The Destroyer

Bad guys in fiction are always pretty fun. Writing them especially so. Unlike Arendi, the Ouryan agent came to me almost naturally. I've encountered so many great mischievous characters across sci-fi and fantasy that trying to envision one wasn't hard.

When I was coming up with the Destroyer, I naturally thought of the Klingons from Star Trek, and their love for war. This Klingon in particular was fun to watch.

Gowron, former leader of the Klingon Empire. He has a very devilish smile, and eyes that so easily light up in fury. Like any good Klingon, Gowron loves to battle. Maybe too much, even if it's not always the prudent move. Dare I say, he's a little bit crazy, but in a good way. His first appearance in Star Trek was classic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwRXPSJL7E4

"You will die, slowly, Durrraaaasss..." 

Another character I thought of was the Operative from the film Serenity. He's a "believer" who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, even if it means killing the innocent. However, he's not just a thug, but an intelligent man, who believes the ends justify the means. He's also fairly arrogant, and quick to assume he's bested his opponent.

"I'm a monster. What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done."

I don't know why I picked the Destroyer's human form to be that of a blonde-haired man. Maybe I was thinking of Roy Batty from Blade Runner. His character held this repressed rage and frustration, only it's often masked by a smirk. He's an artificial man that is desperately seeking answers, and is willing to use terror to get them. 

"Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave." 

What's interesting about all these characters are that none of them are truly villains. In some cases they're heroes, or they have some redeeming quality. I think for true villainy I thought about stories written by Neil Gaiman. From what I remember, he expertly crafted characters that were essentially murderers and happy to kill. Below is the Corinthian, a dream turned nightmare that's featured in Gaiman's Sandman comic book.  

I was probably thinking of all these characters when I came up with the Ouryan Agent. But I suppose you could view it from another angle. In a way, the Ouryan Agent is an almost extreme version of Julian. Here is a man who's become solely devoted to war, and enjoys nothing else, even at the cost of his own humanity. It's psychotic and even sad, but was certainly fun to write.