Villains We Love To Hate

Forget the tropes - the best villains look like us.

Let’s be honest—no story is complete without a great villain.

Heroes might get the spotlight, but villains are the ones who raise the stakes, twist the plot, and force the characters (and readers) to question everything. The more personal, the more calculating, the more morally murky they are—the more we can’t stop turning the pages.

In my novel Iteration, that villain is Zhou Pengfei.

Peng isn’t the kind of character who announces his intentions with a dramatic monologue. He’s not a thug or a tyrant. He’s something far more dangerous: composed, brilliant, and quietly convinced he’s doing the right thing.

What makes him chilling isn’t just what he does—it’s how he sees himself while doing it.

At first glance, Peng is a visionary. A pioneer in neural engineering, he co-founded Neurogenesys with Malcolm MacKenzie and Jessica Blixt to change the world—for the better. But Peng has a secret: a belief so deeply embedded that not even those closest to him suspect the truth until it’s far too late. He’s convinced that the only way to save the future… is to break everything holding it back.

Even people.

Even friends.

What made writing Peng so compelling—and, honestly, a little unsettling—was that he doesn’t think of himself as the villain. He believes he’s the only one willing to do what’s necessary. That kind of mindset? It’s powerful. And terrifying. Because we’ve all known people who think they’re “the smartest one in the room.” What happens when that person has the technology, resources, and cold resolve to act on it?

And worse—what if their logic starts to make sense?

That’s what Iteration explores: what happens when ambition, genius, and purpose fall out of balance. Peng isn’t evil for the sake of evil. He’s dangerous because he’s methodical, loyal to his cause, and completely unshaken by the emotional wreckage he leaves behind. He doesn’t betray people out of malice. He does it because he truly believes it’s necessary—and that, in time, they would understand.

Maybe even forgive him.

There’s a moment (you’ll know it when you get there) where Peng’s mask slips. It’s subtle. And what’s underneath isn’t monstrous—it’s human. That’s the part I think will stay with you.

If Iteration is a story about invention, memory, and the terrifying fragility of identity, then Pengfei Zhou is the embodiment of what happens when someone takes control of all three.

So if you love a villain who’s one step ahead—who will make you question what’s right, what’s real, and who you can trust—just wait until you meet Peng.

But be warned:

He’s not the kind of villain you see coming.

He’s the one you never saw leave.