Writing Christian Fantasy: Is the Devil the Ultimate Villain?
A little while back I was asked a question by a fellow Christian writer that really sparked my interest in the devil. That may sound odd to some—but hear me out! The question I was asked involved details about Satan falling into the “pure evil” trope, that is, having a villain that is evil for the sake of being evil.
Do you believe Satan is the epitome of the pure evil trope? Do you think Satan is a cheesy or corny villain because he falls into this trope? Is there a way to portray the devil as having a personality?
All of these questions were asked and answered in that conversation and I’m going to share some of the details with you.
Listen to the video as you read along!
First, let’s begin by defining the pure evil trope. This happens when you create a villain/antagonist who is purely evil or evil for the sake of being evil. This character typically has no motivation for their actions; they want to cause death and destruction just because, they want to defeat the hero of the story because they are evil, or their motivations do not go far beyond world domination. Think of someone like Darth Vader, the Fire Lord from ATLA—or literally any of the dozen enemies who wanted to take over/destroy the earth in Dragonball Z … just because.
There are many writers, secular and Christian, who often label the devil as a cheesy enemy. Keeping in mind the pure evil trope, I can understand that point of view. However, as a Christian with a deeper understanding of who the devil is, I have to disagree with that sort of thinking.
I do believe Satan can easily become the epitome of the pure evil trope, and I do believe authors—whether secular or Christian—should avoid that trope. But I think this trope, regarding the devil, is something that secular authors struggle with more than Believers. We, as Christians, are aware of Satan's scheming ways and we know that there is more depth to his character than simply being evil for the sake of being evil.
To be blunt, Satan is a cheesy villain to an author who didn't do proper research. The devil is pure evil; however, he is not evil for the sake of being evil. He has an agenda which has been in place since the fall of Man in Eden. Whether you believe in the Bible or not, this plan is still playing out today and will continue until Christ Jesus casts the devil away once and for all after His second coming.
There is a reason Satan is who he is and I believe his backstory is actually quite interesting. Not only will you find a personality, you will also find motivation, intention, and a clear and distinct agenda of the devil listed throughout the Bible. You will also find Satan’s schemes and the tools he uses when he attacks God’s children—lies, deception, manipulation, twisting the truth, etc.
I think one of the reasons the devil has been falsely labeled as a cheesy antagonist is because he has been presented in secular media under this "pure evil" trope instead of being presented in his true nature. You have to know that Satan is a scheming liar in order to present him as such; secular authors don't see the devil as a scheming liar because they don't truly believe in him. Unless you read your Bible, you will be totally unaware of who Satan is and how he works. In the same way, secular authors also struggle with properly portraying God or any Christian elements in non-Christian media because they don't truly know who or what they are talking about.
In truth, I think Christians are the only authors who can depict the devil in his true nature because we are the only ones who know who he really is—that is, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and guiding us/helping us discern good from evil in this world. Non-Christians don't have that, which is why they constantly bump into the pure evil trope when attempting to portray a devil-like character.
As weird as this may sound, I don’t think Satan's personality has been explored as much as it could be in Christian media. In other words, our entertainment industry is missing an accurate depiction of the devil. This is why it is vitally important for us Christian authors to read the Word of God and strive to tell stories that always reflect the Bible.
Now, accurately reflecting the Bible doesn’t mean Christian authors have to write the devil into their work. But it does mean that faith-based authors who do include Satan as a character should strive to portray him exactly the way he is in the Bible. Think about it, if we aren’t writing Satan accurately, then who will? Non-Christians will bump into the pure evil trope or end up glorifying Satan whenever they explore his personality—think of the way our society glorifies evil characters throughout our entertainment industry. I briefly mentioned this concept in my last article, Writing Villains in Christian Fantasy, make sure you check it out.
Capturing the personality of the devil can be shaky ground, but when you approach the subject with guidance from the Holy Spirit, I think any Christian author will nail it. Please don’t think this article is to make an argument on behalf of the devil. This post is to simply state that the pure evil trope only applies to Satan when he is portrayed incorrectly, and he is often portrayed incorrectly by non-Christian authors because only Christians would have a deeper understanding of his true nature which is detailed in the Word of God.
So! Is the devil the ultimate villain? To humanity, yes! It’s no secret I am a Bible believing Christian, so of course I see and understand Satan as our ultimate enemy. But always remember that he is a defeated foe [John 16:33]. So, no matter how evil or powerful you decide to portray the devil in your work, you have a duty, as a Christian, to portray God’s true nature as the One who defeats Satan in the end.
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