, thoughts that were different from his brethren.
There's all kinds of ways to make villains, but in regards to your problem with sympathetic ones, and all ones in general, it depends for me on the specific villain and reasoning behind his/her ways. I do get annoyed if someone goes out and kills a lot of people and people say, "well, he was bullied as a child." Is this a believable concept? yes, it is, it happens every day in our real world socirty, sadly. But looking at it from a fictional viewpoint, it can be boring because i think we are so used to it by this point. But as I said there are ways to make good sympathetic villains, you just have to make them stand out, that's all.