Legit what the title says.
In other words, a bunch of fangirly rants, ships, art, OCs, ideas, theories, and crap like that.
And probably a lot of Agents of SHIELD, Star Wars, and MingNa Wen (*scream* SHE'S MY HERO!!!!!!)
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Figure out what a character's deepest desire is. . . and NEVER, EVER let them get it. Make them suffer. Yes, it sounds awful, but pain and angst is what makes the end so pleasing and satisfying. The character succeeded. They overcame their pain, and accepted that they will never heal or will never get back what they lost.
Percy Jackson wanted a normal life/world where demigods could live safely. Did he ever get it? No.
Sophie Foster wants a stable world where her very existence isn't seen as controversial and she can live in peace, elves an humans alike safe. Has she gotten it? No.
Bilbo Baggins wanted to go home and live a happy, eventless, adventure-free life. Did he get that? No.
Tony Stark wants revenge for his crappy childhood. Did he get it? Not really.
Allura wanted Altea back. Did she get that? No, not exactly. In fact, she died.
Leia Skywalker Solo wanted nothing more than a stable galaxy, free of the empire and evil dynasties. Did that happen? No.
Am I making my point here? All of our favorite characters never got what they truly desired. they powered through, fought for what they believed in, and prevailed in most cases. . . unless they don't, or their girlfriend's dad turns out to be their worst enemy [Sorry, Spidey].
Don't be afraid to completely ruin a heroine's life. Make them lose a limb. Kill off a loved one. Poison them. Miscarriage. Rejection. Kidnapping. Hurt. Angst, angst, ANGST!!!
Stress is what draws people in to read your story and cheer on the hero.
Now, I'm not saying to give your character a mary-sue sap story that makes us all want to hug little mrs./mr./other Perfect.
Give them flaws, absolutely, but don't make us groan with any overly used tropes that are real-life problems and situations. I wish that no child ever has to go through abuse, neglect, parental divorce, or pain. And these are things that real people go through. Make your character relatable. Make them into the person/creature that people want to high-five and say, "Good job!"
Annabeth Chase, Natasha Romanoff, Hermione, and Rey all came from sucky childhoods. Unlike Luke Skywalker, Fitz Vacker, Christine Daae, and Lance Mcclain came from loving homes. But Characters such as Indiana Jones or Hazel Levesque were moderately balanced between tough love and care.
Don't make them react perfectly. Make them mess up. Make them responsible for a crime that they didn't mean to commit. Make them be caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
When writing a villain, give them a purpose. Don't just say, 'Mr. Evil-Octopus-man is evil because. . .because. . well, He hates everybody!!!'. Give them a reason to be evil!
Captain Nemo from 20000 leagues under the sea was a complex man with a purpose, having lost his family.
Darth Vader, Mr. freeze, and Gabriel Agreste lost their wives.
Thanos watched his planet destroy itself with overpopulation, and wants to prevent that for the rest of the universe.
Loki was in denial of the fact that his life was a lie.
Lord Voldemort is angry at his mother and hates life in general.
Fintain and Brant believe that humans are evil.
Many villainas just want to prove themselves; just like Buddy Pine from Incredibles.
Heck, Hitler was a racist psychopath who wanted what he believed was the best for his country when it was really, truly, awful. (But thats a whole other topic, 'cause Hitler is in no way relatable) But do you get the point? Give your villains a reason to make the choices that they do.
One of the most common, and legit ideas for a super-villain is the pursuit of power. But don't forget to explain why they want that power.
