How do you feel about the 'classic' villain monologue about their plans?

[Naruzeldamaster]

In some cases, it certainly has a place, superhero shows and whatnot.
But some movies/stories it just doesn't make sense.
My favorite instances are in some Laura Croft games where the villain is talking about their evil plan and Laura just 'happens' to be within earshot.
It makes sense lore wise, because of how Laura Croft runs into her silly adventures.
But as an audience member/game player, I wheeze. It's clear to me that this is happening to inform the player/the audience and not for any real reason otherwise.

I've seen plenty of times when it's done well, and I have seen it done poorly too.

 

[pmmg]

Well, Its a classic for a reason.

It may seem like no one would ever do that, but often, its the chance for the audience to see behind the curtain, and to come to enjoy the fully the story in all its villain anguish, and hero gloy. Justice is a good feeling, and sometimes it needs to be embellished with a good villain dialog.

Also, while the audience may sometimes know the depth of a villains evil, the hero may not, so its good to clue them in.

Arnold line of, 'Yeah, but they were all bad,' feels better if they actually are all bad.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Well, Its a classic for a reason.

It may seem like no one would ever do that, but often, its the chance for the audience to see behind the curtain, and to come to enjoy the fully the story in all its villain anguish, and hero gloy. Justice is a good feeling, and sometimes it needs to be embellished with a good villain dialog.

Also, while the audience may sometimes know the depth of a villains evil, the hero may not, so its good to clue them in.

Arnold line of, 'Yeah, but they were all bad,' feels better if they actually are all bad.

I feel I like it for certain villains more than others.

Obviously the more cartoonish(not actual cartoons like loony toons, Dr Claw from inspector gadget etc) ones it makes sense.

Some of them though even though I like it, it feels goofy.

A 'variant' of this that I like is when the super villain deems the protagonist a 'worthy' opponent and decides to reveal their plans. At that point they're just gloating like they can't be stopped. Happens a ton in video games. 'you know, I kinda respect your gusto so I'm going to tell someone who's probably able to stop me my plans' lol

We have villains like Lex Luthor who ABSOLUTELY would monologue to himself despite his secretary thinking he's a little 'strange'
Then there's some where it doesn't seem to make sense. Unless they're that confident they can win. (Bane in the batman movies for example)

 

[u aspersum]

If I had finally finished my maniacal plan and were sure that there was no way it would go wrong, I would definitely jump on any opportunity to annoy the good guys.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

If I had finally finished my maniacal plan and were sure that there was no way it would go wrong, I would definitely jump on any opportunity to annoy the good guys.

Oh 100% I would too lol But I feel I'd lean more toward the ones that only do so after they're able to 'stop' the good guys a bit.

Though some of them aren't quite as comical as they do it, I tend to like those more.

My favorite one (who realizes that they're doing it) is Syndrome because it's actually an in-universe meme and I love it all the more for that. Inside jokes for the viewer are great, having it be a lore thing in the world is even better.

I'm not confident I could write it any better, being I don't write 'super' villains in my stories.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Found this. Kind of huge.

The Very Complete, Very Extended, Printer Friendly, Evil Overlord List (plus other evil stuff)

 

[A. E. Lowan]

We totally have monologuing baddies. Poor things have no one to talk to about this grand, life altering plan. So much time and energy, but no one gets it. Not a soul.

Until you. You get it. Now shutting him up's the trick.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Found this. Kind of huge.

The Very Complete, Very Extended, Printer Friendly, Evil Overlord List (plus other evil stuff)

bookmarking for later reading lol (I skimmed and it's hilarious)

 

[A. E. Lowan]

bookmarking for later reading lol (I skimmed and it's hilarious)

It's one of my favorite things. lol Tanya Huff has a short story or two that play with the List. Absolutely hysterical. She's who I look to for how to write dialogue.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

It's one of my favorite things. lol Tanya Huff has a short story or two that play with the List. Absolutely hysterical. She's who I look to for how to write dialogue.

I feel like if I did a 'cartoon' mega villain (as in not cartoonishly evil but does all the super villain things)
I'd have that be his super power, like he's able to do what he does because he 'believes' hard enough.
Science Degree: don't need it, just trust the process.
Engineering: what are those, I just kick it a few times and it works.
You know, like bat man, but an evil overloard villain lol

The problem would be coming up with a protagonist able to stop them without dipping into Golden Age superman nonsense.

Video game wise I guess Dr Eggman is what I'd shoot for (The ones that are actually a threat to sonic) but I'd want to go further beyond haha.

 

[The Dark One]

Not the same but similar...

Something that annoyed the crap out of me a few years ago was reading Dan Brown's Inferno. It was a pretty terrible book, frankly, but one of its most annoying characteristics was the bizarre tendency of the evil guy to leave interesting clues for the protagonist to solve.

The evil guy was a deranged and utterly evil chap who wanted to destroy the world. He was quite passionate about his mission to destroy the world, so WHY would he go to the trouble of providing clues that might thwart his mission?

Utterly ridiculous but so much of that book was.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Not the same but similar...

Something that annoyed the crap out of me a few years ago was reading Dan Brown's Inferno. It was a pretty terrible book, frankly, but one of its most annoying characteristics was the bizarre tendency of the evil guy to leave interesting clues for the protagonist to solve.

The evil guy was a deranged and utterly evil chap who wanted to destroy the world. He was quite passionate about his mission to destroy the world, so WHY would he go to the trouble of providing clues that might thwart his mission?

Utterly ridiculous but so much of that book was.

Yeah, I feel that. Of course, I can also hit 'ridiculous' right out of the park.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Yeah, I feel that. Of course, I can also hit 'ridiculous' right out of the park.

I feel like I could nail Ridiculous but only so far as like say, Dr Eggman or Snidly and Smuttly
Maybe doofinshmirtz if the tone was right.

I like my villains to be an actual threat if I can help it, if they're too busy with their presentation to be a threat I feel I'm doing something wrong lol

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I feel like I could nail Ridiculous but only so far as like say, Dr Eggman or Snidly and Smuttly
Maybe doofinshmirtz if the tone was right.

I like my villains to be an actual threat if I can help it, if they're too busy with their presentation to be a threat I feel I'm doing something wrong lol

This popped into my head about our next book and it just keeps making me smile.

~~~
The dragon Char is only about 500 years old and not exactly on anyone's Who's Who list, so he's not really attracting the best of the best to his court in the wilds of Montana.
Jessie: Wait. You mean we're being invaded by dipshit trailer park dragons?
Brian: thinking over what Jessie just said Yeah. Yeah, I think we are.
Jessie: Oh f@ck that. Chuck, turn this thing around. We're going back right now. I'm not getting out-trailer-parked in my own f@cking town!

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

This popped into my head about our next book and it just keeps making me smile.

~~~
The dragon Char is only about 500 years old and not exactly on anyone's Who's Who list, so he's not really attracting the best of the best to his court in the wilds of Montana.
Jessie: Wait. You mean we're being invaded by dipshit trailer park dragons?
Brian: thinking over what Jessie just said Yeah. Yeah, I think we are.
Jessie: Oh f@ck that. Chuck, turn this thing around. We're going back right now. I'm not getting out-trailer-parked in my own f@cking town!

One of the reasons the entity that is attacking countries in my fictional settings is because she/it has no real form.

Closest thing she/it has to an actual form is a magical smog dragon of doom. (which, obviously why the mortals fear her) swords and stuff work on her though, don't ask me how.

After they fight the protagonists in a 'not so fair' battle (like those scripted RPG battles where you get mollywhopped) she decides to spare the group.
Puzzled, the main protagonist asks her why she spared the group. She responds with this.

"First of all, this is pathetic, I do so much enjoy playing with my food but mother above ya'll need some muscle...er, no offense."
She pauses after saying this and ponders for a moment.
"Actually, that's part of it, but I...kind of like how you lot smell...I think...you all shower at least more than the average adventuring party."

She leaves the group with this thought without warning. This leaves the group with lots of questions. One of which is this 'natural disaster' more sentient than we gave it credit for. And two, maybe we can befriend it and save everyone that way. It is truly a natural force that doesn't know what to do with all it's power.

 

[pmmg]

In Inferno, the reason given for the villain leaving clues was to waste the time of the WHO, and lead them to his manifesto, which explains what and why the virus was to do what it was to do. I guess he had an ego.


One reason a villain may clue the hero in is possibly to recruit them. If the hero understands the vision, surely they would sign on....

I am pretty sure there is no monologue in my book, but at some point the villain is going to have to explain why they have done what they did. Not sure how that will look. Its pretty much up in smoke already anyway. The hero did not cooperate, and time is running short.

 

[The Dark One]

In Inferno, the reason given for the villain leaving clues was to waste the time of the WHO, and lead them to his manifesto, which explains what and why the virus was to do what it was to do. I guess he had an ego.

And yet the real reason was to give the worthy professor (and the reader) something to think about.

It was so pathetic DB actually had a super-wealthy organisation whose sole purpose was to stage "events" to hoodwink the prof into getting the wrong idea - a sort of pre-loaded deus ex machina.

The book's high water mark of ludicrousness was when the prof's clue was reference to a particular chapter of Dante's Inferno, but all he had available was the first sentence or two of that chapter. No problem! The prof quickly deduced that the clue could only refer to a baptismal font in an obscure Italian church.

Jeez...

 

[pmmg]

I mean...what else would the clue lead to? Not all baptismal fonts are the same...

I dont follow Dan Brown, but he may be in a bind. People expect him to put out new stuff and is ideas may be spent. You gotta write about something, and a fun puzzle game is not the worst...

We'll just say your not a fan

I had this experience with HP. I forget which book it is, but in one, the Bad guy had to fix events so Harry would enter a contest, and then win it, so his plans could unfold? Why not just stuff Harry in the trunk of a car and drive off. With all that was required for that book to unfold, the villain just could not assure any of it would happen, and yet... But, I am not a fan of HP as it is.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Did somebody say monologue?

From Faerie Rising.
~~~

Cian’s breath was coming in short, sharp gasps. It was his fault? His parents had died because of him? But he looked back to Midir and again saw that smile. This time anger kindled in his belly, burning back the guilt and some of the fear. His hands dropped to his sides and balled into fists. “What did you have to do with it?”

The smile turned bitter again. “I had nothing to do with it. I did not court Éibhleann.”

“Why not?” It was out of his mouth before he could stop it. But, as frightened as he was, this was a side of the story he had never heard before.

Midir stepped away, looking like he was trying to decide something as he gazed out the window. When he turned back he looked serious. Sad. “I could not love her.”

Cian tilted his head. “I don’t understand. How did you know that?”

Midir sat in the chair across from Cian’s. “That will take some explaining. I want you to understand some things.”

That surprised Cian. “Why?”

“Because I made mistakes with Senán that I do not want to make with you.”

The quivering in Cian’s belly travelled up into his chest. What did that mean? Eyes wide, he could only nod.

Midir laced his fingers together. “So long ago that all but the very oldest of us have forgotten, I ruled a kingdom of my own. It was when our two worlds, Faerie and the Mortal Realm, were so intertwined as to be nearly indistinguishable. I had two wives, and by my eldest wife I had a daughter, Bri.” He paused, looking across the millennia to a vision only he could see. His voice lowered. “She was so gentle. I remember, when she was little, she would give me these sticky kisses that I couldn’t stand. I tried to forbid her sweets because she was always sticky from them, but even my most hardened warriors would give in to her smiles and pleading.” A smile that had nothing to do with sadism tugged at his mouth for a moment. “Bri grew into a beautiful girl, and one day she caught sight of a sidhe lord from the neighboring kingdom. She was very young, and her heart was untried, and she immediately fell in love with him. It seems he felt the same way. But she was my only child and he was not a Son of Dagda or even a descendant of one, and in my pride, I refused to let them be together. When he tried to meet with her I had soldiers run him and his men off—one of them died.

“Rumors jumble as they travel, and Bri and her ladies had watched my soldiers run the boys off and had seen one fall. The word that reached my daughter’s ear confirmed her worst fear, that it was her young love that had been slain. She took to her chamber and within the hour died of a broken heart.” Midir’s face had become expressionless, but he could not keep the pain from his eyes. “It was because of me and my damnable pride. The rumor was wrong, it wasn’t her young lord who died, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered to me was that I would never get another sticky kiss.” He glanced at Cian. “I took the name ‘Midir the Proud’ that day.”

Cian was afraid of Midir, but he could not help but ache for him a little. “You never had more children?”

He shook his head. “I lost everything worth having. My eldest wife warred against my younger wife, and in the end Fate took them both from me. Without my family, my kingdom was worthless to me. I wandered for a long time, much like Dagda himself now wanders, a king in name only.” His mouth twisted into the bitter smile. “Eventually, I even lost that.”

 

[Mad Swede]

I have trouble taking that sort of monologue seriously, although it does have its place in certain types of film.

I don't ever use them myself in my stories, instead I let the reader build their own picture of what the antagonists are up to and why. That way I can also leave a few red herrings and other plot hooks along the way to the reveal.