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Not only your protagonists need to be appealing enough to keep your readers attached to them - villains will also make our break your story. There are lots of different types of villains, here are some :
One of my top favorite villains, periodt. They’re resourceful, cunning, and almost always a step ahead of the hero. They can find ways to defeat their enemies without getting their hands dirty, usually through strategy and manipulation. (Ex. Azula)
Basically the polar opposite of the Mastermind. Unlike them, these types of villains tend to rely on their physical prowess to fight their enemies. Most of the time, they’re ruthless and literal monsters - thus the name.
Corrupted villains is probably the most tragic villain type of all, because they used to be good people (bonus points if they used to be a hero in the story), but due to… some torturing from the writers, they undergo a corruption arc and becomes a villain. I think corrupted villains have the most potential for character development, because you can explore in depth their backstory, personality, and morality to show your readers why they became villains. These villains might get redemption arcs since they used to be good people after all, but if they’re too corrupted, they’re screwed.
One of the most overrated tropes in my opinion, and it’s getting boring, but when done right, it can make an amazing villain. The Dark Lord is a villain with evil intentions who has an army of loyal soldiers. They’re usually very experienced (and edgy), like Lord Voldemort from HP.
I made this name up, so don’t go researching it because all you’ll find is Marvel’s Avengers lmao. Anyway, the Avenger is a type of villain whose motive is fueled by the desire for vengeance on the hero. They’re actually the most dangerous type of villain, because their motives are blinded by pure hatred and they’d risk anything to get their revenge. They won’t listen to reasoning, and are often morally gray.
This type of villain is also one of my top favorites. The Mirror are villains who are foils to the hero. Whether it’s in terms of personality, backstory, or motive, it’s up to you - you can be as creative as possible! These villains are really complex, because despite having numerous striking resemblances to the hero, they still ended up on the “evil side”. This can be a handy tool to show your readers how your hero would have turned out if they had chosen another path.
They’re villains who are hungry for money, power, status, or anything in general, really. People tend to hate greedy characters, so this will be a perfect opportunity to create a villain all your reader would hate - or not. Even better, you could make your greedy villain have a good side that your readers will root for - so they’ll wonder why on earth they ended up liking this greedy lil sh*t.
A powerful villain who can easily pass as the main antagonist, but is actually only a decoy villain doing dirty work for a bigger antagonist. Henchman villains are a perfect tool for plot twists, since your readers will assume they’re the main villain - until their boss is revealed.
