Hear the word “antagonist,” and it will likely conjure up images of “bad guys,” like Darth Vader, the Joker, or Mother Gothel; and even a simple search online will reveal that “antagonist” is often defined as a person, group, or even specifically, a character.

None of these things are completely accurate, though. An antagonist is not always a “bad guy.” In Death Note, the antagonist is actually the true hero. The antagonist also doesn’t have to be a person or a group. In The Martian, the antagonist is the Martian landscape.

Truthfully, any well-written story will be loaded with antagonists. Sure, there may be what we think of as the “main” antagonist. But in order to be a good story, there will be lots and lots and lots of antagonists.

The problem is, so many of us have a narrow view of what an antagonist is.