There is a difference, they aren't exact synonyms. Here's the difference... The villain is bad, sadistic, hurt people, and would be considered a bad guy by anybody from any point of view. The antagonist, on the other hand, isn't "bad". The antagonist just has conflicting goals with your main character, and may not go about fulfilling their goals in the best way. But the antagonist isn't evil, they just don't agree.
Here are some examples from popular books, if you need a little more clarity into this...
*Hunger Games* President Snow - Villain (purposefully hurts people with no apparent regrets, kills anyone who opposes him, etc.) vs. Tributes - Antagonists (Will kill/steal from Katniss, but they're not sadistic (most of them) and really just want to survive)
*Harry Potter* Voldemort, Bellatrix, Other Death Eaters - Villain (Kills/tortures for fun, do I need to go on?) vs. Snape, Malfoy - Antagonist (Weren't the nicest people, but had genuine friends/goals/lives. They just had major disputes with the main character.)
*Eleanor and Park* Richie - Villain (Abusive, vile, no apparent reason, likes making Eleanor miserable.) vs. Tina - Antagonist (Bully, but for a clear reason, and shows nice side later on. Differing opinions and desires, opposition, but not mean for no reason)
That enough examples? I hope so because now I'm moving onto how to make each of these great. Be sure to know which your character is because they require different components!
1. Backstories
Yes, basic, right? There's a reason and a good one at that... Any character that shows up in your book that impacts the main character or even appears regularly should have at least a basic backstory. This should definitely include your bad guys. (But no, let's not pull a Dr. Doofensmirtz, that amount of backstory dumping won't be appreciated in writing!)
- Antagonists. Your antagonists should have a backstory just like any other character, as in, you don't need some tragic incident to give them extreme hatred. Sure, if you need something bad to have happened in their pasts then do that, but these are just people with differing goals who oppose the main character. They can have a perfectly happy life, as long as they have something that leads them to disagree with or have competition with your main character. So make them like any other character, they're not totally evil!
- Villains. Villains, on the other hand, need a reason that they're irreversibly evil (or at least close.) Abusive past, a lot of loss, whatever. Just try not to make it too cliche because that makes everything the villain does look cliche. Reading Harry Potter is a good example of this, Voldemort (aka Tom Riddle) has what seems to be a cliche backstory until we find out all the details. Make a lot of details, because face it, there are only so many ways a character can have a traumatic enough childhood to turn them into a villain. Or, on the other hand, you could always make them a spoiled snob who didn't get what they want one time, making them angry enough to kill everyone! (Good luck making that one look realistic...)
2. Personalities
Yes, they need a personality. Most bad guys are kind of the same... *dude dressed in black surrounded in people tied up and gagged, ranting his life's story and plans to kill everyone, occasionally with "Mwahahaha!" thrown in.* or *pretty blonde girl with a gang of other pretty girls terrorizing your protagonist because they like the same guy.* Pretty much, right? Give them a personality, fears, insecurities, just like any other person... And you're a lot more likely to make them the terrifying menace they're supposed to be!
- Antagonists. Again, your antagonist should be just like any other character you create. They need a complex personality that revolves around more than their hatred/opposition of the main character. Their personality should include room for less-than-kind behavior, because unless your protagonist is some sort of thief/murderer/etc. they might have a little trouble getting in a fight/argument with a saint.
- Villains. Personalities and villains aren't usually seen together, and that's sad. Because what's more terrifying than someone who kills people mercilessly? Someone who could be mistaken for a normal person who kills people mercilessly. This is often used in crime stories or TV shows based on real life/serial killers because it adds an extra layer of suspense, but there literally no reason you shouldn't do this too. Unless you're writing a villain like Lord Voldemort, give them a personality so they can blend into the crowd when they're not busy killing people. Or, for that matter, just to make them stand out against other villains who all have the same basic personality and look.
3. Motivations
Should I need to say this? No. Do I need to say this? Yes. Your bad guy needs a clear motivation, and it needs to be consistent with the amount of damage that they do. If your villain is evil because they love to be evil, then you really need to reconsider your villain here.- Antagonists. Some commonly seen motivations for antagonists include having the same love interest as the protagonist (Tina from Eleanor and Park), being pitted against the protagonist by something out of their control (Some Tributes from The Hunger Games), or has some argument with the protagonist that doesn't amount to murder but adds a lot of tension (Malfoy and Snape from Harry Potter.) You can get creative with these motivations, those are just some basic examples! They shouldn't amount to any deaths (except maybe by accident) and your readers should be able to sympathize with the antagonist if they try to.
- Villains. Villains can be difficult, because what makes someone want to go on a mass killing spree? Most likely a mental disorder; I recommend watching a TV show like Criminal Minds that deals with motivations as to murders. You don't even have to bring up exactly what's wrong with your villain, but as long as people can see their motivations and they don't look evil because you need some tension in your story, you're good. I find it easier to write villains with a mental disorder because I can understand that better, even though I've never brought up exactly what that disorder is. This got a little off-topic from motivations, but here's where it ties in: No sane person can have a good enough motivation for murdering a lot of people unless they're a suicide bomber or something of the like. Even then, they have some at least partially delusional belief that they need to kill people, that it will be for the better if those people die, or they simply enjoy the act of killing. Motivation + some lack of morals/logic/etc. = believable villain.
4. Character Progressions
Every character that matters in your book should have character progression, including the bad guy. This can be good or bad, they can have a redeeming arc or the last straw that sends them way overboard. For example, in Harry Potter, Snape (arguably) has a redeeming arc where we see his motivations and some hidden feelings. He's more than a jerk now, he's somewhat relatable. Then Voldemort, on the other hand, we can see his progression from an orphan who lacks empathy to a globally known menace who everyone fears. Even in each book, we can see where he gets worse, up to the last book where he's excessively paranoid and has no second thoughts about butchering a whole school full of children. Basically, your bad guy shouldn't stay the same during the whole book.
- Antagonists. Antagonists have two choices: Show the hidden good side, or turn into a villain. Under stress, usually near the climax, they can either reveal their kindness that they have and only just came out in the time of true struggle, or have that last snap when they go from an opponent to an enemy. Whichever happens is really your choice!
- Villains. It is really, really hard to turn a villain around and have them join the good side... It's possible, but you need a really good explanation as to why this merciless murderer suddenly turns around and is a perfectly nice guy. It's much easier to make them more paranoid, more angry, more blood-thirsty, whatever, and have them either die or go to jail in the end. Again, all your choice, whatever works with your story! Anything is possible if you can make it believable!
So that's what I've got on villains and antagonists! Basically, give them the same level of character development that you give your protagonist and everyone else who matters in the story.
*Disclaimer: The image is not mine! I don't know whose it is, but all credit goes to the rightful owner!*
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