A victim is similar to a target, but will not necessarily be the intended target. They usually were not intended to be exploded or otherwise in the first place, if it is a case of mass destruction.
"Victim" often has connotations of weakness and helplessness, even though a person can be a victim through no fault of their own and many people who suffer tragic things recover with strength and determination. However, to victimize someone means to deny them their power and personal agency, often through abuse of one kind or another.
Mary Sues sometimes play the victim to earn sympathy from their lust objects, whether anything truly terrible has happened to them or (more often) not.
Victimizing canon characters is a charge if it would lead to or requires severe OOCness.