Few things are as satisfying as a redemption arc. The simple pleasure of watching a despicable character turn from their vices, question their behaviors, and express remorse for their actions is unparalleled. Villains are often already fan favorites, and who doesn’t like seeing their favorite character become a happier, healthier, and more fulfilled version of themself by the end of the story?
Redemption arcs are all about healing. A villain who is misled, suffering, or simply upholding a status quo without question, can break away from it all. Despite their past, they may find community, kindness, and above all, forgiveness. When readers see stories where even the most atrocious people can learn to do better and be welcomed back by their communities, it can leave them with a feeling of hope. Anything is possible, and no one is too far gone to come back.
Heads up: this article has been seriously overhauled! All the original information is still here, just organized better, and there’s some new info to provide you with more context and guidance!
What is a Redemption Arc?
Very basically, a redemption arc describes the process by which a character overcomes their flaws to become a better person. In many cases, that involves switching sides and joining or otherwise aiding the heroes of the story, though not always.
A villain becoming a hero is not the only formula that works for redemption arcs. An antihero can experience a redemption arc too, and any character that has a fatal flaw can overcome it and redeem themself–either in their own eyes or the eyes of the public. This can include things beyond just violent or criminal behavior too, such as addiction, manipulative tendencies, simple biases, or dismal mental health. Sometimes, a character can even start out as a good guy, fall prey to some kind of corruption, and then redeem themself again by the end of the story.
I won’t get into antiheroes in this article, but if you want to learn more about them, be sure to check out my other article What is an Antihero? (And How to Write One!)
What Makes a Redemption Arc Good?
Although there is no perfect formula for writing a redemption arc that will work every time, there are a few things you can pay extra attention to in order to give your arc the best chance of success.
Pacing
A redemption arc needs to be a full plot arc. Too many stories skip the lengthy arc and rush into a redemption that doesn’t feel deserved or realistic. This kind of arc needs to be dramatic and significant if you want readers to actually care, and to pull that off, you need to give it the time and space to build suspense.
When writing a redemption arc, you need to have patience. Give the character time to be toxic before you start their redemption. Even after their wake-up call, they will need time to process what they learned before they can figure out how to feel about it. Their feelings of doubt, insecurity, anger, confusion, and more all have to build up over time before they can reach a point where the character will want to act on them. After acting on those feelings, they will need time to break their bad habits, alter their plans, and make all the other necessary personal changes–AND you need to account for the time they spend relapsing or dealing with unexpected obstacles to their growth.
After the character has managed to change their bad habits or evil plans or whatever caused them to need redemption in the first place, they will still need to confront society and the people most affected by them. Remember, it is not just about the character improving themself, but also making up for the damage they have caused. Earning forgiveness takes time, and building trust takes even longer. Don’t make it feel superficial by speeding through all the scenes.
If your entire redemption arc takes only a single chapter, episode, session, or whatever, then you need to rethink your approach.
Contrast
Any time you are writing an arc that centers on drastic character development, you need to be prepared to rely heavily on contrast. Draw comparisons between the way the character is at the beginning of the story with who they used to be, who they want to be, or who the people around them are.
How are they different from who they used to be? What is different about their mindset? Their behavior? Their circumstances? Did they get hurt or taken advantage of when they were younger and lose their optimism or hope? Did they internalize the things they witnessed and experienced and lash out to prevent something like that from happening again? Use this type of contrast to build pity for the character, which will be an important step in getting readers to accept them.
How are they different from others in their inner circle? Are they more empathetic? Are they unhappy? Do they struggle with committing certain deeds that their peers don’t? Utilize this kind of contrast to inform readers of the character’s inner turmoil and foreshadow their coming redemption story.
How are they different from the people they want to be more like? Are they too traumatized or jaded? Have they experienced an aspect of life that none of the people they look up to would understand? Have they committed deeds those people would look down upon? Are they shackled by guilt and shame, while they strive to be like those who have never known suffering or desperation? Utilize this kind of contrast to highlight the barriers the character perceives to be in the way of their improvement and to show readers why the character has not tried to redeem themself in the past.
Of course, you’ll need to be cautious about how you present this information. Be subtle, and weave these comparisons throughout the narrative rather than dumping everything on readers all at once. If you’re too obvious about it, readers may feel as if the setup is forced or disingenuous.
Conflict
Conflict is the heart and soul of a redemption arc. Often, it is conflict that drives a person to change, but it also complicates that effort. It adds intrigue, drama, and a relatable struggle to the character’s actions. Without it, everything would be too easy, and the story would be over too soon.
There are many options for the kinds of conflict you can use to spice up your redemption arc. The character may have to face pressure from both the forces of good, who want to see them do better, and the forces of evil, who don’t want to see the character lose sight of their old goals. Old friends will conflict with new friends, and the character could find themself at the center of many arguments and fights. Beyond that, they may face distrust or fear from the people they want to join or help, or be subjected to ongoing harassment from the people who were impacted by their former deeds.
Internally, the character could struggle with feelings of guilt and shame, or they may feel as if they are entitled to forgiveness now that they are trying to do better. Their old habits may be at odds with their new morality, and falling back into old patterns of behavior could be a source of deep shame or frustration for them. Even before they begin their redemption, they may be forced to do things in pursuit of their goals that simply don’t sit right with them, or they could be confused and unhappy with their life as it is.
Regardless of the type of story you are writing, you need to saturate the redemption arc with conflict. Making peace with a terrible past and accepting accountability for faults or misdeeds shouldn’t be easy. You should take every opportunity to test the character’s resolution.
If you ever need ideas for conflict in your story, you may find some inspiration in The 4 Main Types of Conflict in Stories (And Variations!).
Making a Character for a Redemption Arc
If you’re going to include a redemption arc in your story, first you need to have a character that needs redemption.
Depth and complexity are important for all characters, but they’re especially important for a character who will need to explore their psyche and confront their own insecurities and flaws. You need to be able to justify the character’s desire to go against everything they have known up to that point in the story, and if you haven’t taken the time to really build out their identity, then that desire may not seem genuine.
If you don’t do everything right, your readers may not even care about the character, may see them as unredeemable, or believe that their redemption doesn’t make sense.
My other article How to Make Characters Interesting, Complex, and Unique may help you understand how to approach this, but I’ll outline some of the most important points below.
Backstory
The character’s backstory is an invaluable tool for you as the writer, even if you never end up sharing most of it with your readers. Keeping notes about a character and making a solid timeline for their early life will help you keep them consistent and better able to justify their reactions to what they encounter.
Beyond that, a solid backstory is important in a redemption arc because it helps you establish pity for the character, and that is extremely important. It is a lot easier for readers to forgive a character if they feel bad for them first!
The easiest way to build sympathy for a character is by giving readers hints about their backstory–but to do that, you have to know what that entails. My article How to Create Compelling Character Backstories can help you out here.
Now, a character who needs redemption could be a victim in their own right. They could have been raised in an environment that set them up to fail, or they could have been fed lies throughout their life to steer them toward a particular path. They may have struggled to be good at first and faced ridicule for it, or they could have had a childhood full of strife and abuse that forced them into a life of crime as they grew up. They could have witnessed an act of cruelty, lost their entire family, suffered a horrific accident, or any number of other things that would leave them traumatized and without proper guidance. You can think of this as being similar to a villain origin story!
Although a pitiful life is not necessary for a character to get a redemption arc, it is important to keep in mind that people are not often cruel for no reason. Rarely does anyone act out when all their needs are met. So consider: which needs are unmet for your character, and how are their actions an effort to address that?
Motives
Motives are a direct result of the character’s backstory. How has their past shaped the way they interpret the present? How have their experiences trained them to believe in certain ideals? Using their backstory as context, consider how they ended up doing evil, committing crimes, or falling into self-sabotaging habits. What motivates them to perpetuate those behaviors once they start?
A character can have all sorts of motives that set them up for a future redemption arc. They could be:
- Seeking revenge for something they endured
- Seeking the approval of someone important to them
- Desperate for companionship and involved with the wrong people
- Hurting, and taking that out on people who don’t deserve it
- Hurting, and taking that out on people they do believe deserve it
- Misled or manipulated, while someone else is truly pulling the strings
- Seeking to pay off a debt, or make enough money to cover expenses for medical care, housing, etc
- Trying to solve a problem in society, or acting “for the greater good”
- Stuck in a cycle of abuse and merely repeating the mistakes of past generations
These are all empathetic motivations. They come from a place of misunderstanding or desperation, and all of them can evolve into something more productive once a character is able to question their circumstances. Keep in mind, however, that your character’s sins cannot be unforgivable. There are some actions for which it is impossible to build genuine empathy for the perpetrator, even with the most convincing and pitiful motives.
I strongly, strongly recommend you check this article out as well: Character Motivations: The Key to Crafting Believable Characters. A character’s motives will be the driving force behind their redemption arc, so taking care to make them realistic, complex, and relatable can seriously help you out later down the line.
Vice and Virtue
With all that said, you want readers to be able to feel more than just pity for a character—they have to actually like them too. Although there are a ton of different factors that go into a character’s likability, there is a trick that can help you steer a character towards readers’ favor: relatability. Readers are far more likely to feel fondness for a character if they can relate to them in some way, whether that be to their backstory, motives, flaws, or the way they think.
A good rule for establishing relatability is to give the character a balance of positive and negative traits. For each fault you give them, you should also consider a good quality. The flaws will help readers relate to the character’s struggles, while their positive traits will make the flaws seem more acceptable.
For example, a character who is cold and unsociable has a clear flaw, but that isn’t enough to make them likable. However, if that stony character also has a sense of stoicism, suddenly their behavior is a lot more endearing. Similarly, a character who is outwardly selfish isn’t going to be very likeable if that’s all they have going for them, but if they are particularly funny on top of that, then readers will allow them to get away with more while still counting them among their favorites.
Many people can relate to flaws such as unsociability or selfishness, and by presenting them in tandem with what makes the character lovable, readers can form deep attachments to the characters in which they can see aspects of themselves.
You could also check out How to Create Complex Flaws for Characters for even more guidance on how to craft suitable flaws and why that is important.
The Timeline of a Redemption Arc
Of course, there is no perfect formula for writing a redemption arc, but you can find a lot of common themes among any arc that centers around major character development.
This timeline is based on a 12 stage story structure adapted from Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, or “Hero’s Journey,” but you don’t have to use all 12 steps nor use them in this exact order. The idea behind breaking it up like this is to emphasize how important pacing is in an arc like this, and to highlight certain ideas that will strengthen the credibility of the character’s development.
1) Ordinary World
When you first introduce this character, you need to make sure you give readers a good sense of just how bad they are. Don’t rush into making them seem sympathetic, and don’t give any early indications of the character’s coming redemption. At this stage, they are simply an antagonist, and you should show them off as such. Be prepared to show off the worst of what this character is capable of. A character who is almost too far gone to be saved is more fun to root for anyway.
2) Call to Action
Once you have definitively established who this character is and what their daily life looks like, you can move on to the “call to action.” This is an event, big or small, that has the power to transform the way the character sees the world or their role within it. Think of this like tipping over the first domino in a row—it might seem inconsequential now, but it will set off a chain reaction, with each subsequent event or choice leading the character closer to their inevitable redemption.
What this event looks like will depend on the character and their situation, but it can take a few forms. The most traditional call to action in a redemption arc is when the character, who is ordinarily removed from the impacts of their crimes, comes face to face with the suffering they have directly caused. Other options involve the character receiving an ultimatum, losing someone they care about, having a near-death experience, getting a message from some spiritual or divine force, or receiving ridicule from the people they strive to impress with their misdeeds. They could find evidence that they are being lied to or used as a pawn, or that the plan they are working toward is not what it seems.
Whatever shape this event takes, make sure you give it enough attention and emphasis. The situation has to be impactful enough to change the entire course of the character’s life, so you should take care not to gloss over it.
3) Refusal of the Call
The call to action plants a seed of doubt in the mind of the character, but seeds don’t take root overnight. The character will need time to process what they witnessed or experienced, and people are, by nature, resistant to change. No one is quick to drop their closely held ideals or their personal moral code, and even when confronted with information that suggests they aren’t on the right path, it may still feel safer to them to stick with the life they have always known.
Still, even if the character initially refuses to act on it, doubt should creep into every facet of their life. Have them question the meaning behind everything that has become habit to them, and ponder the implications of everything they do—even if they ultimately remain stubborn or double down on their misdeeds.
4) Meeting the Mentor
In this step, the character typically meets another person who understands what they are going through and is able to say all the right things to convince them to initiate or progress the plot.
In a redemption arc, this could be someone who believes there is good inside of everyone, who convinces the main character to find that within themself. Or, it could be a person whose life has been directly altered as a result of the character’s failures or misdeeds, who represents the kind of suffering the character wants to prevent moving forward. It could be an old friend who remembers how kind they used to be, or an old enemy who expresses remorse and serves as an example of someone who has overcome their own flaws and become a better person.
Technically, this doesn’t have to involve an actual character if that doesn’t work in your particular story. All that needs to happen here is that the character encounters something that reinforces the doubts that they have been having since the call to action.
5) Crossing the Threshold
This is the point at which the character decides to attempt to change for the better. Conviction stems from the seed of doubt that was planted earlier, and though the character may not believe they can succeed, they now believe that it is worth it to try.
This represents the end of the “known world” in the traditional monomyth, since this is the point at which the character turns their back on everything that is familiar to them in order to venture into the unknown.
6) Conflict
There are two main types of conflict that are important in a redemption arc, but they are inextricably woven together: interpersonal conflict, and internal conflict.
The moment a character begins to act contrary to what is expected of them, other characters on both sides will take notice and get involved, creating tension between the subject of the arc and the people around them. However, the personal opinions of others can force a character to reevaluate what they believe is true, question their own ethics, or agonize over what others think of them.
In this way, supporting characters play a pivotal role in shaping a redemption arc. They can be the voice of reason that can snap the character out of a spiral, or they can be an antagonizing force that the character will want to prove wrong. They may draw the character’s attention to the good that is coming from their efforts for redemption, or accuse them of never being able to make up for what they have done.
Never underestimate the power of a well-timed compliment or a new accusation in the face of already unbearable stress. Comments from supporting characters, whether offhand or in earnest, can influence the character’s behavior moving forward. This can be further complicated by disagreements between different characters. Some are bound to forgive the character before others, and they may openly argue amongst themselves–witnessing which would also leave an impression on the character in question.
Remember, however, that each type of character is going to respond to these comments differently, and even positive comments can result in inner turmoil or conflicts. One person may get inspired by encouraging words, but withdraw or relapse under the weight of too many accusations or negative comments. A different character may be driven by spite, and double down on their efforts to improve in the face of skepticism or cruelty, but regard praise with distrust.
7) Setbacks and Relapse
In the face of so much conflict, it’s only reasonable to assume a character could crack under the pressure and attempt to retreat to the way things used to be.
No one is perfect, and even the most determined character can experience some sort of setback, or relapse to their previous actions or behaviors. Changing habits and altering the way a person thinks is already challenging, but doing so while also forcing them to face the suffering they have caused and the backlash they receive from people can utterly crush their morale. That character is bound to stumble, have second thoughts, or make mistakes along the way.
In the most extreme examples, a character may even give up on their redemption to return to their old life, only to be reminded of why they turned against it in the first place. Maybe the system they are used to has become hostile to them, or they have more context to understand its faults. Ultimately, however, returning to their past life should only remind them of their former grievances, and solidify their conviction to change for the better.
Even if a character does not give up or fully relapse, they may still do or say things that don’t necessarily reflect their new morals, simply out of habit. Whenever these mistakes happen, take care to show how the character reflects on it. They may regret it immediately, or not realize they did or said anything wrong until someone else points it out. Even if their behavior is determined to be unacceptable, they may still feel somewhat conflicted—and that’s okay! Let them have these feelings, question their situation, feel that they are being needlessly criticized, or doubt themself. Those feelings are human, and they reflect a genuine desire to be understood.
Showing the character struggling to adjust to their new life can humanize them. Lots of people have struggled with doing the right thing at one point in their lives, and they’ll be more likely to relate to a character who struggles similarly.
8) The Ordeal
The ordeal is the part of the arc that is considered the point of no return. This is where the character fully commits to their redemption, often in dramatic fashion.
One of the most straightforward ways this is achieved is through having the character sacrifice something important to them in their quest to better themself. This could be wealth, security, status, the love of their family and friends, or anything else. It could even be the superficial pleasure of a vice, such as substance use or a harmful habit. You don’t want them to have nothing to lose one way or another, after all!
When a character is willing to sacrifice something, that highlights both their determination to change and the sincerity of their penitence. It shows that the character is committed to righting their wrongs and taking responsibility for their actions. It can even make them seem a bit pitiful, which as we’ve established above, can have a huge influence on a reader’s willingness to support them.
Forcing the character to confront the fact that they must choose between doing the right thing or maintaining all the luxuries they are used to can be a source of anguish for them. They may question if they are doing what is best for themself, or feel like they are being punished for trying to do the right thing. Ultimately, they will have to learn that they cannot continue to benefit from their crimes or the systems of oppression they upheld at the same time they are trying to make things right.
9) The Reward
No one is going to truly change for the better if they believe their efforts aren’t appreciated, or that they are wasting their time and not making a real difference. Once the character starts to feel this way, or they start to buckle under the weight of the stress or pressure, it is time to employ a new tactic: positive change.
As the character suffers through the painful process of self-improvement, battling their old habits, vices, and mindset, you need to show that their efforts are worth it somehow. Depending on your story, you could show how much healthier they are, or how they now have friends who are willing to lend their support through anything. Show how the town is better off, the people are happier, or how nature blossoms where it had previously withered. The main characters could be making progress in their quest to stop a major villain, improve their society, pursue their dreams, or any number of other things—all because of the good that comes from the character who chose to not give up on themself, even when it got hard.
However, just because the positive change is happening doesn’t mean the character will necessarily see it without help. They may hold themself to higher expectations, or be too caught up in how difficult this process is to notice anything around them. A simple remark from a friend or stranger could help them realize their true impact. Once they have the realization that they have the power to change things for the better, not just for themself but for the people around them, that should ignite the motivation they need to see this redemption arc to its conclusion.
10) The Road to Change
Turning one’s life around is not as simple as just working on personal habits or thought patterns–especially if the character in question was a particularly heinous villain. Beyond working on themself, the character will also need to decide what they want their new life to look like and what steps need to be taken to achieve that. In most cases, that comes with the obstacle of atoning for their past misdeeds before they are able to settle down.
Ultimately, a character seeking redemption will look for approval from the people who were most affected by their past misdeeds. This can be a single person, such as a sibling or love interest, a whole community, like a small town, ship, or academy, or even the character themself. Redemption can take the form of personal growth and self-forgiveness too.
In many cases, however, the people who were hurt the most by the character are likely to be the last ones to forgive them. A small town made to suffer under a tyrannical government won’t be all that quick to forgive those who perpetrated it. Someone who was injured by the character likely still bears scars from the encounter with them—both physically and emotionally—that would be hard to move past. Someone who has witnessed the character at their worst could even assume that they aren’t capable of doing good, or that their new behaviors are some kind of trick.
Earning the trust of the person or people they wronged should be a large part of the redemption arc. Simply doing good is not enough if the hurt from their past deeds still pervades. This idea can be a source of recurring conflict in the story and can push the character to try increasingly desperate things to atone for their past.
A redemption arc can also lead into another beloved trope you can read about here: Writing From Enemies to Lovers: Creating Dynamic Relationships.
11) The Transformation
Like the “crossing the threshold” stage, this part is all about the transition from one point of their life to the next. While that stage was about heading into challenge and conflict with a noble goal, this part is about leaving that conflict behind and moving on to the peace they have worked so hard for.
The character knows that they still have work to do, and that things will not be easy for them, but their faith in themself and the belief that the struggle is worth it keeps them going.
12) The New Beginning
With their redemption arc behind them, the character is free to build a new life from the ground up. They can settle down how they like, pick up old hobbies or start new ones, and find a new routine that suits the kind of lifestyle they want to have.
However, when you compare your character at the beginning of their arc to who they are at the end, they should still seem like the same character. Regardless of the type or degree of growth the character has had to experience, they should still be fundamentally the same person by the end of their arc. It doesn’t matter if they have had to completely alter their morals, their habits, their social circle, the way they speak, or anything else–they still need to be recognizable as the person they used to be. The point is that they had the potential for redemption this whole time, not that they would have to change everything about themself to be forgiven.
That doesn’t mean they have to act exactly the same as before, but you need to rationalize any changes. If the character becomes timid after their redemption arc, you need a justifiable explanation for that. Is it because they are prone to hurting others when they get angry, and the fear of what they could do subdues that anger? Are they nervous about how others perceive them? Are they still learning to trust others? Were they naturally timid this whole time, and merely had to act differently to uphold appearances?
Consider the character that you have and where you want them to end up. Decide in advance how you want them to behave at the end of their redemption, and make sure enough of their core personality traits remain. You can also continue their character growth after their major redemption arc is over! Have them continue to struggle with their old biases, repeat old sentiments, or even develop new coping mechanisms as a result of their guilt, unmet desires, or grief. And of course, keep in mind that not all of a person’s problematic behaviors will disappear after they get their redemption! A character who struggles with anger will likely still experience some version of that struggle forever, and the same is true for a lot of other behaviors.
The Last Second Redemption
Sometimes, a character is too far gone for traditional redemption, and the only way they can be forgiven is through a radical act of self-sacrifice. Some sins are too unforgivable, and even if the character can completely come around, they can never make up for what they have done. Only through a willingness to give their own life to atone for their mistakes can they ever truly be redeemed. Killing off a character is not a decision you should make lightly, and it’s something to approach with care and consideration for how it will impact your entire story. For information on how to do this, be sure to read my other article A Guide to Killing Your Characters.