holly-frey:The Redemption of a Villain is a trope that is quite common in today’s fiction. The idea
holly-frey:The Redemption of a Villain is a trope that is quite common in today’s fiction. The idea of second chances and the concept of everyone having a little good them is a hopeful one; some may even say idealistic. The critical feature of a redeemed villain is that they are so compelling and why we seem to gravitate towards them more than the actual heroes of our story. An example of this trope is probably Loki in the MCU. He is the main villain of the first Thor and Avengers movie, but his redemption in Thor: Dark World and Ragnarok make him one of the best and most fleshed characters in the MCU. So why should you redeem some of your villains in your story?Why Turn Your Villain GoodOne of the best parts of your Villain joining the good side rather than their original bad side is the new dynamics that form with your new hero and your original ones. You can have friendly banter about that one time they were about to kill them or threatened them with torture or whatever you want. Their old villainess ways are old jokes that are brought up in nostalgic or semimetal ways. Their new relationship and already flexible moral compass bring out some of the best dynamics. Not only do you get new relationships but you also have a super compelling character. Like I said before characters who are recently redeemed have a tone that is full of hope and sometimes it is a little scary as it shows people who are in the grey area rather than just the Black and White. Just the concept of a redeemed villain means that they have a flexible moral compass showing that people don’t have to be all good in order to be a hero. I would like to also talk about the complex inner conflict and monologue redeemed villains have. They constantly are at war with themselves and their nature. Sometimes they are a bit lost in their purpose as they aren’t a bad guy but are they a good guy? Writing about someone figuring out their place in the world is great, and the audience loves some good old conflict but what if you write this wrong?Problems that You will Come Across When Turning Your Villain GoodOkay, so maybe your heroes don’t warm put to your reformed villain. Maybe they don’t like the idea of someone who had repeatedly tried to kill them fighting on their side. Maybe they are a little suspicious. Honestly, I would like to think that would be a reasonable response, but when you reformed your villain and showed your audience the change of heart and redemption, the audience is on their side. They think yes! Go be a good guy! But when your redeemed villain becomes a good guy, your other protagonists don’t trust them. Not at all. This can cause your audience to have a disconnect with your protagonist which is never a good idea. If the audience sides with the good guys they have a disconnect with a villain that you are trying to make another protagonist. This is when it gets hard. You want each side to be reasonable but not unrealistic. I think it is important to show both perspectives and show the apprehensiveness. I would also like to note that turning all your villains good is not a great idea. Terrible one really. This is super unrealistic. Not everyone can be swayed by the power of love and friendship. Humans or whoever your antagonist is don’t all work that way. Villains that can be redeemed have to have a particular set of traits in order for it to be realistic for them to turn away from their bad ways. Another thing not to do is making their turn to the good side like a flip of a switch; it takes all suspense and tension away from your story. All the good inner conflict and turmoil is gone! All that good stuff is thrown off a cliff. So how do I redeem a villain?How to Redeem Your VillainNow, I have rattled on about why and problems you will come across when redeeming your villain but I haven’t actually told you how. You have several paths that you can take when redeeming a villain, all equally good in their own way. You have a villain who becomes good on their own accord. There isn’t a big dramatic scene when they switch, but after examining their life choices, they decide that the bad side isn’t good for them. This is a path which you have to be subtle; you must give them doubts about the bad side, questioning their happiness and their mindset. Often these characters flop between the bad side and good side. They are usually joining for their own benefit. Another path is that you have a villain who has boundaries. They have a line that they do not cross and when the other bad guys do they finally see what damage that they have caused and decide to change their path. Unlike the other path, it wasn’t their choice to change; they were pushed to change. This path may be a bit cliché. It probably happens in media that is aimed for younger audiences but this is a path which they have a talk, either willingly or unwillingly with the protagonist and they change sides from the power of friendship. This is quite simplified, but it still is a compelling path. Another way your villain could be redeemed is that they have a big heroic sacrifice in a big dramatic scene where they declare their loyalty to the protagonist. This usually ends with them dying afterwards. An example of this is Darth Vader in Star Wars. Subverting this TropeThis trope is easily subverted. There are three different subversions that I can come up with that could shock your audiences completely. Was Evil All AlongMaybe you didn’t redeem your villain maybe it all was a distraction while they complete their mission for the bad guys. Okay, this is a bit of a downer because you have gotten your audience and your other characters to warm up to this antagonist and they stab everyone in the back. This is good for shock value. Are Conflicted Even Though They Are on the Good SideThis could be their old self threatening to take over again or a simple questioning of their lives like they did before. They may even go to the bad side. Honestly, I really don’t like this subversion as it can become quite messy. Tricked You AllYour reformed villain goes to the bad side again. They do something truly awful to be accepted, and they are. Actually, they become the puppet-master tricking everyone for their own benefit or agenda. Extra NotesWow this was long. Super Long. There is just so much to say about this trope. I was actually conflicted on whether to make this a character or trope talk but ultimately decided trope talk. I hope this was helpful! Please talk to me about any reformed villains that you love! -- source link