So sick of villain stereotypes!

I am sick TO DEATH of stereotypical "evil" villains, bullies, creeps, perverts, abusers, and general antagonists in modern literature. They are ALL the same. Evil/Mean/Petty/Smarmy just because the plot needs an a-holes to abuse the protagonist to make "overcoming" them seem like actual character growth instead of, you know, writing REAL character growth.

High school bullies beating a wheelchair bound "weak" protagonist student half to death...with zero consequences. Ugh! Group home pervert getting drunk and making efforts to assault the protag's childhood friend? Ugh! Rich kid with "special family status" casually setting up the protag to die because they're poor/common/lesser, etc. UGH!

I am so god damn sick of reading or listening to the same 2 dimensional stupidly "evil for devil's sake" antagonists in modern fiction. It isn't believable. It isn't fun. They do not drive anything forward except my frustration and disgust for the author's lack of creativity or skill.

I can could on my fingers how many books that I've read that have come out in the last ten years that had actually interesting and well-written villains that were not just cruel/evil "just because", and I'd still have fingers left. And I say this as someone who consumes over a hundred books a year.

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Matthew Other December 20, 2025 at 3:53 am 0 1