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Q&A How do you write an evil character without making him "sexy" or "cool"?

Cowardice. Villains who are bold and brave like Darth Vader have a cool factor because of their boldness and bravery. However evil their deeds, they display characteristics that we admire and would...

posted 7y ago by Mark Baker‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2020-01-03T20:41:54Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/28990
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:42:25Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/28990
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:42:25Z (almost 5 years ago)
Cowardice. Villains who are bold and brave like Darth Vader have a cool factor because of their boldness and bravery. However evil their deeds, they display characteristics that we admire and would wish to possess. But the cowardly villain, the obsequious sneak like Uriah Heap or Wormtongue has not such attractive qualities.

There is a story (probably apocryphal) about a Harley Davidson executive saying something to the effect "What we sell is the ability for a forty year old accountant to ride into a small town and have people be afraid of him." It is that ability to awe people, to make them take a step back, that we would all like to have, that would make us feel powerful and respected and safe, that we admire in the cool villain.

The uncool villain is simply someone we projects no such similar properties, the villain who works by stealth and lies, but whom children would not be afraid to throw stones at if they met them in the street and knew them for what they were.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-06-29T10:09:29Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 3