Hero and Villain/Protagonist and Antagonist Relationships
We all have that one favorite hero and villain duo that lives rent free in our minds. Maybe its as classic as Spiderman and the Green Goblin or Batman and the Joker or perhaps a newer bunch like Walter White and to be honest, his villain is himself. But the case in point remains the same, these characters all had something in common, a fantastic and deep relationship that put them up against each other. Perhaps its the same goal, or ideologies, but someway or another these two characters will be clashing.
These characters share a common thread—an electrifying connection that transcends the pages or screens they inhabit. It could be a clash of ideals, a battle for dominance, or a deeply personal vendetta. Whatever the catalyst, it fuels the fire of conflict between them, drawing us into their world with a magnetic pull.
Lets take a look at how, and why, we are so attracted to good heroes and villains
The Necessary Opponent
First and foremost the villain that your hero needs to go up against should be their necessary opponent. Meaning that they share the same goal or are going after the same thing. The One Ring for example. Sauron is Frodo’s one necessary opponent although he never confronts him directly, more or less dealing with things the dark lord throws at him. In retrospect Sauron is kind of a wimp, but that’s not the point. It would be less cool if Frodo had ‘the other ring’ and Sauron could give two craps about the hobbit. In that case its more or less a walk in the park to a forge to melt the ring down. But the fact it was a race and Sauron needed the ring and Frodo had it (maybe not need but have nonetheless) was why there was such a strong underlying feeling of dread.
The necessary opponent is someone who is best designed to attack and harm your protagonist in a way no other can. Frodo was hurt by the Ring Wraths, taunted by the Ring’s power and finally brought to a point of near madness by the end. Frodo was the only one able to be harmed in such a direct way by Sauron albeit non-directly.
But it does not need to be physically either. As we see with Walter, only he can hurt himself in such a way, leading to a self conflict over a conflict with another big bad. Although there are many in the show. This all comes to play in the necessary opponent moment.
Necessary Opponent Moment -
What is this? Simply put it is the moment you as the writer show the reader that your big bad can hurt your hero. It is critical not to do something as silly as having a support character saying ‘damn Batman, this is the strongest bad guy Gotham has ever seen, maybe the world!” but instead actually hurting your hero. Perhaps something is taken from them; family, a friend, a pet (make sure their name is not John Wick), item, or even a memory. This sets up the villain as the only person that could have harmed your protagonist in such a way.
Narrative placement of this moment is also of massive importance. Setting this moment of loss at the start of the story will ask for a darker tone as the hero/heroes will be dealing with pain and grief. Maybe even dealing with the hero having to rebuild themselves from a broken state. It also gives time to develop your hero in a interesting way, defining them by how they deal with such events, whereas your villain is instantly thrusted into a hated position by the reader. This allows you to slow cook the development of your hero but quickly set up your antagonist. However placing your necessary opponent moment towards the end of your narrative allows the reader to be dreading such a moment, wondering if it will really happen. Also this allows you to build to such a moment making it feel monumental with many moments teasing it, rather than having the shock factor at the start. It really comes down to personal preference and what you think would work best for your story.
PS: The Doctor Who episode “The Last Of The Timelords” has a fantastic example of an antagonist that can hurt the Doctor in one way only they can.
Ideological Battles
As mentioned earlier, the dynamic between the hero and the villain doesn't always manifest solely through physical confrontations; it can also unfold through ideological clashes. These intellectual skirmishes often prove to be more riveting than mere bouts of brute force. Personally, I find this type of conflict particularly compelling—the tense moments when the antagonist and protagonist engage in heated debates, each argument a potential powder keg ready to explode.
What's intriguing is that, more often than not, the hero and villain may ultimately seek the same outcome. However, their methods and motivations diverge sharply, leading to a collision of ideals and principles. It's in these clashes of perspective that the true depth of their characters is revealed, adding layers of complexity to their narrative and keeping readers captivated.
These fights can also be far more personal on a different scale. This is because they attack each other’s core values and beliefs and at the root of it, insulting their characters. The best example from my own reading of a powerful ideological battle, no, war, is that from Pierce Brown’s Dark Age and Lightbringer. To keep it short as this could be an academic paper’s worth of discussion, the main protagonist Darrow has led a war to free his people called Reds from slavery and oppression. Up to the point in Dark Age he has strived for a future were there is freedom for all colors and a democracy is present. He has waged bloody crusades to achieve this goal which morally conflicted his character. Enter his foil and newly acquired antagonist Lysander. Lysander is a Gold, the highest color and the one that treated Red’s the worst. He to wishes for a better future for every color as he knows that Golds, once protectors of all, lost their way and fell to tyranny. Though his methods directly oppose Darrow’s, as it would lead to his death and all those he loved including his children. It likely would mean going back to square one, and Lysander is not opposed to using weapons of mass destruction and while Darrow used atomics before, never the same as Lysander plans to.
The stark contrast between the two leads to their rivalry being deep and complex.
‘Black’ Villains and ‘Gray’ Villains
In the past, and in particular in epic fantasy, we had a dominance of what where considered ‘black’ villains. These are characters that are so unequivocally evil where no hope of a moral gray zone exists. They like to kick puppies and throw babies. We can look back at Sauron for a prime example of this type of baddie. He was just pure evil, matter of fact he is a pure embodiment of darkness in the lore. The classic clash of light and dark is what makes those books and those movies so good. But there are many other, less used, examples to look at. Hannibal Lecter, The Joker, Lord Voldemort, and more. Anton from “No Country For Old Men” is my favorite example of just a pure and bad dude. He kills with no mercy and hides his actions behind the idea of ‘fate’. Check out the very end of that movie if you want to know exactly what I’m talking about, and while your there, watch the whole thing, its really good.
Opposite to the 'black' villains, we have the 'gray' villains who currently dominate most media landscapes. Gray villains are still antagonists, yet they possess a moral complexity that prompts the reader or audience to empathize with them or understand that their intentions might be rooted in something noble, albeit executed in a flawed manner. No matter where you look or what you read, you will likely come across a gray villain. Whether it's Thanos, Severus Snape (who arguably transcends a simple villainous role), Loki, or The Governor, the list goes on endlessly. The presence of such characters can profoundly influence the dynamic between hero and villain in a narrative.
When facing a 'black' villain, conflicts often unfold on a grand scale, with clear delineation between good and evil. Armies rally, and rebellions form against an unmistakably wicked foe.
Conversely, encounters with gray villains lend themselves to subtler narratives, characterized by hidden uprisings. Here, the hero or heroes may struggle to convince others of the villain's malevolence, leading to complex moral quandaries and clandestine conflicts.
Conclusion
A good relationship between your antagonist and protagonist can lead to fantastic storytelling potential. It has lead to some of the most loved media of this day and age, and even ages past. Look no farther than Lord Of The Rings for a classical ‘black’ antagonist and venture no farther than Marvel where there are countless ‘gray’ villains with fantastic heroes to boot. Nailing this type of narrative element can really make your story stand out. Always remember that a hero & villain relationship does not always have to be about who punches the hardest or can last the longest but it instead can thrive in the pure ideological realm.
Go out there and create some awesome bad guys and good guys!
