why your book needs a solid antagonist + a master list of antagonist types

Every story needs a good villain, right? Well, to be more accurate, every good story needs an antagonist. Why? It's simple. Without some sort of conflict, your story isn't even a story. Conflict is integral to a plot, and to have conflict, one must have an opposing force-- hence the need for an antagonist. Or is it villain? The difference between the two might not seem that great in some novels, but in others, it makes a world of difference. Understanding what your novel needs is key to a successful plotline. So what makes the two different?

Villains vs Antagonists.
Villain-- a villain is a character whose evil motives and actions are integral to the plot. They are quite literally bad guys.

Antagonist-- these are the characters (or elements) that are in opposition to the protagonist (the character we're all rooting for). These adversary forces may not necessarily be evil, and they may not even be living.

That said, those two classifications can be broken down even further into various types of villains and antagonists. With so much emphasis placed on other parts of the story, it may seem like a non-priority to figure out what type of antagonist you have-- isn't it enough to develop their character? It is certainly important to develop your characters (including your antagonist), but here's why it's a great idea to consider what type your antagonist is and even consider writing different types of antagonists.

1. Allows for a more intricate story. We all love a tale with twists and turns, and one way to create a more intricate story is by crafting an antagonist that suits the book. Not every book needs a mega-villain. Sometimes to have the most powerful opposition for your character, you need to think about something subtler. It all depends on the story you're writing, and realizing that each story is going to be different (down to the antagonist!) is one of the first steps to a well-plotted book.
2. Villains are multi-dimensional too. You've gone down the rabbit hole getting to know your main character-- character sheets, personality, their childhood quirks. But if your antagonist is human (or at least alive) don't forget that they're also worth getting to know. People aren't born simply good or evil, so figure out the facets that make your antagonist unique and real.
3. Different antagonists arise for different problems. Going off of our last point-- different antagonists will appear for different problems the main character might face. Is your antagonist a true-to-life one for the situation? Do their reactions and actions make sense for the goals they have? Some stories will call for schoolyard bullies, some shady assassins, and still others may require a brazen wolf or a whole regiment in a war.
4. It gives the chance for multiple antagonists at once. When you start considering your novel's antagonists, you may realize that there is room for more than just one-- and the more opposition your main character has, the more you can flesh out the story. For instance, perhaps you are writing a book about a genius teen who has been recruited by the government to do some nighttime spying and hacking. The obvious antagonist might be the enemy agents, or the sketchy organization they're hacking into. But think of the possibilities that arise when you broaden your horizon for antagonistic characters/elements. What if there was an ill-tempered neighborhood watchdog type individual who gets suspicious when they see the main character sneaking around at night? What about their brother home from college who happens to be an antigovernmental conspiracy theorist and overly protective? What about the main character's own brash personality that continually gets them in scrapes? Once you begin, you'll find that there are layers upon layers to be found when you dig a little deeper into the antagonists of the story.
5. Draws the reader in to be invested in the villain's story too. The best stories have characters we are invested in. This doesn't mean your reader has to like them, per se, but they've got to be characters people will want to keep reading about. This doesn't just apply to main characters, or side characters, or romantic interests. Your villain/antagonist has to have a draw too, and understanding what type of antagonist they are will help you pin point their motives and write them with more relatability. Your readers should wonder what their backstory is, or even understand their motives or see their side of things. If it's an abstract antagonist, there should still be something to get invested in. Say your antagonist is the main character's disease. It's easy to just write it as something that is happening to the character and fall back on more tangible antagonists, but if you stop and think the disease itself can be one of the biggest antagonists of all. Perhaps the disease is keeping them from continuing as a pilot-- their biggest dream. Perhaps it's causing rifts between family and friends, or their medical bills are piling up. Perhaps they're coming to the end of their rope because it seems there is no cure. Suddenly the sickness is more than just something happening to the character that's unpleasant. It's causing real issues, real obstacles that the character must overcome on their path to defeat this abstract antagonist. This sort of understanding of your antagonist is what will draw the reader in.

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So now you're ready to start thinking more about your antagonists, but where do you start? To help you out, we've compiled a master list of antagonists, complete with overviews on each type!

Overview of different types of antagonists:
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Abstract antagonists The first type of antagonist we'll address is the trickiest to pin down-- abstract antagonists. These are the elements that are creating obstacles for your main character without even being another character! In that sense, they definitely are not villains-- but they can certainly still cause a lot of complications for your main character.

1. Nature/Weather An often overlooked but very effective antagonist is nature and/or weather. From severe weather like tornados, fires, floods and earthquakes to seemingly inconsequential things in nature like being lost in the arctic, being trapped in a cave, lack of clean water, or the natural tempests of the sea, nature and weather can create so many wonderful obstacles for the main character. One of the benefits of using nature or weather as an antagonist is the opportunity to really lean into symbolism.
2. Emotions or your own character Another abstract antagonist with very broad options is your protagonist's own emotions or character (or lack thereof). This can be a very raw and interesting one to explore as it basically becomes a situation of man versus himself. It could be anything from fear keeping the guy from introducing himself to the girl, to a character's struggle with the repercussions of their own narcissism, to someone's reputation continually creating havoc in the their life.
3. Laws/Government Throughout history and across a variety of literature and media we have stories about someone standing up against a corrupt law or government. This could be within the law (like in To Kill a Mockingbird) or in a complete resistance. 
4. Situations Situations also can become abstract antagonists if they are getting in between the protagonist and their goal or causing obstacles along the way. This can be anything from a car breaking down in the middle of nowhere or the character's older sister going out with a guy they don't like.
5. Health This is one of the heavier abstract antagonists, simply because often times health is so hard for the protagonist to battle. It could be a minor situation like asthma preventing them from making it onto the football team, or it could be a larger issue like a life-threatening disease, blindness, or a broken leg in a foreign country.
6. Animals Another great abstract antagonist can be animals. Similar to the antagonist of nature or weather, animals are not necessarily a villain but they still can be the one in opposition to the protagonist. In fact, man vs beast is also a very famous theme as well as a character device.
7. Addictive substances/behaviors An abstract antagonist that isn't often considered is addictive substances or even addictive behaviors. This can be a true obstacle to a protagonist, however, in reaching their goals.
8. Habits and Thought patterns This abstract antagonist is actually something that many people find creates opposition for them in daily life, yet it is one that often gets overlooked when crafting an antagonist for a book. Habits and thought patterns are not only strong elements of your main character, but they can even create an identity or belief systems in the protagonist's mind that aren't even accurate. For example, if your main character firmly believes that every time they try to let down their guard and befriend someone that they're only going to get hurt in the end, that limiting belief is going to create obstacles for them as they navigate their story.
9. Religion/Cults Like with government, religion or cults can also be an abstract antagonist. While there certainly may be a single figure that could be considered a villain in such a case, often it is the organization in general that might be the antagonist.
10. Unhealthy/Toxic environments Unhealthy or Toxic environments can also be a source of abstract opposition for your main character. From a neighborhood that your protagonist feels constantly watched and judged in, to a workplace full of gaslighting, unhealthy environments can be a valid antagonist in your story.
11. Corrupt organizations Corrupt organizations can be anything from actual crime groups to questionable city councils to organizations trying to shut down free speech. Again, it's certainly comprised of people and there may be a sole individual who is ultimately responsible, but the main antagonist would be the group as a whole, therefore landing it in the abstract category.

Human antagonists Now onto Human antagonists. Villains, you say. Yes, true villains do fall under this category. However, even within the realm of human antagonists there is lots of room for variation.

1. All-out Villains These are your true villains, but we can break this down even farther.
   1. Mastermind Your mastermind villain is you evil genius, the powerful brains behind all the villainy going on. They have a plan that they are going to go to all costs to execute, and if your protagonist is in the way of that plan, well... things don't look too good for them.
   2. Corrupted The corrupted villain is your antagonist who has gone wrong, usually because of outside sources. They often think that they are doing the right thing, because their sense of right and wrong has been distorted. Corrupt politicians are an obvious example of this trope.
   3. Disturbed A disturbed villain is an antagonist who is evil primarily because of a psychological condition. This could be the repercussions of trauma or a mental condition with which they were born. It is important to note when writing disturbed villains that just because your character has a certain psychological condition it does not necessarily make them good or bad. However, psychological conditions can potentially be the root of their actions. In order to write a disturbed villain, proper research must be done so you can write correctly, but it is worth it if you want to portray your antagonist realistically.
      
   4. True Evil True evil villains are characters that are simply wicked, without any redeeming qualities. They live to be bad and they just do not care. While this type of villain can be convenient to write, though, you must take extra precaution with true evil villains not to fall into cliches and worn out tropes. A villain can be a true evil without looking like every other villain out there, and perhaps the most important thing to remember of all-- even true evil villains must have a motive beyond "I just want to oppose the protagonist and be a horrible villain".
2. The mirror/equal The mirror villain (also known as the equal villain), is an interesting one to consider. You will often find mirror villains in superhero stories but they can definitely apply to other types of books as well. Simply put, a mirror villain is a villain who is of equal level with the protagonist, and in many ways their exact opposite. For instance, perhaps your protagonist is a young government official in a newly formed democratic. The mirror villain antagonist could be another official in the same sphere of government who still stands for the old dictatorship and wants to bring it back with themselves as the head. The antagonist and protagonist are equal in rank, position, and opportunity. But their goals are very different. Often times, their strengths and weaknesses will also be mirroring each other. (Continuing with the previous example: the protagonist struggles to make speeches or connect with the people while the antagonist is a social butterfly, but the protagonist also has a drive to seek out the truth and the antagonist is prone to sweeping things under the carpet).
3. Authority On to antagonists that may not even technically be villains: First up, we have the authority. While this will be different in every book (it could be a governor, the law enforcement, a teacher, a parent, or even a board of directors), another thing that will be different based on the story itself is whether they are actually a "bad guy". It is highly possible that your story may involve a corrupted authority, or even authority who just isn't looking out for the protagonist's best interests, but remember, just because they are opposing the protagonist does not necessarily mean they are in the wrong.
4. Anyone who happens to be against the protagonist's' goal (whatever the reason). The above point brings me to this next one-- an antagonist can be anyone who just happens to be against the protagonist's goal, for whatever reason. This could be another contestant in a competition, or a mom who doesn't want her kid keeping the stray dog they found, or the next door restaurant owner who wants to do better business than the pizza place next to them.
5. Ally turned antagonist An ally turned antagonist is a situation riddled with opportunity, and it can also be one of the most heartbreaking tropes if done correctly. The story could start with the ally already as an antagonist (but with a lot of history prior the book), or the story could document the change that takes place as the antagonist steps into that role. Either way, be sure your reasons for this type of antagonist are solid, because this one hits very close to home for your character and can't be based on nothing.
6. Everyday "bad guy" This everyday "bad guy" is the same type of character you might meet in your own neighborhood or supermarket. He's probably not actually a bad guy (he definitely is not a villain), but he's just really annoying, or always up against your protagonist in some way. Doesn't that guy have a life beyond making your main character miserable? Well before you write a flat everyday bad guy, just remember that yes, they do have a life beyond making your main character miserable. While you may find the rare occasion where an antagonist of this type finds joy in making others unhappy, most of the time they actually just have an agenda of their own. Fleshing that out can add depth to your story so you can write you antagonist with the understanding they deserve.
7. Anti-Villain The anti-villain is a huge subtopic that really could use an entire post to itself, but for simplicity's sake here, an anti-villain is a character whose goals seem to be heroic and their personality may have many virtues but in the end, they still use evil to get the results they want. This is one of the most complex antagonists out there not only to write but to read, as they draw sympathy, regret, and more from the reader.
8. Bullies Bullies are so commonplace that they often don't get antagonist status, but most of the time that's exactly what they are. Bullies also are not just confined to youth, either. You can find bullies in the office, at sporting events, and even at church. They may not be evil, but they certainly are mean, and they can make life for the protagonist (and the ability to reach their goals) that much more difficult.
9. Criminals If you write who-dunnits or cop stories, you already know criminals as the antagonist. But they can be very plausible antagonists in other genres as well. It's pretty self explanatory why a criminal would be an antagonist, but you can of course step out of the box with this as well-- perhaps the criminal is the antagonist because it's your main character's guardian and they don't want to live a life of crime. Or perhaps one criminal is the antagonist in the story and another is the protagonist. As with any type of character, looking at things from various angles can provide some unique ideas.
10. Henchmen/underling villains Finally we have henchmen, aka underling villains. These are the characters who are out and about doing the bidding of the "boss" antagonist, but occasionally, your protagonist may not ever have a personal run-up against the boss, so the true antagonist would be the henchman. Again, this could certainly be a mastermind villain and minions type scenario, or it could be something as subtle as the secretary of a crooked tech conglomerate.

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So there you have it-- a master list of all things antagonist. Not only can you use this as a reference, but perhaps it will help as a springboard for new ideas. Have we missed any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments what kind of antagonist your book has and let's discuss all things character.

Stay Fearless!