A Much-Needed Mistborn Book Change Could Make The Movie’s Villains Even Better

The Mistborn movie is one of the most exciting fantasy projects on the horizon, and a much-needed change could make the adaptation — and its villains — even better. Given the pause in the Mistborn movie’s development, it’s not entirely clear when viewers could see Brandon Sanderson’s books brought to the screen. However, there are a lot of reasons to be excited for the Mistborn film, from seeing the series’ epic action sequences in live-action to meeting the characters all over again.

Assuming Mistborn‘s casting is handled well, the latter will be especially fun, as Sanderson’s books have a complex and lovable lineup of characters. But while heroes like Vin, Kelsier, and Elend boast layered personalities, the series’ villains are less interesting. The Mistborn trilogy’s antagonists may be powerful, but many of them lack the nuance of the other characters. The upcoming movie can fix this, improving on Sanderson’s already-impressive books.

A Necessary Book Change Could Make The Mistborn Movie’s Villains More Compelling

Characters Like The Lord Ruler & Straff Venture Could Be Better Fleshed Out

There are a handful of villains who appear throughout the first three Mistborn books, but few of them are portrayed with any real complexity. Marsh starts out as a hero, so he’s given some slack when he’s forced to do Ruin’s bidding. However, more straightforward villains, like the Lord Ruler and Straff Venture, come off as one-note characters. The Lord Ruler is a tyrant through and through, and even his ulterior motives don’t make him much more interesting. Straff is also a terrible person, and the books never delve into why he’s such a callous person.

Not every villain needs a tragic backstory or reason to do evil, but characters like Straff and Rashek could be more compelling. Mistborn already has Ruin as a force of sheer destruction, and since he’s a god, it makes sense that he doesn’t have anything else lurking beneath the surface. Rashek’s true motivations could have been used to make him a more nuanced villain, though, and giving Straff more of a personality would have made his interactions with his sons far more gripping.

Zane also isn’t given many redeeming qualities, even if his infatuation with Vin sees him helping her on occasion. The Koloss are primarily portrayed as savage and violent, and very few of Scadrial’s nobles are multifaceted. Making these characters wholly evil makes Mistborn‘s themes easier to grapple with. However, the brutal realities of the story would hit even harder if the villains were portrayed more realistically. Fortunately, the Mistborn movie can fix this aspect of the books.

How The Mistborn Movie Could Improve The Original Trilogy’s Villains

More Screen Time & A Greater Internal Struggle Would Help

There are a couple ways a Mistborn movie could make its villains more well-rounded, and the first is by giving some of them a greater internal struggle. This may not work for someone like Straff Venture, but depicting Rashek’s descent into villainy —​​​​​​​ and showing some resistance to it — would make the Lord Ruler more tragic and interesting. Zane could also benefit from more redeeming moments that don’t involve his infatuation with Vin. And even more of Scadrial’s nobles could be seen having reservations but embracing corruption and cruelty anyway.

For characters like Straff, more screen time and context could help. The Mistborn movie could give us more of his backstory, either through flashbacks or conversations, explaining why he’s so cruel to the people around him. It’s not a perfect solution to his characterization, but it would round out his arc a bit — and prove that all the series’ antagonists aren’t just naturally evil from the start.

Mistborn

The Mistborn series, created by Brandon Sanderson, is a high-fantasy saga set in the world of Scadrial, where magic is powered by metals through a system called Allomancy. The series focuses on political intrigue, heists, and the battle between good and evil. The first trilogy, Mistborn: The Final Empire, follows the struggle to overthrow a tyrannical ruler, the Lord Ruler. Later books in the series, including Era 2, take place hundreds of years after the events of the original trilogy, expanding the story into new settings with new characters, all while maintaining connections to the original storyline.

Books:

Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007)
Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008)
Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2011)
Mistborn: Shadows of Self (2015)
Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning (2016)
Mistborn: The Lost Metal (2022)

Created by

Brandon Sanderson

Character(s)

Vin , Kelsier , Sazed , Marsh , Elend Venture , Waxillium “Wax” Ladrian , Wayne , Steris Harms

Summary

The Mistborn series, created by Brandon Sanderson, is a high-fantasy saga set in the world of Scadrial, where magic is powered by metals through a system called Allomancy. The series focuses on political intrigue, heists, and the battle between good and evil. The first trilogy, Mistborn: The Final Empire, follows the struggle to overthrow a tyrannical ruler, the Lord Ruler. Later books in the series, including Era 2, take place hundreds of years after the events of the original trilogy, expanding the story into new settings with new characters, all while maintaining connections to the original storyline.

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