The Villains Series in Order

About the Villains series

Series Premise

In a world where a dangerous procedure called EO (ExtraOrdinary) can grant superhuman abilities to those who survive clinical death, two brilliant but morally opposing former friends—Victor Vale and Eli Ever—become locked in a decades-long vendetta after a catastrophic experiment fractures their relationship and unleashes their powers. The story follows their parallel paths: one seeks to prove that only the truly worthy should wield such gifts, while the other hunts down all EOs in the name of a twisted sense of justice, dragging a growing cast of powered individuals into their personal war.

The series should be read in publication order. The narrative is a continuous arc across the two main novels, with the second book directly continuing and concluding the central conflict, character arcs, and consequences established in the first. Reading out of order would spoil major revelations, character fates, and the emotional buildup of the rivalry—order matters significantly for the intended impact and satisfaction.

Main Characters

Victor Vale — A brilliant, cold, calculating former medical student turned anti-hero. Charismatic yet deeply damaged, he can inflict and manipulate pain, and his quest is driven by intellect, revenge, and a twisted sense of justice.

- Eli Ever — Victor’s former best friend and ideological opposite, now a charismatic, religiously motivated vigilante. His power is rapid healing and near-immortality, and he believes he has a divine mandate to eliminate all EOs.

- Sydney Clarke — A young girl with the ability to raise the dead (temporarily), who becomes a moral anchor for Victor’s group. Quiet, resilient, and deeply traumatized, she represents innocence caught in a war she never asked for.

- Supporting EOs and allies — A small, shifting cast of other powered individuals (including Mitch, a gentle giant with super strength, and later characters like June) who form uneasy alliances or rivalries with Victor and Eli.

- Antagonists — Eli and his growing network of supporters, as well as the broader threat of discovery and persecution by authorities or other EOs.

Setting

The series is set in a contemporary, slightly alternate United States where the existence of EOs is a dangerous secret known only to a few. Primary locations include the fictional college town of Merit (where the origin experiment occurs), the decaying industrial city of Lockland, and various urban and suburban environments across the country. The world feels recognizably modern—universities, hospitals, apartments, rainy streets, abandoned warehouses—but the presence of superhuman abilities adds a layer of hidden menace and moral weight to otherwise ordinary places.

Tone & Themes

The tone is dark, cynical, and morally ambiguous, with a sharp, almost clinical edge that never fully aligns the reader with any single character. The prose is taut, stylish, and often brutal—violence is vivid but purposeful, consequences are permanent, and no one is purely good or evil. There is a pervasive sense of inevitability and tragedy, yet the story is laced with dry wit, biting dialogue, and moments of twisted camaraderie that keep it from feeling hopeless. The overall mood is intense, cerebral, and addictive—more philosophical noir than traditional superhero fare.

V.E. Schwab’s Villains series delivers a dark, stylish, and deeply compelling deconstruction of superhero mythology, asking hard questions about power, morality, and what it means to be human when you can do the impossible. Through Victor and Eli’s tragic rivalry and the people caught in their wake, it explores obsession, friendship, vengeance, and the seductive danger of believing your cause is righteous. The duology stands as a modern classic of dark superhero fiction—sharp, haunting, and morally complex—perfect for readers who love intelligent, character-driven thrillers with no easy answers. It leaves a lingering chill: power doesn’t make you a hero or a villain—it simply makes you more of who you already are.