Antagonist Questionnaire

One of my goals this year was to make a new PDF for my blog. And here I am, in December, finally doing that. Way to go me. Anyway, I thought I'd go with the theme of my previous PDF for this one, so you get a new character questionnaire.

There are a plethora of questions to ask your protagonist. I've created my own list of questions to ask your secondary characters. But it feels like no one talks about questions to ask your antagonist. Is it because they're evil and no one wants to deal with that?

I actually find it's easier to get inside a villain's head. Their voices come to me much easier than the hero's. Which is disturbing, but true. So today I'm giving you a list of questions to ask your villain, and then a printable PDF so you can use them all the time without needing the internet.

The Questions

1. What was s/he like as a child?

2. Did s/he always have villainous tendencies, or did they develop later?

3. Besides villainy, what are their hobbies?

4. What does the perfect weekend look like for them?

5. What's the most evil thing s/he's ever done?

6. What is the villain's family like?

7. Did his/her evilness come from them?

8. Has s/he ever killed anyone? Who and why?

9. What keeps him/her awake at night?

10. If they had a choice, would they continue down the path they're on?

11. What's the thing s/he most regrets?

12. What started them down the path to evil?

13. What fully cemented that choice?

14. Does s/he consider themselves evil?

15. What is his/her greatest desire?

16. What does s/he love most in the world?

17. What would s/he do to protect it or them?

18. What's one thing s/he is afraid of?

19. Who has hurt you the most and why?

20. Why do you hate the protagonist?

And here's the PDF! Don't forget to answer the questions in detail, not just yeses or nos. It will really help you get to know your villain. Enjoy. (If making villains can be called enjoyable.)

What are some questions you ask your antagonist? How do you get inside their head? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

Secondary Character Questionnaire
Writing a Secondary Character Like Inigo Montoya