AIBU by saying it isn’t misogynistic to have a female villain in fiction?

[Historyguy]

I’d normally never post something like this on this forum, but I am writing a book and I don’t want to dedicate months of my time to just be called a misogynist.

Most of the protagonists are men, but they aren’t great guys either. They are former pirates lmao, not exactly known for being saints. The main villain is going to be a wealthy woman who actually existed in real life. Her name is Abigail Williams (she will be revealed to have still been alive), and she was one of the first accusers of witchcraft that eventually lead to the Salem Witch trials. In real life, she went missing. In my book, she’s alive and is now under investigation from British authorities on what she did.

She was literally only 12 when she did all that crap, but 12 is old enough to know not to lie in order to get someone killed.

I told people about this and they said that I won’t have a good time making a female villain in 2025 against a bunch of men, and I feel like they’re ignoring the point of my story. That nobody is the “good guy”, it’s literally bad men living in poverty against a sociopathic wealthy woman. AIBU?

You're being unreasonable for asking such a ridiculous question. Get on with writing your book and stop whingeing.

I knew people would react like this. Please understand.

writing books takes a longass time. Nobody wants to write a book that gets them cancelled.

Oh yawn. Why discuss the plot of your book with other people before it's even written? Get on with writing it!!

Miss Havisham is a villain and that's not misogynistic.

Rani Vs The Doctor
Hela Vs Thor (and Loki)
Valerie La Valliant Vs The Thunderbolts (ends up majority male)

Quickly come to mind as recent Female Villains against Males

What a weird worry

Right, that's it. I'm stealing your plot and there's NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!!! Read my book and weep.

Have fun researching hours of colonial history. I’m winning the race.

You are making the massive assumption that it will get published and people will buy it.

Just write it and take it from there.

You are further being unreasonable by coming on here like a whiny-ass kid and bleating about being cancelled. Please to get in the bin. (Or as Abigail Williams, the anti-heroine of my forthcoming book would say, get thee hence into ye binne).

I mean, I assume she's not the only female in the book? I assume she's not a cackling pantomime villain with no back story or justification for her actions?

It's fine.

I'm writing a book too. Similar but different issue in that I'm white and writing poc characters. It's fantasy but still a minefield as I'm sure it will be ready into.

Clearly not or you wouldn't be on here whining like a sodden mare.

Someone is doing some weird promo of a book they supposedly haven't written yet

Is your book likely to be so significant and stir up so much media attention that it will get you "cancelled "? Do you already have a substantial media presence and image that could suffer from cancellation? Perhaps you should consult your agent in that case, and not a bunch of strangers on the Internet.

Surely would be more misogynistic to not have female villains?

Except you've already given away your main plot twist.

No point reading it now.

Can you make one of the pirate characters who's a bit more favourable female? Or more than one of them? If the villain is the only woman then maybe that might seem to make it seem more 'misog./sexist?

Would it work if the female villain was instead male? It doesn't sound like it would if she's based on a real person. Maybe she isn't such a villain after all, and that's what we learn about her through the story?

Anyway, good luck with the book. I know how much effort it takes, many years sometimes. So it's very admirable. X

Or he's just feeling really really fraidy about the big bad cancellation 👀

Blimey the lemon suckers are out in force OP...

I'd be interested in reading it. Good luck. And I don't blame you for testing the waters. These things seem to be important these days.

Anyway, I hope your prose is better than the samples you've given on here, which make you look semi-literate at best 🤷‍♀️ - "literally", as you would (repeatedly) say.

O hi again OP 😅

... and I'm not a lemon-sucker, I'm merely an idiot-mocker.

🙄 Definitely not the OP. Am a bit of a witch though. My cats have a spare saucer of milk if you're thirsty?

Careful or Abigail will denounce you!! 🧙‍♀️ 🔥

Wouldn't be the first time 😆😘

I think youre being unreasonable to worry about this!
write your book and to hell with anyone who doesn’t like it!

Making a 12 year old girl (even if ‘wealthy’) the main villain in the Salem witch trials? Tread carefully.