Would you think it offensive to have an autistic villain?

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The worst years of my life, where my Asperger's became really apparent, served as an inspiration for the premise for a long sci-fi series I'm currently writing. The main character doesn't have Asperger's, but had a vaguely similar experience to myself that result in him getting superpowers.

Although he doesn't appear proper until book 3, the main character's arch-enemy had an even worse life closer to my own and developed the same superpowers, but his life was so awful that he fell into evil and uses his powers to try to obtain ultimate power for himself to purge everything that wronged him. I envision this character as having had Asperger's as part of the reason for why he snapped, but I'm afraid that could come off as offensive to people on the spectrum, and that saying I have it myself might not be enough to make it okay. What do people here think? Should I leave Asperger's out of the villain's characterization?

Not really, and I think it can be used as a great premise for one of those villains that wants to see the world burn because of how society treated them for being different. This could work out well in making it stand out since most of these types of villains usually have some made up or very uncommon condition that makes them look like a freak or their race whether real or fictional has them discriminated against and hated and that has been done to death. It helps make it more realistic and give a message to the reader.

I don't think it would be offensive. Especially since you have Asperger's. So other people on the spectrum might be offended but the characterization would be based on real experiences, your own specifically, and not based on the stereotypes of how people generally view autism.

My line of thought is that if aspies are going to be treated as fairly as NTs then each has just as equal a chance of being hero or villain or it becomes, "We demand to be treated the same as everybody else; except for here and here and here ...."

I don't think it's offensive in this case, basically because you're giving plenty of thought as to WHY this antagonist ended up like they are. Their autism is part of a more complex backstory, which all goes to explain why, from their point of view, their actions are justified. You're doing a good job here.

I'd be against a situation where there was just one autistic character AND they were written as a motiveless 2-dimensional evildoer. Same as for any other minority/disabilty, like the cliches of Evil Albino, Evil Dwarf and Evil Mixed-Race guy i've seen too many times. That gives the message "All of that kind of people are evil." Your villain doesn't.

No, but the villain would have to be tastefully done. This would be done by not perpetuating negative, inaccurate stereotypes of autistics. For example, it would be offensive to portray an autistic villain as just being completely callous and cruelly self-obsessed (i.e. think the Heartless Aspergers website). However, it would not be offensive to portray an autistic villain who's lost in a fantasy world (think the main character in Ronin), or a sympathetic villain who struggles with his/her own social awkwardness and naivety.

My autistic villain was bullied at school, by both students and staff, and abused by both of his parents, and used his powers to kill everyone at his school, his parents, and his younger siblings (his siblings were kind to him, but in his blind rage he killed them too; he feels guilt over killing them but tries to justify it to himself). He now seeks to use his powers to destroy all authority figures- rulers, gods, etc.- in favor of ruling himself to purge all the wrongs in the multiverse (big scale here), and thinks anything he does towards that end is justified. I guess that should work then.

Not at all, there's no reason why an aspie can't be evil, they might be better suited to the whole evil mastermind thing than an NT lol.

Most compelling villians think that they are not a villian, but that what they do is justified in some way. If he was simply 'evil' because they were autistic, then it could be offensive (because it's poor writing more than anything!), but if he was treated badly and that (in their mind) justifies their actions, then the fact that they are aspie is just good backstory

Depends on how their are executed. If you're going with "socially isolated sociopath" and they are the only autistic character, then yes.

No it would be awesome that's what.

The very idea of an autistic villain is fascinating. We've had heroes on the spectrum, so why not villains?

No, it wouldn't offend me and I probably wouldn't care.

One issue I have with this villain though is I'm finding it difficult to find an appropriate point to mention he's ASD. Maybe just the way he acts will be enough, I'll see.

If you want an autistic villain, look no further than Rick and Morty. lol