License to evil
"License to evil" is an informal classification for characters whose villainy requires no tragic backstory, societal critique, or "society made me this way" justification. These are figures who are not out for revenge, not driven by necessity, and not masking some noble cause. They are simply, unapologetically, bad - and they don’t need permission to be.
Core Concept
Where most modern writing trends toward the sympathetic antagonist - villains with childhood trauma, misunderstood goals, or a dark mirror of the hero - the license to evil character rejects all of that. They are self-authorising. Their reasons are their own, and often those reasons boil down to:
- Because they want to.
- Because it’s fun.
- Because the story needs a villain and they’re happy to do the job.
This is villainy as vocation. Some people get a driver’s license; these characters got one for cruelty, chaos, and domination.
Traits
Such characters are typically:
- Unrepentant: They know they’re evil, and they embrace it.
- Unmotivated by trauma: No flashbacks required, no “but he was bullied once in fifth grade.”
- Efficient: Villainy is not a hobby. It’s their brand.
- Narratively clean: Their presence creates stakes without needing a seminar on systemic oppression.
Examples
- Ursula in the original Little Mermaid - a witch whose ambition was power and malice, not sympathy.
- The Joker in many incarnations - especially when portrayed as a chaos elemental rather than a victim of chemicals or society.
- Skeletor, whose entire job description is “be evil, loudly.”
- Countless Saturday morning cartoon villains, many of whom wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, and get back to ruining lives for no discernible reason.
Narrative Function
The license to evil antagonist provides clarity. They reintroduce fear, stakes, and unpredictability by not needing elaborate moral justification. In a cultural moment saturated with “villain origin stories” and “everyone is the hero of their own tale,” these characters stand out as reminders that sometimes, yes, people can just be cruel.