What makes villains so great?

There is no good without evil; and there is no hero without a villain.

In every story, the hero and the villain are two opposing forces, fighting against each other to come out on top. In some cases, the villain is the obstruction that the hero must overcome to fulfill his dreams. In other cases, however, the hero exists simply to prevent the villain from achieving their goals.

A great story is defined by a great villain. In most stories, we see that the villains are often much more complicated and developed than the heroes they face. The presence of an underdeveloped villain can completely ruin the experience of the story, no matter how entertaining the rest of the story may be.

So what makes a villain great?

1. Backstory (or lack thereof) : A backstory is the best way to reveal the motives and history of a villain. We understand why the villain is the way he is rather than just having to accept that he is bad for the sake of the plot. Loki Odinson, the villain of the Thor movies and The Avengers, is one of the most engaging villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His backstory shows us how a young, adopted boy, 'living in the shade of [his brother's] greatness', grew up to be resentful and angry towards his father and brother. This sets him off on a quest to prove his worth, wanting to rule the Kingdom of Asgard to show his greatness.However, in certain cases, a lack of backstory may be what works best for a villain. Heath Ledger's interpretation of The Joker in The Dark Knight went down as one of the greatest villains in the history of cinema. In the movie, The Joker appears out of nowhere and goes about doing what he does best - causing chaos. There is no explanation given about the past of the character which makes him all the more mysterious; and threatening.
2. Embodiment of Fear : The villains are not only the polar opposites of the heroes, they are also the embodiment of their deepest, darkest fears and nightmares. The villain is everything the hero despises and fears. But it is not enough that our rebellious, freedom-loving protagonist must face a fascist dictator, the hatred must be profoundly personal. Luke Skywalker does not just want to bring down the Empire, he wants to take revenge on Darth Vader for the death of his loved ones. Great villains are made when things get personal.
3. Sympathy : No one is all bad. Villains are no exception. All the great villains have something good about them, no matter how bad or evil they are. Wilson Fisk, from the Netflix series Daredevil, is a ruthless kingpin who shows no remorse over the people he has killed. However, there is another side to him - he cares deeply for his ill mother, is madly in love with his fiance and only wants to rebuilt the city because he loves it. Every great villain has such a side. And this helps humanize them. This is what makes them deep, complex, three dimensional; real.

Villains are only villains because we haven't heard their side of the story yet. When we do hear a story from the villain's point of view, then they cease to become the villain. They become the anti-hero. So, how well does this translate to real life? Simply with the realization that there is no absolute right or wrong. No absolute good or bad. There are only perspectives. There are two sides to every story. Great villains reflect real life, showing there is good and bad in everyone. That's what makes them memorable, and fascinating. Look around you. There is good and bad in all people. You may be the hero of your own story, but you're the villain in someone else's.

Art imitates life; and life imitates art.

Have a nice day.