How to Write a Compelling Villain - Made in Abyss

Made in Abyss is a solid time, and Bondrewd is a solid villain. Let's talk about that.

[makimasupremacy]

Bondrewd is literally that one guy who you can have a proper conversation with even tho you are trying to kill each other.

[followthewhiterabbit]

I read his White Whistle story like this: He is willing to give everything up, to sacrifice everything for his science. Including himself. He sacrificed all this children, who loved him. If he sacrificed himself to get a White Whistle it would show for me that he has no boundaries, not even for himself.

[endborg]

It's also important to note that any experiment he has done on someone else he's done on himself first, and his mindset is generally if he can handle it for his pursuit then surely they can too

[darylayertey]

Another layer of complexity is that bondrewd is what happens if Riko's scientific curiosity goes unchecked. She has that in abundance and sometimes it goes to the extent that she can disregard the safety of herself and her friends. She would be dead many times over if it wasn't for reg and nanachi.

[Iamo]

Another level of complexity that's added to all of this is just how "kind" he is, like you said he has love on his side, and genuinely wants the best for Prushka, Nanachi, and even Riko by the end. He never stopped caring about the hollows left behind, and he still loves them but his worldview is so warped and twisted that he can continue on with his experiments anyway all for the sake of knowledge and to further the exploration of the abyss.
Spoilers below
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And his turning Prushka into a cartridge was such an interesting betrayal, while simultaneously being the best he can do to help. He got his goal, of getting blessed, but he also seemed to know, that she would become a white whistle for Riko, sacrificing his daughter for her so Riko wouldn't need to sacrifice someone herself to get a whistle and continue on their journey. And now Prushka can join them on their journey in the form of a white whistle getting what she wanted too in a twisted sense.

[thechosenone]

Bondrewd feels so out of place and yet so incredibly perfect for Made in Abyss. Truly a standout villain.

[matteste]

I do think you overlooked one very important detail with Bondrewed that makes him so effective. It is not that he doesn't care about Nanashi and the rest. In fact, what makes him so threatening is quite the opposite. He really does care and love them as a father. We can even see him express concerns for Nanashi's safety at one point. However, he doesn't see fatherly bonds as any hinderance to what he does, and that is the real scary part about his character.

[ayoutubewatcher]

I have a level of piety towards Bonedrewd. His personality and actions seems to show that prior to entering the Abyss he was a genuinely compassionate person. However, as with everyone, the Abyss twists you, both body and soul. Current day Bonedrewd is the result. He still has his kindness, but its horrific. Its honestly worse than if The Abyss had just made him cold and distant.

[Krawbs]

Bondrewd is the definition of "For the greater good" and it is a very logical conclusion which allows him to have no malice and even love. Everything he is doing is for the ultimate goal of saving the whole. In his mind he loves and respects those who have been sacrifices in the name of the greater good.

[sheonma]

Bondrewd is an excellent father.
Unfortunately for his children, he is an even more excellent scientist.

[Alacaelum]

Bondrewd most scary thing for me is his lack of malice. He causes pain and suffering but not at any moment I felt like he took any pleasure in that, he sincerely felt that was a necessary action.

This doesn't mean he didn't rationalize in a pretty "malicious" fashion when necessary, like taking orphan children from far countries that no one would miss and he himself admitted to having chosen because of that, but he didn't hate them didn't see them as useless... for him, he saw that even as a giving them meaning in life, which is a very dark manner... he did, Nanashi would have died in her country, but in the Abyss she became something unique and even found someone she loved.

Bondrewd's moral compass isn't nonexistent, it is warped beyond recognition but it is still there.

[Prototype]

Yeah it’s just like the drowning mouse experiment. Where scientists test to see how long mouse could swim before drowning. The first instance the mouses swam for 5 mins and was saved. The same mouses were then tested again and swam for over an hour. The whole point of the experiment was *hope* . If you give them hope they can and will keep going because they believe they will be saved again like the last time

[mehlover]

I really like how chilling Bondrewd is. I know some people tend to argue he didn't love the kids he turned into cartridges but he wouldn't have gotten blessed if he didn't. I like to think either the ones taking the curse would have to love the other person who's being blessed, unconditionally or that Bondrewd loved his children, but in a more toxic way (I guess).

And I like how MiA makes it feel so unfair that throughout all of this Bondrewd got what he wanted through the power of love, which is something to be pure and wholesome. Not turning them into experiments and cartridges. Just showing how much more messed up the Abyss can be, and we're attracted to it just to solve the mysteries of it.

[Eterrath]

What's really beautiful is that how the immediate next arc in the series is connected to this one. When you realize that Bondrewd sacrificed even himself in order to learn more about the Abyss, it makes you question why would someone even want to come down here if it take this much craziness to survive down here. But the next arc explores that question from the very beginning. How the cruelties of the real world drive people like Vueko, Belaf and Wazukyan to the Abyss, how your eyes can long even for such a terrifying place, and the miracles you can achieve by doing so.

[ducks]

Bondrewd is such a unique character for me. I've never seen a villain who has so much polar opposites. He makes children suffer unimaginable pain but also somehow holds no malice or hurtful fillings towards. If anything it almost seems he loves and cares, which just makes everything even more twisted.

[kilmindaro]

Bondrewd makes the protagonists feel so small he's actually genuinely happy for them that they managed to thwart his plans, and wishes them well on their journey. Him and his lackeys are literally praying for Riko's success at the end.

All of these character-defining moments, the suffering, fighting, death and misery, that's just another Tuesday to him.

Tomorrow he's going to be back at the drawing board and thinking about what another project he could take up.

[Lantern_Larry]

"Bondrewd is best dad in the abyss"
Gaburoon:
"hold my HAKU"

[Flaimbot]

8:20 killed me.
"it's just...flavor." while prushka's remains are being slurped by her pet.

[willhiggins]

I actually thought that fact that Bondrewd was nice to the children he used, and seemed to sincerely appreciate their unwilling sacrifice for him, even remembering their name gave a interesting depth to his character.

[scottjs]

It's genuinely amazing that they were able to make him loving and interested in the children he experimented on, and the writing didn't come across as perverse in anyway with how so many other elements of this show went. It's strange that I developed some respect for him and how bloody dirty that made me feel!