How to Create a Truly Dangerous Villain

You can tell a lot about a fantasy world by the villain it creates.

Sometimes it’s a warlord with fire at their heels. Sometimes it’s a god-king or a corrupted heir. And sometimes—quietly, chillingly—it’s someone who believes, utterly and without question, that they are the one doing what’s right.

We’ve all seen fantasy villains who fall flat. They sneer, and they monologue, and they build a superweapon and never think to ask why it matters. They might pose a threat on paper, but they aren’t remembered by your readers.

A truly dangerous villain is. They get under the skin. They shape the story. And they leave a scar that changes the way your characters, and your audience, see the world.

So, how do you build one?

A Dangerous Villain Starts with Belief

Cruelty is easy to write. Belief is harder, and far more powerful.

The most terrifying villains are the ones who genuinely think they’re saving the world. They don’t wake up in the morning and twirl their moustaches, and they don’t actually think they’re the villain at all.

That belief is what makes them dangerous. It means they’re not acting on impulse. They’ve thought it through. They’ve planned for resistance, and they’ve built systems that can run without them.

And worst of all? They might almost be right.