Villain ArchetypeThe Outcast

Emily Allsteadt

The outcast is a villain archetype who is an outsider who is neglected. He longs to fit in. Tortured and unforgiving, he seeks revenge and redemption, but it leads to sacrifice of others.

The Outcast

In the Genesis story of Cain and Abel, Cain’s offering is not favored by God as much as Abel’s. Cain feels rejected and in order to redeem himself, he kills his brother.

The Bible

Grendel from Beowulf is stated to be an outcast and a descendant of Cain in the text.

“Many doomed beings were descended from Cain, including the detestable outcast Grendel” (Beowulf 57)

He was evil, twisted, and corrupt.

8th-11th century: Anglo-Saxon

In the 1740 fairytale, Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is an outcast villain. He was rejected by everyone because he was ugly. When someone did come to his castle by accident, he took him captive. Although the Beast turns out good in the end, he starts out as a rejected antagonist.

1700s: Britain

Heathcliff from the 1846 novel Wuthering Heights is an outcast because he was a gypsy until adopted and named Heathcliff. He is a vengeful outcast because he was extracting revenge on the others who made it so that he could not be with Cathy. He also did everything to his own advantage. He married into a family only to get the Wuthering Heights.

1800s: Britain

A modern day example of an outcast would be Tom Riddle from the Harry Potter series. As a boy, he is thought of as strange, so he is left out. When he grows up, he becomes Voldemort, a horrible villain who tortures and kills many people.

Modern Day

Another modern day outcast would be Cady Heron from the movie Mean Girls. She comes to school as an outcast. She blends into the population, all of whom is bullied by Regina George. She becomes a vengeful antagonist trying to destroy Regina. She ends up replacing Regina as queen bee, becoming the new person hated by everyone.

Modern Day

The villain archetype of the outcast can be seen in all types of literature from all types of cultures. From the bible to modern day pop culture, the outcast is a popular villain because of the way that they are a dynamic and well developed antagonist character archetype.

The Outcast