Ultimate Guide to Villains and Antagonists: Desperado
Desperados: men and women desperate to survive, no matter the cost. Trapped in their life—drug addict, career criminal, or prisoner—they perform unscrupulous acts in the pursuit of one goal: survival in grim situations.
Desperado: The Origin
The word “desperado” dates back to 1647, when it was first used to describe a bold or violent criminal. The word is derived from the Spanish word for desperate, and it’s a perfect way to describe both the situation and the actions taken.
The term was popular in the 19th Century. It was used predominantly in the Wild West, used to describe bandits and highwaymen that didn’t hesitate to use violence in their robberies, heists, and rustling.
The American West was a grim and gritty place, with people doing whatever it took to survive. Those who couldn’t earn an honest living often turned to violence and theft to scrape by. The laws of the Wild West were harsh and unforgiving; those who became bandits and desperadoes knew that lawmen were hunting them, and their careers would end either in a hail of gunfire or dangling from a hangman’s noose. Thus, they had no choice but to escalate. Their actions became more violent and desperate as the law closed in around them. Bloody last stands were the most common fate of men determined to go out the way they lived.
The desperado’s mindset is simple: survival, at all costs.
Typically, their environment will be harsh, with meager resources, an abundance of poverty, and cruelty on all sides. They will often be lower-class with only a limited skillset, with rich men seeking to oppress and control them and their families.
Desperadoes may be driven by love of their families, a need to put food on the table or to ensure their family survives the harsh weather. They may also be driven by a desire for vengeance against those that wronged them, such as a deceitful Nobleman or an Authority Figure that takes advantage of them.
They are typically sympathetic characters—we can all imagine ourselves driven to taking desperate actions, but it’s the desperado that actually goes to violent extremes to achieve their desired ends.
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