How to Convincingly Write a Villain Being Responsible for All Conflicts in the Story
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on March 9, 2025, 5:54 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
There have been numerous stories in which the main villain is responsible for the majority of the conflicts in the story, and some stories execute that twist in a very convincing manner, while others do not.
I consider the original six Star Wars movies to be a well-written example, since the story, when followed in chronological order, established from the very beginning that Palpatine/Darth Sidious had been manipulating events from behind the scenes for a very long time, so the idea of him being responsible for the majority of the conflicts in the series was very convincing to the audiences. Also, in Inuyasha, the main villain, Naraku, was responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the majority of the conflicts in the story, and, in Bleach, the main villain, Sōsuke Aizen, was responsible for the majority of conflicts in that story, as well, but, in both cases, the writers established the characters as being masters of manipulation and forming diabolical schemes. Conversely, the first three James Bond films that starred Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall), each initially appeared to be their own self-contained stories, but the fourth film, Specter, attempted to connect the plots of those movies as schemes enacted by Blofeld, the main villain of the fourth film, but that twist was clearly a last-minute addition by the writers, since none of the previous three films at all hinted that there was any connection between their plots. Similarly, in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, the twist that Palpatine had returned to life and was manipulating events from behind the scenes was so poorly executed that it was clear that the writers had no idea how to follow the story from The Last Jedi and attempted to retcon the events of the previous two films as part of Palpatine's plans. Also, in the Dark Shadows film from several years ago, the main female character's two children were both afflicted by curses, and the main villainess of the film revealed that she was responsible for both of those curses, but she made that revelation at the climax of the film, and there had not been any proper foreshadowing, before that, so that twist felt very contrived and forced, as if the writers did no conceive of it until late in the writing process, and were not able to re-write the earlier parts of the script to include proper foreshadowing.
Therefore, I would like to ask everyone else, about this issue; what does everyone else say? How can a writer convincingly write a story in which the main villain (or a villain) is responsible for the majority of the conflicts in that story? I certainly am interested to hear your thoughts, about this subject.
Skillville says... #3
The conflict comes from existence. So long as there is more than 1 person in the universe, there shall always be conflict.
March 11, 2025 6:41 a.m.
For me, it boils down to viewpoints and being able to put yourself in their shoes. To have a connection to the hero is important, but to have a reason for the villian be the main villan, it has to be pointed out well to the readers/watchers. That in my opinion is why star wars works. The destruction of Alderan proved that the empire was willing to do whatever it takes. No mater the cost. That is what a good villan needs.
March 11, 2025 3:21 p.m.
DemonDragonJ - one thing I forgot to add is quality character building is a must. It pulls people in when done right, and when not enough attention is paid to it, the story can feel sloppy or even totally miss the mark. Details matter.
March 11, 2025 6:54 p.m.
Is the author trying to hide the villain's involvement, or are the villain's activities visible to the audience?
If the author wants the reveal of the villain to be shocking or a twist to the audience, they need to sprinkle in a little foreshadowing, as you mention. This is delicate and partially dependent on the audience and the genre--too much, and the surprise is ruined; too little, and it seems arbitrary and contrived. There's no "perfect" one-size-fits-all amount. A good reveal lets the audience go back and find all the clues they overlooked the first time.
But sometimes, the author can use dramatic irony to get similar results. They can show the villain being evil, punching puppies and taking candy from babies, but manipulating the good guys. The good guys are unaware of the villain's intentions, and in extreme cases can even come to trust and rely on the villain, all while the audience watches in suspense. In this case, the conflict isn't "Who's the mastermind?" but "Will the heroes realize before it's too late?"
March 12, 2025 4:34 a.m.
DemonDragonJ says... #7
legendofa, for the purposes of this discussion, the involvement of the villain should be a surprise to the audience, as well as to the heroes (as with the example from Bleach that I mentioned, above).
sergiodelrio says... #2
The Bond movies you mention are more-or-less remakes of previous Bond movies which are themselves based on novels. The one attempting the tie-up you mention is "Thunderball", which itself has a nice little creative controversy going on. You possibly still have a point tho.
March 9, 2025 7:41 p.m.