"The key to being a great good guy is being able to work with a GREAT bad guy."
-Bret Hart-
I have always loved the villains. Villains are what makes the story. Whether it is a villain that redeems himself like Darth Vader or it is a villain that is just stone cold EVIL. Even when I was a kid, I loved villains. When I played Star Wars with my friends, I was the Empire. When I played G.I. Joe, I was Cobra. My favorite wrestlers are the heels, the ones that are bad like Ric Flair. Don't get me wrong, I like the good guys too but I find the bad guys all that much more interesting.
As a writer, I find writing the villains the most fun and productive. When I wrote my novel last year, I had the most fun writing Bailey and Lester (two of my main villains).
Zartan, Ming the Merciless, Soundwave, Professor Snape, Ozymandias, Dr. Doom, Mr. Sinister, Count Dooku, Green Goblin, Joker, Baltar, Kurgen, Bullseye, Mr. Freeze, Boba Fett, Plutonian, Ursula, Lex Luthor... ...You get the picture, the list of interesting villains is far more impressive than the heroes.
So here are my favorite villains of all time!
He is one of the biggest reasons why I love the TV show Lost. He leads through intimidation and he leads by manipulation. He uses everything as a way to further his own agenda. He is not afraid to take matters into his own hands no matter how horrific the act may be. Even when he is defeated and captured he never stops manipulating things and trying to exploit others.
Having a family member betray the family is a villain staple. And Scar is the best one at it. He is not the strongest lion out there but he is by far the most sly. He teams up with his own enemies to further his cause and sets up a trap to kill his brother the King while pinning the blame on his own nephew. At first Scar looks like the hero saving the King from being trampled but then Scar sinks his claws into him and tosses him into the stampede. So not only does Scar succeed in killing his brother but that is the last thing his brother knows is that he was betrayed. And not only that but he puts the blame on his nephew and guilts him into leaving the Pridelands forever. Talk about being stone cold evil!
It is hard to classify Magneto as a villain since his actions seem justified. He is a Holocaust survivor and doesn't want his fellow mutants to go through the horrors he faced when he was younger. He wants mutants to take over the world, in his eyes the only way mutants can live in peace. He is willing to sacrifice himself for his cause. But what makes him a great villain is that he is willing to sacrifice anyone to further his cause even his own kind! His actions have killed thousands and even in death can become a martyr for his cause. I have often wondered (since I am a geek) which side I would side with. Is Magneto right? Is mutantkind the next step in evolution and if so why should mutants care about normal people?
Star Wars is full of great villains but I find Emperor Palpatine the most vile and evil and that is because he doesn't feel the need to get his hands dirty. He slowly puts a plan in motion and is insanely patient waiting until his plans come to fruition. While he is a master of the Dark Side of the Force and can whip a lightsaber with the best of them, he calmly uses his words instead. It was his words that swayed Anakin, it was his words that swayed voters to put power right into his hands.
He has you under his spell and you don't even know it until it is too late. He uses his charm and intelligence to seduce his way. But what makes him my favorite villain is that he is truly a monster in sheep's clothing. He is classy and takes care of his business in an orderly conduct. You would never guess that he is hiding a horrible secret. After you strip away his cold and calculating personality it reveals something that no longer acts human but his true nature is primal and animalistic. And by the time you figure that out, it is too late.
Who am I kidding? My favorite villain is really Mr. Burns.
Love this blog entry!! It's more fun to love to hate someone, so I agree with you that villains are more fun, more fascinating! Great list of villians! You should do a list of the Top 5 Villainesses next!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I was a little surprised as I was scrolling down and saw Dracula as your number 1.... until I scrolled a little further and saw Mr. Burns! :P
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