What message does your choice send to the reader?
I just finished a military sci-fi book, the first in a series. The story had a great protagonist, an excellent example of Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey”. The action, the adventure, the other characters, and the world the author created were intriguing. It was great hard sci-fi, and it was hard to put down.
But as the conflict shifted from the protagonist proving himself to learning who the real villain was – and needing to fight them – I became uncomfortable. This was because their villain was a Muslim Caliphate in space.
It was every ugly, unpleasant, nasty trope about Muslims you can imagine. Slave-trading, turning women into naught but living sex dolls, the fierce zealotry of the warriors, and more. They were painted as a nation of horrid, distressing, inhuman aggressors. All of them.
This made me deeply uncomfortable. Why? Because I consider using this sort of stereotype of a real-world group dangerous. It does a disservice to the believers who are not in league with the over-zealous and terrorist members of their religion.
This would strike me the same if blacks, Christians, or a similar group were the villain. Making a people or a religion the bad guy dehumanizes them.
Now if the villain is Nazis, a fascist sect, or a misguided government, that’s different. They are villains intent on selfish, bad, harmful things. Your mileage may vary here, but I found that turning a belief system that’s not inherently evil into your villain to be an unfortunate choice.
Choices were made
Maybe the author genuinely believes what they’re writing about the villain they create. Perhaps they only used them and the convention because it is easy to work from. To me, this was perpetuating a stereotype that causes real-world harm.
Choices were made. This doesn’t always get applied to the villain, either. One popular author whose works I’ve enjoyed tends to be misogynistic and gives female characters little or no genuine agency. Some authors whitewash their worlds and non-maliciously disregard diversity. Some works are very much products of their time, too.
Despite the tortured screams of various fanboys of sci-fi, science fiction has always been “woke.” It’s always been about underdogs and the misunderstood getting their due. Whether it’s about anti-fascism, immigrants, equality of races, or some combination therein, sci-fi has always been a major vehicle of progressive thought.
The villain can be complicated
When I started writing my Source Chronicles series, I created a character specifically to be the villain. But halfway through writing book one, it occurred to me that he wasn’t. Initially, this tripped me up. But in the end, I realized I could use a more intangible villain and make someone else its agent.
Sometimes the villain gets a redemption arc. See Darth Vader in Star Wars as an example of this. At times, the bad guy has good intentions but a lousy, misguided, and/or unfortunate approach. Sometimes the villain is intangible and more of an idea or concept than anyone or anything that’s manifested.
Why do you have a villain, real or imagined? To move the plot. To make the story go. The villain is often the inciting incident to get the protagonist(s) to spring into action.
Sometimes the villain is a super-obvious individual. Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four, Syndrome in The Incredibles, President Snow in The Hunger Games, and the like. Other times, the villain is more problematic than a mustache-twirling fiend, like thread in The Dragonriders of Pern, any nameless faceless darkness, misunderstanding between nations like in The Expanse, and so on. And of course, there are times the villain is just misunderstood and comes around in the end.
Whatever choice you make, it’s important to recognize why you chose the villain you have. Do they strike a chord with you? Is there some sort of personal connection? Or are they, in your mind, the perfect foe?
Why did you choose the villain that you did?
Maybe the author of the series really does believe Muslims are inherently evil. In today’s world, lots of groups are treated to this notion. Often, it’s due to a few bad eggs giving the rest a terrible reputation. The most vocal proponents of restrictive, harmful, dark things tend to be outliers rather than the norm or majority, after all.
Some groups and people are always villains no matter what. Nazis are never the good guys. The Empire in Star Wars is a fascist, repressive regime (ignoring the dispute between Jedi and Sith and their bullshit). Any organization intent on enslaving, dehumanizing, and destroying isn’t doing good work.
I think it’s worth considering if you’re painting too broad a stroke in the creation of your villain. Are you taking a group of mostly harmless people and making them horrid to suit your narrative? Might that have an impact on real-world or reader impressions? It’s worth questioning rather than using a tired trope or doing people/organizations/groups a disservice.
This is ultimately a matter of mindfulness. Recognizing that your choice of opposition might have deeper meaning or an unexpected response from the reader is important. That speaks volumes about how you think and the choices you make.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you, I conclude with this: How are you inspired to be your own creator – whatever form that takes?
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