#28: Turn the Main Character Into a Villain

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  A special thanks goes to my step-brother Kiernan for helping me come up with this segment.  Without his humorous help, I would not be writing about this cliché today.

  When it comes to characters, there is no doubt villains are the most beloved by readers.  Everyone in the world has a dark side, small or massive, that exists alongside the good within them.  People are the living representation of the ying and yang concept.  Without evil, there cannot be good and vice versa.  That is why villainous characters are so popular, alongside more obvious aspects such as strong characterization and a wickedly well done backstory.

  In the genre of fantasy, a villain is almost always a must for the cast.  Without a villain, the main cast has no true threats out there.  Whether it is one person, a group of people, or society itself, an external conflict is needed in order to help move the plot along.  Villains have a great importance in these types of stories and must be handled with the gentlest of care when writing their basic characteristics.

  However, that does not mean turning the main character into a villain over time is always the best call.  Logically, it seems to make sense.  If villains are so popular, why not make the protagonist one?  In truth, the reason is a simple one; unoriginality.  To take the easy way out, a lot of authors will just decide to make the main character evil without warning.  Although there are great examples of great main characters turned into villains in popular culture, such as Walter White from Breaking Bad or Light Yagami from The Death Note manga, it is not wise to always go for the same route.  The reason those characters work is because the writers got creative with their transformation to the dark side.  Walter White became evil due to never being credited for the scientific contributions he had created, which slowly came into play as the character got greedier from the drug money he was receiving.  Light Yagami went full out insane due to the lack of consequences he received from using the death note and his hidden ego that just worsened over time.  Simply making the character a villain for the heck of it will not look great on paper and is highly cliché.

  If you want your main character to become a villain, be sure the buildup is as creative and complex as possible.  Otherwise, this move could outright ruin the entire book.

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