Types of Villians

Hello there. If you can't tell already this is going to be a blog all about villains and what makes them the way they are. I will mainly be focusing on Disney villains but I may branch out and blog about a hero from a book. In order to see these things you need to know the different villain types. Each villain has something that makes him or her different from other villains. Placing the villains into categories makes it easier for us to understand their behavior. Villains that are the same type are more likely to have similar characteristics, hence the different types help us analyze them.

Here is a list of the different types of villains that I have compiled:

Power-Hungry: This villain is one who wants to move to a higher place in his or her society and gain control of a person/place. These villains tend to come into direct conflict with the societal/governmental leaders. These power-hungry villains are also generally in some position of power whether it is among their followers or in this society.

Personal-Gain: This is a villain that is motivated by an item they want to get. He or she comes into conflict with the hero because they are either both looking for the same item or the hero has this item. This type of villain can easily overlap with "Power-Hungry" as well. (This is a very common occurence with most main villains in Disney movies) However if the villain is not also "Power-Hungry" he or she will sometimes go as far as to betray their allies in order to get what he or she desires. The things that personal-gain villains desire can vary depending on where he or she comes from (or in some case if they are even human)

Revenge-Seeking: This is a villain who feels wronged by the hero in some way and spends most of the story trying to get even with them. This villain can easily mix with "personal-gain" and "power-hungry" villains making them pretty ruthless at times. However if he or she is solely bent on revenge and nothing else he or she may feel content with humiliating the hero and then may leave them alone. (It happens sometimes... more in "childish" villains than others)

Puppet-Master: This is a villain who manipulates the people around them to their advantage. To this villain, their dispute with the hero may mean no more to him or her than a game of chess. Therefore this villain may have a lot of henchmen who can be disposed of as needed. This villain may go out of their way to taunt/threaten/scare the hero as they see fit, (this may happen a lot in the beginning but as the villain starts to lose confidence they won't risk it unless stupidty is one of their main characteristics. ) The hero fighting this villain may have a lot of trouble defeating this villain due to this 'game' the villain is playing with them. Another thing to note is that this villain plays with a full deck, he or she may have a double agent hidden in the hero's inner circle.

Havoc-Wreaking: This villain lives purely for causing hysteria. The way this villain comes into conflict with the hero because of their love for havoc. This villain may appear as a minor setback to the hero on their journey.

The 180 Villain: This villain starts out as somebody that you think is good but is later revealed to be allied with the main villain. This villain is either caught in the act by the hero or he or she will reveal themselves. Most 180 villains are traitors however, their are a few big villains who hang out with the hero and say "By the way, I'm the main villain." Sometimes they are caught in the act by the hero. Main villains who hide amongst the hero's friends are not very common. If the villain is a traitor, his or her intentions will be revealed to the audience early on.

Childish: This a foolish villain with simple motives and actions rather than a sinister plan. This villain is easily defeated by the hero every time the two meet. This villain generally appears in children's shows and movies to create a plot that is kid friendly.

Obstacle Villain: This is villain who tries to distract the hero from his mission or try to stop him completely. These villains could be working for someone higher up (the villain the hero has the main conflict with) or are bothering the hero on their own. They are different from a normal obstacle villain because they have malicious intent.

Accidental Villains: This is a villain who you really don't think should be one. They tend to be an amiable characters who have no malicious intent whatsoever. This type of villain tends to work for a higher up and is a villain because they answer to one. (Note: This villain is not to be confused with a kind villain who has his or her own evil agenda.)

Please keep in mind that their could be overlap in the types of villain a single character can be.