My Top 5 Villain Archetypes

The following is but a short list of the several different villain types I found while doing my research. I will name examples of villains so that you might be able to do a similar study on those you are not familiar with. It is also important to note that some of these can fall under more than one category listed, I just picked a single villain that I felt best represented the category.

The Survivor

This villain is one that is always running from something or caught up in some sort of a jam. They tend to be a person that was degenerated by outside forces and now must do unspeakable things to survive and sometimes thrive. These characters tend to be lackeys for other, more powerful villains, and sometimes, they rise to power. Everything they do is driven by the need to survive either/both physically and socially. A great example of this type of villain is how the Penguin is depicted in the first season of Gotham.

The Femme/Homme Fatale

This villain is an extremely deceptive and dangerous one. They are usually very cunning, manipulative, and ruthless. They use their charm to seduce the opposite sex to get what they want. This is a great villain archetype for the narrative “shape-shifter.” These characters can be double agents who sometimes work with or against the protagonists. A great example here is Mystique from X-Men.

The Murderous Robot

This is an easy one to adopt for Dungeons and Dragons. The murderous robot is a construct that has a singular purpose, usually destroy. They are sometimes sentient, which can make them more lethal, and in turn more fun. A lot of times they accompany a villain that made them out of ignorance, and it isn’t uncommon for the creation to kill its master. Great character examples would be Ultron or Frankenstein's Monster.

The Boss

The boss villain archetype is deceptively named but it makes sense after a little explaining. This archetype is usually the Big Bad Evil Guy’s number two person. They can be fiercely loyal or extremely koniving depending on what you want out of your villains. These villains like to be in charge and thrive on it, but something keeps them from taking the final step to becoming the true boss. Many times what holds them back are themselves, but sometimes it is out of pure oppression. They are extremely experienced and make formidable enemies. A great example of this archetype is Darth Vader.

The Master Mind

Finally we have come to the classic, the Master Mind. The master mind archetype I think can best be described as smart, powerful, manipulative and very dangerous. They tend to be the person “behind it all”. They come in many different like the genius lone wolf, the powerful crime boss, or the unremarkable neighbor. Great examples would be Mr. Glass from Unbreakable, Marvel’s Wilson Fisk, or my neighbor Jeff… ಠ_ಠ I’m watching you Jeff, you and your stupidly cool pool parties…

Anyways, so now that you know some of, what I consider, the major villain archetypes you can start creating a hierarchy of villains. This will give your characters something and someone always there to oppose. An easy way to do this is to start with your player’s first villain that they might encounter. Figure out who this person is, what drives them, then put a wrinkle in the villain. Make them subservient, or make them the thing that was actually blocking the true big bad from coming to power. Give these villains peers, this will build out the evil in your world and can give you ideas on how to move your players from villain to villain. It will create a network for villains to draw on if their underlings get wiped out. This can be a great way to create a situation primed for a power vacuum. A great example of this is the Goa’uld society from Stargate SG-1.