Elliot Kessler

Yesterday in this series, I discussed elements needed to create a good protagonist. Now it’s time to talk about the antagonist because a hero is only as good as his villain. I’ve noticed two kinds of antagonists in murder mysteries throughout my reading. There is the sneaky antagonist, and no one knows he’s the antagonist until the end, and there is the obvious murderer, but no one can prove it. The second method is very popular in the show “Monk,” which often opens with a murder, and we see the killing occur. Mr. Monk will usually figure out who did it pretty quickly, but then he has to find evidence, figure out how, and get enough proof to lock him behind bars. So, today, I will be discussing both methods and how to write your murderer.

First, we’ll talk about the traditional antagonist. The one that no one suspects. They need to have a real motive for murder, and they need to be developed as much as your protagonist, if not more. They need a backstory, a distinct personality, and to blend in with everyone else. Give them flaws like with your protagonist, but make your killer fall for those flaws. Maybe your murderer has the same moral weaknesses as your hero, but instead of resisting them, they succumb to them. The BBC show “Death in Paradise” has a few episodes that mention the two most common motives for murder: sex and money. Both of these reasons stem from greed and selfishness. There are other motives, of course, such as protecting one’s reputation or maintaining one’s way of life, but those both are typically rooted in some form of sex or money. There could be an affair that someone tries to cover up. Some insurance loopholes could result in murder. You can also root the motive in political gain, whether it’s a matter of national security or local politics.

“The Batman” is a great example of that last one. The Riddler isn’t looking for money or trying to cover an affair. He’s simply killing Gotham’s corrupt, indecent officials, exposing the truths of their wealth. The most interesting part is that while the Riddler is considered the villain in the film, he genuinely thought he was working with Batman, and, sure enough, Batman had been trying to take down the guys that the Riddler had been killing. Throughout the film, Batman is continuously nicknamed “Vengeance.” However, during the movie’s climax, when Batman unmasks one of the Riddler’s followers and asks him who he is, the follower replies by calling himself “Vengeance.” That’s how you give your murderer a motive.

While those rules apply to the sneaky antagonist of a mystery story, the Riddler is not a hidden suspect waiting to be found out. He’s the second type of antagonist. He doesn’t even try to hide. He wants people to know about him, releasing videos to news channels and online platforms. He wears a mask, and no one knows his identity, sure. But it’s never even considered that the Riddler might be another character we know, like Gordon or Falcone. The Riddler is always depicted as his own entity, so the mystery of his identity is unimportant, and it isn’t the story’s point. However, one of the most chilling scenes is when the Riddler’s identity is revealed because we learn it’s just a random guy. The thought that anyone could have put on the mask and called himself the Riddler is a terrifying notion, and is even more so during the final battle where Batman faces off against dozens of other Riddlers.

Another way of writing a story using this kind of antagonist is telling the story from the perspective of the murderer. For instance, look at every episode of “Columbo.” This anthology show follows a murderer doing their best to escape a crime and fool Columbo. Until the end of each episode, you never know if Columbo has the killer figured out or not. The mystery of those episodes and other similar stories, like many “Monk” episodes, is not who did it, but why, how, and, in Columbo’s case, does the protagonist know. It’s very interesting and fun to explore.

These are only a few ways to write an antagonist for your mystery story. Always remember that these rules are meant to be broken. Shake things up. Make something new. Always experiment with interesting ideas you have for telling your story.

Tomorrow I’ll talk about how to write the rest of the cast for your mystery, like suspects, supporting characters, and red hearings. Be sure to check it out if you’re interested.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.