Hmm that's a good question. If ever there were a time though, now would be it. I'm constantly seeing a push for female leads in all forms of multimedia.
As for me... i'm admittedly a bit of a sexist. Not that i don't respect, appreciate, or acknowledge fantastic women and female leads, i just find myself much less interested when they are the primary antagonist/protagonist in any movie,comic, series etc. I don't even like playing girl characters in video games. Not sure why. I have no hate. Just not my cup of tea.
As for backstory. Idk. I'm also not very creative lol. But i do like when the villain is relatable. it's best when they have a completely rational explanation for why they are the way they are. Especially when they aren't just straight black n' white evil. Such as Magneto. He's the perfect villain because his backstory is relatable, his actions because of it are understandable, and his desires as a result are logical. The only thing that makes him a villain is that he doesn't let his sense of morality hinder him from his ultimate goal. He might kill some people along the way but generally not pointlessly.
And, none of this "destroy the plant" cliche crap... I always find it odd how a villain is able to rally henchman under the implied motive of global destruction. I know i wouldn't wanna work for someone that wants to destroy the world.. i live on the world... and generally (henchmen in particular) are pretty selfish. So i don't see how they go for this.
