Antagonist April: Links & References

Below, you will find links for the 12 blog posts from Antagonist April:

Week #1

Antagonist April: Week #1 – What is an Antagonist? – Part One

Antagonist April: Week #1 – What is an Antagonist? – Part Two

Antagonist April: Week #1 – What is an Antagonist? – Part Three

Week #2

Antagonist April: Week #2 – Developing An Antagonist – Part One

Antagonist April: Week #2 – Developing An Antagonist – Part Two

Antagonist April: Week #2 – Developing An Antagonist – Part Three

Week #3

Antagonist April: Week #3 – Antagonist Case Study #1, Veronica Corningstone (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)

Antagonist April: Week #3 – Antagonist Case Study #2, Paul Dreyfus (Dante’s Peak)

Antagonist April: Week #3 – Antagonist Case Study #3, Colm Doherty (The Banshees of Inisherin)

Week #4

Antagonist April: Week #4 – Antagonist Writing Exercise: Do Your Own Case Study

Antagonist April: Week #4 – Antagonist Writing Exercises, Part One

Antagonist April: Week #4 – Antagonist Writing Exercises, Part Two


In several posts, I referenced a variety of sources when discussing antagonists. Below is a list of those books:

  • Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms.  Harcourt Brace, 1999.
  • Dancyger, Ken & Jeff Rush. Alternative Scriptwriting. Focal Press, 2007.
  • Edson, Eric. The Story Solution. Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.
  • Egri, Lajos. The Art of Dramatic Writing. Simon & Schuster, 2004.
  • McKee, Robert. Story. Harper Collins, 1997.
  • Truby, John. The Anatomy of Story. Faber and Faber, 2007.
  • Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.

I hope you enjoyed this adventure into antagonists as much as I did. Happy Writing, and I’ll see you in June!

Antagonist April: Week #2 – Developing An Antagonist – Part One

It’s Antagonist April, and all this month, I’ll be doing a deep dive into those characters that give our heroes and main characters opposition to their goals.  This week, we’ll discuss developing a compelling antagonist for your story.

Let’s get started!

Backstory

A strong narrative “requires that the Adversary be an actual person,” and it’s essential for you as the writer to know who they are and where they came from (Edson 57).  This may be information that only you know; past experiences, traumas, or victories this individual had in their life before the story you’re writing.  But these elements help add dimension to your antagonist.  These aspects can assist you in deciding how the antagonist approaches problems, makes decisions, and how they react to a variety of situations.

You don’t have to travel back to when they were born, but if there are events in the antagonist’s childhood that explain why they are the way they are, then jotting those moments down can be helpful.

By giving your antagonist a past, you lift them out of the realm of a one-dimensional villain.  There’s something in their background that affected them to the point that they have decided that your protagonist is their current opponent.  The person who’s preventing them from getting what they want.

Taking the time to think through a bullet-pointed timeline of the antagonist’s life can also come in handy if they need to explain themselves at any point during the story.  There has to be some legitimate reason – in their mind – why they are doing what they’re doing.  Having those moments decided ahead of time gives you a story from their past to utilize.

In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos has a moment like this with Doctor Strange.  

In this brief conversation, Thanos reveals aspects of his backstory that inform his quest to acquire the Infinity Stones and eliminate half of all life in the universe.  Notice how Thanos perceives himself versus how Doctor Strange perceives Thanos and his plan.

What’s My Motivation?

What is the reason the antagonist is doing what they’re doing?  Why do they oppose the hero and their goals?  Something happened in the antagonist’s life, either in the past or currently, that has driven them to the point where they must stop the main character at all costs.  It could be something the protagonist did to them (Changing Lanes).  It could be a plan the antagonist had in place that the protagonist tries to stop (Die Hard).  No matter what it is, the antagonist must be motivated in their actions against the hero.  There has to be a WHY!

While they can have the motivation to stop the main character, there has to be something larger in the antagonist’s world that they want to achieve.  This is the element that the protagonist’s actions are preventing.

What motivates them?  Greed?  Power?  Revenge?  Those are fine motivations.  But suppose we don’t know why they are motivated toward these goals.  In that case, the character lacks any real weight, dimension, or interesting qualities.

Let’s look at Syndrome from The Incredibles.  When he was younger and went by the name Buddy (aka Incrediboy), he wanted to help Mr. Incredible.  Instead, he was told to “fly home.”  

This rejection by his favorite superhero motivated Buddy to become Syndrome.  His backstory influenced his motivation to transform into a supervillain determined to exterminate all superheroes from existence except himself.  His final goal and motivation are given in the video below:

https://youtu.be/ea8ebpKM2JU

Notice that Syndrome and Thanos both have motivations based on past events that influence their behavior and goals in the present.  This is why taking the time to create a backstory for your antagonist can often assist you in crafting a strong motivation for them as the opposition in your story.

We’re getting started!  I’ll be back on Wednesday as we continue to explore antagonists all month!  See you then!

Source:

Edson, Eric.  The Story Solution.  Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.

Antagonist April: Week #1 – What is an Antagonist? – Part Three

It’s Antagonist April, and all this month, I’ll be doing a deep dive into those characters that give our heroes and main characters opposition to their goals.  This week, we’ll explore the characteristics of an antagonist.

Let’s continue!

Help Wanted

Last time, we discussed how a narrative “requires that the Adversary be an actual person” (Edson 57).  More importantly, this needs to be a singular entity that directly opposes the main character.  That doesn’t mean, however, that the antagonist doesn’t have help.  If the hero can have allies, so can the villain.

We see this all the time in action movies and superhero movies.  The adversary sends out his legions of henchpersons and minions to eliminate, stop, kill, seduce, or maim the hero.  Of course, we know as viewers that these attempts are in vain; the protagonist will eventually come face-to-face with the antagonist, and a final battle will ensue.

When these characters aren’t just nameless, faceless drones, the story and their interactions with the main character are more interesting.  These antagonist-related characters are an extension of their boss, so while they have the same enemy – the protagonist – their tactics can vary to give them their own personalities and depth.  

And speaking of tactics…

Antagonist Tactics

An antagonist will use every resource, ally, and weapon available to them to stop the hero from achieving their goal.  Depending on the genre and situation, the sky’s the limit on how much opposition can be thrown at the protagonist throughout the story.  

Just as the protagonist is active in pursuing a goal, the antagonist must also be active in their opposition.  Pick any action movie and list all the active verbs that can be used to describe the antagonist’s tactics.  

Some basic ones could be: to stop, to kill, to pursue, to seduce, to assault, to eliminate, to destroy, to prevent, to coerce, to convince, to arrest, to capture, to chase, to imprison, to invade, to evade, to hide, to attack, etc.

The more tactics the antagonist employs, the greater the danger for the protagonist as they work to achieve their goal.  Don’t make things easy for your hero.  Make them work for what they want.  Make sure the opposition doesn’t let up and gives them a fight.

Week #1 Wrap-Up

As week one of Antagonist April comes to an end, it should be noted that “[t]he importance of the antagonist is constant across genres, but the nature of the antagonist depends on the level of realism associated with particular genres” (Dancyger & Rush 78).  While these characters should be present to create conflict, make sure that the opposition serves the story and genre you’ve chosen.  

We’ve covered a lot over the last three days.  We learned what an antagonist is and the types of antagonists.  We talked about why it’s important to only have one main antagonist in your story, how things aren’t always straightforward regarding antagonists being all bad, and the need to humanize the opposition through empathy and sympathy.  Finally, we covered the role antagonist allies can play and the various tactics an antagonist can use in a story.

I’ve had a lot of fun, and I hope you have, too!  Next week, we’ll discuss creating an antagonist for your stories and give you some tools to make that happen.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next week!

Sources:  

Dancyger, Ken & Jeff Rush.  Alternative Scriptwriting.  Focal Press, 2007.

Edson, Eric.  The Story Solution.  Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.

Antagonist April: Week #1 – What is an Antagonist? – Part Two

It’s Antagonist April, and all this month, I’ll be doing a deep dive into those characters that give our heroes and main characters opposition to their goals.    This week, we’ll explore the characteristics of an antagonist.

Let’s continue!

There Can Only Be One

A story is filled with many characters and connections, but “the most important is the relationship between the hero and main opponent” (Truby 88).    Notice opponent is singular, and that’s essential to remember as you develop this particular character.    Even if the antagonist has others assisting them, it’s important to know that one person is the driving force causing all the chaos.  

Since “the main opponent is the one person in the world best able to attack the great weakness of the hero,” they may employ a variety of helpers to assist them in their quest for destruction (Truby 89).    Even if you have several oppositional figures in the story, you have to know who is in charge and who’s running the show.

Let’s look at two films where who this primary antagonist is can be up for debate.

Batman Returns

While we’re made to think that Catwoman or The Penguin are the film’s primary villains, I would argue that Max Shreck is the main antagonist.    He “creates” both of Batman’s adversaries – one on accident, one intentionally – all to further his own corruption and political schemes.    He even has interactions with Bruce Wayne where it’s clear they are at odds about Shreck’s involvement with The Penguin and his gang.

Since we can’t have three main villains running around, I vote for Max Shreck.    Thoughts?  

The World is Not Enough

I encountered another intriguing debate on Calvin Dyson’s James Bond channel.    In this Bond film, you have two intertwined villains, but which one is in control?    Check out the video to see Calvin’s analysis:

I believe Elektra King is the main villain of the film.    She may have initially been a victim of Renard’s, but she seems to be calling the shots and out for vengeance against her father, M, and others who get in her way.   Elektra uses Renard and his connections as a terrorist to get the resources she needs to complete her plans.   

Plus, if the antagonist’s goal is exploiting the hero’s weaknesses, King does an excellent job manipulating Bond and making him believe she is a femme fatale while messing with him throughout the story.

Since “both hero and opponent believe that they have chosen the correct path, and both have reasons for believing so,” having a singular character in opposition is vital for a story to work effectively (Truby 90).    Obviously, they can have others working for them, but ultimately the buck stops with them.  

Things Aren’t Always Black and White

An antagonist isn’t always bad; likewise, a protagonist isn’t always good.    In fact, “most [antagonists] do not think of themselves as villains or enemies” (Vogler 74).    The antagonist is the hero of their own story; those who attempt to stop them are in the wrong.   

We want the antagonist to “challenge the hero and give [them] a worthy opponent in the struggle,” but if the protagonist’s goals are ill-advised or problematic, does that make the antagonist the good person in the situation (Vogler 72)?

It’s important to note that this binary relationship isn’t predicated on the concept of good vs. evil.    Characters can have ambiguity and grey areas that can show a darker side of the protagonist and a lighter side of the antagonist.    Neither character should be one-dimensional, which allows you to create an antagonist with “some charming or thoughtful qualities” (Edson 58).  

Humanizing the Antagonist?

Should we have sympathy for the opposition?    Empathy?    Should we be able to relate to their frustrations with the world and why they want to stop the hero?    Often these characters are given pretty out-of-touch plans that make it hard for audiences to relate to them.    Often, we may be amused by their plots, but ultimately, we know that good will triumph over bad and the world will be righted again.

But what if the antagonist is a father who experienced the loss of one child in his past and is opposed to his daughter going down a similar path?    Or is the antagonist a best friend who warns the main character about dating someone they are suspicious of?    Both situations can lead to audiences finding sympathy or empathy with the antagonist and wanting them to succeed or be right in their concerns. 

Once again, we covered a lot, but there’s more to come!    Antagonist April continues on Friday.    See you then!

Sources: 

Edson, Eric. The Story Solution. Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.

Truby, John. The Anatomy of Story. Faber and Faber, 2007.

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.

Antagonist April: Week #1 – What is an Antagonist? – Part One

It’s Antagonist April, and all this month, I’ll be doing a deep dive into those characters that give our heroes and main characters opposition to their goals.  This week, we’ll explore the characteristics of an antagonist.

Let’s get started!

What is an Antagonist?

Whether they’re called an antagonist, a villain, the opposition, the enemy, or an adversary, this character in your story is against whatever goal your protagonist or main character wishes to achieve.  The antagonist “holds back the ruthlessly onrushing protagonist,” making their lives and plans more difficult throughout the story (Egri 116).

This particular character is an essential narrative component, helping to drive the conflict and the story forward.  In fact, “[s]tructurally the opponent always holds the key, because your hero learns through his opponent.  It is only because the opponent is attacking the hero’s greatest weakness that the hero is forced to deal with it and grow” (Truby 88).  

If things go smoothly and without any problems, then you don’t have a story that will grab a reader’s attention.  There has to be something present that pushes back on the main character, and that opposing force helps them reassess, reevaluate, and develop as a character throughout the story.  Essentially, this happens because “the values of the opponent come into conflict with the values of the hero” (Truby 90).  This clash in values creates the conflict that results in drama, and that dramatic engine helps drive the story forward. 

Think about your favorite movie.  Who is the main character?  What is their goal?  Who in the story opposes that goal and wants to prevent them from reaching it?  That is your antagonist.  They can be overtly oppositional or covertly oppose the hero.  Still, their presence is needed to keep the story moving and the main character in a constant uphill battle to reach their intended goal.

A story’s antagonist is a force to be dealt with, and “by ‘forces of antagonism’ we mean the sum total of all forces that oppose the character’s will and desire” (McKee 317-318).  It cannot be avoided; it must be faced by the hero and defeated by the end of the story.  This is why an antagonist has to be presented as a formidable foe since “a strong enemy forces a hero to rise to the challenge” (Vogler 72).  If the antagonist has no power or control over the main character’s world, situation, or goals, then they are not a viable opposing force.

This is why “[t]he Adversary must appear to be the most powerful character in the story” (Edson 57).  They have to have a clear edge and advantage over the hero for there to be stakes for the hero to traverse and overcome.  Classic Disney villains possess this quality and have all the power, control, and abilities that the hero of the story lacks.  

Now that we know who they are, let’s discuss the various types of antagonists that exist.

Types of Antagonists

“The Principle of Antagonism: A protagonist and his story can only be as intellectually fascinating and emotionally compelling as the forces of antagonism make them” (McKee 317).  Not all stories require a Marvel-style villain or a James Bond-level threat.  Some stories have a human opposition that’s real and not out to take over the world.

Versus

These are the antagonists in comic book movies, action movies, or Bond films.  They are oppositional forces that are clear-cut and easy to see for the adversaries that they are.  In these cases, “[i]f the antagonist is evil, or capable of cruel and criminal actions, he or she is called the villain” (Abrams 225).

Sports films like The Rocky movies and other sports stories also utilize this type of antagonist structure.  The opposing team or person may not be a villain, but their actions could be seen as unethical or tainted by negative qualities in the eyes of the hero.

Environmental, Social, Governmental

The antagonist is an oppositional force that is part of a larger system.  However, it should be noted that “like every other type of story, man-against-nature movies work best when there’s also a human Adversary present” (Edson 60).  So, even if the main driver of the story is a volcano, the hero has to have a human antagonist present to oppose them.  

In the 1997 film Volcano, while the L.A.-based disaster is at the forefront, our main character – OEM Director Mike Roark – still has to deal with the oppositional opinions and ideas of seismologist Dr. Amy Barnes as the disaster unfolds.

When it’s a story dealing with a natural disaster, I feel that the opposing forces can disagree on how to deal with the situation, which could result in the antagonist’s demise in some disaster-related way.  This is evident in the 1996 film Twister, where the storm-chasing opposition, led by Dr. Jonas Miller, is “in it for the money, not the science,” a sentiment that ultimately gets him killed thanks to his arrogance.

Societal antagonism can rear its ugly head in the form of racism, sexism, homophobia, and other society-based ills.  While these can be overarching backdrops for a story, these need to have a singular adversary for the hero to confront.  In the 2007 film, Hairspray, Tracy Turnblad fights against a whitewashed system that refuses to allow integration on a local TV show.  Her opposition is Velma Von Tussle, who represents the bigoted and racist views of 1962 society in human form in the story.

It’s the same with government systems.  The main character may be fighting the system, but the system needs a representative antagonist for the hero to confront and fight against.  In the 1994 film, The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne’s antagonist is Warden Norton, the human face of the prison system that Andy must fight against – and ultimately escape – in the story.

In the societal and governmental areas, you want “one single, powerful character who’s every bit as committed to preventing the Hero from reaching her goal as the Hero is to accomplishing it” (Edson 56).  

Realistic

While antagonists can often be bigger than life, imposing forces of evil and destruction, some antagonists are more realistic in their scope.  Sometimes “[a]ntagonists may not be quite so hostile – they may be Allies who are after the same goal but who disagree with the hero’s tactics” (Vogler 71).  A father who wants his son to forget about rockets and focus on his future in the coal mines, like in the 1999 film October Sky.  The father wants what’s best for his son and wants him to have a realistic outlook on his future.  This is in opposition to what the son wants, which in turn creates a realistic conflict.

This is why it’s good to remember that “[a]n Adversary is the main opposing force, but [they are] not necessarily a bad or evil person” (Edson 61).  They might strongly disagree with the main character’s goals.  They may want the main character to pursue something else, not do something they feel is problematic or even have had a tragedy in their past that influences their opposition.  

Whew, that was a lot to cover!  But we’re only getting started.  I’ll be back on Wednesday as we continue to explore antagonists all month!  See you then!

Sources:

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms.  Harcourt Brace, 1999.

Edson, Eric. The Story Solution. Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.

Egri, Lajos. The Art of Dramatic Writing. Simon & Schuster, 2004.

McKee, Robert. Story. Harper Collins, 1997.

Truby, John. The Anatomy of Story. Faber and Faber, 2007.

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.