on Helping Writers become Authors:

Is the antagonist always the bad guy?

So often, we use the terms interchangeably.

But this practice can lead to confusion about the true function of the antagonistic force within a story.

Contrary to common parlance, the antagonist vs. villain dynamic isn’t a straightforward equation. Although the roles often overlap, a character can be an antagonist without being a villain—or be a villain without being an antagonist.

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