How To Write an Irredeemable Villain - Puss in Boots

you're not going to shoot a puppy are you jack yeah in the face why a villain being evil just for the sake of being evil is boring right well that's what I thought and mentioned in my last video about Turbo from Wreck-It Ralph and I couldn't have been more wrong many of you said that having a villain who's just unapologetically evil no tragic backstory No Redemption Arc feels like a breath of fresh air in today's movie landscape where every bad guy needs some heartwarming I'm not really bad explanation and yeah you were spot on with

your example Jack Herer from Puss and Boots the last wish I was wrong and people can change but not Big Jack horer and that's also what makes him a legendary villain today we're going to explore why Jack horer is the ultimate irredeemable villain we'll break down his motivations how he contrasts with other characters in the film why he's both terrifying and funny AF and finally how to write a villain as unredeemable as Jacko in the movie our eponymous protagonist Puss and Boots is met with resistance from three antagonistic forces Goldilocks and the Three Bears death

and Jack Horner Each of which in turn plays the role of a villain albeit in ways entirely unique to one another Goldilocks and the Three Bears are portrayed as sympathetic villains as while they are a crime syndicate seeking the wish they are also an endearing family shown to care for one another death is personified as an anthropomorphic wolf armed with two scyth likee sickles and dressed in a Reaper likee hood that physically manifests puss's struggle with his own mortality but Jack horer Jack is a nut job chaos in its purest form with no rules no

purpose Beyond his own selfish gain I don't even think Jack always knows why he does what he does and somehow sometimes I can even relate to that many characters even the good guys in the film show at least some villainous traits because they're all after one thing the Wishing Star a magical artifact that grants one wish to whoever reaches it but they have real reasons to act selfishly or inconsiderate now and again puss wants to cheat death Kitty craves trust and goldilock seeks belonging their motives are rooted in fear trust and love but Jack Jack

Herer can't give a rat ass about any of these so-called motivations he's Built Well differently firstly he had a tragic childhood just kid no I never had much as a kid just loving parents and stability and a mansion and a thriving baked goods Enterprise for me to inherit useless crap like that he literally had everything and wanted for nothing but still absurdly Jack herner's driving force is a need for more to own all the magic in the world and not to redistribute it like a gigantic Robin Hood he just wants it all for himself and

as far as I can tell this greed sparked the day he got a little less attention than a magical puppet boy and turned into a raging fire but I mean he was probably a bad egg from the start just look at the faces of his parents on the left and right of the stage they've given up on him a long time ago poor bastards even in little Jacko we can see he's at least somewhat of a narcissist losing his marbles when he doesn't get all the attention at this moment instead of realizing that the lack

of Applause he's getting is because of his nursery rhyme and thumb and Plum trick becoming very old hat [Music] he he comes to another conclusion and of course the wrong one he needs magic and then he'll also be adored like the dancing puppet it's not cute I don't want to call him a spoiled brat because that would give his parents too much blame this little horer is put together from greed envy and lust three of the actual seven deadly sins like a demonic Powerpuff Girl his greed drives him to hoorde Magic his Envy fuels his

obsession without shining others and his lust for power blinds him to morality but still I don't think that's what makes him irredeemable so what is a redeemable character in the movie Goldilocks exemplifies a redeemable character despite her flaws and villainy born from a lack of love she shows potential for Change and finds Redemption by realizing the Bears are her true family and doesn't need the wishing Stars a theme that also extends to puss and kitty though we're not here to talk about them today they have the ability to change they know the meaning of it

whereas Jack probably thinks change is what you get when you pay a nickel for a $10 pie not that that little bastard has paid for anything in his life when Jack grow GRS up things get even more out of hand he grows into a big boy literally physically Jack's character is both intimidating and unsettling that baby face of a spoiled boy that's never grown up perched on the body of a giant with hands the size of boat paddles the character design is actually so disconcerting almost Badly Drawn now that I think of it it lingers

with me like a fuzzy nightmare is it just me you can tell me if it's just me please tell me it's not just me and then there's that purple stained thumb he got from putting into so many pies Oh Lordy why does that freak me out so much it reminds me of the way the fingers of some witches in movies are stained black because they handle opium from poppy fields too much to brew their potions to me it hints at his addiction to evilness and his way of life because come on pressing your thumb into

a pie that way to test it is just not right nor prac practical it's disgusting but what's great about that action and what really adds to the character's evil nature is that the whole Act of testing the pie is a thumb down action whether the pie is good or bad negativity and judgment is already built into the gesture I pronounce this batch delicious Jack is Bad to the Bone there's no denying that Jack her is a bad person we get shown this time after time without any hint of subtlety Jack's disrespectful and destructive attitude toward

magic in fairy tale worlds magic is supposed to be sacred in all the stories with magical items they're handled with the utmost care and reverence take for instance the Elder Wand from Harry Potter which is only wielded by those worthy of its loyalty or the one ring from The Lord of the Rings protected with Extreme Caution as it holds immense power capable of changing Destinies Jack Herer gives zero FS about that first first there's the Lily pins from Go's travels he kind of put on display inside one of those bottles with the ships inside those

are real life people so I really hope he punched some air holes but it's a glass bottle so I guess not and let's not forget about the magnificently curated presentation of baby unicorn horns and what he used them for later he's a freaking maniac and I love it and let's not forget Excalibur and the Phoenix the Phoenix Assemble of rebirth and New Beginnings he uses as a flamethrower a tool of utter destruction the literal opposite of what the Phoenix symbolizes and then there's Excalibur the sword and the stone which can only be removed by someone

worthy in legend that person is King Arthur well Jacko got his gigantic hands on it too but the sword is still in the stone to me this is one of the biggest Ts that rules especially magical ones mean nothing to Jack horer he does what he wants how he wants when he wants it very punk rock and kind of cool if he didn't have such a disregard for human life we first see this disregard when the serpent sisters bring Jack Herer the map to the Wishing Star which he promised to pay for by their weight

in gold he fulfills his promise kind of when one of the sisters touches the Hand of Midas she instantly turns to Gold while the other sister watches and then carts her away seemingly not too bothered by her partner's fate this is also a clue to Jack's Twisted sense of humor but where we really see Jack Herer playing with human life and enjoying every moment is when he and his henchmen are chasing Puss in Boots Kitty softpaws and parito who've stolen the map to the Wishing Star chaos ensues what starts as a battle between P's group

and Jack's forces quickly turns into a comical disaster one of Jack's henchmen is instantly consumed by man eating blue flowers while the others get disintegrated into cheerful confetti after being hit by unicorn horns shot from Jack's crossbow and he freaking loves it I'm not good at math but a Baker's Dozen is 13 and Jack loses men at a tremendous rate how he still has enough henchmen left to build that human bridge later on is beyond my comprehension and where does he keep getting new henchmen to replace the dead ones these are the types of things

that keep me up at night another moment that stands out as proof of the gaping void where Jack's heart should be is when parito bless his soul tries to win Jack over with the same adorable wide-eyed look that Puss and Boots has used to charm countless others but despite paro's innocence and genuine warmth Jack remains completely unfazed showing once again that no amount of cuteness or kindness can sway him from his cold-hearted path so he's bad AF but is he irredeemable so we've established that Jack hoer is is ruthless ruless murderous and completely devoid of

empathy but does that make him unredeemable there are two types of characters in stories static and dynamic take for instance puss and Jack they both start from a similar Place wanting that wish but where they end up is completely different puss learns to Value life Embrace companionship and reject selfishness evolving into a better version of himself making him d Dynamic Jack Herer on the other hand well nothing happens and when he dies he's still the same purple thumbed psychopath static and unredeemable villains are always static characters even Darth Vader one of the most famous villains

is dynamic and has a reason for being the way he is his fall to the dark side stems from fear of loss love for Padme and a misguided desire to protect those he loves at all costs Jack is static and almost the complete opposite of Darth Vader but static doesn't mean boring for Jack being evil is just a good old hobby a way to pass the time which isn't a bad thing even though Jack is a character who learns less than nothing throughout the film he still plays a pivotal role in the story's Dynamic his

unchanging greed and selfishness Force the heroes to confront their own flaws and grow but that's not all his over-the-top arrogance Unapologetic cruelty and downright Ridiculousness make him funny AF Mr hoer I need your help jly noted but a little busy at the moment it's crazy if you think about it that the most evil dude in the movie gets the most laughs and spawned the most memes Jack joins the ranks of other irredeemable yet hilarious villains like Skeletor from He-Man whose constant scheming and ridiculous insults make him more comical than terrifying another great example is Dr

Evil from Austin Powers a villain so overthe toop in his absurd plans and narcissism that he becomes a parody of himself one thing Jack had that Skeletor and Dr Evil perhaps lacked was an attempt at Redemption feudal but still the bug tried its freaking best to place even more emphasis on his irredeemable he's juxtaposed with a character I mentioned earlier the ethical bug or Jim Cricket who Jack only packed in his magical bag because he thought he was some biblical plague Locust or something easy mistake to make I guess the ethical bug attempts to be

a voice of reason trying to find redeemable qualities in Jack however after witnessing Jack's complete disregard for Morality the bug eventually gives up in a rare Outburst which is entirely out of character for him but is freaking hilarious I love the irony in this part although the movie doesn't really say it I think the ethical bug is of course the same bug that tried to guide Pinocchio on his journey to becoming a real boy which is of course the dancing wooden puppet that made Jack jealous in the first place see what's happening here so Jack

wanted what that puppet had and he got it not just magic but also the magical universe's attempt at a conscience but Jack doesn't even realize this or the irony in it in a very real sense the Fantastical Universe he lives in gives him examp exactly what he needs to change but he just blows it off as he collects more and more things to fill the void inside he was born with and his magical bag he just wants even more his greed just snowballs until ultimately he has to fail in the end Jack Herer gets exactly

what he deserves his death caused by the collapse of the Wishing Star perfectly encapsulates the fate of an irredeemable villain his demise is Poetic Justice the very magic he sought to dominate ultimately can assumes him side note not sure if the ethical bug died in this movie but if he didn't He's Surely in some Care Facility now a mental Care Facility I'm not sure if fairy tale insurance covers that but I hope he's getting the help that he needs okay so why would you want to replicate an irredeemable villain in your story and how should

you go about it there are three main reasons in my opinion that irredeemable psychotic villains work one the big animation houses like DreamWorks and Disney have been too obsessed lately with giving their villains Back stories and reasons for being bad to a point that it's been overdone so villains like Jacko are a breath of fresh air two it will make your hero shine when you've got an irredeemable villain someone who's completely Beyond saving it puts your hero's qualities like growth empathy and resilience into the spotlight the contrast between a villain who refuses to change and

a hero who overcomes their flaws makes the hero's journey Journey stand out even more showing just how far they've come by comparison three an irredeemable villain makes you root for the hero even more than you did before all setbacks the hero Encounters in a movie will be even more emotional but how do you write one of these bad boys there are four main things to implement in your character establish clear selfish goals start by giving your villain simple self-serving goals focused on power or domination like Jack Herer your villain's motivations should be rooted in greed

with no concern for others emphasize ruthlessness show your villain making unforgiving decisions and acting with complete disregard for others have your villain sacrifice allies or destroy without hesitation just as Jack horer does avoid Redemptive qualities resist the urge to give your villain any sympathetic backstory or qualities keep your villain devoid of empathy or regret use contrast to highlight villainy surround your villain with more nuanced characters to make their evil stand out more in other words contrast your villain with complex characters much like goldilock is growth emphasizes Jack's static nature to help you here's a list

of characteristics your irredeemable villain should never have if your character exhibits any of these traits they're not truly irredeemable and might need some reworking empathy your villain should never show concern for others or relate to their pain regret they should have no remorse for the their actions no matter how evil sympathetic backstory avoid giving them a pass that makes the audience feel sorry for them moral complexity keep their motivations simple and self-serving like greed or power without moral dilemmas change or growth they should not learn lessons or change their ways over the course of the

story relationships your villain should not form genuine bonds or show affection for others vulnerability they should never show emotional weakness or doubt humility arrogance and entitlement should Define their personality they must believe they're always right desire for Redemption they should have no desire to make amends or redeem themselves moral code unlike some villains who follow a personal set of Ethics an irredeemable villain should disregard any moral code that's it for today's lesson and there you have it Big Jack horer is the perfect irredeemable villain no empathy no growth no Humanity just pure exaggerated evil that's

what makes him hilarious and terrifying all at once while Jack stays an Unapologetic bastard everyone else around him gets to grow proving sometimes a villain doesn't need layers just a big dose of unapologetic chaos to make the heroes shine brighter if you found this breakdown of Jack herner's character helpful make sure to like subscribe and comment below with your favorite irredeemable villains