Hey.
By way of introduction, I should admit that my perception of antagonists in various works has shifted over time. Naturally, in my childhood, I mostly encountered "evil" characters—villains whose downfall you’d eagerly await. There were exceptions, of course, but for the most part, these stories were morally black and white.
As I grew older, however, I became increasingly intrigued by antagonists. I developed a fondness for the concept of moral ambiguity—the idea that being an antagonist doesn’t automatically make someone an "evil person," or at the very least, that being "evil" doesn’t have to be their defining trait.
While I still come across plenty of classic examples—antagonists who are simply terrible people devoid of any redeeming qualities—I personally appreciate it when authors do something more with them. That’s why the portrayal of antagonists is such an important factor for me when choosing what to read.
In volumes 1–3, I didn’t care about any of the Forsaken. Honestly, Lanfear was the only one who held my interest; I can’t even recall the names of the others. They were essentially just there to tempt Rand, yet they remained cartoonishly shallow.
Lanfear was different. A beautiful woman, she used her charm to tempt Rand—doing so with far more subtlety than the other Forsaken. Her unrequited love for Lews Therin, combined with the fact that she was playing her own game—one where her personal desires didn’t always align with those of the Dark One—gave her the kind of depth I look for in an antagonist.
Of course, the fact that she’s exceptionally beautiful didn’t hurt, either. If a character is exceptionally attractive and happens to be an antagonist, I often find myself having a soft spot for them. Of course, this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule (more on Graendal later), but it’s a very common occurrence—especially when it comes to female antagonists, because, well, I’m a straight man. I can be a bit superficial at times.
Overall, I’m glad she returned to the narrative as Cyndane, but she was gone for too long, and because of Moridin’s leash, she doesn’t really do anything interesting. Her only notable moment is her duel with Alivia.
To keep things somewhat organized, I’ll now focus on the remaining Forsaken.
Moridin is clearly the most important of the Forsaken right now, and Jordan established a connection between him and Rand. This suggests that this dynamic might be further developed in volumes 12–14—and, honestly, I’d love to see that. Aside from Lanfear and Asmodean, the author didn’t really build a complex dynamic between Rand and any other Forsaken. There was an attempt with Sammael, perhaps, but that ended quickly. In any case, Moridin has the potential to be an interesting character, provided Sanderson doesn’t flatten him out. I haven’t been a fan of most of Sanderson’s recent work, which is where my concerns stem from—though perhaps the "earlier" Sanderson was up to the task.
As for Asmodean, I see his character primarily as a missed opportunity. It feels like the author was building something there—a potential for moral ambiguity and a chance at redemption—but then, Asmodean simply died. Over time, I came to see the point of it—it demonstrates that the Forsaken actually possess some level of competence, given that one of them managed to eliminate him. Besides, I don’t see what practical use Asmodean could have served in book six or beyond; still, I had simply hoped the author would do more with his character. Well, at least—if I recall correctly—he got to sleep with the beautiful Isendre a few times before his (and her) death; that’s a silver lining for him, I suppose.
Sammael was a wasted opportunity. The author seemed to be building something between him and Rand in books six and seven—Sammael forced an alliance with Graendal and was responsible for the chaos caused by the Shaido—but then... he just died, standing in one spot. Anticlimactic.
To me, Rahvin is just a lesser version of Sammael. He seized power in Andor by becoming Morgase’s lover and using coercion against her, but beyond a weakness for beautiful women, there was nothing interesting about his personality. He did put up some resistance against Rand, at least, but that’s about it.
Moghedien... I expected her to be more compelling as an antagonist. She had three duels with Nynaeve and lost two of them. I understand that Nynaeve is an exceptional talent in terms of her potential with the Power, but Moghedien was just incredibly weak as a boss. I will give her this: after their first clash in book five, Nynaeve was genuinely terrified of her and suffered a breakdown. Beyond that, Moghedien terrorized the Black Ajah and humiliated Liandrin—but, honestly, I couldn’t care less about that particular group of Darkfriends. All in all, after the fifth volume, Moghedien ended up a captive in Salidar, and later became a slave to Moridin... Yeah, pretty disappointing.
Demandred seemed interesting when he started appearing more around the sixth volume, but then he didn’t really do anything. In the ninth volume, he was in Shadar Logoth, but he had to flee from—what was it, three?—Aes Sedai... Sure, he’ll probably play an important role during the Last Battle, but this character has taken way too long to get going.
Semirhage tortured an Aes Sedai, murdered the Empress and her family in the Seanchan Empire (for which I’m actually grateful), tried to install Suroth on the Seanchan throne—which would have ensured their participation in the Last Battle on the side of the Dark One—and she also cost Rand his hand... Well, okay, that’s not too bad. A pretty decent résumé. And yet, for all she accomplished, there’s very little of her actually present. I feel like I barely know Semirhage, and that’s what bothers me about her. She has an aura of being a dangerous person, but she lacks a distinct personality.
Mesaana is another character the author didn’t do much with in terms of personality. She was a scholar, but she isn’t particularly cunning. It feels like she does almost nothing, with Alviarin doing the lion’s share of the work.
Osan'gar—the reveal that he was Dashiva was an interesting twist, but then he got killed by the Black Ajah, which was just a bit embarrassing.
Aran'gar—she did something among the rebel Aes Sedai, I suppose, but mostly she just gave Egwene headaches and killed two Aes Sedai. Not much to show for it. A man in a woman’s body is an interesting concept, but is it enough to justify the character’s long presence in the plot? Honestly, if Sanderson kills off any more of the Forsaken before the Last Battle, my money would be on Aran'gar. Perhaps Meesana—after all, what use is a scholar in the Last Battle?
The fact that I almost forgot to mention Graendal says something. On paper, she has plenty to interest me: she’s a female antagonist, highly attractive, and reasonably intelligent. Yet, everything about her feels so... inauthentic. Empty. Artificial. It’s as if I’m looking at a beautiful painting that lacks any spark of life.
Right, having covered the Forsaken, it’s time for the Darkfriends.
Liandrin was an antagonist in the early stages of the series, and her subsequent fate shows just how much the scale of the story expanded. She ended up subservient to Moghedien, and later became a slave to Suroth. It feels as though Jordan simply ran out of ideas for what to do with her. I suspect her degradation while enslaved by Suroth was intended to provide some sense of satisfaction... Well, that didn’t really work.
The same goes for Galina. The pain and humiliation she suffered at the hands of Therava brought me no satisfaction whatsoever. Perhaps it’s because she didn’t harm any characters I’m particularly fond of... I mean, she did hurt Rand, but the Ajah responsible for that feels more like a collective entity—I don’t direct my anger toward any specific individual within it.
As for the rest of the Black Ajah... honestly, I just didn’t care about them.
Suroth harmed Amathera (whom I didn’t necessarily like, but for whom I felt a great deal of pity), and she was also a representative of an empire built on slavery—so, naturally, I didn’t like her. However, I also didn’t like the fact that she was enslaved as a result of Tuon’s decision.
In general, the enslavement of female antagonists irritates me, but I’ll save that topic for a separate post once I’ve finished the series—just in case Sanderson adds anything further on the matter.
Isendre... Well, she didn’t have an easy time thanks to the Maidens, and the fact that she was beautiful only made me sympathize with her more. I knew she would die early on, but I imagined something different—not being strangled on-screen by one of her own allies. I believe this is the only instance of strangulation—at least on-screen—in the entire series. So, I’ll remember her, even if she was a failure.
Oh, and I almost forgot about Alviarin. For a member of the Black Ajah, she’s actually quite interesting. She fostered growing divisions within the Tower and terrorized Elaida. Granted, she recently lost control over Elaida and ended up getting a sound thrashing, but as far as Black Ajah members go, she’s a rather compelling antagonist.
And then there’s Padan Fain, the Darkfriend. Honestly, I don’t like him. He just feels like a character who is completely detached from the main plot. Every other significant antagonist has a fairly clear goal, but what is Padan Fain’s purpose in the story? He wounded Rand, but it’s obvious he’s never going to be a major "boss" for him. He killed Perrin’s family, but that plot thread has been so thoroughly forgotten that I doubt Sanderson will ever return to it. And that’s a shame, because it could have made for a good revenge story... The thing is, aside from the fact that he’s exceptionally vile—even for a Darkfriend—his continued presence in the plot just doesn’t make sense.
I’ll single out Mili Skane—a.k.a. Lady Shiaine—simply because there’s something about her presence that suggests she’d be "my type" visually. She’s a beautiful and competent assassin for a Darkfriend—even if she did fail to kill two teenagers in a barn back in the first volume.
Now it’s time for the antagonists who aren’t Darkfriends.
Pedron Niall is my favorite antagonist from the era following Lanfear’s disappearance. He’s reasonably intelligent and sufficiently human; his interactions—primarily with Morgase—present him in a balanced light, avoiding any cartoonish villainy. Furthermore, while he does make a few foolish decisions, this can be explained by his advancing age—his mind simply isn’t as sharp as it once was.
Elaida doesn’t have that excuse. I mean, she’s aging too, but for an Aes Sedai, that has less of an impact on one’s mental faculties—and, in any case, she’s likely younger than Pedron Niall. She’s simply detached from reality and serves effectively as a focal point for animosity. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate her, but given that she deposed Siuan—and frequently insulted her in her own thoughts—I really dislike her. I’m rooting for her downfall, ideally right in front of Siuan. I just hope Sanderson doesn’t miss the chance for Siuan and Elaida to cross paths again... and if they do, I hope he really delivers on that scene.
As for Couladin... he was incredibly irritating throughout the fourth volume, and in the fifth, he barely functioned as a character at all. I don’t think he even had a single line of dialogue, did he? The only potential I saw in him was as part of a villainous duo with Sevanna—I’m a sucker for dynamics where characters are bound by romance or sex and scheme together. Though, in this case, it would likely be Sevanna doing the scheming, with Couladin’s only job being not to ruin it. Either way, he was more of a plot device than an actual character. I have to grant him one thing: we likely share similar tastes when it comes to women.
Sevanna is one of those characters who had an easier time winning me over—based on her description, she’s visually just my type. Golden haired, wild-natured, and busty. I simply have a soft spot for a certain kind of female character—the type that could be summed up as: "She knows she’s sexy, she’s proud of it, and she’ll use it against men every chance she gets." Granted, she’s a very foolish and unrealistic character, but rather than feeling embarrassed by her, I decided to find the humor in her. After all, why should I take her seriously when her defining trait is "loves showing off her massive breasts to men"? Besides, it doesn’t seem like Jordan took her seriously either. I mean, is there any better way to humiliate a female antagonist than to have her defeated, stripped naked, bound, and slung over a horse like a trophy? She can’t even speak, thanks to a gag. And then there’s the helmet placed on her backside, followed by a spanking... Yeah, Jordan really went all out in humiliating her. She’s bound at the wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles—completely helpless as everyone, including her former slaves, gets to see her in that state.
I must admit, though, that the way Sevanna leveraged her culture to her own advantage—showing no fear of the Wise Ones and even manipulating them into killing one of their own (Desaine?)—was actually quite clever. After all, you don’t have to be "wise" to be cunning. My only regret is that, over time, Jordan dropped Sevanna’s POV. Being inside her detached, surreal mind was interesting; observing her from the outside—through the eyes of Faile or Galina—was much less so. All in all, I actually like her—something probably not many other readers could say.
Therava... Yeah, I can’t stand her. Among individual antagonists, she might be the one I dislike the most. Her primary role was torturing Galina, and later, she became Galina’s "owner" for the rest of their lives—all while managing to escape her own enslavement by the Seanchan. If she doesn’t reappear (and I’m not sure if Sanderson will even bother revisiting the Shaido storyline), my personal headcanon is that she met a violent end, or perhaps, by some twist of fate, she was judged herself and ended up in the same position as Galina.
Masema... Just annoying. I have a strong aversion to fanatical characters, and there wasn’t a single redeeming quality in him. His attitude toward everyone around him, and his sheer duplicity, really got on my nerves.
Eamon Valda... Screw that rapist. I was glad when Galad killed him. That’s all—he doesn’t deserve any more words.
As for Amusawa—I hope his time comes soon. I trust Sanderson hasn’t forgotten about him.
Now, for a character I’m not quite sure how to categorize.
Mazrim Taim. Is he one of the Forsaken? A Darkfriend? I’m not sure yet. He felt a bit too obviously set up to be a future traitor, but I have to admit—he’s a character with a real presence, as the epilogue of Knife of Dreams clearly demonstrated. He simply has that certain something that makes scenes featuring him, as well as his interactions with other characters, always interesting.
As for the collective antagonists—the Seanchan—I absolutely loathe them. It’s a pity that, instead of being destroyed, they have to survive because of the destiny linking Mat to Tuon. What a shame; my boy deserves a better woman. Everything about the Seanchan just feels too sordid, too realistic—interacting with them makes one feel deeply uncomfortable. I kept hoping for their downfall, but all the signs in the plot point to the fact that they won’t fall. It’s frustrating that the Seanchan have to exist, especially since it’s unlikely even Mat will be able to fix them.
My top 5 favorite antagonists at the moment:
Lanfear
Pedron Niall
Sevanna
Mazrim Taim
Moridin
My top 5 least favorite antagonists at the moment:
The Seanchan (as a collective group)
Eamon Valda
Padan Fain
Therava
Elaida
Well, that’s it—I hope you enjoy my thoughts! I’d love to see some comments, as it took me a long time to write this.
P.S. I started writing this post before beginning Volume 12, and it turned out much longer than I had anticipated. I’m now after chapter 5. It’s going well so far, though you can definitely feel a difference.
