: Re: Should a villain have redeeming qualities I know it is important for main characters to have flaws to make them believable and real. But should an antagonist have redeeming or good qualities,

@BetL639

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Everybody has redeeming qualities and everybody has flaws. Any character that doesn’t have both is unrealistic.

I don’t think it is a good idea to separate antagonist and protagonist when doing character work. Those are plot roles. Character-wise, everybody sees themselves as a protagonist. Everybody thinks they are the good guy. Hitler thought he was the good guy. Generally speaking, the only thing that makes someone a villain is they are willing to hurt other people to get their way. But they typically have all kinds of excuses for that which enable them to see themselves as a protagonist in their own life story. So a villain might still be nice to his dogs or give to charity or be a great baker, even while he is having somebody killed to achieve his professional goals.

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