Maybe one thing you should avoid: a villain who, deep down, is merely a bully. This person will cower when the hero looks his way, but always prey on the weak. Also, sometimes you've just had enough of the head villain's stupid henchmen.
"Do? I'll tell you what we'll do! We'll be ready!" Matthias, from Redwall
"Life consists of doing the impossible." Brother Fir, The Heir of Mistmantle
When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty, but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change back into what she always had been. But she had wings. — Dean Jackson
