How to write a kind hearted villain that is very nuanced and complex? I imagine him as a son of a famous villain and a witch, however because he is weak and too kind, he is disowned by his family before being adopted by a beastman as his little brother. He is growing up in a sheltered environment and loved by his new family before a war and invasion from other world caused his world destruction and the death of his family. Now stranded at the new world filled with heroes, I want to make his struggle to become a great villain believable. So I want to ask people opinion how to build his character
I would suggest you start by reading Character by Robert McKee. You are listing a good deal of back story, with a very general character trait. Build the character, then develop the back story based on the character profile you developed. With the character developed you can see how they fit into your plot idea much easier.
I’d first consider what is his motivation to turn into a villain? What makes a good person turn bad? If he’s in a world of heroes, how could that negatively affect him? Maybe they are not perfect and make him feel like an outsider. So, it becomes a case of “if that’s what they call me, that is what I will be.” So the question to be answered there is: How does his environment affect him? Or he might get his motivation from resentment that he harbours against his family that abandoned him. “I’ll show them,” might be his attitude. The question there is: What internal beliefs drive him to want to be a villain? Especially beliefs about himself and how he fits into the world. Another consideration is: What drives villains? Things like power and recognition, for example. So how do these drives grow inside your character? What sparks them? Why does your character want to be a villain?
I see, he is driven by his need to prove himself but because he is weak physically, he can't compete with the heroes in that world in term of strength. He has a deep insecurity regarding his weak condition and want to prove that he can be a villain even without strength and even if he has a bleeding heart. I just don't want to end up making him a Mary sue, so I think his power is unique that he is insanely strong against monsters but so weak against heroes or fellow villains
I think Louanne's reply is very spot on. Her questions are very valid and if you can answer them, then you will have a very rounded and motivated villain. The first word when I read the OP and yours was revenge. Something has to happen to this physically weak character to turn him into viewing the world as an evil place. If this is populated by heroes then the natural assumption is some sort of betrayal by the heroes ... thus creating a resentment towards them and his motivation to defeat them. Betrayal seems like a good fit after reading this reply. A good plot is that the heroes didn't mean to cause this 'villain' hurt but situations and circumstances (miscommunication is often a great tool here) created an unfortunate scene in which the 'villain' is really damaged by the heroes (rejection or ridicule come into mind) thus revenge from betrayal comes into mind. Just some thoughts.
I think for starters you need to be clear what you mean by "villain." They can be pure evil, which your character is not. If you're using him as a foil to your MC, then the focus would be on his actions and motivations, which with what you've laid out makes him anything but a villain per se. He is rather someone who wants to do things against his better nature in order to become, apparently, someone of which his deceased family would be proud. So you have the makings there of a likable person bent on doing bad things. I'd focus on his childhood and the struggles he endured there, and his thinking now, how he reluctantly does "bad" things. He's a good guy trying to be bad. So he's convinced he is "bad" for being "good." How does he feel about the consequences of his actions? Does he get the "good" inner feeling he's seeking? After all, with his family gone, he can never gain their respect. Which at his heart might be devastating, to realize he can never ease the inner pain of rejection by his actions now. Maybe focus on how much it hurts for him to do good vs. what he thinks he will gain by doing bad things. Maybe he can ultimately realize that he simply isn't a bad guy, but now has to also deal with having done bad things that were ultimately against his nature.
I think what you have to ask is why is he evil? He might NOT be evil, depending on his motivation. When you say 'world of heroes', that feels very subjective. If you're talking about a world like the manga, My Hero Academia, I would say he would be seen as evil by most. But if his motivations are like Shiguraki's, I would say he's actually the good guy. Because he's championing for the outcasts and the strict laws surrounding personal freedom.
