This has given me much food for thought! I don't really have much to add, but I agree that memorable antagonists definitely need to. Resonate with the reader, maybe? 🤔 Like, they don't have to be relatable, but their motivations are more than "because I said so". I wonder if it's a matter of screen time, too, we tend to spend more time with the protagonists... Hm.

I haven't done much more than outlines and worldbuilding exercises for the original ideas I want to write some day, and part of the reason why is I need to figure out the stakes for my protagonists—and I suppose the antagonists would ideally be the opposite to that, for maximum character conflict? They need to be a hurdle somehow, and if they're actively pursuing the opposite of the protag's goal, the motivation should follow from there.

Which hopefully will help me craft good villains, too :D

(I've been meaning to check out A Marvellous Light, is it otherwise worth the read?)