Writing female characters, whether they are antagonists or straight out villains all depends on the story. While I have already did a blog on writing evil villains, there are some that deserve some depth and somewhat of a redemption that wouldn’t disrupt the narrative. That is something I have attempted to do with Hana Cruzer.
Redemptive villains can be tricky to write. For them to work, they would have to earn that redemption and one sympathetic backstory is not going to excuse them of their crimes. In order to make a villain redeemable, they have must have these aspects. One: the villain would have to have some characterists that doesn’t make them completely evil. Two: they shouldn’t intentionally kill anyone or cause any life-threatening catastrophes. Three: They should show a desire to change.
When writing Hana, I imagined her as something like Catwoman to Batman or Black Cat to Spiderman; a female criminal with a flirty and playful attraction to the hero, at the start of the story. However, unlike the two cat burglars I gave as examples, Hana doesn’t tease or manipulate. Instead I wrote Hana as someone who was raise in a criminal organization raise to hate human policemen. While she has part taken in mafia crimes, they are hardly shown and most of the cruelty are done by her twin brother, Rick. Her conflicting morals don’t come into play until Paul rescues her from Smasher. Since then, the book has been building up to the point where she confronts Paul about her realization and help him take down her father’s operation.
The way I try to make her redeemable is while her people does not have a rough backstory, she does not use it to excuse her actions. In fact, she still has to pay for her crimes at the end of the book. If anyone is to write a villain, even a redemptive villain, they need to face their consequences in some way. Another aspects of Hana’s character is the abuse she recieves from her family. Even with that written, I did not want that defining her character, but rather what she does to move past from it, which is how any character with a backstory should be treated. She may have reasons for her actions, but it’s her actions and interaction with the main characters that define who she is.
This is all I have to say about Hana for a time being. I will be going over more about her family in future posts. Until then let me know what you think. Is there more you think I should of added or expanded upon? What are your ideas on villain redemption? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.