Male V Female antagonists

Want to just talk about stories? Float a request, do some research, recruit a partner in crime? Then come on in and have yourself a pint.
Post Reply
User avatar
chase251
Henchman
Henchman
Posts: 73
Joined: 6 years ago

Hey sorry if this is the wrong section but this is my first post here. Anyway I wanted to discuss the differences between writing a female antagonist and a male antagonist because I'm trying my hand at writing Superheroine Peril fiction and I want some insights into how a writer might decide to use a female captor/villain vs A male one.
User avatar
Jpeger
Veteran Member
Veteran Member
Posts: 289
Joined: 10 years ago

I can’t answer that question until I know more about the protagonist. It depends on what confrontation you’re trying to depict. Is this an emotional betrayal, a physical betrail? Does it stem from jealousy or hatred? Maybe they are rival sisters and one was jilted from the mantle. Is it a helpless sidekick that happened to Best the heroine in a moment of his luck (her weakness)?

When I write a story, I choose the antagonist based on what I imagine the monologue of the peril to crest as. Best delivered by a woman? Best delivered by a man?

Sometimes I flip a coin.
User avatar
Disciple
Stories Mod
Stories Mod
Posts: 517
Joined: 15 years ago
Location: In front of a computer.

(This would probably be a better fit for the Bar With No Name subforum, but I'll leave it here a few days before moving...)

I can work with both, though I do observe a certain dichotomy between them. With male villains I tend to prefer workaday thug types (easier to impress myself on, I suppose) with as little backstory/reputation as possible, while with villainesses I prefer "established" bigshots like Catwoman or Harley Quinn.

Personality-wise I prefer male villains to be all business/brutality, while villainesses have a more "queen bee" preference for taunting, humiliation, and mind-games. But that's just me.
User avatar
chase251
Henchman
Henchman
Posts: 73
Joined: 6 years ago

Jpeger wrote:
5 years ago
I can’t answer that question until I know more about the protagonist. It depends on what confrontation you’re trying to depict. Is this an emotional betrayal, a physical betrail? Does it stem from jealousy or hatred? Maybe they are rival sisters and one was jilted from the mantle. Is it a helpless sidekick that happened to Best the heroine in a moment of his luck (her weakness)?
I'm thinking of making my original Heroine a young inexperienced like barely legal (18-20), so she's just starting to make enemies and allies; but talented enough to be a threat. I'm thinking she won't have super-powers at least combat wise giving her enough weaknesses to be easy enough to overpower. At most enhanced agility, strength and stamina but not invulnerable to external threats like sleeping gas, the cloth, magic/hypno or if I decide to go dark something more lethal. More than likely make her a rich girl to give her some gadgets and vehicles to play with.
User avatar
chase251
Henchman
Henchman
Posts: 73
Joined: 6 years ago

Disciple wrote:
5 years ago
(This would probably be a better fit for the Bar With No Name subforum, but I'll leave it here a few days before moving...)

I can work with both, though I do observe a certain dichotomy between them. With male villains I tend to prefer workaday thug types (easier to impress myself on, I suppose) with as little backstory/reputation as possible, while with villainesses I prefer "established" bigshots like Catwoman or Harley Quinn.

Personality-wise I prefer male villains to be all business/brutality, while villainesses have a more "queen bee" preference for taunting, humiliation, and mind-games. But that's just me.
I'll remember that about the subforum. Any ways; interesting point about dichotomy and personality traits thanks for the reply
User avatar
Void
Sargeant
Sargeant
Posts: 140
Joined: 10 years ago

It's kind of boring to say it, but your main concern ought just to be the kinds of action and peril scenes you yourself want to see - and whether a male or female villain better befits your vision to create those scenes.

Functionally for the scene there isn't really a big difference between male or female villains, at least in terms of how you can play them out, but they do at least change the aesthetics of what's going on. Most of the perceived differences are pretty subjective so shouldn't really be binding for you if you have a certain idea you'd like to bring to life.

Stopped for a second here to think about why I made the villains the genders that I did in the past, and it kind of contradicts everything I just said - but I stand by the principle! I've tended to lean on the stereotype of masculine and feminine qualities in both genders for villains - the women are sensual and sultry, while the men are brutish and domineering. I guess plausibility forced my hand in some respects as well, especially when it comes to the average thug or henchmen. To go a tiny bit deeper, I've tended to favour male villains because of the ability they lend to explore the more taboo aspects of the relationship between men and women. The heroine is a beacon of strength and confidence from the modern era of sexual politics, and the male villain represents the antithesis of both as he tries to disempower and subvert her. There's some sort of primal dynamic going on there that I find quite interesting. That said I still very much enjoy villainesses, and would probably say my all time favourite villain template is the classic temptress. I've happily used both genders more or less equally.

To end where I began, I would just recommend that you flesh out the kind of peril/story you want to see, and assign a villain gender based on that. Good luck with it!
Lost in the night, and there is no morning.
User avatar
tallyho
Ambassador
Ambassador
Posts: 5390
Joined: 13 years ago
Location: Land of No Hope and Past Glories

As already stated really by better men than I - it depends where you see the story going and the relationship between hero and villain that you want, as well as the peril element you intend to use. If you think of your story climax and how you yourself want things to play out then which gender suits that outcome best. I wrote stories with three villainess sisters. A young ditzy one, a middle tech/ electrics savvy one and an older bossy leader one who was just cruel and sadistic. If I had made them brothers then it wouldnt work as the younger one is very flighty if it were a guy then her actions wouldnt make sense with a dopey guy doing them. But with a young woman - likes - dressing up being centre of attention, etc its fine.
So ask yourself the eternal question- 'Quo vadis?'
(Where are you going?')
How strange are the ways of the gods ...........and how cruel.

I am here to help one and all enjoy this site, so if you have any questions or feel you are being trolled please contact me (Hit the 'CONTACT' little speech bubble below my Avatar).
Damselbinder

Void wrote:
5 years ago
It's kind of boring to say it, but your main concern ought just to be the kinds of action and peril scenes you yourself want to see - and whether a male or female villain better befits your vision to create those scenes.

Functionally for the scene there isn't really a big difference between male or female villains, at least in terms of how you can play them out, but they do at least change the aesthetics of what's going on. Most of the perceived differences are pretty subjective so shouldn't really be binding for you if you have a certain idea you'd like to bring to life.

Stopped for a second here to think about why I made the villains the genders that I did in the past, and it kind of contradicts everything I just said - but I stand by the principle! I've tended to lean on the stereotype of masculine and feminine qualities in both genders for villains - the women are sensual and sultry, while the men are brutish and domineering. I guess plausibility forced my hand in some respects as well, especially when it comes to the average thug or henchmen. To go a tiny bit deeper, I've tended to favour male villains because of the ability they lend to explore the more taboo aspects of the relationship between men and women. The heroine is a beacon of strength and confidence from the modern era of sexual politics, and the male villain represents the antithesis of both as he tries to disempower and subvert her. There's some sort of primal dynamic going on there that I find quite interesting. That said I still very much enjoy villainesses, and would probably say my all time favourite villain template is the classic temptress. I've happily used both genders more or less equally.

To end where I began, I would just recommend that you flesh out the kind of peril/story you want to see, and assign a villain gender based on that. Good luck with it!
I almost think the opposite of you in certain respects. I feel that FEMALE captors/villains allow me to explore the sultry side more. If a heroine is captured by another woman, I always feel - rightly or wrongly - that I have more licence to be more sexually explicit than I would if the villain were male. There's a section in one of my stories where Enhancegirl is chloroformed by another woman, and the experience (because of reasons) is so intoxicating for her that she literally orgasms. If the person chloroforming her had been male I would NEVER have gone that far.

I do agree, though, that it's mostly a question of personal aesthetics.
User avatar
Void
Sargeant
Sargeant
Posts: 140
Joined: 10 years ago

Haha, yeah I think we're inclined to make women ooze sex more than men. As I said, I've also tended to amp up the sensual side for female villains - I think out of 11 on this forum, 9 of them have been overtly sexualised! But that's not to say you couldn't make a male character be just as provocative; it would just be in a more masculine, bodice-ripper kind of way... or the focus is less on the sexiness of the character and more on the sexiness of their intent, and it's affect on the heroine. I know the nasty, domineering thug archetype triggers a lot of people in all the right ways.

It's a good point: sometimes what you want from the scene comes as a response to the actors in it, rather than the other way around. But in the abstract, one gender or the other doesn't have to lock you in to anything, and I would instead start with your rough idea of what your villain's character would be like and what sort of peril you want them to offer, and then decide which gender you'd best like to use with that.
Lost in the night, and there is no morning.
Powergirl
Neophyte
Neophyte
Posts: 5
Joined: 6 years ago

Sex aside, the aspect of a male or a woman antagonist would make a lot of difference in fight scenes. I mean, depending on the story, really. I usually have my women villains faster and more agile than the male. While the men are stronger, and can take more hits. Again, it is up to the scene and the story, though.

I have had some men more agile than my women too. So, like other said, I think that the gender is secondary to the story/scene at hand. Keeping in mind that they should be a good fit for the protagonist.
Post Reply