Dear Sci-fi Writers, I need some help with my villain character backstory. So the character's name is Neil Anderson and here's what I got so far: So Neil was a famous inventor/scientist who got hit by a car. The impact was so hard that his intelligence was knocked out of him, ending his career. In my opinion, I think this backstory is a little bland. Is there anything I can add or is it fine the way it is? Would really appreciate it. From, Temar Davis
Maybe asking specific questions might help: How does having an idiot villain actually work? Or having any other prominent character as a moron? Will he regain his intelligence at some point? Why have an idiot villain? Would some other physical/mental challenge work better? Was the car driven by his enemy/rival? What is his IQ? What are his physical attributes? Good luck.
Things to consider: what does Neil want? ex: to rule the world how does Neil get it (or want to get it?) ex. by creating a bunch of fembots to seduce the population into submission why does Neil want this? ex. because he was wronged long ago for being a weakling and wants to create a world where he calls the shots what stands in Neil's way of getting it? ex. Good Guy Greg and Good Girl Ginny, robo-phycasists who work at Neil's lab and catch wind of his evil schemes thats the bones of a back story, i'd say.
What exactly does "his intelligence was knocked out of him" mean? Sounds like some kind of brain damage? But I don't think brain damage works like "you're less intelligent but nothing else about you changes". Intelligence itself is a big, complicated thing and getting "less intelligent" could mean a lot of things. Does he have amnesia? Is he more forgetful? Just generally foggy? And are there other symptoms, either cognitive or physical--is he paralyzed, or in chronic pain, does he have phantom limbs? Is his speech different now? And how does he feel about this--is he bitter about it, and is that his motive to become a villain? It seems like a major change in his life which would need a lot more fleshing out, both in terms of the details of what actually happened to him/his mental and physical state, as well as its effect on his character. Anyway, that's where I would start.
You asked about the backstory, so I'll try to address that. As you lay it out, it does indeed seem rather bland and insubstantial. However ... there's a saying (I think) that the higher you rise, the farther you fall. You could spend a chapter or three going into his backstory. Build him up. Boy genius. Either he could have been a star athlete in high school and college in addition to being brilliant, or he could have been one of the techie nerds that everyone made fun of. He graduated from university at a young age and completed his PhD by the time he was 23 years old, then immediately went out and invented ___, which made countless numbers of lives better/saved innumerable lives that would otherwise have been lost to [insert name of disease]. From there he went on to marry a noted and beautiful concert pianist, found a Fortune 500 company, earn gazillions of dollars, and establish a non-profit foundation that funds research into rare diseases. Then comes the accident. In the aftermath, he loses his wife because she can't bear to be with his now-changed persona. His company's value plummets because he can't run it, so the board of directors votes him out as CEO and Chairman of the company he started. At one time on every influential person's A-list for gala events, he now finds himself a social pariah -- if he can even remember the names of the people he used to associate with. Yada, yada.
Consider the premise of your question. Why do you believe your character needs a back story? In traditional plots (which I despise) villains weren't entitled to back-stories. Cowboys fought Indians because Indians were 'bad'. Soldiers fought Germans because Germans were evil. Princes, dragons . . . you get the picture. In your instance the TBI can negate the backstory, making it a feature as opposed to a bug. "I have money, lots of money. They say it comes from royalties. Apparently, I invented something called non-linear asynchronous data compression. I can't see how. I don't even know what that is." "They say I have two ex-wives. They've shown me pictures but I don't recognise any of those women." Perhaps the lack of backstory is behind the frustration which ultimately makes him into a villain.
How is your villain going about his mission? To say that his intelligence was knocked out of his sort of sets your villain up as incompetent. Neil was an inventor and scientist, right? So what was his personality? It makes more sense that a head trauma would affect his fundamental person compared to his Iq. Of course with head damage, he could have memory loss which attributes to the loss of knowledge however if he is aware of that how does he make up for the lost knowledge? Was he fun and outgoing before? Making things that benefited humanity? Or was he already bad to begin with. Often times the villain becomes evil because he is robbed of something, therefore anyone who has this 'thing' becomes a source of jealousy or anger for the baddie. Think of the version of events leading up to his crash. Was it caused by someone he trusted? Was it done on purpose? Maybe he knows wants revenge on Bob, the guy who cut Neils breaks hoping he would die. Maybe Neil's partner left him because he forgot about their life together. Think of these things and how the ghost of these things would change your character.
So a quick update for this forum: I've used all the ideas you guys have given me and I've updated Neil's backstory! Neil is a famous inventor/scientist with a very workaholic personality. Thanks to his intelligence, he completed college at a young age and earned his PhD at the age of 23. Neil used his ability to invent to make the world a better place. He married a pianist (We'll name her Chloe for now) and founded a Fortune 500 company. He was very rich and created a non-profit foundation that funds research in the most rarest diseases. He seemingly had the perfect life but there was one problem: He had a bad relationship with Chloe. Because of Neil's workaholic nature, he didn't make any time for his wife. Chloe did not handle this well at all and had enough. While Neil was in the parking lot of his company ready to go home, Chloe rammed him with her car, injuring him. A few days later, Chloe visits Neil in hospital with divorce papers. While in the hospital, the doctors inform Chloe of something very tragic: It is revealed that Neil was born with a condition that made learning more complex things very hard for him (he was eventually cured and his workaholic nature was a result of him being grateful for his new intelligence) and the impact of the crash brought the condition back. Guilty of this, Chloe ran out of the hospital and drove away. Her whereabouts are currently unknown. Neil's career begin to plummet due to his inability to work. Neil tracked down the same person who cured him of his condition and discovers why he was so intelligent: The scientist who cured him used Creative Mind energy to give him a boost of intelligence and creativity. Desperate to get his career back, Neil teamed up with the scientist to conduct a space expedition to hunt down Creative Minds and harness their power.
I think you made a step in the right direction however this seems to make your character a protagonist rather than a villain. Are the Creative Minds the main characters? Also, the logistics of Chloe hitting Neil is a tad bit unbelievable. First, let's look at the crash. If Neil is an inventor with his own company, chances are there will be security cameras everywhere, even in the parking lot. That being said, there is a good chance that Chloe was recorded on camera hitting Neil. What she did was a crime, and taking into account that Neil is probably affluent due to his life, police are gonna look really hard for who had hurt him. If this was real life Chloe would be arrested and charged with attempted vehicular murder (murder as it was premeditated). The next thing to consider is that even if Neil has regained his disability, does this mean that all the things he has already learned are no longer in his brain? It would make sense that he would be no longer capable of growing ghis knowledge but what he has already learned should not be affected greatly. This being said, he would be able to work with scientists in his quest to find the CM, however, if he has no knowledge of that field it would be unlikely that he would positively contribute to the intellectual part of the project. Is he a finachal backer?
Okay, I understand. Also the Creative Minds are a alien race with the ability to shapeshift and create anything from their imagination. Their power can enhance Neil's work.
Also, I have another idea for Neil. So let's say he wasn't cured of his condition (it makes him very forgetful and like I said makes it very hard for him to learn complex things) and everyone took advantage of him because of the fact that he has to write down notes to manage his work (including his wife) and thought he was a failure. He discovers the CM energy and wants to use it to enhance his work and change everyone's views on him. Should I change it again or is it good?
Well changing his condition changes everything. For example his wife. Would they still be married if Neil was not cured of his condition? You would have to change a lot. And again he is supposed to be a villain right? The way you are going does not add up to that idea. Maybe this will help: How can Neil fit into this perspective? You have the motivation part down (Finding CM and harvesting their mental energy) you just need to fine-tune it. If people take advantage of him then he will become spiteful which could lead him to become a villain so that works. Normally villains are portrayed as intelligent snakes whereas heroes are portrayed as brawn and courage. Why not wander outside stereotypes and do the opposite? Give him street smarts rather than book smarts and see where it takes you. When you have that hashed out then introduce CM energy.
He/She believes they are the hero: Neil thinks he's being the hero by using the CM energy to any medicine or world-saving gadget he wants. He is being a hero but at the same time he isn't because CM's are the protectors of the galaxy and by catching them and draining them of their energy, you're putting the entire galaxy at risk He/She is someone the reader wants to read more about: Not sure about this one but Neil was born with a rare condition and maybe the reader would want to learn more about how he coped with this condition during his childhood? He/She are clever enough to get respect: He/She are not fools or bumblers: That swap in stereotyping is a good idea by the way. He was always pushed around because of his condition and he failed to stand up for himself. (Quick note: he turns into ally later on in the series.) He realizes that he doesn't need fancy tech to be respected so he gained enough courage to stand up for himself after years of bullying. He/She has good intentions but misdirected: Neil's inventing was harmless at first until he discovered CM's. He became corrupted with power and he was amazed by what kind of inventions he could make. CM power is like a addiction to him. He/She are persuasive: Neil was about to convince people to invest in his company without mentioning his use of CM powers. He/She will stop at nothing to get what he wants: DEFINITELY THIS ONE. Neil will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Even if it means killing a innocent alien. He/She is proud: Thanks to CM's, Neil was able to expand his company and become very rich and popular. He is very proud of his empire. He/She is deceitful: Before his remolding into a ally, he was not honest. Not by a long shot. He didn't tell the truth about why his inventions are so brilliant and he continued this lying for many years. He/She may be jealous of the hero: He is somewhat jealous. When the main characters (who just so happen to be CM) are hailed a hero for saving Earth, this makes Neil mad because he believe he's the real hero for making life saving inventions and he sees the MC's as test subjects, not heroes. He doesn't like when everyone turns their attention away from him. He/She is vengeful: Very vengeful. He want to take revenge on everyone who wronged him in his life. He wants to use his newly enhanced inventions to put people in their place and show them their nothing compared to him. He/She believes they are the good guy: Read the "hero" section on here Here's what I have so far using the template you provided me
DAAAAMNN..I didn't think you would answer them.lol I think you have a good start you just need to define the points you have. Keep asking why. Why does Neil do this..Why does he do that. If you like the little questionnaire go on Pinterest they have loads on them as well as great advice on how to develop characters. One thing. If he is going to be an ally later why not make him into an anti-hero? Think Deadpool.
It might just be me, but I would try and make it a more compelling backstory that's dark and menacing. Maybe he was frustrated that all his work wasn't getting the results he'd hoped so he did some medical experiments that were sketchy and/or unethical. There's some fertile ground in the mad scientist angle and you should be able to conjure up a decent scene from it. Also, you could tie the experience that pushed him to the dark side to your ending, sort of like it circles around and helps resolve his motivation for being who he is. Good luck!
He/She has motivation for what they are doing: The reason Neil is kidnapping CM's is because he wants to enhance his work using their energy and proving he isn't a failure because of his condition. He/She has likable characteristics: (TBA) He/She can be merciless even to innocents: Indeed. As mentioned before, Neil will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He will even be willing to kill innocent bystanders to achieve his goals. He/She can be kind and loving: He only shows this trait to people who are on his side. After becoming a ally, he shows this tot the main characters too. He/She will reflect your own beliefs whether they are corrupted or pure: (TBA) He/She believes they are correct and do what is best despite the limited version of their detractors: Read the "hero" section on the last reply He/She needs to be in control: When it comes to inventing and carrying out plans, yes he is in control. He/She see things from a different perspective: Not to sound dumb but what do they mean by this? He/She in manipulative: YES. If he was able to convince NASA to start a expedition of hunting down every CM in the galaxy, he is very manipulative.
