Do Or Don't: Grey Area Villain

 
   So, I've been thinking a lot about this, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all.

   First, I should tell you what a grey area villain is.  (in case you don't know). There are a few of types of these though.

1. The sidekick villains who are working against the Hero, but are sort of uncomfortable about it. They are leaning towards abandoning their 'master'. (E.g. Mirage from The Incredibles)

2. The ones who everyone loves because they feel bad for them. Maybe they had a bad past, or there is hope for redemption for them. (E.g. Smeagol from Lord of the Rings, Bucky from Captain America: The Winter Soldier) When I say Smeagol, it is because by the time you get to The Two Towers, you start to feel bad for him because of what the Ring did to him. Basically, it destroyed him, and he now has no control over himself.

3. The person who starts off good, but wants something badly and is willing to do anything to get it; they turn evil even if their original intent was good. (E.g. Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars)

4. The villain who is still completely evil, but everyone loves them anyway. The reason? Usually it is because they are good-looking or have a lovable quirk (makes sarcastic quips at totally inappropriate times). (E.g. Loki from Thor, Joker from Batman)

5. (This one technically does not count) The one who is supposed to be good, but everyone (reader or viewer-wise) hates anyway (E.g. Jar-Jar Binks from Star Wars)

   One good reason to have this type of antagonist in your story is that it puts more emotion in it. Gives the readers a type of ardor and most of the time, causes them to love the book more.
   One bad reason to have a grey area villain is that it might make the readers love the hero less. Maybe even dislike them for going against the villain. We do not want this to happen unless it is intentional. One of the worst things for a writer is having the reader hate something that you meant for them to love and cherish.
   Another bad reason is confusion. This isn't as likely, though.

   It can be risky (for some) to have this type of character, but in order to determine if this is what you want, look at the original intent for the story. If you want it to be a good old-fashioned, black and white, good and evil story then (obviously) don't use this antagonist.  If you want it to have a more ironic, emotional feeling, yes, you should use this...but with caution.

Until next time!

-The Bandit