Great Antagonists, From Nurse Ratched to Big Brother

Stuart J. Tanner and Cullen McHael trade examples of compelling antagonists in speculative fiction from Sci-Fi to Fantasy, deconstruct the role of the antagonist, and offer advice from hard-earned lessons about how and when to consider your antagonist in your writing process. Cullen lists nine kinds of antagonist, which one are you?

0:00 Intro

5:28 The Role of the Antagonist

8:40 Antagonist Example: The Joker in the Dark Knight

15:41 The Antagonist Letdown

24:32 9 Kinds of Antagonist: Which One Are You?

30:46 The Complexity of Antagonists

33:01 The Bully: from Nurse Ratchet to Big Brother

41:23 Antagonists Beyond Ideologies

48:26 Cullen's Final Comments: Lowering the Bar and Escaping Inflated Expectations

53:04 Stuart Final Comments: Joys of Speculative Fiction

Questions of the Day

1. When do you decide on an antagonist?

2. Great Antagonists—what makes them great?

3. 1. The Joker from The Dark Knight

   2. Roy Batty in Bladerunner

   3. Sauron in The Lord of the Rings

   4. Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

   5. Johan from Monster

4. Failed Antagonists—why?

5. Types of antagonist?

6. 1. Fallen hero

   2. Competitor hero

   3. Evil mask

   4. Bully

   5. Corrupt priest

   6. Unstoppable force

   7. Grand shadow

   8. Wild beast

   9. Hostile environment

7. How might you fit an antagonist into the narrative, especially at the first third of the book?

8. How does your choice of antagonist shape your narrative?

9. How do we set out to decide what kind of antagonist to use in a given story?

Follow us!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InkingNeon

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories/id1838329557

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qSplbBX4oYmd2pYoSAzOF

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c7826f91-085a-4509-9c69-d90fef1bdb5b/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories

iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-inking-neon-light-up-your-294206954

PodBean: https://inkingneon.podbean.com/

Cullen McHael: https://cullenmchael.com

Stuart J. Tanner: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08XW3G4WG/ https://www.amazon.com.au/Art-of-Story/dp/B08JL6GJBR/

Music by Cullen McHael

Edited by Cullen McHael

Produced by Cullen McHael

Hosts: Stuart J. Tanner, Cullen McHael