Designated Villain/Sandbox

This page is for the revamping of Designated Villain.

A Big Bad is a common driving force behind conflict in stories, so it makes natural sense to write one in. But villainy requires villainous acts...so a villain who doesn't really perform those is a bit hard to swallow.

If one is written in anyway, the result is a character who is treated as a bad guy by the plot, despite never actually doing or having done so much as to justify the amount of hate that they receive from the good guys. Any astute arguments and observations of this character are to be dismissed by the audience, because they are Obviously Evil™, just as the Designated Hero is regarded as 'good' despite having no significant virtues.

In fact, this may only prove a character is a jerk, especially in regards to the protagonist. This isn't a case of a deliberately over-the-top villain, it's a personification of being an ass for its own sake.

Alternately, it might be a character that could fall under Hero Antagonist...except since they're an antagonist, they can't possibly be on the side of good. Keep in mind that antagonists and villains are very different things.

Compare and contrast Designated Hero and Poke the Poodle.

Not to be confused with Offstage Villainy, which is where the bad guy did do bad things...but not on screen.