Give Your Devil The Best Lines
Because villains don’t work unless we believe them.
Prefer this as a video? Watch here!
Prefer this as a podcast? Listen here!
Hello! Welcome to my weekly newsletter!
Enjoy a dose of my playwriting process,
writing confessions, and all the mess in between.
Roy Williams said this.
And I’ve been thinking about it.
So here’s my thoughts: It’s fun.
Because there’s something deeply satisfying about a villain with killer lines.
They’re just not loud and evil. Because no one is truly born inherently evil. They [usually] become it because of circumstances — broken family, bullying, abuse, abandonment, and so on.
That means that their lines can be so good, so sharp, yet so painfully true. It is a reflection of the life that they once lived. And with that, make us question whose side are we really on.
We feel for them.
We empathise.
We understand.
Hence the million and one spin offs focusing on the villain: Maleficent, Joker, Scar.
Think about it:
If your villain only speaks in clichés, cruelty, or exposition, we tune out.
We know they’re evil. Don’t just tell us that.
Why are they evil?
Perhaps let some of their trauma slip out?
“Perfectly balanced… as all things should be.”
-Thanos, Avengers
”I want the throne. Y’all sitting up here comfortable. Must feel good. There's about two billion people around the world who look like us but their lives are a lot harder. Wakanda has the tools to liberate them all.”
- Killmonger, Black Panther
“I’m not good, I’m not nice, I’m just right.”
- The Witch, Into the Woods
The tension tightens.
We lean in.
We chew our popcorn.
Loudly.
Because your antagonist doesn’t need to be necessarily [conventionally] evil.
They just need to challenge your character’s values and/or objectives.
And to do that, you need real weight behind their words.
So ask yourself:
What do they believe that’s actually (scarily) kinda valid?
Are they funny? Charming? Charismatic? Think: Dr. Evil.
Could someone, anyone, in the audience leave the theatre agreeing with them?
Are they a mirror to the protagonist’s deepest fear or worst impulse?
For example:
Think of Aaron Burr in Hamilton — he’s calm, deliberate, persuasive and Dear Theodosia is just heartbreaking.
Or Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada — she’s not wrong. She’s just brutal. And, really, we all want to be her!
Or Killmonger in Black Panther — full of fury but built on painful truth. Not just in the world of Wakanda, but in the very real world we live in.
So the next time you write…
Think about your villain.
Think about why they’re like this
and how you can colour their character with deep cutting words.
Make them almost likeable.
Make them believable.
And have fun messing with you audience!
What other juicy villains and quotes that lives rent free in your head?