11 Villains Who Destroyed Themselves

11 Satisfyingly Self-destructive Villains

*spoilers, maybe?

1. The Skinjacker Trilogy, by Neal Shusterman

This is not only a great trilogy for readers in that weird liminal space between middle grade and YA, but it has one of my favorite self-destructive villain endings of all time.

2. Long John Silver, the muppet version:

Watching Tim Curry sail away in that rowboat so heavy laden with gold that it starts sinking is the perfect image of an antagonist literally being undone by their own greed.

3. The Wicked Witch of the West

Would Dorothy have thrown the bucket of water if the witch hadn’t set Scarecrow on fire? Well, would she?

4. Benjamin Linus from Lost

I know so many people have thoughts about the ending of this show, but me personally? Well, let’s just say that 99.9% of the reason I watched was for this man right here, and his ending—being left alone outside the church, waiting for redemption after all the bad he’d done—was simply perfect.

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You can find the rest of the list HERE, as well as thoughts on why these types of villains are so satisfying, as well as how to write them! And when you get there, be sure to subscribe!