Betrayal And Plot Twist: 5 Ways to Hide Your Villain

Every story needs a great villain! Sometimes, that villain is obvious–someone who’s not a part of your protagonist’s gang of supporters against whom everyone is fighting. Think Sauron in LORD OF THE RINGS or the White Witch in the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.

But what if your villain ends up being someone right under the reader’s nose? This will be true if you’re writing a whodunnit or any story with betrayal on a grand scale. How do we keep this sort of villain hidden in plain view? Here are five ways to do just that:

Don’t Be Obvious (No Mustache-twirling!)

When we know who the villain is—but nobody else does yet—it can be tempting to create a character who says and does things that make him subtly villain-y. Like, maybe he always contradicts what other people say. Or perhaps he’s the only one who laughs when someone’s dog falls off the boat and drowns. This sort of hand-tipping is going to make it too obvious that something’s up with this character.

This doesn’t mean your hidden villain never has less-than-savory moments! But if you think you’re being subtle by letting carefully-crafted unsavoriness show, you’re ultimately poking holes in what should be a tightly-kept secret. In short—don’t be sloppy!

Know Your Villain’s Motivations and Psyche

Your hidden villain needs to be as well-crafted as all of your other characters. This means you know her strengths and weaknesses, and you’ve figured out the motivation behind her every decision and action. There’s an adage that says “hurt people hurt people”. If you know what your villain’s “hurt” is, her ultimate betrayal and fight for the opposite of what your protagonist wants will make perfect sense. Prior to that big reveal, though, you’ll be able to write her seamlessly into scenes with other characters—without revealing what’s really going on with her.

In other words — she’s just another well-written character, but she’s got a hidden agenda that we don’t see until the big OH-NO-SHE’S-THE-ONE moment. The better you understand her, the easier it will be to “hide” her while she’s right there on the page.

Make Your Villain Easy to Sympathize With

If your hidden villain is constantly saying and doing things that make readers dislike him, it’s going to be hard for them not to suspect that he’s actually the bad guy. No human being is 100% evil, so you’ve got to find something in your villain that makes him a more sympathetic character.

Maybe he’s never gotten over the death of his older brother. Or he’s been bullied in school ever since he was in third grade. Or he’s got a physical deformity that makes him feel “less than”. Or maybe it’s something more positive—like, he’s really good at getting babies to stop crying, or he volunteers at the senior citizen home every Wednesday. Whatever it is, bring it out in such a way that the reader will experience just enough of a softening toward the character that suspicion will be deflected.

Don’t Inadvertently Make Your Villain a Non-player

In other words, make sure your hidden villain isn’t already too hidden! If your betrayer is constantly in the background, not really engaging in many conversations/action scenes, she is going to be conspicuous by her absence. Make sure her role is balanced, so that nothing seems “off” about it as the plot moves forward.

(Let’s be honest here—it’s easier to keep our betrayer off-page as much as possible! But that’s not the way to pull off a truly breathtaking reveal.)

Treat Your Villain Like Every Other Character

If you grew up watching Sesame Street, you know the song that goes, “One of these things is not like the others.” If you’ve got three vegetables and one fruit, it’s obvious which one doesn’t belong! Similarly, if you’ve got one character who continually doesn’t quite vibe with the others, it’s going to shine a spotlight on him without your realizing it.

This is pretty subtle—because often, when we know things we’re desperately trying to hide, we treat the character differently without necessarily being aware that we’re doing it. So keep a vigilant eye on your secret villain’s arc, and make sure it feels as natural and integrated as every other character.

And here’s a bonus tip: Read excellent books with hidden villains—and pay attention to how the author accomplished it! Because reading good books is always going to help us improve our craft. Hiding a villain in the middle of your character pool—especially when it’s someone the protagonist (and the reader) trusts—can be a glorious way to enrage and astonish your readers. With a deft hand and a fair amount of planning, you’ll be able to pull it off without tipping your hand.

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Summary For Busy Writers: Hiding a villain in plain sight takes care and intentionality. This article highlights 5 ways to effectively hide your villain—without tipping your hand.