1. Find Your Motivation
Just like superheroes, villains have motives for being bad. Tired of making sacrifices for the greater good? Do heroes get on your nerves? Or does a life of cackling maniacally in an evil lair just seem like a good lifestyle choice for you? Whatever your motivation is, use it to fuel your vendettas against your foes.
2. Come Up With A Plan
You don't want to lose track of your ultimate goal. Whether it's world domination, or total control of the world's Sriracha resources, you'll need a clear plan for yourself and your colleagues to help you accomplish that goal.
3. Come Up With A Name
As a villain, people need to know who you are. Your name needs to reflect your intentions as well as your persona. It's got to be original and to the point. Don't worry too much about alliterations and rhyme schemes. If it's clever and it serves its purpose, good for you. But you don't want to sacrifice the severity of your name for a musical sounding name. You do want your foes to take you seriously.
4. Find your Style
You need a unique style so that people can differentiate you from other villains. Pick out a color. Choose a special weapon or animal sidekick. Are you going to wear spandex or normal clothes?It doesn't matter if you're a type-A, methodical mastermind, or a scatterbrained extrovert who values spontaneity and the element of surprise. Don't be afraid to try something new. Be yourself. Do you.
5. Figure Out A Revenue Source
Being a villain requires money. In some cases, you might be providing evil services to other villains, or a few corrupt politicians , and in other cases, you're just being malicious for the heck of it. Whatever the case may be, you're exploits will require a revenue stream. But just because you're evil doesn't mean your income necessarily has to be illegal. Don't feel comfortable robbing $30 million from a bank? Don't have the resources to rob said funds from said bank? You can open a cupcake shop and use the revenue to fund your evil plans. Open the small business you've always dreamed of doing on the side. The world is yours. Or it will be soon.
6. Put Your Name Out There
If you're gonna be a bad guy, you need to make yourself known. Let everyone know that you are not a force to be reckoned with. Come up with a simple but effective logo or signature. When you successfully conduct one of your evil operations, remember make your unique insignia especially visible so people know that it was none other than you. Make yourself a website with your mission statement and your rap sheet and maybe even your CV so people can get a good idea of who you are and what your intentions are.
7. Recruit Henchmen
This will be highly dependent on how successful your revenue stream is and your level of notoriety. Hopefully by this point, everyone knows that you're the new top dog from your website or have seen your diabolical projects around town. You'll need everyone from accountants, to engineers to body guards. And don't forget an HR person to make sure all of your new recruits are up to speed. Don't forget to have a clear business plan so that your henchmen know what they are working toward. If they have a clear vision, they're more likely to be loyal to you! Also, money is a great incentive for loyalty.
8. Find A Lair
You thought apartment hunting was a difficult? Try lair hunting. This is dependent upon your revenue source as well as your taste. Whatever your lair preferences may be, be prepared to spend a pretty penny. Want something remote and isolated so you can escape from the rest of the world for a little while? Great! Get ready to spend tons on transport for yourself, your equipment, and lair staff. Want something inconspicuous but near everything so you can quickly and efficiently execute your newest plan? Perfect! Get ready to shell out tons for urban real estate, not to mention extra costs to keep your operations as quiet and off the grid as possible.
9. Find An Arch Foe
Every villain needs an arch nemesis. A hero who complements you ,with strengths for every one of your weaknesses, and vice versa. You shouldn't have any trouble finding an arch foe. If you're causing trouble, there's definitely going to be someone who will try to stop you. Besides, what's the fun in causing problems if everyone ignores you and lets you do as you please?
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