Hans Landa's introduction in the first fifteen minutes of Inglorious Basterds is one of the best villain introductions ever put to film. It displays everything about him - his cunning, his charm, his pride in being good at his task, even if he wishes it was more important to him. You instantly get a sense of how utterly terrifying he is and it causes him to steal every subsequent scene he's in.
That whole movie is a compilation of awesome character introductions. Hans Landa is a standout among them for sure, but that makes it all the more impressive Aldo Raine's speech, The Bear Jew's tunnel approach, Hugo Stiglitz's murder compilation
That scene was insanely intense. Your hoping against hope that he doesn’t know where they are, but he does. And he’s just having the conversation to be sure.
Darth Vader’s intro at the end of Rogue One was terrifying. Really the first time I saw him as not a tall robotic moving guy who we all knew was good with the force. He ripped those guys to shreds before boarding Leah’s ship which really gave a new respect for him
Vader's intro in ANH is amazing too. It sets up two characters in one intro. He comes on board.. Chokes a man by holding him off the ground and throws him against the wall so hard it scares you. Then, you meet Princess Leia, who immediately get's in this Vader's face. She isn't afraid and immediately demands he answer for what he's doing. We see a scary villian and a leader who's not afraid of them in one scene.
The kethric intro will stick with me as the first villain in a game that I was truly intimidated by. I expected a standard angry yell and just kill the goblin like they always do. But when he pulled it out and demanded she try again I was like “oh dang. This is serious.” Like I was genuinely dreading having to fight him.
I think Gus Fring from Breaking Bad has a fantastic villain entrance in part because it's so unassuming. It demonstrates all these steps in such a mellow and careful way. It shows how shrewd and calculated he is, while giving a small slip of the facade when Walt suggests they are alike. I've just always thought it was a very well executed scene.
Actually, I think that it's a great point to show when a character slips or breaks his character for a brief moment. It can make someone creepy, make you question who he really is, or show that there's more to him than you thought...
@@edi9892 a year late to this but I really like how Lalo drives Gus into a corner and has him at his wits end for weeks, outmaneuvering everybody including Mike. If I hadnt seen Breaking Bad already, then the final confrontation would be more impactful.
I think the Wilson Fisk (AKA Kingpin) introdcution in Daredevil season 1 was perfect. He was hinted at, spoken about in hushed whispers, and didn't make an appearance until episode 4. Up to this point you know (have been told (by way of conversation and body language)) that he runs a criminal organisation with multiple syndiates at his control, inspires fear, and is in control of the Hell's Kitchen underworld. The scene is so at odds with expectation. He is standing in front of a large white painting. After some conversation with a woman that approaches him, she describes art as only being important in how it makes you feel. "It makes me feel... alone." In such a softly spoken way that Vincent D'Onofri delivers, it gives me chills. Knowing what the character is and the raw violence he is capable of, the subdued entrance works perfectly.
Agreed, Fisk is a delightful subversion of the 4 rules from this video. It makes you like him and feel for him before you actually see what kind of monster he truly is (probably mostly demonstrated with the car door scene). That kind of betrayal creates a primal reaction in our brains that we don't soon forget.
Not sure how well-known this one will be, but I've got to give a shout out to the entrance of Megatron from Transformers Animated. Moments earlier, his crew, having just been introduced, are all bickering amongst themselves, then the doors open, we get Megs, and all of them shut up instantly and stand at attention. No music, just the sound of the guy's metallic footsteps as he walks past before ordering a status report. No humour around the guy, just straight to business. Loved it 😊
Thank you so much for mentioning this. I’m a lifelong Transformers Animated fan, it’s maybe my favorite cartoon of all time, and their rendition of Megatron is my favorite. He’s a real powerhouse, and a genuinely intelligent villain to boot. No matter how bad things get for him, he always thinks, or talks, his way out of it
Hans Gruber’s intro in Die Hard is a classic. I love how calm and in control he is the whole time while his minions around him frantically carry out his wishes.
Okay i feel like theres a 5th one the Megamind in me cant help but add. Presentation! How a villain looks (fashion wise) and how the location frames them can play a huge part in selling their personality or unique skill. You buy thanos beating the hulk because the ship around them is already in smoking ruins. Vader walking through smoke with his cap fanning out behind him as he boards Leia's ship is an iconic shot from the first star wars movie. Scar's personality and way of holding himself in front of mufasa sells him as the villian even if mufasa never shows fear during the scene (tho maybe that was the point of the mouse? To have something fear Scar when the King couldnt).
Well, the toucan cowers every time Scar starts getting close, which is actually a lot more impactful since we can't really see the mouse's fear. His interactions with Mufasa also show that he's not personally powerful, but charismatic. He says himself that he's not strong enough to face his brother directly, but he's a lot more clever. Also, Mufasa doesn't fear him at all because he sees no reason to. From his perspective, Scar is the weak failure that refuses to fall in line, not the clever schemer he really is.
One of my favorite villain entrances is that of The Judge in Blood Meridian. He's immediately described as physically huge and imposing, but rather than demonstrating his physical power, the scene demonstrates his charisma, intelligence, craftiness, and sway over the people around him.
His entire first sequence is impecable. What immediatelly comes to my mind when I think about this chapter of the book is his "outro", when the Kid is riding out of town after setting the hotel on fire and he sees the Judge staring at him. "When he passed back through the town the hotel was burning and men were standing around watching it, some holding empty buckets. A few men sat horseback watching the flames and one of these was the judge. As the kid rode past the judge turned and watched him. He turned the horse, as if he'd have the animal watch too. When the kid looked back the judge smiled."
I know I'm the minority here, but I think the judge is a lame villain. Cormac does this thing with his villains you see. They talk so gd much Cormac's own words bleed right on out, and he's an insufferable asshole 😂
Combustion man is actually really interesting because he really doesn't have any backstory or character development, he never says a single thing, but we all love him as a villain, partly because sparky sparky boom man is funny, but also because he's more like a force of nature I suppose. The episodes where he appears are actually some of the most interesting and enjoyable to me.
Love your idea of Demonstrate don’t describe rather than show don’t tell. I think a lot of beginning writers (myself included) tend to think we’re doing villain intros right by describing just how fearsome or devious the villain looks through the characters’ eyes rather than letting that fearsomeness be seen right away. Better to leave the way a villain looks up to the reader’s imagination with a few key descriptions and give them the villains actions to solidify their terror. Especially important for a visual medium. Great advice!
"Show, don't Tell" doesn't really tell me anything, especially since my personal medium is writing. You know, the act of _telling_ your audience everything while being physically unable to show them a single thing. "Demonstrate, don't Describe" gives a slightly better idea how to do it right.
The flood's introduction in Halo CE followed this really well. 1. Demonstrated skill by showing how easily it wiped out not only Keyes and his marines, but also the covenant. 2. Demonstrated its uniqueness by showing that it can infect and reanimate bodies. 3. Demonstrated its success because it was freed from containment and forces THE MASTER CHIEF to flee. 4. Most importantly, demonstrated the fear it caused expertly with the entire eerie buildup of the first half of the level, and the frantic escape for the second half. It starts off far quieter than every other level, you see covenant troops fleeing from seemingly nothing, you find a marine who's gone crazy and starts shooting at you in a panic. Then a cutscene divides the two parts of the level in a creepy found-footage style perspective as Chief taps into a marine's helmet cam. You watch as a squad gets DEVOURED in the room you're standing in RIGHT now, and then you're swarmed by them with intense and creepy music against an entirely new enemy.
When he mentions the villains wielding fear, around 9:05, I thought of the shown entrance of Lilith in Diablo IV. She doesn't wield fear - she gives people hope, but that hope is shown as a demented, twisting thing that turns people into abominations. Also an effective entrance.
A moment where the villain makes it clear that the difference between them and the protagonist (or protagonist stand-in) isn't a disparity of purely material, privilege, or general power in nature; it's a matter of will, ability, skill. I am where I am because I'm better than you. You are where you are because you have not attained my level.
The intro of omni man, the way once he kills the first guardian. And the fact the music stops and he begins his genocide. Really makes the scene feel more real without any music in the background and it really works.
I have to say, the scene at the end of rogue one really checks off all the boxes for me here. Yes, Darth Vader’s introduction in episode 4 works just as well, but I really felt the fear in the rogue one scene.
Ketheric is not main villain but damn, his entrance was amazing. Actually another red villain (who played knows who I’m talking about) from the game has great vibe in theirs introduction too.
I have never seen or "felt" a villain's entrance like Negan from Walking Dead. To add to the fact that it was a 2 parter with the second part coming 1 year later, and you still felt the horror. I wasn't a fan of the series beforehand, so I didn't know anything about him, and I was just amazed at that. Peak TV
Arnold's intro in Terminator 2 does this perfectly: 1) power and skill: takes a cigar to the chest and knife to the back without flinching 2) unique aspect: clueless about humanity - enters biker bar naked and asks for clothes and motorcycle 3) succeeding: walks out of the bar "bad to the bone" 4) fear: owner paralyzed as he takes his shotgun and shades after this perfect setup, turns out he is the hero, not the villain
Really? Ignoring the battle between the gods and Uxia, Darkseid kinda showed all four. Skill: That damn Omega beam and overwhelming power, with an endless horde at his arsenal Unique Aspect: Comforting Superman and a warrior's funeral for Wonder Woman Success: I mean, he did win. As in brutally screwed over the entire Earth with the anti-life equation Fear: Isn't the entire montage kinda screaming fear at you?
Joker, Thanos, there's so many goated villain introductions to choose from... but the best one has to be Negan's. Killing off a fan favorite main character is one thing, but deciding which one to kill by eenie meenie miney mo is just....next level. He demonstrates his overwhelming power/skill, demonstrates his uniqueness via bat, eenie meenie miney mo, and other eccentricities, demonstrates his success by killing off one MC (or two) and letting the others live because he still wants them to work for him, and demonstrates fear by turning Rick into a puddle of tears and snot (not to mention he terrifies the audience by the possibility of him killing a fan favorite off). I can't see it ever being topped imo
But negan's intro is partly ruined because it's split between the finale of season 6 and first episode of season 7. Watching as it came out was infuriating because we didn't know who he killed until 9 months later. And then he kills two fan favorites. They should have had him kill Abraham in season 6 finale and then glenn in season 7 first episode.
One of my favorite villains is Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad - and I love how his entrance is Walter waiting, waiting, waiting in prolonged anticipation for him to show up at Pollos Hermanos, until eventually connecting the dots that the man he's been waiting for has been in the background the whole time. This obviously highlights Frings surface qualities as a cautious and deliberate distributer fronting as a successful businessman -- but it makes the escalation of conflict between him and Walter throughout the next two seasons so suspenseful and exciting to watch. There is never a moment where the character feels static as the narrative slowly reveals just how ruthless he is capable of being, and as a result, those few scenes where Gus goes full mask off remain among the most shocking and intense viewing experiences I can recall. And I think that payoff was so great partly because showrunners committed to demonstrating how unassuming and easy-to-miss Gus is right in the beginning.
I'm interested to see how this would apply to twist villains. One would think that it would apply to the reveal scene, but bits and pieces could be filled in with foreshadowing over the course of the story.
I think it depends on the twist villain I’d say they’re seemingly aligned until the twist they’re a huge asset to the protagonist but unpredictable because of whatever motivational difference they have
I think you can still apply a lot of these principles without revealing the twist so it's quite functional m just avoid having them show their true colors so to speak. A martial arts mentor who's a twist villain might show a unique technique, maybe be a little unnecessarily brutal, but still command respect from their students instead of outright fear. Hint, but don't outright tell the reader they're a villain.
Fun fact about “show don’t tell.” It’s writing advice for screenwriters back when there was no sound… so when they had to ‘tell’ something they’d have to cut away to text on the screen. Recognizing the context of advice can really help give it some color!
Reminds me of that Bill Hicks bit where he's talking about western where the villain intimidates a man into picking up a gun from the floor, then shoots the man dead when he picks it up. "You all saw him. He had a gun."
Gaunter O'Dimm's (proper) introduction in the Witcher 3 covers all 4 steps I think. He STOPS TIME for everyone except Geralt in order to have a conversation with him, give him a job, and then leave. The fear is palpable in every dialogue spoken throughout the scene. That's easily one of the best villain intro's I've ever seen alongside the likes of Hans Landa and Darth Vader.
While I agree in your choice of Gaunter O/Dimm, I'd argue that the stopping of time by itself isn't really what instills fear since that could easily be an illusion of some kind. It's not until he kills one of the NPCs by shoving a spoon through their head while time is stopped that the fear really begins because without a single word he lets us know that he could end us at any time and there isn't a thing we could do to stop him; we continue breathing only because right now he finds us entertaining and we don't have the slightest clue as to why that is.
Before i even watched the video, my FIRST thought was "2003 Grievous." Arguably the greatest intro to a villain ever, and none of his appearances in live action and animated media after his time under Genndy have come anywhere close.
I think a 5th element which is a bit more situational is the build up. Some of the most iconic villain intros I've seen have been when a villain is felt constantly throughout the story before they first appear, so that their appearance is paying off the presence that came before. Of course, some villains are more understated in impact based on the story, or want to appear to early for this pay off to be meaningful; but if possible a villain introduction can be both pay off and more set up in the same scene.
Perfect example is the Inheritance cycle's King Galbatorix. Doesn't have any scenes, only in the back stories for the first 3 books, but his presence is through the whole series
Oh my god… having the birth of the Xenomorph playing under the credits gave me chills! Easily my favorite movie monster and, to me, one of the most iconic monsters/villains of modern fiction! Magnificent essay! First time viewer and this was an INSTANT “like, comment, and subscribe!” Thank you for posting! 🤩❤️👍
I think one of my favorite ways is utilized is through subtly building them up in the background with hints in the world, before slamming the heroes with a demonstration of why they are so renown and feared. I also like when characters turn into villains over time, then pulling off a successful intro
One thing that can be added for a less common type of villain is leaving a feeling of mystery (this might fit under Unique Aspect or Fear, depending on the villain). It could be an unexplained ability, the way their own allies react to them, or like, a nickname idk Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean has one of my favorite intros of any character Ever. The main character has history with the villain and is obviously scared before we see him, and his victory is demonstrated before the villain is shown with a whole destroyed ship in the middle of the ocean. The survivors are suffering from extreme trauma, there's weird fish hybrids, then the flying Dutchman emerges from under the sea. And after the villain is Finally introduced, his first line is "Do you fear death?" followed by what seems to be an offer of immortality. The scene is capped off by Davy Jones inexplicably teleporting hundreds of feet with the coolest transition ever, demanding a hundred souls as payment, showing that his character has a troubled past, and leaving a mysterious goop that seeps into the main character's hand. Before the scene, your only question was "Who's Davy Jones?" And all the scene did was feed you more questions to ask.
To your last point, it's the whole "fill the box before you start thinking outside of it" kind of thing. Know the rules, so you are better equipped to bend or even break them.
The Kilmonger intro was and is very iconic. It showed that he was highly intelligent, well versed in history, and his aura was one of danger, similar to a wile animal on the lose. It why she was scared of him
I’m happy this came around my feed. I have a couple other channels I watch for writing advice (Terrible Writing Advice being chief), but this is different and fresh to me. Thanks for doing this.
One of my favorite villain intros is Cell from the _Dragon Ball_ franchise. His build-up and introduction is amazing and unnerving. As for how these 4 steps apply.... 1. Demonstrates he's a competent fighter by getting in a fight with Piccolo while demonstrating his knowledge of the Kamehameha and Special Beam Cannon. 2. Demonstrates his unique skill of gaining his power by absorbing (or more accurately, drinking) people. 3. Surprisingly gets his ass kicked by Piccolo at first, but just illustrates that he is not quite ready yet to take on all of our heroes. And he succeeds in getting the drop on our heroes by covering his escape with a Solar Flare. 4. Our characters have witnessed, either directly or indirectly, Cell reduce the human population of an entire town to zero and the latter reveals he'll be even more terrifying when he achieves his goal. Not sure if these count, but that's just how I see it.
I agree, I remember watching all the episodes that lead up to his introduction and by then I was scared of Cell. You could argue the same with other major villains in Dragon Ball
@@LuisSierra42the only other character introduction that I feel comes close to Cell is Goku Black's. King Piccolo's build-up was pretty good, but the actual first time we see him is kinda lackluster.
I think another reason why Ketheric is so memorable (probably most memorable of the 3) is how Vader - esque he is. For all intents and purposes, Ketheric Thorm feels very much like a very well done BG3 version Darth Vader
The Voice acting is also a pretty huge part. JK simmons cadence is phenominal. when you consider Larian isn't always the most pretty of developers and that game rendered cutscenes can get... wonky. the presence his voice alone gives him I don't think is far behind James Earl Jones at all honestly.
@@TGPDrunknHick the game and cutscenes might be buggy, but all the VAs are killing it. Our party, 3 main antagonist masterminds, Raphael, Auntie Ethel, the Narrator, etc
I honestly loved the introduction of Emperor Nefarious from the recent Ratchet and Clank, hes introduced by casually chucking Ratchet through a window, is very calm and collected the whole time, and casually wipes out an entire stand of audience members who were cheering for his defeat when it's pointed out that the galaxy wants him gone, he dominates the entire scene
Gonna give some shout outs to One Piece's exceptional villains and how some of its most overarching villains are introduced. - Blackbeard is introduced actually very lowkey, but it's very effective. He's introduced in a bar next to Luffy, and his introduction shows that he is the exact opposite of Luffy in almost every way through a very simple way. Have them like and dislike different foods and get into an argument over it. They both get the same food item. Blackbeard loves it, Luffy hates it. Except then, after the scene at the bar, Blackbeard meets Luffy when he's exiting the town and gives us one of the most defining speeches in One Piece, and shows his single similarity to Luffy: "A man's dream never dies". Blackbeard and Luffy both have dreams, and they have the will to see it through, their dreams are just so at odds that they are fated to clash eventually. We don't even know this man is a villain at this point, we only learn he's a villain later, but it's so effective. - Dracule Mihawk isn't necessarily a villain, but he is an antagonist, and Zoro's major goal throughout the series, and he's introduced with a bang. The Straw Hats are fighting a crew that have just gotten their shit wrecked on the Grand Line and are trying to make up their losses, when out of nowhere a single man on a small rowboat appears, Dracule Mihawk. The captain of the crew reveals that this is the man who destroyed them on the Grand Line, single handedly. Mihawk then cuts his boat in half with one swing of his sword, and we see the power of the greatest swordsman in the world. Zoro naturally challenges him to a duel, because Mihawk is Zoro's goal. Mihawk doesn't like this young upstart, so he fights Zoro using a comically small necklace knife and rocks his shit in, demonstrating the sheer breadth of power between the two. When Zoro loses, he impresses Mihawk enough for Mihawk to give him an honorable death with his true sword. When Zoro turns around, presents his front to him, and says that "a wound on the back is a swordsman's shame", Mihawk's only response is "Excellent." before cutting him down, but very notably sparing him, telling him to get stronger and to surpass him. A fantastic introduction.
I think CP9's proper introduction at Iceburg's manor before Aqua Laguna hits all these key points. They successfully attack and get the information needed from iceberg, and defeating the Straw hats without outright killing them, even though they could. All while demonstrating they're main powers, and core aspects, being undercover, and utilizing the Rokushiki, and making it seem like the Straw hats are responsible for the attempted assassination of the Iceburg. As far a villain/antagonist introduction, CP9 is top notch. Probably the only introduction I think comes close to their introduction is that of Kaidou's when he falls from a sky island.
7:30 To add to that point, showing a villain failing would be a great way to introduce a non-threatening cartoony villain like Dr. Doofenshmirtz or Jessie and James. I say non-threatening because threatening cartoony villains like Jack Horner exist. Edit: Grammar
I know you mostly do movies on this channel, but my favorite villain entrance has got to be the assassin in white at the start of The Way of Kings. All of your aspects plus an introduction to the magic system and worldbuilding.
not quite a villain, but Asgore has a great one. hes built up to be a ruthless murderer, but when you see him hes... friendly. it begins to stress you out. then, once you enter combat, he breaks the fourth wall and destroys a UI element
The initial deathblow-surviving villain also harks back to the Green Knight in the medieval tale where the young knight Gawain acquiesces to play a 'game' with a stranger: strike him once with his great ax, but if he survives, Gawain must prepare to receive the same blow a year hence. Gawain beheads the stranger, who picks up his head, reminds Gawain to turn up at the appointed hour, mounts his horse and departs. The recent film was atrocious, but the poem is great.
One of my favorite villian intros is from the series Firefly - Train Job, Adelai Niska. Adelai Niska was one of the most dangerous enemies of Malcolm Reynolds and his crew. He was the leader of a criminal syndicate that dealt in murder, extortion, robbery, smuggling, and drug trafficking.
One of my favourite villain entrances is Scarpia in Tosca. The way his iconic leitmotif cuts through the choir boys and the Sacristan's cheerful noise in instantly intimidating. You have heard about him before, and he does not disappoint.
"Oh you’re a villain alright, but you’re no super villain." "Yeah? Whats the difference?" *** welcome to the jungle guitar riff drops *** "PRESENTATION!!!”
The first time you ever meet Hansome Jack in person in Borderlands 2 he murders one of your friends infront of you and kidnapps another. He has been talking to you all the way through the game but this one moment suddenly makes you realise just how much of a danger he really is. He goes from only ever threatening you in the background or doing things off screen to suddenly snapping and taking away what finally felt like you had the upper hand. And there is no flair or fancy tricks just a single gunshot.
i love your videos sooo much. constantly taking notes when watching. your analysis is always clear, powerful and creates a direction for improvement. whenever I feel stuck with my scripts and need to strengthen the message, I know I'll find everything I need here.
Thank you for this one specifically. Your videos are always awesome, but this one dropped at a PERFECT time for me. My cousin and I are both working on manuscripts, and supporting one another as beta readers and tweak-suggesters, but we’ve founded our common weakness to be Villian Intros. Something just never feels quite right and they come across as underwhelming, even with constant editing. I’m sending this to him now, and we’re having a meeting of the minds later- I think you may have saved both of our books 😅 ❤
You bring some of the best literary analysis on this platform, period. An Andor dialogue dive would be amazing. That show’s writing I day say rivals early Game of Thrones.
Grand Admiral Thrawn's intro was always great. He instantly shows what kind of villain he is. He figures out a big plan of the Rebel's instantly. He has in a single sentence established that he is the most powerful Imperial that we have seen thusfar.
I think one of my favorite villain intros is younger toguro in Yu yu hakusho, he gets 2, one when he’s playing an act for tarukane and one when Yusuke meets him in town and we meet the real toguro, but even when he’s playing pretend, toguro just has a presence, the moment you see him theirs this aura of menace that never really goes away, and when he tortures yukina in the scene he’s introduced he tells her to get used to her situation and suffering it will make things easier which in hindsight is such a good line because without telling you too much it lays the groundwork for the eventual reveal of his real motive of wanting to die in battle and end his own suffering, then you have his second reveal, when he’s no longer playing a part in someone else’s game, when he utterly terrifies the main cast with his sheer presence, Yusuke always has a quip or a one liner but here he’s speechless, he’s shaking, it’s the first time we’ve seen him truly afraid, and the wording in toguro’s threat to, he doesn’t say “I’m going to kill everyone you love if you don’t comply” he says “I’m going to kill everyone you’ve ever met” and you immediately know without question that he could do thst
One of my favorite characters, Kumawaga Misogi from Medaka Box, I'll always remember his introduction. Bathed in blood, smiling naively while the top most powerful character from the last arc are bleeding, pinned on the walls, to which he asserts that he didn't do it, in spite of his two hands holding the bloody murder weapons. A character so out there and illogical, sickingly evil, an unknowable menace that gives you the chills by just standing there.
I am always happy when you describes aspects like these and they fit naturally what I have already written. I was quite happy with that particular villain entrance of mine. Interestingly, this also fits the introduction of one of my heroes to a tee, in some intentional subversion.
Yeah. Many forget that that writing it's first, then the analyzing. It's descriptive rather than prescritive, it's more like when you have something that doesn't feel right, that isn't getting what you want to express across, that you look for ways to improve or change that particular scene or character.
Honestly Death's introduction in Puss in Boots has got to be one of my favorite villain introductions at the moment. It's so simple and effective and the voice acting just gives me chills. That's something I love about content created for children; it has this beautiful simplicity that a lot of content aimed at adults fails to maintain. Honestly, I don't even care about what genre a film or series is, or who it is aimed at, if it is done really well I will probably love it.
Hannibal Lecter's introduction in Silence of the Lambs is also an excellent one: 1. Power/Skill - Under ridiculously heavy security and effortlessly psychoanalyses Starling 2. Uniqueness - He's an insane yet highly intelligent cannibal psychologist from whom our protagonist needs help 3. Success - Stays completely on top of the conversation despite Starling's efforts to turn it to her advantage, and he only throws her a bone and lays the groundwork for them to meet again because a random incident from another inmate irritates his sense of courtesy 4. Fear - A long build-up telling us all the horrible things he's done, and Starling reacts with considerable disquiet despite being in absolutely no danger I think his one is helped a lot by the build-up, since part of Hannibal's charm is the balance he strikes between being unimposing and polite but so inhumanly creepy that it makes your hair stand on end. Another great one is Calvin Candie from Django Unchained: 1. Power/Skill - Has two slaves fighting to the death for his amusement, and is so blase about it that he's clearly got a lot of experience at this 2. Uniqueness - He considers slave fighting to be just a bloodsport, so it doesn't stop him being a charming gentleman 3. Success - Actually NOT; he falls for the heroes' ploy immediately, establishing him as dangerous and bloodthirsty but not all that smart... lulling you into a false sense of security that is undermined when Stephen starts to get suspicious 4. Fear - He's sufficiently terrifying that his slaves risk their lives fighting each other rather than risk his wrath, and the heroes need to go far onto his home turf for their plan to work, and on the way there he has another slave torn apart by dogs
The rest of the game it is kind of wastes it because he is not terribly interesting afterward, but Corypheus's introduction in Dragon Age Inquisition is incredible. He crushes your stronghold with his army and pet dragon, leaves all the heroes thinking they are going to die and tells you basically god is dead and I am going to repace them (and you can believe him) and it leaves you just escaping by the skin of your teeth. It is a very well done sequence.
Great video! If you guys want another example, check out the scene from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly when the villain is introduced. It's called a breakfast with Angel Eyes.
Hans Landa! I had to go back and watch it, because I remembered him winning outright. But no, he decides it'd be more fun to let someone escape. It's also interesting what "winning outright" means. You'd hope everyone who saw Endgame also saw Infinity War, but taken on its own, Endgame introduces Thanos in exactly the opposite way: He's accomplished his goals entirely, and so has no need to project fear or demonstrate skill.
The one that stood out to me immediately based on your criteria was actually Blackbeard. Our absolute first introduction to him put him at odds with the protagonist, though his level of villainy wasn't introduced yet. When he was being introduced as a villain proper, he was going against one of the strongest in the series (instead of the protagonist), used his unique trait of disabling his devil-fruit powers - which subsequently triggered obvious fear, and won - beating Ace in a fair one. He is then RE-introduced at a pivotal moment as he uses some still un-identified measure to do something even more unique (eat two devil fruits), and instills fear in EVERYONE present.
Silva's introduction in Skyfall is incredible. The slow delivery of the rat story by Javier Bardem while the camera lingers in place is masterful in the way it sets the tone.
One excellent villain intro that a lot of people may not be aware of is Felix Flick from Dimension 20's "Tiny Heist". I know a comedic D&D game isn't what most people think of when looking for a good villain intro, but it is a good one. He doesn't hit all four points you mentioned, but what he lacks in one, he makes up for in another. I won't give too much away, but suffice it to say that I don't think I've ever seen the person playing a game look so terrified in my life!
Sarevok from Baldur's Gate 1 has a pretty good intro. He comes in with a few buddies looking for you, but your foster father basically says "run, I'll hold him off" and dies in the attempt after killing nearly everyone else in Sarevok's group. You don't know anything about him until like half way through the game.
I was waiting for Vader as well. Not the biggest Star Wars fan, but as far as iconic villain introductions goes, I consider that near the top. Fits all the listed steps as well: - His power and skill in capturing a ship and commanding a skilled armed force (jokes about Storm Trooper aiming aside) - Shows his unique aspect in his use of the force, and in every character's deference to him as a clearly high-ranking figure - He succeeds in capturing the ship and Leia, but not the plans he came for - Fear: Emerging from the smoke. That mask. That music. That voice. Perfect.
About point 3: I'd add that the villain should succeed in the hero's field of expertise. Thanos beats the living sh*t out of the Hulk, Shen kills all the martial arts experts after starting the fight with martial arts, The Wolf frightens the courageous Puss into flight after besting him in combat with bladed weapons.
What do you think of the concept of the "True" entrance? This is where we first see the villain in a very unassuming, almost mundane context. It's not till a later scene that the movie actually shows of what he's all about. For example, Senator Armstrong, when he first appears, is just some generic rich asshole in a suit, barely onscreen for five minutes. An obstacle, not a character. It isn't until the end of the game that we REALLY get introduced to the gloriously batshit insane walking meme of a character he truly is.
Does it hit any point in this video though? He is not shown doing anything really, skillful or otherwise. All he does is greet Morgan and thank her for coming. We don't see much fear from Sabine. I enjoyed the scene not as an entrance, but as a return. I have enjoyed Thrawn in the books a lot, so seeing him in live action was cool, but the execution itself wasn't brilliant.
@@jasonsomers8224that's because this isn't a first time entrance for this thrawn. That happened in Rebels and his first meeting with one of our main team hits all 4 of these points. He out smarts hera showing why he's a brilliant strategist and reveals his unique trait of studing the art of destroyed worlds (studying Sabine's art is how he figured out their plan), the rebels lose that mission having to flee Heras home planet, and when thrawn corners hera and reveals he knows she isn't just servant you immediately see her fear of being cornered without backup with thrawn. Thrawn's return in ashoka is a "surprise bitches I ain't dead" moment instead of a fear introduction. Dave made it extra flashy for those who might be watching ashoka without watching rebels. But he doesn't take it to the point of villain introduction. Because characters through out the last few episodes have been hyping up how terrifying his return would be for the galaxy.
@@jasonsomers8224sabine wasn't in thrawn's entrance scene, so of course you won't see fear in her. As for the points of the video: -skills / unique trait: thrawn is a strategist, his intro shows him realizing who baylan and shin are, then learning about sabine's capture. From the moment he learns of this, you can see him already having some form of plan in the making, which shows what type of vilain he is -success: he successfully managed his plot to bring mirgan and her crew to him -fear: he is surrounded from people on his side, of course they won't show fear, however, they show awe in front of him Overall, the scene may not be iconic but it's effective in conveying who thrawn is
One of the best feelings I get in media is when an almost force of nature threat is introduced, especially after what felt like a tough victory, something like in the Battlefield 1 trailer the Zeppelin appears, or the wolf in Puss in Boots. Something that is truly invincible and that guarantees your defeat, something to which opposition means nothing. I love when that is well implemented.
As someone working hard on fine tuning his antagonists, this video is as helpful as it is eerily timely. Also, I'm trying to demonstrate how formidable she is through a restrained, outwardly polite dialog scene. Which done right, a la Tywin, is amazing, but crap it is hard.
My favourite in recent memory is the entrance of Grand Admiral Thrawn in 'Ahsoka'. The gold-plated star destroyer looming overhead, the legion of dark magic infused storm troopers that chant Thrawn's name like acolytes worshipping a god. An admittedly quite portly Thrawn just walses upto the camera. *That is frightening*. His presence in the scene is palpable, and he does very little to personally instill fear. Everything surrounding him is pointing to how scary he is.
I’m working on writing a fiction novel right now (with heavy biblical allusions, social commentary, and philosophy) This is SO helpful. Not only do you show how to set up a villain, you explain that there are multiple ways to set up villains. I’m going to have two villains, one “puppeteering” the other. Alex is his own antagonist, trying to end his own life. He is taken seriously, but is shown to be weak in a heart wrenching way. It shows the success of the protagonists, and foreshadows their eventual success with him But Dominus Mors is something else. It is natural, yet makes the unnatural being of people feel threatened. Dominicus Mors felt like such a hard villain to introduce, because it is hard to make an idea form an entire character (that being death). Mors needs to show that it cannot be defeated, only accepted; that the heroes cannot “win the fight”, only accept that the resolution given to them is regret-less. This task seemed utterly impossible when I first conceived. You helped a lot with how I want to form its character, thank you SO much!!! (And for those of you paying attention, you may have noticed that I used two separate ways to spell Mors’s name. That’s because it is known as ‘Lord Death’ and ‘Sunday Death’. This foreshadows that Alex dies on a Sunday, and has multiple biblical allegories that show “god” as cruel but repetitive, also referencing “I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream”)
Love the analysis. In my own work, I want to delve into how this structure can be applied to protagonists, much like what you described in your John Wick video a few years back regarding how to write a terrifying protagonist. I'm writing an urban fantasy story that has no villains. There are multiple groups each pursuing what they feel to be morally sound, even if it's just surviving in the world built by the ruling class. But most crucially, they can all be perceived as villains by certain others. I want to write it so that only when you pull away, you realize they're all simply struggling to do what they think is right. In the meantime, I want to use the perspective of fear and perceived evils to drive home the sense of injustice felt by every character, thinking only they themselves can instill or uphold justice. So the story has many antagonists, but no true villains, however each of these characters are powerful in unique ways, and inspires fear in others. Thank you for the videos. This can definitely help me flesh out my story.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Hans Landa's introduction in the first fifteen minutes of Inglorious Basterds is one of the best villain introductions ever put to film. It displays everything about him - his cunning, his charm, his pride in being good at his task, even if he wishes it was more important to him. You instantly get a sense of how utterly terrifying he is and it causes him to steal every subsequent scene he's in.
That whole movie is a compilation of awesome character introductions. Hans Landa is a standout among them for sure, but that makes it all the more impressive
Aldo Raine's speech, The Bear Jew's tunnel approach, Hugo Stiglitz's murder compilation
That scene was insanely intense.
Your hoping against hope that he doesn’t know where they are, but he does. And he’s just having the conversation to be sure.
Darth Vader’s intro at the end of Rogue One was terrifying. Really the first time I saw him as not a tall robotic moving guy who we all knew was good with the force. He ripped those guys to shreds before boarding Leah’s ship which really gave a new respect for him
I’m a huge fan of his intro in Fallen Order as well
No it was cheesy as fuck.
Darth vader looks like he was conducting an orchestra for grand parade at the end of Rogue one
Vader's intro in ANH is amazing too. It sets up two characters in one intro. He comes on board.. Chokes a man by holding him off the ground and throws him against the wall so hard it scares you. Then, you meet Princess Leia, who immediately get's in this Vader's face. She isn't afraid and immediately demands he answer for what he's doing. We see a scary villian and a leader who's not afraid of them in one scene.
@@gamecokben No, you're wrong
The kethric intro will stick with me as the first villain in a game that I was truly intimidated by. I expected a standard angry yell and just kill the goblin like they always do. But when he pulled it out and demanded she try again I was like “oh dang. This is serious.” Like I was genuinely dreading having to fight him.
I think Gus Fring from Breaking Bad has a fantastic villain entrance in part because it's so unassuming. It demonstrates all these steps in such a mellow and careful way. It shows how shrewd and calculated he is, while giving a small slip of the facade when Walt suggests they are alike. I've just always thought it was a very well executed scene.
Actually, I think that it's a great point to show when a character slips or breaks his character for a brief moment. It can make someone creepy, make you question who he really is, or show that there's more to him than you thought...
Gussy Fringer goated
@@edi9892 a year late to this but I really like how Lalo drives Gus into a corner and has him at his wits end for weeks, outmaneuvering everybody including Mike. If I hadnt seen Breaking Bad already, then the final confrontation would be more impactful.
I think the Wilson Fisk (AKA Kingpin) introdcution in Daredevil season 1 was perfect. He was hinted at, spoken about in hushed whispers, and didn't make an appearance until episode 4. Up to this point you know (have been told (by way of conversation and body language)) that he runs a criminal organisation with multiple syndiates at his control, inspires fear, and is in control of the Hell's Kitchen underworld.
The scene is so at odds with expectation. He is standing in front of a large white painting. After some conversation with a woman that approaches him, she describes art as only being important in how it makes you feel. "It makes me feel... alone." In such a softly spoken way that Vincent D'Onofri delivers, it gives me chills. Knowing what the character is and the raw violence he is capable of, the subdued entrance works perfectly.
Agreed, Fisk is a delightful subversion of the 4 rules from this video. It makes you like him and feel for him before you actually see what kind of monster he truly is (probably mostly demonstrated with the car door scene). That kind of betrayal creates a primal reaction in our brains that we don't soon forget.
Not sure how well-known this one will be, but I've got to give a shout out to the entrance of Megatron from Transformers Animated. Moments earlier, his crew, having just been introduced, are all bickering amongst themselves, then the doors open, we get Megs, and all of them shut up instantly and stand at attention. No music, just the sound of the guy's metallic footsteps as he walks past before ordering a status report. No humour around the guy, just straight to business. Loved it 😊
Thank you so much for mentioning this. I’m a lifelong Transformers Animated fan, it’s maybe my favorite cartoon of all time, and their rendition of Megatron is my favorite. He’s a real powerhouse, and a genuinely intelligent villain to boot. No matter how bad things get for him, he always thinks, or talks, his way out of it
I just watched the scene. It's nice that they made him more quietly intimidating, but the other characters are more childish than usual.
Wow this really feels like a video that was needed. Villains with memorable entrances are usually the best.
Hans Gruber’s intro in Die Hard is a classic. I love how calm and in control he is the whole time while his minions around him frantically carry out his wishes.
Okay i feel like theres a 5th one the Megamind in me cant help but add.
Presentation!
How a villain looks (fashion wise) and how the location frames them can play a huge part in selling their personality or unique skill. You buy thanos beating the hulk because the ship around them is already in smoking ruins. Vader walking through smoke with his cap fanning out behind him as he boards Leia's ship is an iconic shot from the first star wars movie. Scar's personality and way of holding himself in front of mufasa sells him as the villian even if mufasa never shows fear during the scene (tho maybe that was the point of the mouse? To have something fear Scar when the King couldnt).
Well, the toucan cowers every time Scar starts getting close, which is actually a lot more impactful since we can't really see the mouse's fear. His interactions with Mufasa also show that he's not personally powerful, but charismatic. He says himself that he's not strong enough to face his brother directly, but he's a lot more clever. Also, Mufasa doesn't fear him at all because he sees no reason to. From his perspective, Scar is the weak failure that refuses to fall in line, not the clever schemer he really is.
One of my favorite villain entrances is that of The Judge in Blood Meridian. He's immediately described as physically huge and imposing, but rather than demonstrating his physical power, the scene demonstrates his charisma, intelligence, craftiness, and sway over the people around him.
His entire first sequence is impecable. What immediatelly comes to my mind when I think about this chapter of the book is his "outro", when the Kid is riding out of town after setting the hotel on fire and he sees the Judge staring at him.
"When he passed back through the town the hotel was burning and men were standing around watching it, some holding empty buckets. A few men sat horseback watching the flames and one of these was the judge. As the kid rode past the judge turned and watched him. He turned the horse, as if he'd have the animal watch too. When the kid looked back the judge smiled."
I know I'm the minority here, but I think the judge is a lame villain. Cormac does this thing with his villains you see. They talk so gd much Cormac's own words bleed right on out, and he's an insufferable asshole 😂
@@OmnipotentSpud You definetely are in the minority lol
@@OmnipotentSpud yeah idk about that lol. I mean he's definitely an asshole, I'll give you that much at least
@rolfthewalker79 “Cormac’s villains talk too much!”
Anton Chigurh:
Omni mans entrance as a villain killing the guardians was perfect. It also happens to fulfill all of these aspects of a villain intro
Combustion man is actually really interesting because he really doesn't have any backstory or character development, he never says a single thing, but we all love him as a villain, partly because sparky sparky boom man is funny, but also because he's more like a force of nature I suppose.
The episodes where he appears are actually some of the most interesting and enjoyable to me.
Love your idea of Demonstrate don’t describe rather than show don’t tell. I think a lot of beginning writers (myself included) tend to think we’re doing villain intros right by describing just how fearsome or devious the villain looks through the characters’ eyes rather than letting that fearsomeness be seen right away. Better to leave the way a villain looks up to the reader’s imagination with a few key descriptions and give them the villains actions to solidify their terror. Especially important for a visual medium. Great advice!
"Show, don't Tell" doesn't really tell me anything, especially since my personal medium is writing. You know, the act of _telling_ your audience everything while being physically unable to show them a single thing. "Demonstrate, don't Describe" gives a slightly better idea how to do it right.
I think the best villain entrance and one of my favorite scenes in all of cinema is Kung Fu panda's tai lung
Not really his entrance, though. The first time we see a demonstration of his dangerousness.
The flood's introduction in Halo CE followed this really well.
1. Demonstrated skill by showing how easily it wiped out not only Keyes and his marines, but also the covenant.
2. Demonstrated its uniqueness by showing that it can infect and reanimate bodies.
3. Demonstrated its success because it was freed from containment and forces THE MASTER CHIEF to flee.
4. Most importantly, demonstrated the fear it caused expertly with the entire eerie buildup of the first half of the level, and the frantic escape for the second half. It starts off far quieter than every other level, you see covenant troops fleeing from seemingly nothing, you find a marine who's gone crazy and starts shooting at you in a panic. Then a cutscene divides the two parts of the level in a creepy found-footage style perspective as Chief taps into a marine's helmet cam. You watch as a squad gets DEVOURED in the room you're standing in RIGHT now, and then you're swarmed by them with intense and creepy music against an entirely new enemy.
The flood are the most terrifying villains I know of in all fiction. They don't seem to have a weakness except when necessary to the plot.
When he mentions the villains wielding fear, around 9:05, I thought of the shown entrance of Lilith in Diablo IV. She doesn't wield fear - she gives people hope, but that hope is shown as a demented, twisting thing that turns people into abominations. Also an effective entrance.
A moment where the villain makes it clear that the difference between them and the protagonist (or protagonist stand-in) isn't a disparity of purely material, privilege, or general power in nature; it's a matter of will, ability, skill. I am where I am because I'm better than you. You are where you are because you have not attained my level.
Honestly Kung Fu Panda 2 is amazing. Just watched it again as an adult with my sick son and I finally saw the great writing around Shen.
The intro of omni man, the way once he kills the first guardian. And the fact the music stops and he begins his genocide. Really makes the scene feel more real without any music in the background and it really works.
I have to say, the scene at the end of rogue one really checks off all the boxes for me here. Yes, Darth Vader’s introduction in episode 4 works just as well, but I really felt the fear in the rogue one scene.
The terror of the one rebel though, oh man. "Help us" while banging on the door that won't open as people are just being slaughtered behind him
Ketheric is not main villain but damn, his entrance was amazing. Actually another red villain (who played knows who I’m talking about) from the game has great vibe in theirs introduction too.
I have never seen or "felt" a villain's entrance like Negan from Walking Dead. To add to the fact that it was a 2 parter with the second part coming 1 year later, and you still felt the horror. I wasn't a fan of the series beforehand, so I didn't know anything about him, and I was just amazed at that. Peak TV
Arnold's intro in Terminator 2 does this perfectly:
1) power and skill: takes a cigar to the chest and knife to the back without flinching
2) unique aspect: clueless about humanity - enters biker bar naked and asks for clothes and motorcycle
3) succeeding: walks out of the bar "bad to the bone"
4) fear: owner paralyzed as he takes his shotgun and shades
after this perfect setup, turns out he is the hero, not the villain
It’s incredible how Darkseid in Justice League is the exact opposite of all 4 qualities.
The heroes doesnt fear him lol
Want Darkseid done right? Watch JLU.
👏👏👏 I was hoping to find this comment
They did him so dirty
Really? Ignoring the battle between the gods and Uxia, Darkseid kinda showed all four.
Skill: That damn Omega beam and overwhelming power, with an endless horde at his arsenal
Unique Aspect: Comforting Superman and a warrior's funeral for Wonder Woman
Success: I mean, he did win. As in brutally screwed over the entire Earth with the anti-life equation
Fear: Isn't the entire montage kinda screaming fear at you?
Joker, Thanos, there's so many goated villain introductions to choose from... but the best one has to be Negan's. Killing off a fan favorite main character is one thing, but deciding which one to kill by eenie meenie miney mo is just....next level. He demonstrates his overwhelming power/skill, demonstrates his uniqueness via bat, eenie meenie miney mo, and other eccentricities, demonstrates his success by killing off one MC (or two) and letting the others live because he still wants them to work for him, and demonstrates fear by turning Rick into a puddle of tears and snot (not to mention he terrifies the audience by the possibility of him killing a fan favorite off). I can't see it ever being topped imo
But negan's intro is partly ruined because it's split between the finale of season 6 and first episode of season 7. Watching as it came out was infuriating because we didn't know who he killed until 9 months later. And then he kills two fan favorites. They should have had him kill Abraham in season 6 finale and then glenn in season 7 first episode.
One of my favorite villains is Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad - and I love how his entrance is Walter waiting, waiting, waiting in prolonged anticipation for him to show up at Pollos Hermanos, until eventually connecting the dots that the man he's been waiting for has been in the background the whole time. This obviously highlights Frings surface qualities as a cautious and deliberate distributer fronting as a successful businessman -- but it makes the escalation of conflict between him and Walter throughout the next two seasons so suspenseful and exciting to watch. There is never a moment where the character feels static as the narrative slowly reveals just how ruthless he is capable of being, and as a result, those few scenes where Gus goes full mask off remain among the most shocking and intense viewing experiences I can recall. And I think that payoff was so great partly because showrunners committed to demonstrating how unassuming and easy-to-miss Gus is right in the beginning.
I'm interested to see how this would apply to twist villains. One would think that it would apply to the reveal scene, but bits and pieces could be filled in with foreshadowing over the course of the story.
I think it depends on the twist villain I’d say they’re seemingly aligned until the twist they’re a huge asset to the protagonist but unpredictable because of whatever motivational difference they have
I think you can still apply a lot of these principles without revealing the twist so it's quite functional m just avoid having them show their true colors so to speak. A martial arts mentor who's a twist villain might show a unique technique, maybe be a little unnecessarily brutal, but still command respect from their students instead of outright fear. Hint, but don't outright tell the reader they're a villain.
Kaiser Soze! I mean Verbal is one of my favs with regard to this detail. Too bad it has been cancelled.
/I got a set of steak knifes
Fun fact about “show don’t tell.” It’s writing advice for screenwriters back when there was no sound… so when they had to ‘tell’ something they’d have to cut away to text on the screen.
Recognizing the context of advice can really help give it some color!
I had no idea this was the origin but that’s really interesting (and helpful for thinking about modern day applications)
This video in its entirety as well as the video you did describing the “villain at rest” are amazing. Please do more villain-centered videos!
Happy you like it! I'll keep it in mind!
Reminds me of that Bill Hicks bit where he's talking about western where the villain intimidates a man into picking up a gun from the floor, then shoots the man dead when he picks it up. "You all saw him. He had a gun."
Gaunter O'Dimm's (proper) introduction in the Witcher 3 covers all 4 steps I think. He STOPS TIME for everyone except Geralt in order to have a conversation with him, give him a job, and then leave. The fear is palpable in every dialogue spoken throughout the scene. That's easily one of the best villain intro's I've ever seen alongside the likes of Hans Landa and Darth Vader.
While I agree in your choice of Gaunter O/Dimm, I'd argue that the stopping of time by itself isn't really what instills fear since that could easily be an illusion of some kind. It's not until he kills one of the NPCs by shoving a spoon through their head while time is stopped that the fear really begins because without a single word he lets us know that he could end us at any time and there isn't a thing we could do to stop him; we continue breathing only because right now he finds us entertaining and we don't have the slightest clue as to why that is.
Before i even watched the video, my FIRST thought was "2003 Grievous." Arguably the greatest intro to a villain ever, and none of his appearances in live action and animated media after his time under Genndy have come anywhere close.
I think a 5th element which is a bit more situational is the build up. Some of the most iconic villain intros I've seen have been when a villain is felt constantly throughout the story before they first appear, so that their appearance is paying off the presence that came before. Of course, some villains are more understated in impact based on the story, or want to appear to early for this pay off to be meaningful; but if possible a villain introduction can be both pay off and more set up in the same scene.
Perfect example is the Inheritance cycle's King Galbatorix. Doesn't have any scenes, only in the back stories for the first 3 books, but his presence is through the whole series
Oh my god… having the birth of the Xenomorph playing under the credits gave me chills! Easily my favorite movie monster and, to me, one of the most iconic monsters/villains of modern fiction!
Magnificent essay! First time viewer and this was an INSTANT “like, comment, and subscribe!” Thank you for posting! 🤩❤️👍
I think one of my favorite ways is utilized is through subtly building them up in the background with hints in the world, before slamming the heroes with a demonstration of why they are so renown and feared. I also like when characters turn into villains over time, then pulling off a successful intro
Geez, enough with the Kickass love.
/Freaking fun movies
One thing that can be added for a less common type of villain is leaving a feeling of mystery (this might fit under Unique Aspect or Fear, depending on the villain).
It could be an unexplained ability, the way their own allies react to them, or like, a nickname idk
Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean has one of my favorite intros of any character Ever. The main character has history with the villain and is obviously scared before we see him, and his victory is demonstrated before the villain is shown with a whole destroyed ship in the middle of the ocean. The survivors are suffering from extreme trauma, there's weird fish hybrids, then the flying Dutchman emerges from under the sea. And after the villain is Finally introduced, his first line is "Do you fear death?" followed by what seems to be an offer of immortality. The scene is capped off by Davy Jones inexplicably teleporting hundreds of feet with the coolest transition ever, demanding a hundred souls as payment, showing that his character has a troubled past, and leaving a mysterious goop that seeps into the main character's hand. Before the scene, your only question was "Who's Davy Jones?" And all the scene did was feed you more questions to ask.
To your last point, it's the whole "fill the box before you start thinking outside of it" kind of thing. Know the rules, so you are better equipped to bend or even break them.
Thanks for explaining the Demonstrate Don't Describe.
I have always wondered what people meant by Show Don't Tell.
No problem!
11:40 I believe the technical term is sparky sparky boom boom man
The Kilmonger intro was and is very iconic. It showed that he was highly intelligent, well versed in history, and his aura was one of danger, similar to a wile animal on the lose. It why she was scared of him
I’m happy this came around my feed. I have a couple other channels I watch for writing advice (Terrible Writing Advice being chief), but this is different and fresh to me. Thanks for doing this.
One of my favorite villain intros is Cell from the _Dragon Ball_ franchise. His build-up and introduction is amazing and unnerving.
As for how these 4 steps apply....
1. Demonstrates he's a competent fighter by getting in a fight with Piccolo while demonstrating his knowledge of the Kamehameha and Special Beam Cannon.
2. Demonstrates his unique skill of gaining his power by absorbing (or more accurately, drinking) people.
3. Surprisingly gets his ass kicked by Piccolo at first, but just illustrates that he is not quite ready yet to take on all of our heroes. And he succeeds in getting the drop on our heroes by covering his escape with a Solar Flare.
4. Our characters have witnessed, either directly or indirectly, Cell reduce the human population of an entire town to zero and the latter reveals he'll be even more terrifying when he achieves his goal.
Not sure if these count, but that's just how I see it.
Thanks for mentioning Cell from DBZ. He was a lot more than I can imagined.
I agree, I remember watching all the episodes that lead up to his introduction and by then I was scared of Cell. You could argue the same with other major villains in Dragon Ball
@@LuisSierra42the only other character introduction that I feel comes close to Cell is Goku Black's.
King Piccolo's build-up was pretty good, but the actual first time we see him is kinda lackluster.
Great answer!
1st form cells intro was so creepy. Definitely a good one.
I think another reason why Ketheric is so memorable (probably most memorable of the 3) is how Vader - esque he is. For all intents and purposes, Ketheric Thorm feels very much like a very well done BG3 version Darth Vader
The Voice acting is also a pretty huge part. JK simmons cadence is phenominal. when you consider Larian isn't always the most pretty of developers and that game rendered cutscenes can get... wonky. the presence his voice alone gives him I don't think is far behind James Earl Jones at all honestly.
@@TGPDrunknHick the game and cutscenes might be buggy, but all the VAs are killing it. Our party, 3 main antagonist masterminds, Raphael, Auntie Ethel, the Narrator, etc
I honestly loved the introduction of Emperor Nefarious from the recent Ratchet and Clank, hes introduced by casually chucking Ratchet through a window, is very calm and collected the whole time, and casually wipes out an entire stand of audience members who were cheering for his defeat when it's pointed out that the galaxy wants him gone, he dominates the entire scene
Gonna give some shout outs to One Piece's exceptional villains and how some of its most overarching villains are introduced.
- Blackbeard is introduced actually very lowkey, but it's very effective. He's introduced in a bar next to Luffy, and his introduction shows that he is the exact opposite of Luffy in almost every way through a very simple way. Have them like and dislike different foods and get into an argument over it. They both get the same food item. Blackbeard loves it, Luffy hates it. Except then, after the scene at the bar, Blackbeard meets Luffy when he's exiting the town and gives us one of the most defining speeches in One Piece, and shows his single similarity to Luffy: "A man's dream never dies". Blackbeard and Luffy both have dreams, and they have the will to see it through, their dreams are just so at odds that they are fated to clash eventually. We don't even know this man is a villain at this point, we only learn he's a villain later, but it's so effective.
- Dracule Mihawk isn't necessarily a villain, but he is an antagonist, and Zoro's major goal throughout the series, and he's introduced with a bang. The Straw Hats are fighting a crew that have just gotten their shit wrecked on the Grand Line and are trying to make up their losses, when out of nowhere a single man on a small rowboat appears, Dracule Mihawk. The captain of the crew reveals that this is the man who destroyed them on the Grand Line, single handedly. Mihawk then cuts his boat in half with one swing of his sword, and we see the power of the greatest swordsman in the world. Zoro naturally challenges him to a duel, because Mihawk is Zoro's goal. Mihawk doesn't like this young upstart, so he fights Zoro using a comically small necklace knife and rocks his shit in, demonstrating the sheer breadth of power between the two. When Zoro loses, he impresses Mihawk enough for Mihawk to give him an honorable death with his true sword. When Zoro turns around, presents his front to him, and says that "a wound on the back is a swordsman's shame", Mihawk's only response is "Excellent." before cutting him down, but very notably sparing him, telling him to get stronger and to surpass him. A fantastic introduction.
I think CP9's proper introduction at Iceburg's manor before Aqua Laguna hits all these key points.
They successfully attack and get the information needed from iceberg, and defeating the Straw hats without outright killing them, even though they could. All while demonstrating they're main powers, and core aspects, being undercover, and utilizing the Rokushiki, and making it seem like the Straw hats are responsible for the attempted assassination of the Iceburg. As far a villain/antagonist introduction, CP9 is top notch. Probably the only introduction I think comes close to their introduction is that of Kaidou's when he falls from a sky island.
7:30 To add to that point, showing a villain failing would be a great way to introduce a non-threatening cartoony villain like Dr. Doofenshmirtz or Jessie and James. I say non-threatening because threatening cartoony villains like Jack Horner exist.
Edit: Grammar
YESSS KETHERIC
I love the writing in BG3, I would absolutely love to watch more videos of you talking about it
I'm so glad my kids have an excellent movie like Puss in Boots to watch while they're growing up. That movie has no business being so good
I know you mostly do movies on this channel, but my favorite villain entrance has got to be the assassin in white at the start of The Way of Kings. All of your aspects plus an introduction to the magic system and worldbuilding.
My god I love his introduction.
"Szeth-son-son-Vallano, Truthless of Shinovar, wore white on the day he was to kill a king."
not quite a villain, but Asgore has a great one. hes built up to be a ruthless murderer, but when you see him hes... friendly. it begins to stress you out. then, once you enter combat, he breaks the fourth wall and destroys a UI element
The initial deathblow-surviving villain also harks back to the Green Knight in the medieval tale where the young knight Gawain acquiesces to play a 'game' with a stranger: strike him once with his great ax, but if he survives, Gawain must prepare to receive the same blow a year hence. Gawain beheads the stranger, who picks up his head, reminds Gawain to turn up at the appointed hour, mounts his horse and departs. The recent film was atrocious, but the poem is great.
One of my favorite villian intros is from the series Firefly - Train Job, Adelai Niska. Adelai Niska was one of the most dangerous enemies of Malcolm Reynolds and his crew. He was the leader of a criminal syndicate that dealt in murder, extortion, robbery, smuggling, and drug trafficking.
"And I just got to what seems like the main villains introduction..."
Mhm, yes, exactly...You might think that^^
haha no spoilers!
Oh man, I gotta look up the entrance for the rattlesnake in the Johnny Depp movie where he plays a chameleon.
Rewatched Rango recently and it continues to hold up. (Rattlesnake Jake is also a love letter to great visual character design!!)
One of my favourite villain entrances is Scarpia in Tosca. The way his iconic leitmotif cuts through the choir boys and the Sacristan's cheerful noise in instantly intimidating. You have heard about him before, and he does not disappoint.
I love a video diving into technique that is both technically sound AND totally kick ass cool
Thanks for the support!
"Oh you’re a villain alright, but you’re no super villain."
"Yeah? Whats the difference?"
*** welcome to the jungle guitar riff drops ***
"PRESENTATION!!!”
Best/Favourite version of this 'villain' introduction I've seen is Kenpachi Zaraki from BLEACH. Strongly recommend people to check that out.
The first time you ever meet Hansome Jack in person in Borderlands 2 he murders one of your friends infront of you and kidnapps another. He has been talking to you all the way through the game but this one moment suddenly makes you realise just how much of a danger he really is. He goes from only ever threatening you in the background or doing things off screen to suddenly snapping and taking away what finally felt like you had the upper hand. And there is no flair or fancy tricks just a single gunshot.
i love your videos sooo much. constantly taking notes when watching. your analysis is always clear, powerful and creates a direction for improvement. whenever I feel stuck with my scripts and need to strengthen the message, I know I'll find everything I need here.
I watched Puss in Boots on the plane ride home. Goodness I loved everything about Death.
1:18 I KNEW SOMEONE ELSE THOUGHT OF THAT!
I'd commented on a video about the BG3 villain intro a few weeks back with this exact quote. XD
So happy you included 2003 Grievous, he is one of my favorite villains. So iconic!
Thank you for this one specifically. Your videos are always awesome, but this one dropped at a PERFECT time for me. My cousin and I are both working on manuscripts, and supporting one another as beta readers and tweak-suggesters, but we’ve founded our common weakness to be Villian Intros. Something just never feels quite right and they come across as underwhelming, even with constant editing. I’m sending this to him now, and we’re having a meeting of the minds later- I think you may have saved both of our books 😅 ❤
Thanks I can help. Feel free to reach out if you ever want feedback! you got this.
@@savagebooks7482 thank you so much!!!!
You bring some of the best literary analysis on this platform, period.
An Andor dialogue dive would be amazing. That show’s writing I day say rivals early Game of Thrones.
Grand Admiral Thrawn's intro was always great. He instantly shows what kind of villain he is. He figures out a big plan of the Rebel's instantly. He has in a single sentence established that he is the most powerful Imperial that we have seen thusfar.
I think one of my favorite villain intros is younger toguro in Yu yu hakusho, he gets 2, one when he’s playing an act for tarukane and one when Yusuke meets him in town and we meet the real toguro, but even when he’s playing pretend, toguro just has a presence, the moment you see him theirs this aura of menace that never really goes away, and when he tortures yukina in the scene he’s introduced he tells her to get used to her situation and suffering it will make things easier which in hindsight is such a good line because without telling you too much it lays the groundwork for the eventual reveal of his real motive of wanting to die in battle and end his own suffering, then you have his second reveal, when he’s no longer playing a part in someone else’s game, when he utterly terrifies the main cast with his sheer presence, Yusuke always has a quip or a one liner but here he’s speechless, he’s shaking, it’s the first time we’ve seen him truly afraid, and the wording in toguro’s threat to, he doesn’t say “I’m going to kill everyone you love if you don’t comply” he says “I’m going to kill everyone you’ve ever met” and you immediately know without question that he could do thst
One of my favorite characters, Kumawaga Misogi from Medaka Box, I'll always remember his introduction. Bathed in blood, smiling naively while the top most powerful character from the last arc are bleeding, pinned on the walls, to which he asserts that he didn't do it, in spite of his two hands holding the bloody murder weapons. A character so out there and illogical, sickingly evil, an unknowable menace that gives you the chills by just standing there.
How dare you not address the legend himself by his proper title, “Sparky-Sparky BOOM Man”!
I am always happy when you describes aspects like these and they fit naturally what I have already written. I was quite happy with that particular villain entrance of mine. Interestingly, this also fits the introduction of one of my heroes to a tee, in some intentional subversion.
Yeah. Many forget that that writing it's first, then the analyzing. It's descriptive rather than prescritive, it's more like when you have something that doesn't feel right, that isn't getting what you want to express across, that you look for ways to improve or change that particular scene or character.
Honestly Death's introduction in Puss in Boots has got to be one of my favorite villain introductions at the moment. It's so simple and effective and the voice acting just gives me chills. That's something I love about content created for children; it has this beautiful simplicity that a lot of content aimed at adults fails to maintain. Honestly, I don't even care about what genre a film or series is, or who it is aimed at, if it is done really well I will probably love it.
Hannibal Lecter's introduction in Silence of the Lambs is also an excellent one:
1. Power/Skill - Under ridiculously heavy security and effortlessly psychoanalyses Starling
2. Uniqueness - He's an insane yet highly intelligent cannibal psychologist from whom our protagonist needs help
3. Success - Stays completely on top of the conversation despite Starling's efforts to turn it to her advantage, and he only throws her a bone and lays the groundwork for them to meet again because a random incident from another inmate irritates his sense of courtesy
4. Fear - A long build-up telling us all the horrible things he's done, and Starling reacts with considerable disquiet despite being in absolutely no danger
I think his one is helped a lot by the build-up, since part of Hannibal's charm is the balance he strikes between being unimposing and polite but so inhumanly creepy that it makes your hair stand on end.
Another great one is Calvin Candie from Django Unchained:
1. Power/Skill - Has two slaves fighting to the death for his amusement, and is so blase about it that he's clearly got a lot of experience at this
2. Uniqueness - He considers slave fighting to be just a bloodsport, so it doesn't stop him being a charming gentleman
3. Success - Actually NOT; he falls for the heroes' ploy immediately, establishing him as dangerous and bloodthirsty but not all that smart... lulling you into a false sense of security that is undermined when Stephen starts to get suspicious
4. Fear - He's sufficiently terrifying that his slaves risk their lives fighting each other rather than risk his wrath, and the heroes need to go far onto his home turf for their plan to work, and on the way there he has another slave torn apart by dogs
The rest of the game it is kind of wastes it because he is not terribly interesting afterward, but Corypheus's introduction in Dragon Age Inquisition is incredible. He crushes your stronghold with his army and pet dragon, leaves all the heroes thinking they are going to die and tells you basically god is dead and I am going to repace them (and you can believe him) and it leaves you just escaping by the skin of your teeth. It is a very well done sequence.
Great video! If you guys want another example, check out the scene from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly when the villain is introduced. It's called a breakfast with Angel Eyes.
That was a great writeup. Now I have to go back to my most-recent novel and see if I actually managed to do that, or whether I only *think* I did.
Hans Landa! I had to go back and watch it, because I remembered him winning outright. But no, he decides it'd be more fun to let someone escape.
It's also interesting what "winning outright" means. You'd hope everyone who saw Endgame also saw Infinity War, but taken on its own, Endgame introduces Thanos in exactly the opposite way: He's accomplished his goals entirely, and so has no need to project fear or demonstrate skill.
The one that stood out to me immediately based on your criteria was actually Blackbeard. Our absolute first introduction to him put him at odds with the protagonist, though his level of villainy wasn't introduced yet. When he was being introduced as a villain proper, he was going against one of the strongest in the series (instead of the protagonist), used his unique trait of disabling his devil-fruit powers - which subsequently triggered obvious fear, and won - beating Ace in a fair one. He is then RE-introduced at a pivotal moment as he uses some still un-identified measure to do something even more unique (eat two devil fruits), and instills fear in EVERYONE present.
Silva's introduction in Skyfall is incredible. The slow delivery of the rat story by Javier Bardem while the camera lingers in place is masterful in the way it sets the tone.
Demonstrate, don't describe is the best way I've seen that put. Great information, as always. Thanks!
One excellent villain intro that a lot of people may not be aware of is Felix Flick from Dimension 20's "Tiny Heist". I know a comedic D&D game isn't what most people think of when looking for a good villain intro, but it is a good one. He doesn't hit all four points you mentioned, but what he lacks in one, he makes up for in another. I won't give too much away, but suffice it to say that I don't think I've ever seen the person playing a game look so terrified in my life!
Jake the Snake from Rango is a masterful example of this concept
This is perfect. I’m about to introduce the campaign BBEG in one of my D&D games and you’ve really helped me figure out how to make him terrifying
I'm pretty sure "demonstrate don't discribe" is just "show don't tell" put through a thesaurus.
Sarevok from Baldur's Gate 1 has a pretty good intro. He comes in with a few buddies looking for you, but your foster father basically says "run, I'll hold him off" and dies in the attempt after killing nearly everyone else in Sarevok's group. You don't know anything about him until like half way through the game.
ty so much! this has really helped flesh out the villain of a story i’m working on :D
"Oh, you're a villain alright, just not a super one!"
"Oh yeah, what's the difference?"
"...Presentation!"
Eren's "entrance" in Marley in S4 E4 and 5 was incredible.
The intro of Imperfect Cell in DBZA is an incredible example of these 4 steps.
Great breakdown of the initial aspects that causes a great villain to be born
I’m actually shocked you didn’t go for Vader
I was waiting for Vader as well. Not the biggest Star Wars fan, but as far as iconic villain introductions goes, I consider that near the top. Fits all the listed steps as well:
- His power and skill in capturing a ship and commanding a skilled armed force (jokes about Storm Trooper aiming aside)
- Shows his unique aspect in his use of the force, and in every character's deference to him as a clearly high-ranking figure
- He succeeds in capturing the ship and Leia, but not the plans he came for
- Fear: Emerging from the smoke. That mask. That music. That voice. Perfect.
@@SliceOfDog exactly breakdown and yea I’m not a Star Wars fan but that intro was legendary
About point 3:
I'd add that the villain should succeed in the hero's field of expertise.
Thanos beats the living sh*t out of the Hulk, Shen kills all the martial arts experts after starting the fight with martial arts, The Wolf frightens the courageous Puss into flight after besting him in combat with bladed weapons.
What do you think of the concept of the "True" entrance? This is where we first see the villain in a very unassuming, almost mundane context. It's not till a later scene that the movie actually shows of what he's all about.
For example, Senator Armstrong, when he first appears, is just some generic rich asshole in a suit, barely onscreen for five minutes. An obstacle, not a character. It isn't until the end of the game that we REALLY get introduced to the gloriously batshit insane walking meme of a character he truly is.
Death from supernatural, by far one of the best entrances ever. The music, the visuals, it all just works to introduce the character.
Thrawn's entrance in episode 6 of Ahsoka was absolutely epic for me. The buildup, the music, the camera angles, the dialogue... so good!
Does it hit any point in this video though? He is not shown doing anything really, skillful or otherwise. All he does is greet Morgan and thank her for coming. We don't see much fear from Sabine.
I enjoyed the scene not as an entrance, but as a return. I have enjoyed Thrawn in the books a lot, so seeing him in live action was cool, but the execution itself wasn't brilliant.
@@jasonsomers8224that's because this isn't a first time entrance for this thrawn. That happened in Rebels and his first meeting with one of our main team hits all 4 of these points.
He out smarts hera showing why he's a brilliant strategist and reveals his unique trait of studing the art of destroyed worlds (studying Sabine's art is how he figured out their plan), the rebels lose that mission having to flee Heras home planet, and when thrawn corners hera and reveals he knows she isn't just servant you immediately see her fear of being cornered without backup with thrawn.
Thrawn's return in ashoka is a "surprise bitches I ain't dead" moment instead of a fear introduction. Dave made it extra flashy for those who might be watching ashoka without watching rebels. But he doesn't take it to the point of villain introduction. Because characters through out the last few episodes have been hyping up how terrifying his return would be for the galaxy.
@@jasonsomers8224sabine wasn't in thrawn's entrance scene, so of course you won't see fear in her. As for the points of the video:
-skills / unique trait: thrawn is a strategist, his intro shows him realizing who baylan and shin are, then learning about sabine's capture. From the moment he learns of this, you can see him already having some form of plan in the making, which shows what type of vilain he is
-success: he successfully managed his plot to bring mirgan and her crew to him
-fear: he is surrounded from people on his side, of course they won't show fear, however, they show awe in front of him
Overall, the scene may not be iconic but it's effective in conveying who thrawn is
Nah man, Ahsoka was really bad overall, even with Thrawn. I was TERRIFIED of Thrawn back in Rebels
Gary Oldman’s intro in Leon, wonderful example of this.
One of the best feelings I get in media is when an almost force of nature threat is introduced, especially after what felt like a tough victory, something like in the Battlefield 1 trailer the Zeppelin appears, or the wolf in Puss in Boots.
Something that is truly invincible and that guarantees your defeat, something to which opposition means nothing.
I love when that is well implemented.
As someone working hard on fine tuning his antagonists, this video is as helpful as it is eerily timely.
Also, I'm trying to demonstrate how formidable she is through a restrained, outwardly polite dialog scene. Which done right, a la Tywin, is amazing, but crap it is hard.
My favourite in recent memory is the entrance of Grand Admiral Thrawn in 'Ahsoka'.
The gold-plated star destroyer looming overhead, the legion of dark magic infused storm troopers that chant Thrawn's name like acolytes worshipping a god. An admittedly quite portly Thrawn just walses upto the camera. *That is frightening*. His presence in the scene is palpable, and he does very little to personally instill fear. Everything surrounding him is pointing to how scary he is.
I’m working on writing a fiction novel right now (with heavy biblical allusions, social commentary, and philosophy)
This is SO helpful. Not only do you show how to set up a villain, you explain that there are multiple ways to set up villains.
I’m going to have two villains, one “puppeteering” the other.
Alex is his own antagonist, trying to end his own life. He is taken seriously, but is shown to be weak in a heart wrenching way. It shows the success of the protagonists, and foreshadows their eventual success with him
But Dominus Mors is something else. It is natural, yet makes the unnatural being of people feel threatened. Dominicus Mors felt like such a hard villain to introduce, because it is hard to make an idea form an entire character (that being death). Mors needs to show that it cannot be defeated, only accepted; that the heroes cannot “win the fight”, only accept that the resolution given to them is regret-less.
This task seemed utterly impossible when I first conceived. You helped a lot with how I want to form its character, thank you SO much!!!
(And for those of you paying attention, you may have noticed that I used two separate ways to spell Mors’s name. That’s because it is known as ‘Lord Death’ and ‘Sunday Death’. This foreshadows that Alex dies on a Sunday, and has multiple biblical allegories that show “god” as cruel but repetitive, also referencing “I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream”)
I enjoy the villains more often then heros, I dunno about others
Ikr writers just can't seem to get their flaws and charisma right
unless they are anti-heroes
Love the analysis. In my own work, I want to delve into how this structure can be applied to protagonists, much like what you described in your John Wick video a few years back regarding how to write a terrifying protagonist. I'm writing an urban fantasy story that has no villains. There are multiple groups each pursuing what they feel to be morally sound, even if it's just surviving in the world built by the ruling class. But most crucially, they can all be perceived as villains by certain others. I want to write it so that only when you pull away, you realize they're all simply struggling to do what they think is right. In the meantime, I want to use the perspective of fear and perceived evils to drive home the sense of injustice felt by every character, thinking only they themselves can instill or uphold justice. So the story has many antagonists, but no true villains, however each of these characters are powerful in unique ways, and inspires fear in others. Thank you for the videos. This can definitely help me flesh out my story.
Thank you! Happy it helps!