FM's Favorite Villains--Part Deux
12. Wednesday Addams, from The Addams Family. One of the scariest 12-year-olds you'll ever meet. If this little girl ever smiles at you…run.
~Minion (and victim): Chubby younger brother Pugsly Addams.
13. Damien, from the movie The Omen. Born the son of The Beast and one of his handmaidens, Damien is traded at birth for the stillborn son of the United States ambassador, Robert Thorn. He bears the mark of 666 on his skin, marking him as the true AntiChrist. Horrific things just seem to happen around him: A priest is speared by a light pole, his mother falls from a balcony, and his nurse hangs herself. All in a day's work. His innocent demeanor spares him from being knifed by his father's seven daggers of Meggado…and he lives to rule another day.
~Minion: Protective nanny Mrs. Baylock.
14. Rosemary's Baby, from the movie Rosemary's Baby. The baby with black eyes was born in 1966, the product of a night ritual between Rosemary Woodhouse and Satan. Rosemary's witchy neighbors formed a coven to protect him and ensure his birth.
~Minions: Witch coven.
15. Carrie White, from Stephen King's Carrie. This teenaged telekinetic was thrilled when the cutest boy in school asked her to the prom, and ecstatic to be crowned prom queen. But she didn't take it well when her jealous classmates ruined the happiest night of her life by pouring paint over her prom dress and laughing at her. She promptly burned down the school and everyone in it, before expanding her rampage throughout the town. Demon child or misfortunate teen? You decide.
16. Malachai and Isaac, from Stephen King's Children of the Corn. The boy preacher Isaac convinces all the children of the town of Gatlin to sacrifice their parents for the demon “He Who Walks Behind the Rows.” When Malachai grows weary of following Isaac's orders, he has Isaac tied to a cross.
~Minions: The children of Gatlin, Nebraska.
17. Megatron(a.k.a. "Galvatron"), of The Transformers. The cybertron Megatron was the stalwart leader of the Decepticons, the opponents of Optimus Prime's Autobots in the Cybertronian Civil War. He was not only a great war strategist, but also a model of persistence, overcoming horrific wounds, space jettisoning, and even death to continue the battle against the forces of good.
~Minions: The Decepticons.
18. The Joker (a.k.a. "The Clown Prince of Crime"), from Batman. In Gotham City, evil wears a smile and a funny purple and green outfit. When Batman forced The Joker to fall face-first into a vat of acid, his hair turned green, his skin white, and his mouth into a hideous perpetual grin. He made the most of his deformity by playing the insane clown while devising elaborate schemes get rid of his arch-enemy.
~Minions: Assistant jester Harley Quinn; muscle men Mo, Lar, and Cur (get it? ).
19. Dr. Claw, from Inspector Gadget. The best thing about Dr. Claw, the leader of the organization M.A.D., was his deep sinister voice, and the fact that we never got to see his face...just his metal-gloved arm on the arm of his chair. His repeatedly foiled attempts to crush his enemy always end with the phrase:
“I'll get you next time, Gadget! Next tiiiiime!”
~Minion: Mad Cat. The name says it all, really.
20. Mr. Edward Hyde, from Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The idea for the character Mr. Hyde came to Stevenson as all the best boogeymen do: in a nightmare. To substantiate his theory that every person has a good and evil side, Dr. Jekyll develops a drug to split the two. He takes the drug himself, thereby unleashing his own hideous and violent persona, Mr. Hyde, who immediately begins a killing spree in London.
21. Jack the Ripper became legendary after he murdered five prostitutes in the slums of Victorian London and disappeared without a trace. Two letters allegedly written by his hand in 1888 have been dissected, analyzed, and debated by experts for years. His tale has inspired hundreds of authors, artists, actors and, yes, movie directors.
22. Sweeney Todd (a.k.a. "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"), the infamous London barber who occasionally let his razor slip. But only when it was profitable. From
Stephen Sondheim's musical:
"Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd
His skin was pale and his eye was odd
He shaved the faces of gentlemen
Who never thereafter were heard from again"
23. Scar from Disney's The Lion King. Based on the Shakespearean character Hamlet's treacherous uncle Claudius, the lion Scar murders his brother, King Mufasa. He then pretends to befriend the crown prince, Simba, in order to gain control over the animal kingdom. Scar knows what is necessary to be a great villain: "Be Prepared." Voiced by one of my favorite actors, Jeremy Irons.
~Minions: Hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.
24. Maleficent, from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. NEVER forget to invite a powerful witch with an evil-sounding name to your party. Ticked off that she was not invited to celebrate the birth of princess Aurora, Maleficent put a death-spell on her that would eventually put the entire kingdom to sleep until Aurora's true love found her. My favorite part of this movie (besides the beautiful haunting music) was when Maleficent transformed herself into a gigantic fire-breathing dragon to combat Prince Charming. You don't see that every day.
25. Mason Grey Eckhart, the head of the Genetic Security Agency. He of the wig and the gloves. Sophisticated and intelligent, Mason tolerates no failure on the part of his employees.
~Minions: GS agents, "Biogeneticist" Dr. Ken Harrison
26. The Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. She coined the famous phrase: “Magic mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?” Jealously proves deadly when this beautiful magical Queen is so threatened by the fair appearance of her step-daughter that she orders a huntsman to murder her. When that fails, she tries again with a poisoned apple:
“Dip the apple in the brew
Let the sleeping death seep through.
Look, on the skin
a symbol of what lies within.
Now turn red to tempt Snow White
To make her hunger for a bite.
When she breaks the tender peel
To taste the apple in her hand
Her breath will still, her blood congeal
Then I'll be fairest in the land!”
~Minions: The faint-hearted Huntsman, prophetic talking mirror
27. Pinky and The Brain. Every night, these two mutant laboratory mice hatch a new scheme to take over the world. Brain is the brains of the operation, and Pinky is…well…insane, with an English accent. When the plans inevitably go awry, it is always Pinky's fault, naturally. My favorite song is still “To Scheme the Improbable Scheme,” by Brain playing Don Cerebro from the episode “Mouse of La Mancha.” Quotes:
“Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?”
Pinky: Geez, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?
The Brain: Same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world.