This is where things get tricky. Most people want to see the main character win, so having an antagonist who's a big obstacle, but not impossible and also interesting, takes careful crafting.

In my novel, my main villain is Zaran, but it doesn't get revealed WHO he is till about a quarter of the way through the book. To step out of my book for a minute, Zaran is how I vent my anger. Zaran is every teacher who didn't do anything when I told them I was being abused. The war Zaran caused, was my inability to explain to adults what has going on at home. Zaran's every bully I've ever had, every toxic friend, the cult I got away from, the narcissistic at work you have to put up with. He's what I pour my anger into. I've found that forming a deep connection with characters, helps you write them. Don't just let your main people simply be there, you need to feel their presence, hear their voice in your head and WANT to write them.

Okay let's get back to it. Zaran is extremely smart and has several advantages over the main character, but is forced to have a lot of restraint as well.

1. Zaran was forced into a position of power against his will. He was dragged onto missions by a magical creature known as Starswirl that ignored his protests. While Zaran wasn't evil at this time, he wanted a simple life and leave the heroism to those that wanted it. Over time, Zaran grew angry and frustrated over his lack of ability to control his life. One fateful day, when he had gained the complete trust of his "overlord", he slipped into this room called the "Negative Verse" and spent the next seven lifetimes plotting and planning. time doesn't progress in the negative verse and there's no need to eat or drink. Here he practiced magic, learned everything he could about his oppressor and slowly his mind began to degrade while his powers skyrocketed. Through his research, he found that he could find one of his alternate selves and use them as an endless loop to draw power from a magical device known as The Element of Tenacity. This began his quest to slowly drive his counterpart (Raiden) to the breaking point , where Raiden would be so full of rage he'd lose control, but not so hopeless he'd give up.

2. Zaran has found ways to elude his executioners until he was powerful enough to stand against them. His first move, was to exploit Starswirl's desire to help people. This is where Zaran first got his idea for creating these creatures called Og Nag that are made by breaking down organic material and rebuilding it into a blank monster that he could control. He let lose these creatures on a massive world and while Starswirl was busy trying to save it, Zaran sealed Starswirl there with no way to return until Zaran was too powerful to stop. This is where Zaran's manipulation skills come in and why he's such a pain for the main character. He lies, spreads false information, tells the truth knowing you'll assume it's lies, just so when you find out it's actually the truth, you start to question everything you thought was a lie before. If Zaran can't beat you upfront, he'll find your weakness and use that. To Zaran, mentally destroying you is just as good as winning in one on one combat.

3. Zaran may be extremely powerful when he first meets the main character, but he got this way from exploiting others and taking what he could. I've personally found villains who earn their power over just having it, to be far more interesting. While Zaran can technically use magic, it's more of a blast or shield. He's unable to use spells and relies on magical machines to do the more complex stuff that he can power and operate himself. While this allows Zaran to travel between dimensions and "kidnap" other elements of power to use, it's also a weakness as he has no idea how to remake these devices.

4. Zaran has had an extremely long time to plan every move he was going to make. The entire story of King of the Dead is seeing Zaran's plan finally go into play and it's brutal. The main characters never know if they've actually won, or if they're playing into his hand. All the information they get, is constantly under the threat of being another Zaran ploy. If there's one thing he loves doing, is planting so much information, that it's exhausting to look through so even if you find the truth, you might not even believe it anymore. It's also a way of mentally breaking down his adversaries without having to actually be there.

5. While Zaran is obnoxiously powerful, he has to operate with a lot of restraints. He's allied himself with some powerful creatures. While he could technically kill them when they've become a problem, they still have information and abilities he needs so he can't just start killing. He uses these creatures called Changelings to constantly keep the main characters wondering if they can trust anyone, even the person standing next to them. Zaran doesn't need much information, at least not what the main characters think he wants. Zaran intentionally lets his spies get caught, just to keep everyone paranoid. He even messes with the main character's lovelife. Imagine being constantly paranoid if it's your girlfriend or if she's going to try and stab you. He also can't kill Raiden, the main character, as he needs him to snap and that act of uncontrolled anger is what activates the Element on Tenacity. Having to constantly hold back due to a shakey alliance with other villains he needs or due to the nature of his goal, makes Zaran a bit more terrifying as it's never clear just how powerful he really is.

6. Part of Zaran's plan, is to destroy almost everything the main character loves, by sending massive hordes of Og Nag at the palace that he's staying at. However, Zaran also plans to go back in time and erase everything he's done, once he harnesses the Element of Tenacity. There are a lot of questionable paradoxes this brings up and it's never fully understood if this will work or if it's just another lie to get his opponents to give in.

7. There is nothing Zaran won't do to accomplish his mission, since he has the idea that all of it will get reversed in the end. This makes him especially dangerous but leaves room for understanding. One of Zaran's most disturbing feats, is his indoctrination of the changelings. I've chosen this example simply because it shows just how much Zaran will psychologically damage you. I've snipped some dialogue out that properly portrays what Zaran put them through.

   "No. The mind games Zaran plays...they’re...there’s no word to describe them. Zaran straps us down to a table, then does some kind of...dream magic and puts you to sleep. While you're unconscious, he puts you into elaborate scenarios. Constantly baiting us into revealing our true feelings, making us think we’ve been captured and that we’re finally free. Over and over and over…fake missions, agents defecting and getting you to come with them. There were fifty of us to start...fifty! He killed the ones who failed, even once. He gets you to doubt reality. You think everything is some ploy. You’re too scared to ever try. He makes you watch the scenarios so you know just how elaborate each trick is. He’s had entire weeks be nothing but an illusion. I...I was dragged off by you to be executed once. I had no idea what to do. I kept my mouth shut...I...”

   Later on
   “Funny, isn’t it? Risked one kind of prison just for another?”
   I nod a few times, still keeping my hands behind my back. She suddenly starts shaking. Her mouth turns inwards as silent tears make their way down her cheeks.
   "Do you know how many changelings actually died for Celestia?! The scenarios continued until you hit an end point! Sometimes you'd rat Zaran out and spend a few weeks in peace at Canterlot, just to wake up inside the hive again and the last thing you see are those damn glowing red eyes of his! Then just like that...you're ash. Then comes the next changeling! No funeral, no discussion, just a quick shrug from Zaran, then bring in the next one! Imagine living in a world where at any moment, I can open my eyes for the last time and be vaporized! He made us all watch every scenario! They're insanely elaborate! Almost everyone is in character! How would we know any different?! We barely know the damn ponies! I can't trust anything! He always has this psychic link to you! His words always clawing in your ear! We have no idea if he can read our thoughts or not, but he always knows where you are and what you're doing! There's zero privacy! Absolutely no peace! Just another mind game you're expected to do, more information to analyze! No breaks, no rest, no silence!" Her painful shriek ends with her collapsing to the floor.

In conclusion, spend time with your characters, especially your antagonists. Figure out what they really want, what they've done, what they're going to do. How are they going to counter the hero? What would they do once caught? What would they say in any given situation? What's their overall mentality like?

So tell me, what do you like best about your antagonist? Are they pure evil? Do they think they're doing good?