Skylanders Fan Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Welcome to Skylanders How-To! In this volume, you will learn how to create a solid antagonist!

Step 1: What Makes a Good Villain?

An antagonist (or villain, if you will) is someone that generally creates conflict. They make some kind of dilemma for your protagonist (or hero, again, if you will) to deal with. You can't have a story without conflict. That's why these baddies are key to good story-telling.

1. Alright, so as you know, villains are here to cause problems. Basically, they're the guys you want to slug in the nose. A strong character is created through emotion and originality. Try as much as possible to avoid stereotypical characteristics.

2. Probably the biggest thing to remember is to stay as far as possible from cliche ideas. When you hear something like "The Dark Lord", are you interested? Hopefully not. You see this kind of thing everywhere! It's not new! It's not fresh! It just feels overused! This is exactly the thing you don't want.

3. Enough about what not to do! Let's move on, shall we? How do I create a good villain? Well, let's start with the basics. First, develop a fun personality. Typical bad guys are generally just plain evil. No explanation, no reason. With the right mixture of good and bad, these characters can become very powerful.

Step 2: How Can I Make One Myself?

Please remember not to take this too seriously. If you want a simple antagonist, that's totally fine! There's absolutely nothing wrong with that!

1. The first thing you need is a power. What can your villain do? How do they do it? How did they get the power to begin with? These are all important questions you need to consider when making a bad guy.

2. Next, give your character a personality. The best baddies are the ones that have reasons and emotions. A heartless evil dude is stale and overdone. What you want is somebody who is interesting and deep. Why do they do what they do? What are they trying to accomplish? What are their influences for doing so? Can you relate to them?

3. To top it off, give them a unique design. Ominous guy with a cape and glowing eyes? No. Just, just no. A surprisingly helpful tip is to think about what you would do if you were in their position. Would you wear a big cloak just for the sake of looking cool? Probably not. The most effective costume is something like armor or a simple suit. It all depends on their powers and goals. If you have a tricky guy, give him some light, mobile clothing. Or, if you have a super tough guy who does not require sneakiness, how about crystal protection?

Step 3: Good Job!

You have just created your own villain! But, you're not nearly close to done. There are still many more volumes to explore! Good luck!

Advertisement