One of the kickers about villains is that (and yeah, too long didn't read the whole thread) that motivations (like some have said) don't have to make sense. It all comes back to that 'everyone is the hero in their own story' thing.
While it could be argued that Kefka is batshit insane (argue? Yeah no, dude is), his 'heroic' goal is nihilism. The reason for the goal? He makes it obvious in the end--he fears being disappointed. He fears loss. He sees the end as being that--the end. Everything fades and he will inevitably be left alone and with nothing, so why not simply destroy it now to spare him the disappointment that comes with attatchment later?
Kuja is another fine example--a 'heroic' insanity stemmed from exestential dread. He was raised to tihnk he was perfection and more than that, immortal. And then he finds out he's going to die. He will die someday and then he too will (in his mind) mean nothing. While his motivations are largely childish (if I can't live why should anyone else?) this shows his own mental maturity or lack thereof. He's afraid of dying and so takes it out in the only way he knows how.
This is actually one of the reasons why I think the Joker (while being entertaining) is largely one of the WORST villains in the grand scheme because he has no set reason for doing what he does; the Dark Knight at least gave him a goal--he wanted to prove his point. He was being the 'hero' by proving that he was right and the rest of the world was wrong. The Joker has been everything from homicidal maniac to petty thief with a gimic but he rarely has a consistent goal which every villain needs regardless.
Poison Ivy is a champion to her 'people' the plants.
Dr. Freeze wants to restore his wife.
These are personal goals that, while in and of themselves are fine and noble, come out all wrong because of the methods--they would, in any other setting with the right decisions be heroic.
That's what separates a 'good' villain from a bad one. That's what, in my opinion, people fail to realize. They want to have the motivation without the motivation. WHY does your villain seek hedonistic delights? Are they craving money to makes themselves feel more powerful but then discover, 'Hey, money buys sex and I have a LOT of money right now!' and so the hedonism springs forth from that?
To use literary references, I think another great example is The Mountains of Madness.
"Whatever they were, they were MEN."
The aliens dissected humans--they dissected them in the same way humans dissected the aliens. It wasn't out of cruelty but rather a ntraul curiosity that, to the opposite side, would be a horrific idea.
While it could be argued that Kefka is batshit insane (argue? Yeah no, dude is), his 'heroic' goal is nihilism. The reason for the goal? He makes it obvious in the end--he fears being disappointed. He fears loss. He sees the end as being that--the end. Everything fades and he will inevitably be left alone and with nothing, so why not simply destroy it now to spare him the disappointment that comes with attatchment later?
Kuja is another fine example--a 'heroic' insanity stemmed from exestential dread. He was raised to tihnk he was perfection and more than that, immortal. And then he finds out he's going to die. He will die someday and then he too will (in his mind) mean nothing. While his motivations are largely childish (if I can't live why should anyone else?) this shows his own mental maturity or lack thereof. He's afraid of dying and so takes it out in the only way he knows how.
This is actually one of the reasons why I think the Joker (while being entertaining) is largely one of the WORST villains in the grand scheme because he has no set reason for doing what he does; the Dark Knight at least gave him a goal--he wanted to prove his point. He was being the 'hero' by proving that he was right and the rest of the world was wrong. The Joker has been everything from homicidal maniac to petty thief with a gimic but he rarely has a consistent goal which every villain needs regardless.
Poison Ivy is a champion to her 'people' the plants.
Dr. Freeze wants to restore his wife.
These are personal goals that, while in and of themselves are fine and noble, come out all wrong because of the methods--they would, in any other setting with the right decisions be heroic.
That's what separates a 'good' villain from a bad one. That's what, in my opinion, people fail to realize. They want to have the motivation without the motivation. WHY does your villain seek hedonistic delights? Are they craving money to makes themselves feel more powerful but then discover, 'Hey, money buys sex and I have a LOT of money right now!' and so the hedonism springs forth from that?
To use literary references, I think another great example is The Mountains of Madness.
"Whatever they were, they were MEN."
The aliens dissected humans--they dissected them in the same way humans dissected the aliens. It wasn't out of cruelty but rather a ntraul curiosity that, to the opposite side, would be a horrific idea.
![[Image: tumblr_na3nykiJYw1tj8x6po1_400.jpg]](https://31.media.tumblr.com/9aff6ba119629667e6fc2104ce65b848/tumblr_na3nykiJYw1tj8x6po1_400.jpg)
