😈Let the Villain Win (For Once)

 

A hot take on heroes, losers, and the book characters we keep writing into cliché oblivion

By Makitia Thompson

Let’s talk about something that might make some of you clutch your bookmarks and dramatically gasp over your annotated paperbacks:

The villain should win more often.
Yes, I said it. And no, I’m not sorry.

I’m not just talking about the misunderstood antihero with a redemption arc and a Pinterest-worthy backstory. I’m talking about the straight-up villain. The unapologetic, sharp-tongued, power-hungry force of chaos who just might have a point. The one who never gets to win—not because they didn’t deserve to win, but because the plot was rigged against them from the start.

In far too many books, the villain exists simply to lose. To teach the protagonist a lesson. To suffer a humiliating downfall, give a monologue, or—if they’re lucky—die poetically. And honestly?

I’m tired.

✋ Can We Stop Pretending Good Always Deserves to Win?

Let’s be real: being “good” is not a personality. It’s not even an interesting narrative trait. Half the time, these “heroes” are self-righteous, oblivious, and stubborn in the most infuriating way.

You know the type.
The bland main character with a chosen destiny and the emotional range of a paper napkin. The one who “fights for justice” but can’t hold a conversation without tripping over their moral compass. They stumble through conflict, protected by plot armor, while the villain—clever, calculating, and consistent—gets outwitted by a last-minute twist and a flashback to “something their mom once said.”

I’m sorry… what?

Justice isn’t always compelling. Survival is. Revenge is. Control is.
Let’s stop acting like good deserves to win just because it’s good. If we’re writing stories rooted in reality, we have to admit: sometimes the wrong people win. And that’s what makes it hurt. That’s what makes it real.

🎭 The Villain Is Often the Most Interesting Character

You know how you can tell when a villain is better written than the protagonist?
When you catch yourself thinking, Wait… do they actually have a point?

The villain usually has the clearest motivation in the book. They’re direct. They don’t trip over themselves with doubt. They don’t need five chapters of internal dialogue to justify wanting what they want.

They’re focused.
They’re bold.
They’re fun to watch.

They do what the protagonist refuses to do: take action.

So why do we keep forcing them to lose?

🙄 Let’s Talk About the “Mean Girl” Trope

While we’re here, can we stop punishing the “mean girl” character just because she speaks her mind and wears lip gloss?

In far too many stories, the girl with confidence, intelligence, or ambition is automatically villain-coded. She’s portrayed as cold. Selfish. In need of takedown. Meanwhile, the soft-spoken, insecure, obliviously good-natured main character gets handed the win by default.

I hate to break it to you, but confidence doesn’t make someone evil. Neither does ambition. Neither does a biting sense of humor or great fashion. Sometimes the “mean girl” isn’t mean—she’s just honest. And if we’re being honest, she usually carries the entire story on her back.

Let her win, too.

🥱 Predictability Is the Real Villain

Let’s be honest: in too many books, the moment a morally questionable character enters the scene, their fate is already sealed. They’re going to lose. They’re going to get punished. They’re going to say one final, sarcastic line and disappear from the plot like they were never really that important.

It’s predictable. And you know what predictable equals?

Boring.

Books should be brave. Surprising. Uncomfortable, even. But what’s not uncomfortable anymore is watching the “good guy” win yet again while the antagonist—who may have had a more compelling reason for fighting in the first place—gets tossed aside because the reader “needed closure.”

Guess what?
Closure is overrated.
Give me chaos. Give me questions. Give me stories that leave scars, not just warm fuzzy lessons.

💔 The “Popular Character Who Always Loses” Syndrome

You know who else I’m sick of seeing get screwed over?

The popular, charming, mysterious, clearly-more-interesting side character who always loses to the most bland love interest in literary history. This is a global epidemic.

You know the ones I’m talking about. They’re witty. They’ve got tension with the protagonist. Maybe even chemistry. But they’re written to lose. The author forces them to bow out so that the MC can end up with someone “safe” and “good” and “perfect.”

STOP IT.

Let them win.
Let the love triangle end with the unexpected choice. Let the brooding bookshop owner or chaotic villain love interest get the happy ending for once. Readers deserve better. Characters deserve better. And honestly, the story deserves better.

📖 What I Write (and Why I Break This Rule)

As an author, I’m constantly thinking about realism, emotion, and impact. I want my stories to hurt in the best way. I want readers to question things—especially themselves.

So no, I don’t always let the “good guys” win. I’ve written messy endings. I’ve let the pain linger. I’ve walked away from stories that made even me uncomfortable.

Because comfort doesn’t spark growth. Truth does.

In my books, you’ll find characters who don’t follow the rules. Some get redemption. Some don’t. Some are monsters. Some are just broken people trying to find peace. But I’ll never write a villain just to lose. If they fall, it’ll mean something. If they win… it’ll mean even more.

👑 In Defense of the Villain

Here’s what I think the heart of it all really is:

We’re scared of seeing ourselves in the villain.
That’s why we want them to lose.
Because deep down, we know how tempting it is to cross the line. To do the wrong thing for the right reasons. To want something badly enough to break the rules.

Villains reflect our shadows. Our secrets. Our unspoken thoughts.
That’s why they’re powerful.

And maybe—just maybe—that’s why they deserve a win every now and then. Not because it’s morally right, but because it’s human.

🗣 Let’s Talk About It…

So what do you think?

Should villains get to win sometimes?

Have you ever rooted for the “wrong” character on purpose?

Do you actually like the main character in your favorite book—or were you just forced to accept them?

Let me know in the comments—or better yet, write your own story where the rules break and the villain rises. 😈

Because sometimes, the most honest ending is the one where the hero doesn’t win.

— Makitia Thompson
✨ Writer. Creator. Plot Twister.
✍️ [Minds In Design]

#Mindsindesign #Makitiathompson #MIDproductions