A
villain (also known in film and literature as the "
antagonist," "
baddie", "
bad guy", "
heavy" or "
black hat") is an "
evil" character in a story, whether a
historical narrative or, especially, a work of
fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist (though can be the
protagonist), the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters. A female villain is occasionally called a
villainess (often to differentiate her from a male villain).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines villain as "a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime; scoundrel; or a character in a play, novel, or the like, who constitutes an important evil agency in the plot".