The word “relatability” gets thrown around a lot in discussions of great characters, but the most memorable characters in a lot of novels, films, and TV shows are the villains. Imagine Les Miserable without Inspector Javert, The Wire without Omar or Stringer Bell, Star Wars without Darth Vader. Some of these may be more relatable than others, but their appeal lies in something other than their nearness to some aspect in ourselves. In this panel discussion, authors will discuss their favorite villains in literature and strategies for making their own literary baddies as wonderfully bad as possible.