Editing Villain

{{Short description|Evil character or person}}
{{redirect-several|Villain|Villainy|Bad Guy|Badman}}
{{Distinguish|text=the feudal term [[Villein]]}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=October 2018}}
{{Original research|date=March 2019}}
}}
[[File:Bela Lugosi as Dracula.jpg|thumb|[[Count Dracula]] is an example of a villain in classic literature and film.]]
[[File:Bad guy riff.png|thumb|Theme from ''[[Mysterioso Pizzicato]]'', a [[cliché]] silent movie cue for villainy {{audio|Mysterioso Pizzicato.mid|Play}}]]

A '''villain''' (also known as a "'''[[wikt:black hat|black hat]]'''", "'''bad guy'''" or "'''baddy'''";<ref name="baddy-dictionary">[[The New Oxford Dictionary of English]] (1998) {{ISBN|0-19-861263-X}} – p.126 "'''baddy''' (also '''baddie''') '''noun''' (pl. '''-ies''') ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.".</ref> the [[feminine form]] is '''villainess''') is a [[stock character]], whether based on a historical narrative or one of [[literary fiction]]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary|Random House Unabridged Dictionary]]'' defines such a character as "a [[Cruelty|cruelly]] [[Malice (law)|malicious]] person who is involved in or devoted to [[wickedness]] or [[crime]]; scoundrel; or a character in a [[Play (theatre)|play]], [[novel]], or the like, who constitutes an important [[evil]] [[wikt:agency|agency]] in the plot".<ref>{{cite web |title=villain |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/villain |website=[[Dictionary.com]] |publisher=[[Wayback Machine]] |access-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402110610/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/villain |archive-date=2014-04-02 |language=en}}</ref> The [[antonym]] of a villain is a [[hero]].

The villain's structural purpose is to serve as the opposite to the hero character, and their motives or evil actions drive a plot along.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2021 |title=How to Write an Unforgettable Villain: Tips for Writing a Great Villain for Your Novel or Short Story |url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-an-unforgettable-villain-tips-for-writing-a-great-villain-for-your-novel-or-short-story |access-date=September 23, 2023 |website=MasterClass}}</ref> In contrast to the hero, who is defined by feats of ingenuity and [[bravery]] and the pursuit of [[justice]] and the greater good, a villain is often defined by their acts of selfishness, evilness, arrogance, cruelty, and [[wikt:cunning|cunning]], displaying [[Immorality|immoral]] behavior that can oppose or pervert justice.{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

==Etymology==
[[File:Villains before going to Work receiving their Lord's Orders Miniature in the Proprietaire des Choses Manuscript of the Fifteenth Century Library of the Arsenal in Paris.png|thumb|French villains in the 15th century before going to work, receiving their lord's orders.]]
The term ''villain'' first came into [[English language|English]] from the [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-French]] and [[Old French]] ''vilain'', which in turn derives from the [[Late Latin]] word ''villanus'',.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Robert K. Barnhart |author2=Sol Steinmetz |title=Chambers Dictionary of Etymology |date=1999 |publisher=Chambers |location=New York |isbn=0550142304 |page=1204}}</ref> This refers to those bound to the soil of the [[villa]], who worked on the equivalent of a modern estate in [[Late Antiquity]], in [[Italy]] or [[Gaul]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=David B. Guralnik |title=[[Webster's New World Dictionary]] |date=1984 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location=New York |isbn=0671418149 |edition=2nd college}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=October 2018}}

''Vilain'' later shifted to ''[[villein]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=villain |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/villain |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012053942/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/villain |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 12, 2018 |website=[[OxfordDictionaries.com|Oxford Dictionaries]] |access-date=October 11, 2018}}</ref> which referred to a person of less than knightly status, implying a lack of [[chivalry]] and [[courtesy]]. All actions that were unchivalrous or evil (such as [[betrayal|treachery]] or [[rape]]) eventually became part of the identity of a villain in the modern sense of the word. Additionally, ''villein'' came into use as a term of [[abuse]] and eventually took on its modern meaning.<ref>{{cite book |author1=C. S. Lewis |author-link=C. S. Lewis |title=Studies in Words |date=2013 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=9781107688650 |pages=120–121 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xONwBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA120 |access-date=October 11, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

The landed aristocracy of mediaeval Europe used politically and linguistically the Middle English descendant of ''villanus'' meaning "villager" (styled as ''vilain'' or ''vilein'') with the meaning "a person of uncouth mind and manners". As the common equating of manners with morals gained in strength and currency, the connotations worsened, so that the modern word ''villain'' is no unpolished villager but is instead (among other things) a deliberate scoundrel or criminal.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-villain-in-the-history-of-the-word-villain-isnt-the-villain |title=The History of the Word 'Villain' |access-date=August 22, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

At the same time, the mediaeval expression "vilein" or "vilain" is closely influenced by the word "vile", referring to something wicked or worthless.
As from the late 13th century, ''vile'' meant "morally repugnant; morally flawed, corrupt, wicked; of no value; of inferior quality; disgusting, foul, ugly; degrading, humiliating; of low estate, without worldly honor or esteem", from Anglo-French ''ville'', Old French ''vil'', from Latin ''vilis'' "cheap, worthless, of low value".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/vile |title=vile (adj.)|access-date=August 22, 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

==Classical literature==
In classical literature, the villain character is not always the same as those that appear in modern and postmodern incarnations, as the lines of morality are often blurred to imply a sense of [[ambiguity]] or affected by historical context and cultural ideas. Often the delineation of heroes and villains in such literature is left unclear.<ref>{{cite news |title=The greatest villains in literature |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/greatest-villains-literature/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/greatest-villains-literature/ |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=March 26, 2019 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=September 8, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Nevertheless, there are some exceptions to this such as [[Grendel]] from [[Beowulf]] who is unambiguously evil.

[[William Shakespeare]] modelled his [[archetypical]] villains as three-dimensional characters and acknowledged the complex nature that villains display in modern literature. For instance, he made [[Shylock]] a sympathetic character.  However, Shakespeare's incarnations of historical figures were influenced by the propaganda pieces coming from Tudor sources, and his works often showed this [[bias]] and discredited their reputation. For example, Shakespeare famously portrayed [[Richard III]] as a hideous monster who destroyed his family out of [[Spite (sentiment)|spite]].<ref name="inquiriesjournal.com">{{cite journal |last1=Blakeney |first1=Katherine |title=Perceptions of Heroes and Villains in European Literature |journal=Inquires Journal |date=2010 |volume=2 |issue=1 |url=http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/119/perceptions-of-heroes-and-villains-in-european-literature |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref> Shakespeare also ensured that [[Iago]] in [[Othello]] and Antonio in [[The Tempest]] were completely void of redeeming traits.

==Folk and fairy tales==
===Russian fairy tales===
In an analysis of Russian [[fairy tale]]s, [[Vladimir Propp]] concluded that the majority of stories had only eight "[[dramatis personae]]", one being the villain.<ref name="Propp">{{cite book |author1=Vladimir Propp |author-link1=Vladimir Propp |title=Morphology of the Folk Tale |date=1968 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=0292783760 |edition=2nd |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/morphologyoffolk00prop|access-date=September 5, 2019}}</ref>{{rp|79}} This analysis has been widely applied to non-Russian tales. The actions within a villain's sphere were:
* a story-initiating villainy, where the villain caused [[harm]] to the hero or his family
* a conflict between the hero and the villain, either a fight or other competition
* pursuing the hero after he has succeeded in winning the fight or obtaining something from the villain

When a character displays these traits, it is not necessarily tropes specific to the fairy tale genre, but it does imply that the one who performs certain acts to be the villain. The villain, therefore, can appear twice in a story to fulfill certain roles: once in the opening of the story, and a second time as the person sought out by the hero.<ref name="Propp"/>{{rp|84}}

When a character has only performed actions or displayed traits that coincide with Vladimir Propp's analysis, that character can be identified as a pure villain. Folklore and fairy tale villains can also play a myriad of roles that can influence or propel a story forward. In fairy tales, villains can perform an influential role; for example, a [[witch]] who fought the hero and ran away, and who lets the hero follow her, is also performing the task of "guidance" and thus acting as a helper.<ref name="Propp"/>{{rp|81}}

Propp also proposed another two [[archetypes]] of the villain's role within the narrative, in which they can portray themselves as villainous in a more general sense. The first is the [[false hero]]: This character is always villainous, presenting a false claim to be the hero that must be rebutted for the [[happy ending]].<ref name="Propp"/>{{rp|60}} Examples of characters who display this trait, and interfere with the success of a tale's hero, are the Ugly Sisters in [[Cinderella]] who chopped off parts of their feet to fit in the shoe.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Maria Tatar |author-link1=Maria Tatar |title=The Annotated Brothers Grimm |date=2004 |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company|W.W. Norton]] |isbn=0393058484 |page=136 |edition=1st}}</ref>

Another role for the villain would be the dispatcher, who sends the hero on their [[quest]]. At the beginning of the story, their request may appear benevolent or innocent, but the dispatcher's real intentions might be to send the hero on a journey in the hopes of being rid of them.<ref name="Propp"/>{{rp|77}}

The roles and influence that villains can have over a narrative can also be transferred to other characters – to continue their role in the narrative through another character. The legacy of the villain is often transferred through that of [[bloodline]]s (family) or a devoted follower. For example, if a [[dragon]] played the role of a villain but was killed by the hero, another character (such as the dragon's sister) might take on the legacy of the previous villain and pursue the hero out of revenge.<ref name="Propp"/>{{rp|81}}

===Villain archetypes===
The fairy tale genre utilises villains as key components to push the narrative forward and influence the hero's journey. These, while not as rounded as those that appear in other forms of literature, are what is known as [[archetypes]]. The archetypal villain is a common occurrence within the genre and come under different categories that have different influences on the protagonist and the narrative.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

====False donor====
The '''false donor''' is a villain who utilises [[trickery]] to achieve their ends. Often the false donor will pose as a benevolent figure or influence on the protagonist (or those associated with them) to present them with a deal. The deal will present a short-term solution or benefit for whoever accepts it and, in return, benefit the villain in the long term. During the story's climax, the hero often has to find a way to rectify the agreement in order to defeat the villain or achieve the happy ending.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Similarly, the [[devil]] archetype is one that also makes an offer to the protagonist (or someone associated with them) and appeals to their needs and desires. However, the devil archetype does not hide their intentions from the protagonist. The subsequent story often follows the protagonist's journey to try and [[annul]] the agreement before any damage can be done.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

====Beast====
The '''beast''' is a character who relies on their [[instinct]]s and ability to cause destruction to achieve their ends. The evil intentions of their actions are often easily identified, as they act without concern for others (or their [[wellbeing]]) or [[subtlety]]. The rampaging villain can take the form of a very powerful individual or a rampaging beast but is still one of the more dangerous villain archetypes due to their affinity for destruction.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

====Authority figure====
The '''authority figure''' is one that has already attained a level of command and power but always craves more. They are often driven by their desire for [[material wealth]], distinguished stature or great power and appear as a [[monarch]], [[corporate]] climber or other powerful individual. Their end goal is often the total domination of their corporation, nation, or world through mystical means or political manipulation. Often this villain is defeated by their own greed, pride, or arrogance.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

====Traitor====
The '''traitor''' is a villain who emphasizes the traits of trickery, manipulation and deception to achieve their goals, which is often to offer or supply information to the protagonist's opposition to halt them on their journey, often in exchange for their own freedom or safety. The traitor's goals are not always evil but the actions they commit to reach their goal can be considered inherently evil.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

==Animated villains==
Animation is home to several different villains. [[Winsor McCay]] in ''[[How a Mosquito Operates]]'' had a cartoon [[mosquito]] torment a human being and in 1925, [[Walt Disney]] created [[Pete (Disney)|Pete]] as an antagonist for the ''[[Alice Comedies]]'' with Pete later becoming an antagonist of [[Mickey Mouse]] and his friends and the first Disney villain. [[Fleischer Studios]] later had [[Bluto]] as the antagonist of the ''[[Popeye the Sailor (film series)|Popeye]]'' cartoons. [[Hanna-Barbera]] created [[Tom Cat|Tom]] as an antagonist of [[Jerry Mouse|Jerry]]. Likewise, the [[Looney Tunes]] had villains like [[Elmer Fudd]], [[Yosemite Sam]], [[Marvin the Martian]] and [[Blacque Jacque Shellacque]].

In 1937, Disney made the movie ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' and it had the [[Evil Queen (Disney)|Evil Queen]] as its antagonist. Since then, Disney made a lot of animated movies with villains based on fairy tale villains. [[Disney Villains]] became a major part of that franchise.

[[Saturday-morning cartoon]]s also had villains like [[Dick Dastardly]], [[Muttley]] and [[Snidely Whiplash]]. Since then, cartoon villains have had a reputation for being one-dimensional.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

In modern animation, animated villains that are more significant and fleshed out have become increasingly common as cartoons have begun to be favored by adults. Shows such as ''[[Adventure Time]]'', ''[[Gravity Falls]]'', and ''[[Rick and Morty]]'' range from child to adult cartoons but are all watched by a largely older audience.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

==Animated villain controversies==
It is sometimes alleged that villains in animated works, such as Disney movies, often embody stereotypes in a more direct way than live-action villains. That their character design is based on caricatures of racist, antisemitic, and/or homophobic stereotypes with exaggerated features. That female animated villains are portrayed in ways that feed into misogynistic ideas and traditional gender roles.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last1=Li-Vollmer |first1=Meredith |last2=LaPointe |first2=Mark E. |date=2003 |title=Gender Transgression and Villainy in Animated Film |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15405710pc0102_2 |journal=Popular Communication |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=93–94 |doi=10.1207/s15405710pc0102_2 |issn=1540-5702|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Allegations of misogyny===
Sattar Sharmin and Sanyat Tania have argued that animated villains frequently fall into two categories: women who exhibit societally undesirable traits, or men displaying feminine traits.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Sharmin; Sattar |first=Tania; Sanyat |date=January 2018 |title=Gender Politics in the Projection of "Disney" Villains |url=https://davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/5a2f76c6e2b71.pdf |website=Journal of Literature and Art Studies}}</ref> In the case of men with feminine traits, this may stem from both a [[Homophobia|homophobic]] and [[Misogyny|misogynistic]] point of view which is further discussed below.

As for female villains who are portrayed with "displeasing" characteristics, not only are they crafted to look unattractive, but their motivations for becoming evil are rooted in very trivial matters. Debra Bradley's survey on Disney films discovered that 28% of female villains, such as the [[Evil Queen (Disney)|evil queen]] and [[Lady Tremaine]], are influenced by jealousy/vanity whereas only 4% of male villains are driven by these same factors. Rather the men, such as [[Hades (Hercules)|Hades]] and [[Captain Hook]], have motives grounded in wealth and power, giving in to masculine stereotypes and signifying an attachment to the [[patriarchy]].<ref name=":0" />

Additionally, in animation there is a history of mothers and grandmothers being posed as the villains of many stories. [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[Coraline]]'' presents this phenomenon through the idea of the Other Mother. In ''[[Coraline (film)|Coraline]]'', the Other Mother is a loving, caring parent who welcomes Coraline to a new life, helping in the face of troubles back home.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goss |first=Jax |date=2009 |title=The Mother with the Button Eyes: An Exploration of the Story Construct of the 'Other-Mother' |url=https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/pecl/article/download/1159/1130 |journal=Papers: Explorations into Children's Literature |volume=19 |issue=1 |via=Informit}}</ref> By glorifying this other mother, the story paints Coraline's real mother as negligent, in turn causing her to be the villain of the story. Disney films also take on the motherly stereotypes in their villains.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bowman |first=Sarah Lynne |date=2011 |title=The Dichotomy of the Great Mother Stereotype in Disney Heroines and Villainesses |journal=Vader, Voldemort, and Other Villains |pages=80–88 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Other female villains are portrayed as hyper-sexual and powerful beings that are used to juxtapose the beauty or physical characteristics of the [[hero]]ine; for example, the [[Lady Tremaine]] and [[List of Disney's Cinderella characters|stepsisters]] in ''[[Cinderella (1950 film)|Cinderella]]''.<ref name=":12"/> Male villains also hold several traits that are characteristically feminine. Characters like [[Jafar (Aladdin)|Jafar (''Aladdin'')]] and [[Hades (Hercules)|Hades (''Hercules'')]] have features such as shaded eyelids and accentuated facial features, similar to those typically associated with femininity.<ref name=":12"/>

===Allegations of homophobic stereotypes===
:{{see also|Queer coding#Villains}}
Zachary Doiron has argued that animated villains are based on homophobic stereotypes. As an example, he brings up is effeminate men, sometimes referred to by subject experts as "sissy villains," where their mannerisms represent stereotypes relating to gay men.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Doiron |first=Zachary |date=2021 |title=Why is Satan Such a Sissy? An Exploration of the "Flaming Devil" Trope in Children's Animation |url=https://www.academia.edu/61683646 |journal=Journal of Religions and Cultures |volume=29 |pages=7–8 |via=academia.edu}}</ref> Another example is the depiction of masculine women, which emulates drag queens or butch lesbians. Adelia Brown makes a similar allegation about [[Ursula (The Little Mermaid)|Ursula]] from ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''. Ursula is closely modelled after the famous drag queen "[[Divine (performer)|Divine]]" with her heavy makeup, hair styled in a mohawk, and her nails painted bright red. Her goal throughout the film is to become queen and disrupt the coupling of [[Ariel (The Little Mermaid)|Ariel]] and [[Prince Eric]], both of which connect villainy to [[drag queen]]s, suggesting that there is inherent evil in those who do drag.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brown |first=Adelia |date=2021 |title=Hook, Ursula, and Elsa: Disney and Queer-coding from the 1950s to the 2010s |journal=The Macksey Journal |volume=2 |issue=43 |pages=7–9 |via=Scholastica}}</ref>

==Villainous foil==
[[File:Wicked Witch of the West W.W. Denslow.jpg|thumb|The [[Wicked Witch of the West]] from ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]'' is an example of a literary villain.]]
Villains in [[fiction]] commonly function in the dual role of adversary and [[Foil (literature)|foil]] to a story's heroes. In their role as an adversary, the villain serves as an obstacle the hero must struggle to overcome. In their role as a foil, they exemplify characteristics that are diametrically opposed to those of the hero, creating a contrast distinguishing heroic traits from villainous ones.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Other have pointed out that many acts of villains have a hint of wish-fulfillment,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Das |first1=Sisir Kumar |title=A History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956 |date=1995 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |isbn=9788172017989 |page=416 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqBjpV9OzcsC&pg=PA416 |access-date=October 11, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> which makes some readers or viewers identify with them as characters more strongly than with the heroes. Because of this, a convincing villain must be given a [[characterization]] that provides a [[Base motive|motive]] for doing wrong, as well as being a worthy adversary to the hero. As put by [[film critic]] [[Roger Ebert]]: "Each film is only as good as its villain. Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph."<ref>{{cite web |author1=Roger Ebert |author-link1=Roger Ebert |title=Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Movie Review (1982) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-trek-ii-the-wrath-of-khan-1982 |website=RogerEbert.com |access-date=October 11, 2018 |language=en |date=January 1, 1982}}</ref>

==Portraying and employing villains in fiction==
The [[actor]] [[Tod Slaughter]] typically portrayed villainous characters on both stage and screen in a [[melodramatic]] manner, with mustache-twirling, [[eye-rolling]], [[leering]], [[evil laughter|cackling]], and [[hand-rubbing]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Bryan Senn |title=Golden Horrors: An Illustrated Critical Filmography of Terror Cinema, 1931–1939 |date=1996 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786401758 |page=481}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Jeffery Richards |title=The Unknown 1930s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema, 1929–39 |date=2001 |publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]] |isbn=9781860646287 |page=150}}</ref>

==Villains in film==
In 1895, [[Thomas Edison]] and [[Alfred Clark (director)|Alfred Clark]] made ''[[The Execution of Mary Stuart]]'' depicting [[Mary, Queen of Scots]] being decapitated. It describes neither Mary nor her executioner as villains (though at the time, it was deemed so realistic that audience members believed an actual woman had been beheaded in the making of that film.) In 1896, [[Georges Méliès]] made a horror film titled ''[[The House of the Devil (1896 film)|The House of the Devil]]'' which had [[The Devil]] as an antagonist. Edison's ''[[The Great Train Robbery (1903 film)|The Great Train Robbery]]'', released in 1903 had the bandits who rob the train as its villains. In 1909, there was a feature length adaptation of ''[[Les Misérables]]'' with [[Javert]] as a villain and in 1910, [[Otis Turner]] had a Wicked Witch as the villain of a short film adaptation of ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910 film)|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]''. In 1914, [[Lois Weber]] made a film of ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' with [[Phillips Smalley]] as a villainous [[Shylock]].

The 1915 film ''[[The Birth of a Nation]]'' has "Northern carpetbaggers" inciting black violence as its villains.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://decentfilms.com/reviews/birthofanation#:~:text=There%20are%20offensive%20depictions%20of,the%20blacks%20to%20unruly%20behavior | title=The Birth of a Nation (1915) &#124; Decent Films - SDG Reviews }}</ref> The 1916 film ''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'' has a man named Charles Denver as its villain. In the same year, ''[[Snow White (1916 film)|Snow White]]'' had Queen Brongomar as a villain. The 1923 film ''[[The Ten Commandments (1923 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'' has the main character's brother be a villain due to his commitment to breaking all of the [[Ten Commandments]]. In 1937, [[Walt Disney]]'s ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' had the [[Evil Queen (Disney)|Evil Queen]] as a villain. In 1939, ''[[The Wizard of Oz]]'' had [[Wicked Witch of the West]] as its villain. In the 1940s, serial films about [[superhero]]es introduced supervillains as characters like Dr. Dana in ''[[Batman (serial)|Batman]]''. The 1949 film ''[[Samson and Delilah (1949 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'' has [[Hedy Lamarr]] as the villainous [[Delilah]] and [[George Sanders]] as the villainous Prince of [[Gaza City|Gaza]].

In 1953, [[Byron Haskin]] made a film of ''[[The War of the Worlds (1953 film)|The War of the Worlds]]''. Like the book, it has [[Martians]] as villains.

[[Cecil B. DeMille]]'s 1956 remake of ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]'' had two main villains. [[Ramesses II]], played by [[Yul Brynner]] and [[Dathan]] played by [[Edward G. Robinson]]. (It also had [[Nefertari]] be a [[Lady Macbeth]] figure egging Ramesses on.)

In 1960, the film ''[[Spartacus (film)|Spartacus]]'' had [[Marcus Licinius Crassus]] as its villain. In the same year, the film ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' had [[Norman Bates]] as a villainous protagonist. The 1962 film ''[[To Kill a Mockingbird (film)|To Kill a Mockingbird]]'', like the book, had [[Bob Ewell]] as its villain. Other 1960s films like ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]'' and ''[[The Great Escape (film)|The Great Escape]]'' had [[Nazis]] as their villains.

Beginning with ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' in 1962, every ''[[James Bond]]'' film has had a villain.

There were also villains in 1960s children's film. For instance, ''[[101 Dalmatians (1961 film)|101 Dalmatians]]'' and the 1966 ''[[Batman (1966 film)|Batman]]'' both had villains. The former having [[Cruella de Vil]] and the latter being the first time comic book supervillains were adapted to film.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films introduced [[Darth Vader]] and [[Emperor]] [[Palpatine]].

1980s films had villains like [[Khan Noonien Singh|Khan]] in ''[[Star Trek]]'', [[John Kreese]] in ''[[The Karate Kid]]'' and its sequels, [[Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet]] in the ''[[Terminator (franchise)|Terminator]]'' films, [[Biff Tannen]] in the ''[[Back to the Future]]'' films, [[The Joker]] in [[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]] and [[Dark Helmet]] in ''[[Spaceballs]]''.

1990s films had villains like General Mandible in ''[[Antz]]'', [[Dennis Nedry]] in ''[[Jurassic Park]]'', Edgar in ''[[Men in Black (1997 film)|Men in Black]]'', [[Van Pelt]] in ''[[Jumanji]]'', Rameses in ''[[The Prince of Egypt]]'', Carrigan in ''[[Casper (film)|Casper]]'' and Shan-Yu in ''[[Mulan (1998 film)|Mulan]]''. The ''Star Wars'' prequels also introduced several villains in addition to those the franchise already had.

Early 2000s films like the [[Spider-Man (2002 film series)|''Spider-Man'' trilogy]], ''[[The Dark Knight Trilogy]]'', the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' films, ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' films and ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'' all had villains like, [[Green Goblin]], [[Two-Face]], [[Lord Voldemort]], [[Saruman]] and [[Miles Quaritch]].

In the 2010s, the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] and the [[DC Extended Universe]] have had several notable supervillains such as [[Thanos (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Thanos]] and [[General Zod]].

==Female villain==
[[File:Joseph Alanen - Kalevala rya.jpg|thumb|[[Louhi]], the wicked queen and mistress of [[Pohjola]], is a villain of the Finnish epic poetry ''[[Kalevala]]''. [[Rya (rug)|Rya]] of ''Louhi stealing the sun and the moon'', Joseph Alanen, c. 1909.]]
The term '''villain''' is the universal term for characters who pose as [[wikt:catalyst|catalyst]]s for certain ideals that readers or observers find immoral, but the term "villainess" is often used to highlight specific traits that come with their female identity—separating them, in some aspects, from their male counterparts. The use of the female villain (or villainess) is often to highlight the traits that come specifically with the character and the abilities they possess that are exclusive to them. For example, one of the female villain's greatest weapons is her alluring beauty, sexuality or emotional intelligence. The perversion of inherently female traits in [[storytelling]] also alludes to the [[demon]]ic display of the [[succubus]] and their affinity for utilizing their beauty as a weapon—a trait utilized by many female villains throughout modern fiction and mythology. However, this is not always the case. As seen often in animated films, female villains are portrayed with "ugly" appearances to contrast the beauty of the protagonist, in turn associating unattractiveness with evil. This paints female villains in a negative light compared to their heroine counterparts and showcases the duality of the female villain character.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sharmin |first1=Tania |last2=Sattar |first2=Sanyat |date=January 2018 |title=Gender Politics in the Projection of "Disney" Villains |url=https://davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/5a2f76c6e2b71.pdf |journal=Journal of Literature and Art Studies |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=53–57 |via=David Publishing}}</ref>

==Use of the term "villain" to describe historical figures and real-life people==
The ethical dimension of history poses the problem of judging those who acted in the past, and at times, tempts scholars and historians to construct a world of black and white in which the terms "hero" and "villain" are used arbitrary and with the pass of time become interchangeable. These binaries of course are reflected to varying degrees in endless movies, novels, and other fictional and non-fictional narratives.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Miles |first1=James |title=Heroes and villains {{!}} The Historical Thinking Project Blog |date=2010 |url=https://historicalthinking.ca/blog/598 |access-date=August 22, 2021}}</ref>

As processes of [[globalization]] connect the world, cultures with different historical trajectories and political traditions will need to find ways to work together not only economically, but also politically. In this evolving framework of globalization, tradition, according to political theorists like [[Edmund Burke]], historical figures perceived and evaluated as either positive or negative become the embodiment of national political cultures that may collude or collide against one another.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hanke |first1=Katja |last2=Liu |first2=James |title=Heroes and Villains of World History across Cultures|journal= PLOS ONE|date=2015 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=e0115641 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0115641 |pmid=25651504 |pmc=4317187 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1015641H |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The usage of villain to describe a historical figure dates back to Tudor propaganda, pieces of which ended up influencing [[William Shakespeare]]'s portrayal of [[Richard III]] as a spiteful and hunchback [[tyrant]].<ref name="inquiriesjournal.com"/>

==Sympathetic villain==
{{more citations needed section|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Frankenstein's monster (Boris Karloff).jpg|thumb|[[Frankenstein's monster]], an example of a sympathetic villain]]
The '''sympathetic villain''' or '''anti-villain''' or '''tragic villain''' is one with the typical traits of a villainous character but differs in their [[motivation]]s. Their intention to cause chaos or commit evil actions is driven by an ambiguous motivation or is not driven by an intent to cause evil. Their intentions may coincide with the [[Utilitarianism|ideals of a greater good, or even a desire to make the world a better place]], but their actions are inherently evil in nature. An anti-villain is the opposite of an antihero. While the antihero often fights on the side of good, but with questionable or selfish motives, the anti-villain plays a villain's game, but for a noble cause in a way that the audience or other characters can sympathize with. They may be more noble or heroic than an antihero, but the means to achieve their ends are often considered exploitative, immoral, unjust, or simply evil. Characters who fall into this category are often created with the intention of humanizing them, making them more relatable to the reader/viewer by posing the "how" and "why" behind their motivations rather than simply creating a one-dimensional character. Because of their motives, many of these types of villains are commonly nicknamed "anti-villains".

American writer [[Brad Warner]] has argued that "only cartoon villains cackle with glee while rubbing their hands together and dream of ruling the world in the name of all that is wicked and bad".<ref>{{cite book |author1=Brad Warner |author-link=Brad Warner |title=Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye |date=2007 |publisher=New World Library |isbn=9781577315599 |page=[https://archive.org/details/sitdownshutuppun00warn/page/119 119] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sitdownshutuppun00warn/page/119|access-date=September 5, 2019}}</ref> American writer [[Ben Bova]] recommends to writers that their works not contain villains. He states, in his ''Tips for writers'':<blockquote>In the real world there are no villains. No one actually sets out to do evil . . . Fiction mirrors life. Or, more accurately, fiction serves as a lens to focus on what they know in life and bring its realities into sharper, clearer understanding for us. There are no villains cackling and rubbing their hands in glee as they contemplate their evil deeds. There are only people with problems, struggling to solve them.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Ben Bova |author-link=Ben Bova |title=Tips for writers |url=http://benbova.com/tips2.html |website=Ben Bova |access-date=2008-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821135403/http://benbova.com/tips2.html |archive-date=2009-08-21 |date=2008-01-28}}</ref></blockquote>

Following up on Bova's point, American writer [[David Lubar]] adds that the villain "may be driven by greed, neuroses, or the conviction that his cause is just, but he's driven by something, not unlike the things that drive a hero."<ref>{{cite web |author1=Darcy Pattison |author-link=Darcy Pattison |title=Villains Don't Always Wear Black |url=https://www.darcypattison.com/writing/characters/villains-dont-always-wear-black/ |website=Fiction Notes |access-date=June 6, 2020 |date=January 28, 2008}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[wikt:adversary|Adversary]]
* [[Antagonist]]
* [[Antihero]]
* [[wikt:archnemesis|Archnemesis]]
* [[Archenemy]]
* [[Criminal]]
* [[Enemy]]
* [[Evil laughter]]
* [[Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role]] Since 1991, Bollywood has recognized the best actors portraying a villain.
* [[List of soap opera villains]]
* [[Lovable rogue]]
* [[Nemesis (mythology)]]
* [[Raoul Villain]]
* [[Rival (disambiguation)]]
* [[Supervillain]]
* [[Tyrant]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Stock characters}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villains| ]]
[[Category:Good and evil]]
[[Category:Fantasy tropes]]
[[Category:Literary archetypes]]
[[Category:Antagonists]]
[[Category:Mythological archetypes]]
[[Category:Mythological characters]]
[[Category:Stock characters]]