writing

For me its:

1. The villain's motivation isn't revealed to the reader/audience (or, if it is, at the very end; and, ofc, the author should go through the work of providing the motivation if it isn't seen)

2. Some of the villains actions seem impulsive or out-of-the-blue. Especially for a villain that's usually cold and calculated this can seem especially creepy because you aren't sure if the impulsive action was intentional or if the villain is snapping.

3. There's a softer side to the villain. Maybe he just bombed a synagogue but he still needs to pick up wrapping paper for his son's birthday party.

There are a few more that are probably honorable mentions. And I'm mostly in agreement with the video about great villain tropes. But honestly one I've never really liked is the "villain monologue," and I'm surprised that made the cut (but I definitely don't mind seeing someone else's POV). It just seems too much like a Saturday morning cartoon. If the villain is really that dangerous, why doesn't he just kill the protagonist and be done with it? Why give him a few seconds (or 5 minutes) to escape? Perhaps to add to the screen runtime/word count?

What do other people think? Are there villain tropes you like? Are there ones you can't stand?