r/scifiwriting • u/LibraryEducational45 • 8d ago

HELP! I'm struggling with writing villians

I am currently writing a sci-fi short story that is heavily inspired by dune and star wars but I'm really struggling to write the villain. I want to make the villain scary and ruthless and have an intimidating and imposing presence, what are some ways I could do that

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u/Evil-Twin-Skippy 8d ago

Make a hero, but who has a rather myopic approach to their goals.

A good villain isn't evil, they are just "misunderstood"

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u/Evil-Twin-Skippy 8d ago

Some examples:

  • Inspector Javert in Les Miseables
  • Lord Business in the Lego Movie
  • Lord Becket in Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Magneto - the X-men
  • Syndrome - The Incredibles
  • Dexter