I've seen a few discussions lately where people don't seem to understand how antagonists work within a fictional story. I was watching one of my favorite movies last night, and thought I'd help everyone out and clear a few things up. The movie was "Better Off Dead" (1985) Myth #1: The antagonist must be evil Myth #2: The antagonist must dislike the protagonist Myth #3: The antagonist can be absolved of antagonist status by extra-script speculation I'd like to start on the first myth. While most antagonists in comic book movies and video games seem to be unflinchingly evil, this is not a requirement. The only requirement for being an antagonist in any story is a negative perception from the protagonist. I'd like to show the arc of the main character and a side antagonist in the movie I mentioned. Its a very simple story within the movie, but an effective example of a non-evil antagonist (its pretty hilarious too). The first introduction: The second meeting: The final confrontation: There is nothing evil about them at all, they just serve as enemies to the protagonist. Let's hit myth#2! An antagonist can be completely unaware that the protagonist exists. It can be as simple as a paperboy the accidently hits the protagonist in the face with a newspaper everyday or a bartender that no longer lets the protagonist drink at the bar until he pays his tab. The antagonist could be the unwitting victim of a heist that the protagonist is planning. The antagonist can also be a job that the protagonist hates working at. I can't find the exact scene on youtube, but the main character in the movie is forced to work at a fast food restaurant in the movie. This is actually a great example, because it mirrors the player's relationship to Joja in a lot of ways. -It will be here if I ever find it- On the #3! So, here's the thing about any form of fictional media. Its all based around a story and I'll the information we are given by the story. This information is called context. The main character of "Better Off Dead" is not a good person. He's a selfish teenager making multiple attempts to commit suicide that go horribly wrong. His longtime girlfriend left him and he decides to take his life. If you look at these facts outside the context of the story, he just sounds horrible. However, as the audience we are seeing the world through his eyes and from his perspective. Each of the "villains" in the story seen out of context look like fairly functional, productive human beings compared to the protagonist. None of this is uncommon. A good story can take put make you empathetic towards a wide range of characters. It can also put you in opposition to a wide range of characters. To bring this full circle, if you find yourself deciding whether a character is a "good guy" or "bad guy" outside the context of the story, you don't understand these basic principles. I hope this helps everyone. I've studied literature for a long time, so I thought this topic would help a few people that seem confused. I hope no one thinks I have any motive other than a desire to help. I wanted to leave one last clip as a treat for those who made it this far. This is a bonus antagonist arc:
"The only requirement for being an antagonist in any story is a negative perception from the protagonist." Spot. On. I'll just add that one of the best examples of a complex antagonist I've ever seen in a video game is in Dragon Age: Origins. Yes, there are a couple of books that can give you a different perception of the primary antagonist (and some of your fellow protagonists) than the game does. I still haven't read them, but for me they weren't necessary to gain perspective on the antagonist's character. He does come across as duplicitous, and possibly power-hungry depending on the player character's perspective, but he also shows a genuine, if arguably misguided, sense of honor and of duty to his country. He genuinely believes his actions are the only way he can hope to defend his country. Even my canon PC, who had a laundry list of reasons to detest him by the endgame, feels badly about having killed the guy (and very nearly chose not to). I would love to see more antagonists like that in video games, and I hope that JojaCo and Morris can be fleshed out more in future updates to SDV. I don't expect them to become quite that complex, but I would like to see players given a reason to take their route beyond simply gaining achievements.
I saw this title and laughed a bit because I knew why you did it A little real life experience I had was I was in a class, AP Literature, and people in my class didn't know what a protagonist and antagonist was. So when some people were trying to remember the difference they looked at "pro" in protagonist and said it was a good character. I face-palmed a lot that day.
