Sexual violence as a plot device

Ah damn it. Now I'm questioning something I've already written up and sent out. Doesn't include a description or scene with an act of sexual violence played out, but a verbal threat is made and that potential outcome is heavily implied by a villain.

There also already had been physical violence (off screen) against a secondary female character, who'd apparently fought off (again) an implied, or threatened, sexual assault. It's intended more to make the audience absolutely hate the disposable villains. To make them that much worse by unfortunate conventional thinking.

It's not a defining moment for the female lead or supporting characters in the scene though. Just a pivot point for extremely violent action that follows which remorselessly ends the villains' lives. They, being hetero thugs, wouldn't threaten the main male character (who almost immediately kills the villains) sexually in the scene. They'd just threaten to (or actually) kill him instead if they got the chance.

/r/Screenwriting Thread Parent