You’re focused. You’re powerful. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be a villain. Still, one thing threatens your power – something that shouldn’t be underestimated.
The hero.
You might be tempted to dismiss him and his puny group of friends, but beware: in the height of your power, when everything is finally going your way, he will strike.
When all seems lost for heroes, they like to attack you where you’re most vulnerable. Often, this will be your past. Maybe there is something shameful, or sad, or even something good that you’ve covered up as well as you can. Whatever it is, don’t bother trying to hide it from the hero.
You can be sure that he will discover it, one way or another. The only thing you can do is be prepared.
First off, make sure that your henchmen either already know about your past or don’t care. There’s nothing worse than having your army turn against you. Take especial care with your toady, who is most able to betray you.
Next, you might consider a trick we’ve found to be useful: patronize. Patronize the hero until he realizes that he is ridiculously young and now utterly defeated. (They’re always young.) Just be careful not to underestimate him.
When he comes out with your desperate past, giving you the option of reforming, try saying something like this:
“I see you’ve done your research. Well done, but not good enough. I think you’ll be interested to hear that. . .”
The more calm and composed you sound, the more frantic he’ll get.
It’s fun.
Finally, use his own plan on him. When he starts talking about the family that abandoned you, turn the tables and reveal parts of his past that even he doesn’t know. Quite possibly he will be so overcome by emotion that you will have time to employ some other Villain Tips.
Good luck!