Best Villains of the Last 22 Years. (Spoilers)
Inspired by mattzimmer, I racked my brain to come up with my favs. A couple things I did differently than Matt, I tried to pull from many sources so I wouldn't lean too heavily on one series or whatever. I've also given favor to many female villains because I feel like they tend to be underepresented. I'm taking out any interpretations of villains who existed beyond that time, such as any villain from the DCAU, the Adversary from Fables, or Hades from Hercules.
Why last 22 years? Because "Datalore" aired in 1988.
20) Eric Doyle (Heroes) - While Sylar was used way too often, every single one of Doyle's appearances were a pleasure, he never wore out his welcome, and his powers and personality were creepy. Best Moment: The neck roll.
19) Him (Powerpuff Girls) - Probably the most powerful villain on that show and terrifying considering he's basically Satan and they can't even say his name! Also, that voice ::shudders:: Best Moment: Taking over the world in the future.
18) Tyler Durden (Fight Club) - Without giving anything away, Tyler Durden is the best villain used as a counterpart to the hero. Best Moment: The reveal.
17) Alti (Xena Warrior Princess) - Another recurring villain who has a great appearance every time, and the ability to make her opponent relive any past instances of pain. Best moment: Cursing Solan.
16) Bill/Snake Charmer (Kill Bill) - He's got this whole mystery built around him in the first movie, and then you see how interesting a relationship he has with the Bride in the second movie. Best Moment: "That's the title of my favorite soul song of the '70's"
15) Bane (DC Comics, Batman) - Although sort of a one-trick pony as nothing he did afterwards lived up to his first appearance, still, breaking Batman and throwing Gotham into chaos was awesome. Best Moment: Breaking Batman's back.
14) Solaris (DC Comics, Superman) - A living and evil sun, it's a cool concept, and through DC One Million and All Star Superman, we see Solaris isn't just one of Superman's archenemies, he's an archenemy to the entire Superman dynasty. Best Moment: The reveal of the predestination paradox.
13) Megabyte (Reboot) - One scary and powerful virus. Not only is he voiced by Tony Jay, but he's the kind of villain who always has a plan up his sleeve. Best Moment: Megabyte using propaganda to discredit Enzo.
12) The Operative (Firefly/Serenity) - He has his own sense of honor and exists in a moral gray area. He's got a cool finisher move and had a couple good, passionate speeches. Best Moment: Final battle with Mal and the speech.
11) Aku (Samurai Jack) + Mom (Futurama) - I know this is cheating, but they get to tie because I like them for the same reasons, they're complete tyrants who rule a crazy-looking future. They can be both scary and funny. Best Moment: "Birth of Evil" for Aku and "Make that bitch your bitch, you bastard!" for Mom.
10) Kryb (DC Comics, Green Lantern) - One of the most horrifying villains PERIOD. She's an alien who abducts Green Lantern babies and puts them in this "crib" on her back. She's grotesque looking and has a yellow power ring. Best Moment: The abducted kids actually crying out after being separated from Kryb.
9) Hexadecimal (Reboot) - I love how she can only show emotion through masks, that's genuinely creepy, and she's one of the most powerful characters in the series. Best Moment: When it all goes crazy and her masks start talking.
8) Lore (Star Trek) - My favorite Star Trek villain, a frightening look at what the AI of the future could really produce. Best Moment: "Often-Wrong's got a broken heart, can't even tell his boys apart."
7) Harley Quinn (BTAS, DC Comics, Batman) - Harley is so much fun, it's awesome they took her from BTAS and made her into a canon DC character. She even had her own series for a while and Kevin Smith named his daughter after her, it's easy to see why she has so many fans. Best Moment: Nearly offing the Joker only for it to be a "bang" gun.
6) Darla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) - Darla makes for such a great villain because of how personally close she is with Angel, she shares a bond with him no one else can, and she really shined as a character when they brought her back on Angel. Best Moment: Giving birth to Connor.
5) David Xanatos (Gargoyles) - Another manipulative bastard, Xanatos wins a lot of his battles by not even letting the good guys know what game they're playing. Plus, he's a family man. Best Moment: "It's my first real stab at cliched villainy. How am I doing?"
4) Demona (Gargoyles) - My favorite Gargoyles villain, Demona has such a tragic story. I really felt for her in "City of Stone" and think she's just cool all around. Best Moment: "The password is...Alone".
3) Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts) - The only villain on this list you have to actively fight (actually, that may not be true, but he's designed to be a challenge to the player), and he is TOUGH (especially when he's the optional boss in Kingdom Hearts). He's got a freaky history, great theme music (One Winged Angel), and a great voice actor (when it's George Newbern and not Lance Bass). He's often considered one of the best video game villains in history. Best Moment: Killing Aerith.
2) Angelus (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) - Angelus has the reputation and the skills and power to back it up. He's sadistic and scary, when he shows up, it's always a tense moment because you don't know if the heroes will make it out alive. Best Moment: Finally confronting Angel face to face in "Orpheus"
1) Shego (Kim Possible) - I make a huge deal over villains who are actually successful. I like Shego because she's a fallen hero (being a bad guy is just more fun for her) with cool skills and powers, but in terms of success rates, Shego has either beaten Kim or fought her to a draw more times than she's lost. Her snark is also hilarious and she makes a great foil for Kim and Drakken. Best Moment: Taking over the world in A Sitch In Time
Honorable Mentions - Voldemort (Harry Potter), Scar (The Lion King), Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog), Spellbinder (Batman Beyond), Arbutus (Aladdin), DCAU Lex Luthor, Darkseid, Ra's Al Ghul, Grodd, and Joker, Magneto (X-Men the Animated Series), The Adversary (Fables), Hades (Disney's Hercules), Ares (Hercules: TLJ, Xena: WP), Jafar (Aladdin), M. Bison (Street Fighter)
Why last 22 years? Because "Datalore" aired in 1988.
20) Eric Doyle (Heroes) - While Sylar was used way too often, every single one of Doyle's appearances were a pleasure, he never wore out his welcome, and his powers and personality were creepy. Best Moment: The neck roll.
19) Him (Powerpuff Girls) - Probably the most powerful villain on that show and terrifying considering he's basically Satan and they can't even say his name! Also, that voice ::shudders:: Best Moment: Taking over the world in the future.
18) Tyler Durden (Fight Club) - Without giving anything away, Tyler Durden is the best villain used as a counterpart to the hero. Best Moment: The reveal.
17) Alti (Xena Warrior Princess) - Another recurring villain who has a great appearance every time, and the ability to make her opponent relive any past instances of pain. Best moment: Cursing Solan.
16) Bill/Snake Charmer (Kill Bill) - He's got this whole mystery built around him in the first movie, and then you see how interesting a relationship he has with the Bride in the second movie. Best Moment: "That's the title of my favorite soul song of the '70's"
15) Bane (DC Comics, Batman) - Although sort of a one-trick pony as nothing he did afterwards lived up to his first appearance, still, breaking Batman and throwing Gotham into chaos was awesome. Best Moment: Breaking Batman's back.
14) Solaris (DC Comics, Superman) - A living and evil sun, it's a cool concept, and through DC One Million and All Star Superman, we see Solaris isn't just one of Superman's archenemies, he's an archenemy to the entire Superman dynasty. Best Moment: The reveal of the predestination paradox.
13) Megabyte (Reboot) - One scary and powerful virus. Not only is he voiced by Tony Jay, but he's the kind of villain who always has a plan up his sleeve. Best Moment: Megabyte using propaganda to discredit Enzo.
12) The Operative (Firefly/Serenity) - He has his own sense of honor and exists in a moral gray area. He's got a cool finisher move and had a couple good, passionate speeches. Best Moment: Final battle with Mal and the speech.
11) Aku (Samurai Jack) + Mom (Futurama) - I know this is cheating, but they get to tie because I like them for the same reasons, they're complete tyrants who rule a crazy-looking future. They can be both scary and funny. Best Moment: "Birth of Evil" for Aku and "Make that bitch your bitch, you bastard!" for Mom.
10) Kryb (DC Comics, Green Lantern) - One of the most horrifying villains PERIOD. She's an alien who abducts Green Lantern babies and puts them in this "crib" on her back. She's grotesque looking and has a yellow power ring. Best Moment: The abducted kids actually crying out after being separated from Kryb.
9) Hexadecimal (Reboot) - I love how she can only show emotion through masks, that's genuinely creepy, and she's one of the most powerful characters in the series. Best Moment: When it all goes crazy and her masks start talking.
8) Lore (Star Trek) - My favorite Star Trek villain, a frightening look at what the AI of the future could really produce. Best Moment: "Often-Wrong's got a broken heart, can't even tell his boys apart."
7) Harley Quinn (BTAS, DC Comics, Batman) - Harley is so much fun, it's awesome they took her from BTAS and made her into a canon DC character. She even had her own series for a while and Kevin Smith named his daughter after her, it's easy to see why she has so many fans. Best Moment: Nearly offing the Joker only for it to be a "bang" gun.
6) Darla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) - Darla makes for such a great villain because of how personally close she is with Angel, she shares a bond with him no one else can, and she really shined as a character when they brought her back on Angel. Best Moment: Giving birth to Connor.
5) David Xanatos (Gargoyles) - Another manipulative bastard, Xanatos wins a lot of his battles by not even letting the good guys know what game they're playing. Plus, he's a family man. Best Moment: "It's my first real stab at cliched villainy. How am I doing?"
4) Demona (Gargoyles) - My favorite Gargoyles villain, Demona has such a tragic story. I really felt for her in "City of Stone" and think she's just cool all around. Best Moment: "The password is...Alone".
3) Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts) - The only villain on this list you have to actively fight (actually, that may not be true, but he's designed to be a challenge to the player), and he is TOUGH (especially when he's the optional boss in Kingdom Hearts). He's got a freaky history, great theme music (One Winged Angel), and a great voice actor (when it's George Newbern and not Lance Bass). He's often considered one of the best video game villains in history. Best Moment: Killing Aerith.
2) Angelus (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) - Angelus has the reputation and the skills and power to back it up. He's sadistic and scary, when he shows up, it's always a tense moment because you don't know if the heroes will make it out alive. Best Moment: Finally confronting Angel face to face in "Orpheus"
1) Shego (Kim Possible) - I make a huge deal over villains who are actually successful. I like Shego because she's a fallen hero (being a bad guy is just more fun for her) with cool skills and powers, but in terms of success rates, Shego has either beaten Kim or fought her to a draw more times than she's lost. Her snark is also hilarious and she makes a great foil for Kim and Drakken. Best Moment: Taking over the world in A Sitch In Time
Honorable Mentions - Voldemort (Harry Potter), Scar (The Lion King), Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog), Spellbinder (Batman Beyond), Arbutus (Aladdin), DCAU Lex Luthor, Darkseid, Ra's Al Ghul, Grodd, and Joker, Magneto (X-Men the Animated Series), The Adversary (Fables), Hades (Disney's Hercules), Ares (Hercules: TLJ, Xena: WP), Jafar (Aladdin), M. Bison (Street Fighter)