I was asked a few months back to write about the motivations of heroes and villains.  This was the be done separately, but I found the topics overlapping.  That and I thought it would work better as a comparison.  After thinking and comparing various pairings, I find that the above picture is true and so is this:

Heroes are defined by their villains.

Yes, they have individual aspects, but a hero is only as good as his or her villain.  If they are facing a bungling fool that is easily toppled then they can seem weak or overpowered.  A hero can be the underdog, but not the villain.  Otherwise, you wonder how the bad guy got so far in the first place.  This is why the motivation of antagonists should probably be designed before those of the protagonist or at least connected in some fashion.  It will be a strange…