Hmmm, well, I do think everyone loves a complex villain, not one who's evil for the sake of it, but one who has motives for the things they do. A likeable villain needs to have a balanced backstory though. You can't throw in too many negatives or else it feels edgy. Don't throw in too many positives since that would make them nonsensical.

What you should go for is a good in-between where you think your character has been impacted enough to be compelled to action, but also restrained enough in morality where they don't seem absolutely cruel and crooked.

That being said, there are also a few other ways to go about a villain. Their persona for example, whether it be sly or flashy can add character to them that distinguishes them from others in the plot. They can be confident or timid, and that ultimately affects how they go about being "evil".

Thanks for the opinion btw i love how you explain it to me X)

Hope i can write some of a good villain backstory

Groschien26 has the right idea! Though for me personally. I tend to make my own villains relatable in some way or fashion. Something that someone could look at and say "Y'know, that could happen to anyone really if put in X situation that this villain went through." One good example of this is the newer Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix and how the Joker who's the villain is betrayed as relatable due to just all the bad luck and stuff thrown at him in his life. (This is just an example, not saying any relatable villain has to be this way obviously.)

Though, there are so many ways to going about making a relatable and fun villain. Personality and how they carry themselves can make a villain so much more entertaining, even if they have the typical cartoony villain trope of wanting to take over the world. Granted, has to be done in the right balance, but can work, just look at things like Dr. Evil from Austin Powers or the Mastermind Villains from the game Evil Genius. All of those villains have their cartoony "I SHALL TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" tropes to them. But their personalities and personas are what make them fun to watch.

Another thing when writing a villain comes down to the tone you're wanting to set. So for example, if you're wanting to set the story in a more serious and gritty reality, with a villain that's more cunning and sinister. You probably want to stay away from the more cartoony villain type of stuff so its not so jarring to read. Plus if the villain is more down-to-earth and serious, but perhaps they're flamboyant or telling sarcastic jokes that end with someone nearby being shot as the punchline. Those are just couple ways to still stick to the general theme and tone of the story, without having to have the "they're the villain because they're just evil".

TLDR; Making a villain that's relatable requires something about them that they've gone through that people reading it may have gone through themselves, just didn't make the same choices as said villain, and have a personality to them that backs up their own needs, wants and goals for where they are and where they want to go.

Awwww thanks a lot for the opinion XD


Btw what do you think about protagonists under the cloak of antagonists. And anti-hero?

Anti-hero type of characters are pretty fun. I mean look at Deadpool for example. Honestly think that villains and anti-heroes go hand-in-hand, the main differences though is usually villains have more devious and sinister goals. Whereas anti-heroes may do morally questionable things in hopes to achieve an overall better goal. So, I love anti-heroes quite a lot due to them being able to actually be morally questionable in their actions. Regular heroes in my opinion tend to strive too close for the goodie-goodie-two-shoes tropes.