Top 10 Villains of all time.
Okay...I was reading a few lists of "Top 10 villains in fiction, and I figured I'd do my own. We'll start with limitations. No Anime or manga, first off. No comic books, either. It's way too easy to compile top 10 lists based on those. Without further ado, my top 10 villains in fiction.
10. Professor Moriarity--The man who took out Sherlock Holmes, at least for one story. Arthur Conan Doyle built him up to be a major genius, in every way Holmes' equal. For some reason, the fact that Holmes is scared of this man, even though he doesn't appear in the story, really builds up the mythology.
9. Nurse Rached--She had to be one of the inspirations for Annie Wilkes, from Stephen King's "Misery." She's ultimately in control, does NOT like having her authority challenged, and ultimately drives one of the inmates to suicide. Watch her face when she discovers it. There's impassivity there, mixed with a bit of pride. No matter what happens, she's won against that patient. No remorse whatsoever.
8. Daleks--Anyone who knows a thing or two about science fiction knows these bad pepperpots. They hate every other race in the galaxy, and seek to exterminate every other species. They're frighteningly good at their job, too. Actually, they're just frightening. No matter how ridiculous you think they look, but seeing them gliding towards you on that TV screen still inspires fear in children--and adults--everywhere.
7. Kevin--Okay, this is almost a cheat, seriously. From the Sin City movie, this cannibal is scarily silent, a formidable hand-to-hand fighter, and shows no compunction about killing. The only one who could take him out was Marv, who was brutal enough to handcuff Kevin to himself, then beat the man into oblivion.
6. Toht--From Raiders of the Lost Ark. He manages to be so despicable, willing to do anything. He laughs when Marion is dropped into the Well of Lost Souls to die, which I think sums up his nastiness.
5. Sadako/Samara--Forget Freddy Krueger. Run away, Jason. Laugh at Leatherface. This 10-year old girl has them all beat. Samara, villain of The Ring, may be a ghost, may be a sentient memory, but the thing is--once you've seen the video, she's got you. You can get out of it, though, but the question is, how much do you want to screw over someone else? Do you value yourself that much? Do you pass along the burden? Plus, she comes OUT OF THE TV (or other reflective surface). It remains one of the scariest moments I've ever seen on film.
4. Sauron--THE fantasy villain. There may have been other warlords before Sauron, and there definitely were after, but he is the big one. Until the movies, there was no description of Sauron in the Lord of the Rings books, and yet Sauron's presence is felt everywhere. The ring, a part of him, corrputs nearly all it touches. Then we have the movie version, which makes Sauron an army by himself on the battlefield. Still, the true force of a villain is how his presence is felt, and you feel Sauron's presence almost from the first chapter.
3. Dracula-- He's on here mostly because he's compelling. Mix charisma, real charisma, with intelligence, and then mix in the traditional powers of the vampire. You have a character that, had it not been for Van Helsing, would have achieved his goals with little to no resistance. I mentioned that a good villain makes his presence felt even when he's not there? This is Dracula. For most of the book!
2. Grendel--And before Dracula there was Grendel. He is felt throughout the kingdom of Hrothgar, and the hell of it is that they KNOW Grendel comes for them nightly, and no one can stand against him. It's been repeated to death, but you just can't compare to the original. What may be worse is that there's no reason for Grendel's rampage. He's a force of nature, destroying and killing because he can.
1. Darth Vader--Yeah, kind of a geeky choice and--why am I apologizing? In the first 15 minutes of Star Wars, he's commanding a Star Destroyer, commanding an army that is extremely effective at killing non-heroes, and then, when he gets the captain of the ship, he LIFTS HIM OFF THE GROUND AND BREAKS HIS NECK. That's some pretty high-grade villainy right there. Later on, he beats Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has far and away established himself as the most competent hero in the series. And as far as making his presence felt, watch Empire Strikes Back. Vader pretty much drives the movie. If that weren't enough, he's got a recognizable breathing that is intimidating all on its own, a cool weapon and his own theme song. Best of the best.
10. Professor Moriarity--The man who took out Sherlock Holmes, at least for one story. Arthur Conan Doyle built him up to be a major genius, in every way Holmes' equal. For some reason, the fact that Holmes is scared of this man, even though he doesn't appear in the story, really builds up the mythology.
9. Nurse Rached--She had to be one of the inspirations for Annie Wilkes, from Stephen King's "Misery." She's ultimately in control, does NOT like having her authority challenged, and ultimately drives one of the inmates to suicide. Watch her face when she discovers it. There's impassivity there, mixed with a bit of pride. No matter what happens, she's won against that patient. No remorse whatsoever.
8. Daleks--Anyone who knows a thing or two about science fiction knows these bad pepperpots. They hate every other race in the galaxy, and seek to exterminate every other species. They're frighteningly good at their job, too. Actually, they're just frightening. No matter how ridiculous you think they look, but seeing them gliding towards you on that TV screen still inspires fear in children--and adults--everywhere.
7. Kevin--Okay, this is almost a cheat, seriously. From the Sin City movie, this cannibal is scarily silent, a formidable hand-to-hand fighter, and shows no compunction about killing. The only one who could take him out was Marv, who was brutal enough to handcuff Kevin to himself, then beat the man into oblivion.
6. Toht--From Raiders of the Lost Ark. He manages to be so despicable, willing to do anything. He laughs when Marion is dropped into the Well of Lost Souls to die, which I think sums up his nastiness.
5. Sadako/Samara--Forget Freddy Krueger. Run away, Jason. Laugh at Leatherface. This 10-year old girl has them all beat. Samara, villain of The Ring, may be a ghost, may be a sentient memory, but the thing is--once you've seen the video, she's got you. You can get out of it, though, but the question is, how much do you want to screw over someone else? Do you value yourself that much? Do you pass along the burden? Plus, she comes OUT OF THE TV (or other reflective surface). It remains one of the scariest moments I've ever seen on film.
4. Sauron--THE fantasy villain. There may have been other warlords before Sauron, and there definitely were after, but he is the big one. Until the movies, there was no description of Sauron in the Lord of the Rings books, and yet Sauron's presence is felt everywhere. The ring, a part of him, corrputs nearly all it touches. Then we have the movie version, which makes Sauron an army by himself on the battlefield. Still, the true force of a villain is how his presence is felt, and you feel Sauron's presence almost from the first chapter.
3. Dracula-- He's on here mostly because he's compelling. Mix charisma, real charisma, with intelligence, and then mix in the traditional powers of the vampire. You have a character that, had it not been for Van Helsing, would have achieved his goals with little to no resistance. I mentioned that a good villain makes his presence felt even when he's not there? This is Dracula. For most of the book!
2. Grendel--And before Dracula there was Grendel. He is felt throughout the kingdom of Hrothgar, and the hell of it is that they KNOW Grendel comes for them nightly, and no one can stand against him. It's been repeated to death, but you just can't compare to the original. What may be worse is that there's no reason for Grendel's rampage. He's a force of nature, destroying and killing because he can.
1. Darth Vader--Yeah, kind of a geeky choice and--why am I apologizing? In the first 15 minutes of Star Wars, he's commanding a Star Destroyer, commanding an army that is extremely effective at killing non-heroes, and then, when he gets the captain of the ship, he LIFTS HIM OFF THE GROUND AND BREAKS HIS NECK. That's some pretty high-grade villainy right there. Later on, he beats Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has far and away established himself as the most competent hero in the series. And as far as making his presence felt, watch Empire Strikes Back. Vader pretty much drives the movie. If that weren't enough, he's got a recognizable breathing that is intimidating all on its own, a cool weapon and his own theme song. Best of the best.