For a fantasy story to be truly great, it needs a memorable villain. In some cases the villain is so compelling that he or she overshadows the hero. That’s not always a bad thing. During my childhood every boy on the block wanted to dress as Darth Vader for Halloween. No one wanted to be the whiny farm boy from Tatooine.
So how do you craft a villain so fascinating that he can sell a million Halloween costumes? Looking at some of the villains whom I most admire, I have narrowed in on five common characteristics.
