Villain (noun)

villain noun | vil·​lain | \ ˈvi-lən \

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

- a character in a story or play who opposes the hero.

- a deliberate scoundrel or criminal.

Collins Dictionary

- a wicked or unprincipled character in a novel, play, etc. who opposes the protagonist or hero.

- a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot.

- someone who deliberately harms other people or breaks the law in order to get what he or she wants.

Cambridge Dictionary

- a character in a book, play, movie, etc. who harms other people.

- a bad person who harms other people or breaks the law.

After spending the last 16 months incessantly ranting about why Thrawn is -unquestionably- "not a villain", I find it appropriate on this #Revengeofthe5th (or #Revengeofthe6th) day to discuss what a "villain" actually is.

And it is more tricky than one might expect.

Most definitions agree on "a character in a story who opposes the hero", which is, frankly, not surprising. It is remarkable, however, how the Merriam-Webster does not include any moral connotation in this contention, substantially using it as a synonym for "antagonist."

And since, in most instances, the heroes are perceived or, in effect, are undeniably the "good guys", logically, the adversary must be a "bad" one. Consequently, the Collins adds "wicked or unprincipled" to the plain literary definition by the Merriam-Webster, which instead adds the behavioral angle just in the common acceptation of the word.

The Cambridge pushes the ethical aspect further, adding the active action of "harming other people", but without including a clear mention of the hostility with a hero. Arguably, there are many stories in which the characters "harm other people" without any wicked intention at all.

On an evil scale, I would place Maul (villain, victim, mentally unstable, self-obsessed) toward the villain side, while Asajj (antagonist, victim, cynical, approval seeker), and Thrawn (literary canon hero, Rebels antagonist, efficient, logical, totally selfless) on the antagonist/hero side.

[Photo: one of my favorite pins, art by @lucenorthstar, pin by @ritarussiandoll_pins]