The Myers-Briggs Personality Types As Villains

Assumptions are constantly made about each of the Myers-Briggs personality types, including which are the heroes and which are the villains. For instance, the first character that pops into your head when you think of an ENTJ or an INTJ is probably a villain. That could be the fault of writers leaning into tropes, or people assuming villainous characters to be certain personality types. Either way, the outcome is the same. Similarly, I often see people playfully assigning each personality type a moral alignment, such as chaotic neutral or lawful good. I understand that it’s all just a game, but it demonstrates the popular biases that people have formed for each of the Myers-Briggs personality types.

However, any personality type can be a villain or a hero. Of course, most people do understand that, but some actually do not. Some people reevaluate a character’s personality type the moment that character shifts his/her alignment. That’s not the correct way to approach the 16 personality types theory, because cognitive functions define the way we think, not what we’ll do. The question is: what would each personality type look like as either a hero or villain? What might motivate them?

Not too long ago, I wrote The Myers-Briggs Personality Types As Heroes, where I grouped the personality types by judging function and described how each grouping would act as a hero. (In other words, there were four groups: FPs, TPs, TJs, and FJs.) Today’s article will be grouped in the same way, meaning that I will not be writing an individual description for each of the 16 personality types. I will try to provide individual character examples at the end of each section for you to reference.

Villain vs. Antagonist

Before we begin, I want to clarify that this article is about villains. Sometimes, when someone refers to the “villain of the story”, they’re actually referring to the antagonist and not an actual villain. An antagonist is simply a character that opposes the protagonist, or the main character. Sometimes the protagonist is objectively a villain, while the antagonist is actually a hero. In this article, I’m focusing specifically on describing the personality types as villains, in the literal sense of the word.

The Myers-Briggs Personality Types As Villains

Below, I’m going to be covering the common themes you’ll see for each of the personality type groupings. However, it’s important to remember that there are exceptions to everything. Characters can break the mold, because people are extremely complex. It’s impossible to account for everything, and every situation. There are behaviors that are common for certain personality types, and then there are, for instance, learned behaviors that seem contrary to the norm. It’s important to take into account the entire picture, details and general themes, before coming to a conclusion. Otherwise, you fall into the trap of a typing a character by stereotypes.

The Extraverted Thinkers

Myers-Briggs Types: ENTJ, INTJ, ESTJ, ISTJ

The TJ villain is the classic villain. Oftentimes, these are the villains looking to restructure the world, society, or their environment in some way. TJ villains have a long term goal, or a vision, which they intend to force upon others, whether that be for the greater good or for their own personal gain. They may believe that the world (or whatever system that they currently exist within) needs to be torn down and rebuilt into something better. They may see it as deeply flawed or broken in some way, and determine that they need to restructure it into a system that actually works with, of course, them as the leader. Or, they may be in it for selfish reasons, for personal power or wealth.

Either way, TJ villains utilize any and all resources they have available to them in order to achieve their goal. They view everything, including people, as resources or as a means to an end, which means that most people are expendable for the sake of the goal. TJ villains are structured, cold-hearted, and calculated, preferring to rely on sheer force to control the outcome. In other words, they default to heavy-handed methods such as threats or displays of power to convince people to do their bidding. They don’t typically prefer to deal in emotions, because emotions are what makes someone weak. Emotions hinder the goal.

Character Examples: Silco from Arcane, Thanos from the MCU, Madara Uchiha from Naruto, Regina Mills from Once Upon A Time, Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes (2009).

Before I move on to other types of villains, it’s important for you to understand that the desire for power is not exclusive to TJ villains. Villains always have some kind of goal, which will provoke them to seek out the necessary level of power to achieve it. Obviously, the loftier the goal, the greater amount of power is necessary. So, when you see a villain seeking power, it’s important to ascertain why they’re seeking power. Is it power for the sake of power, or is there a deeper purpose or value driving the villain’s actions?

The Introverted Thinkers

Myers-Briggs Types: ENTP, INTP, ESTP, ISTP

Numerous villains are typed as TPs, simply because TPs are thinkers. People have an easier time fathoming a thinker being evil or cruel. However, there are specific patterns associated with TP villains to look for. For instance, TP villains oftentimes capitalize on causing chaos. In fact, they typically enjoy it. They’re the antithesis to the TJ, who desires structure and order. The TP villain would much rather subvert expectations, and tear down whatever is giving people stability and hope. They may do this physically, but they may also do this logically. TP villains frequently rationalize away values, ideals, and even human connection, seeing it all as meaningless. As a result, their behavior may seem unpredictable or inconsistent, because it’s not being restrained by any obvious value or principle.

Of course, it’s possible for a TP villain to have some clearly defined values, and a value-driven goal (because they’re tapped into Fe). If that is the case, they usually won’t be what is considered an “honorable” villain. Instead, they will use logical technicalities to rationalize crossing lines for the greater good. Most TP villains will appear either dispassionate or lacking in the ability to express sincere emotion, perhaps using it only occasionally as a tool to temporarily charm and manipulate.

Character Examples: Loki from the MCU, Hisoka from HunterXHunter, Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate Zero, Moriarty from BBC’s Sherlock, Kuon Ichinose from Persona 5 Strikers

The Introverted Feelers

Myers-Briggs Types: ENFP, INFP, ESFP, ISFP

FP villains often have deeply personal motives that they’re usually fairly honest about. Of course, as with any villain, these motives may be entirely selfish. The FP villain may simply be using villainy as an outlet of self-expression, a way to remain true to their feelings. In other words, they may be the villain that follows their every whim and fancy, enjoying life to its fullest. However, their motivations may also be altruistic in nature, tied to a greater value that they feel passionate about.

FP villains can be quite idealistic, chasing after a dream that they desire to make a reality. They typically communicate these ideals to others, explaining the value behind what they’re doing. Many FPs desire for others to get behind their vision, to aid in the cause. They usually seem earnest, sincere, and even empathetic towards others, especially those who align with their goals. In many ways, they may strive to present themselves as honorable, like they’re just a misunderstood “good guy”. However, when dealing with their enemies, they can come across similar to a TJ. In other words, they can be surprisingly cold and cruel in the name of achieving their greater purpose. In addition, as personality types that often lean into their emotions, they may be prone to extreme, excessive acts of violence and aggression when things do not go their ways.

Character Examples: Wilson Fisk from MCU’s Daredevil, Erik Killmonger from the MCU, Kylo Ren from Star Wars, Obito Uchiha from Naruto, Deidara from Naruto

The Extraverted Feelers

Myers-Briggs Types: ENFJ, INFJ, ESFJ, ISFJ

FJ villains often do things in the name of a cause, a cause that usually revolves around others in some way. Selfish motivations are often masked, in the name of whatever their cause is, but may be reasonably obvious depending on the type of goal they’ve expressed. For instance, some FJ villains simply seek out a place to belong, so their primary motivation or stated goal may be to build an ideal, family-style group. It could also be more intimate than that, centered around a very specific person that gave them meaning or purpose, or even betrayed them.

On the other hand, many FJ villains adopt a noble cause, one designed to fulfill a greater societal need. These villains often present themselves as martyrs to a cause, expressing that the cause is much greater than themselves. Themes such as obligation and duty may be prominent, depending on the specific personality type. Either way, they’ll feel compelled to complete their goal for the good of all. They usually prefer to amass a group of tight-knit, loyal followers, whom they often view like family, as they work toward the shared goal together. These types often realize the value in earning loyalty through softer means, making people want to follow them rather than forcing them to. Emotional manipulation is often a go-to tactic, when needed, in addition to striving to convince people to understand the logic behind their cause. However, when subtle methods don’t work, they are willing to commit heinous acts for the sake of achieving their greater purpose.

Related article: The Fe Villain: ISFJ/INFJ/ESFJ/ENFJ

Character Examples: Mordo from the MCU, Mysterio from the MCU, Donquixote Doflamingo from One Piece, the Snow Queen from Once Upon a Time, Ra’s Al Ghoul from the Dark Knight Trilogy, Sosuke Aizen from Bleach