Your top 3 villains of all time?

[Three141]

This can be for TV shows, Movies Cartoons or comics.

1. Joker from dark knight

Favourite scene

2. Magneto from the cartoon series (90's).
I always felt the dialogue between him and Charles was top notch and despite always failing Magneto was one heck of a villain.

3. T-1000 from Terminator 2.
First time I ever came across a villain who genuinely seemed unbeatable and had hands down the best running soundtrack

Honourable mention to the psychopath in Passenger 57.

There were many good villains, Smith from Matrix, Slade & Merlin from Arrow, Darth Vader, Lex from Smallville but that's my top 3

 

[keysofanxiety]

Palpatine, Hans Gruber, Khan.

 

[Three141]

Palpatine, Hans Gruber, Khan.

Don't know who Khan is?

Hans Gruber and the Diehard hard villains in general had a dark charm about them.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

[doublepost=1485600952][/doublepost]

Don't know who Khan is?

Hans Gruber and the Diehard hard villains in general had a dark charm about them.

Khan Noonien Singh is genetically enhanced warrior created around world war 3, from Star Trek. He's an amazing bad guy in Star Trek II, due to his ruthlessness and intelligence.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

To the OP, @Three141 : I assume you mean fiction....not fact.

Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction, and, as a historian, and political analyst by profession, I have to say that some of the creatures we have encountered in the real world - in either history of still in the land of the living - can chill one more effectively than anything fiction has ever offered by way of distraction.

Several real names come to mind, but few from fiction.

But, it is a very good topic for a thread. I will have to think about it.

 

[Three141]

My all time favorite. That opening scene from SW IV... MmMm... 8)

Always liked the cartoon joker. Props to Hamill for making him so awesome!

The destroyer of planets. This guy has all the classical traits of a super villain, amazingly enough, except perhaps that he's severely lacking in intelligence.

[doublepost=1485600952][/doublepost]
Khan Noonien Singh is genetically enhanced warrior created around world war 3, from Star Trek. He's an amazing bad guy in Star Trek II, due to his ruthlessness and intelligence.

I knew someone would pick Trump lol; fiction charaters only.

Thanks; I was not into Star Trek but he sounds like an awesome villain!

That Cartoon Joker what a throw back! That cartoon joker was brilliant; another good joker is the one from the game Arkham Asylum and Arkham city games.

I'm glad someone mentioned Vader.

Excluding Trump who's your number 3?
[doublepost=1485602429][/doublepost]

To the OP, @Three141 : I assume you mean fiction....not fact.

Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction, and, as a historian, and political analyst by profession, I have to say that some of the creatures we have encountered in the real world - in either history of still in the land of the living - can chill one more effectively than anything fiction has ever offered by way of distraction.

Several real names come to mind, but few from fiction.

But, it is a very good topic for a thread. I will have to think about it.

Yep, fiction only please, otherwise this will end up a political thread somehow lol (I was expecting a Trump mention).
With all that's going on, sometimes you just need to lighten the mood.

You're right about non-fiction, we know some villains are loosely based on actual people, which tells you all you need to know about the dark side of humanity.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

If I am not allowed to pick Trump (Technically, I haven't seen him alive, so he may still be fictional! Especially considering how he is! ), my pick goes to Jack from Borderlands 2. Best game villain of all time!

 

[shinji]

1) Hannibal Lecter
2) Darth Vader
3) Alex from A Clockwork Orange

Honorable mention: Patrick Bateman

 

[maflynn]

[MOD NOTE]
Please keep the political talk out of this thread.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

[MOD NOTE]
Please keep the political talk out of this thread.

Given that, as the OP has pointed out, many of the most memorable villains were inspired by some of the most appalling individuals ever to stalk the planet in real life, - in either - or both - the fields of history and/or that of politics, I'm not sure that this is entirely possible.

But, on the topic of villains, sometimes the most chilling, and sinister people are not those who are obviously Baroquely, and magisterially and monstrously insane, who splash their flaws flamboyantly astride the world's stage, or across history's page, but the apparently boring - and sometimes meticulously polite - individuals who enable such evil.

A kind of fictional take on Hannah Arendt's "the banality of evil", because to me, the really disturbing "villains" are the boring - and, dare one say it - banal bureaucrats, with a respectable appearance, and tidy minds, who are almost invariably polite, - for whom sadism and insanity are aesthetically unappealing, and profoundly distasteful, but who enable evil anyway.

And where are they represented in fiction?

 

[Three141]

[MOD NOTE]
Please keep the political talk out of this thread.

I'm not sure if you edited thain-esh-kelch post to remove Trump but you also removed two valid villains he had (quoted in one of my posts) could they be restored?

 

[Huntn]

• The Joker
• Darth Vader
• Hannibal Lector

Honorable mention: Agent Smith, Jack Torrence (although he was tormented), Norman Bates (mentally ill), Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Anton Chigurth (the single most scary human villain I can remember who would be in the top 3 tied with Alien and The Thing if scary was the only criteria.)

 

[AustinIllini]

• Thanos
• Michael Corleone
• Darth Vader

 

[Three141]

• The Joker
• Darth Vader
• Hannibal Lector

Honorable mention: Agent Smith, Jack Torrence (although he was tormented), Norman Bates (mentally ill), Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Anton Chigurth (the single most scary human villain I can remember who would be in the top 3 tied with Alien and The Thing if scary was the only criteria.)

The thing with the joker I admire is whether it's film, comic, cartoon or computer games he's just an awesome character.

I think my film list needs to grow; i've never seen Clock work orange or Hannibal films.

It came to a point in the Matrix films where I liked Agent Smith more than Neo!
[doublepost=1485623725][/doublepost]

• Thanos
• Michael Corleone
• Darth Vader

Is it really bad that i never considered Micheal Corleone a villain?
[doublepost=1485624043][/doublepost]

If I am not allowed to pick Trump (Technically, I haven't seen him alive, so he may still be fictional! Especially considering how he is! ), my pick goes to Jack from Borderlands 2. Best game villain of all time!

Lol!

Not sure if you played the batman games: Arkham Asylum and City but I felt the joker was the best video game villain i ever came across actually it maybe GLaDOS from portal 2, is he better than those?
I might have to give this game a go if that's the case.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I'm not sure if you edited thain-esh-kelch post to remove Trump but you also removed two valid villains he had (quoted in one of my posts) could they be restored?

He did.

@maflynn ^

 

[AustinIllini]

Is it really bad that i never considered Micheal Corleone a villain?

I think he qualifies, but a lot of people do leave him out.

 

[shinji]

I think my film list needs to grow; i've never seen Clock work orange or Hannibal films.

Oh man, they're fantastic. Definitely worth seeing.

 

[D.T.]

I think my film list needs to grow; i've never seen Clock work orange or Hannibal films.

You think right, holy smokes, you next to correct this omission ASAFP.

 

[BeeGood]

T-1000 from Terminator 2

I like this pick a lot. Definitely an underrated villain. That thing was truly terrifying.

I'm guessing Vader will be a popular choice here, but IMHO, Vader can't be on a list that Sidious (Palpatine) is not.

 

[takao]

i think T-1000 worked so great because he combined the intial idea of the terminator ( having a physically not very imposing android as a killer, kinda like an "everyman".. untill replaced by arnold ) and the very old human fear of human shapeshifters

on others i'm rather split: Alex from Clockwork Orange: in the novel i would say the actual villian could also be the very dystopian justice system.

Darth Vader: ironically most of his bad deeds in the original trilogy are usually just allueded to. He seems to get around his imperial business usually just parading around with his imposing stature and on his reputation and his position of being "the imperators right hand man"
What evil feats does he actually _do_ on screen episode 4-6 ? Chokes one guy doubting the force, interrogating the princess, bribing lando calrissian, "kills" obi-wan, cuts off lukes hand, shoots down a few rebel fighters, hires bounty hunters
Take away Vaders fantastic character design and james earls voice and he wouldn't be that menacing. He is one of the best "on-screen presence" villains simply by those two points and the twist of empire strikes back.

After all it's Moff Tarkin who gives the command to destroy the planet.

So far not mentioned: Sheriff from Nottingham played by Alan Rickman. The movie was panned for Kevin Costners accent performance but since i grew up on the dubbed version without that problem Rickman's performance was an absolute classic. Pure evil.

On "banality of evil": The Nurse from one flew over the coockoo's nest might be a candidate

one interesting one: The French ship in "Master and Commander", not really shown untill late in the movie similiar to the shark of Jaws.

edit: oh and handsome jack (borderlands2) as best video game villian ? i totally second that

 

[Tomorrow]

...my pick goes to Jack from Borderlands 2. Best game villain of all time!

One of the things I loved about Handsome Jack was that, if you listen to his dialogue and really consider what he's saying, you can almost - almost - make the case that he really believes he's the good guy and that the player is the bad guy (calling him/her "bandit" at almost every turn). But he does do some absolutely horrible things.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Jacks writing was so amazing. He was hysterically funny, very real (!), and actually had a really good case for what he was doing. Okay, he did some horrible stuff in the end, but after all, he was the bad guy.

I am so sad that he won't be back.

....Unless he has a clone, like everyone else.

 

[Mousse]

Vogons: poetry and destroyed the Earth to build an interstellar bypass.
Q: With great powers comes a great time toying with Picard.
Melkor aka Morgoth Bauglir: even Sauron had to bow and scrape before Melkor.

 

[kazmac]

(David) Lo Pan: I've utterly loved James Hongs' bonkers 2,000 year old Chinese demi-ghost since I saw Big Trouble in Little China in the early 90s. I go back and forth between adoring Lo Pan and Shaw Brothers super villain, Lian San The Throat Piercing Halberd (played by my most fave old school Fu fighter/actor Chan Wai Man); but as to not piss off the Godfather of San Franciscos' Little China -and for the sake more mainstream tastes- I will defer to the sorcerer who has a particular need for girls with green eyes.

Punt into obscurity:

Zhao Cai (Broken Oath, 1977) This creep pretends to assist Angela Mao Ying's angsty avenger by siccing her on his former peers who helped savage and kill her parents twenty years early. Zhao's nasty eagle claw/white crane/pressure point kung fu is vicious, painful and feels very real. Dude is smart too. He is Broken Oath's Darth Vader: he has his own theme, sometimes wears a basket hat that veils most of his face and people always get the hell out of his way...or they die.

The Jackal (Odd Couple, 1979) Here's a guy who was royally humiliated by two older weapons masters and never gave up that grudge. So fifteen years later this cranky pants kidnaps his foes' students and then lets his quartet of cronies tire the older gents out before the Jackal steps in with the short blade Guan Dao. Well, Leung Kar Yan had no experience with kung fu before Sammo Hung put him through his paces, but you'd never know it watching LKY's Jackal go stroke for stroke against Sammo and Lau Kar Wing. And the Jackal is also a wad of the highest order: after lopping off the King of the Swords pony tail, the Jackal shows off his lovely Qing-era braid. Yes, there's some comedy in Odd Couple (which actually works) and Leung Kar Yan's villain is the reason why it does.

 

[DeepIn2U]

[doublepost=1485600952][/doublepost]
Khan Noonien Singh is genetically enhanced warrior created around world war 3, from Star Trek. He's an amazing bad guy in Star Trek II, due to his ruthlessness and intelligence.

^ BAD-MAAAN right there!

@Three141 shame on you for even starting a thread and not knowing Khan ... pssssht. I'm kidding.

What made Khan in the original Star Trek movies so incredible is the actor was thought of as a hollywood match maker due to him headlining the show "The Love Boat". Always smiling and a kind older gentleman look of concern when couples where not happy and he didn't immediately help them find that love/happiness right away. Then you don't hear from him for maybe 10 years and smile was pretty much a deadly grimmace. That, the intensity in his glare, and BOOM pecks the likes of which Arnold S. would've been proud of training him towards shocked the industry! I'd pretty much would wager he may have been the VERY FIRST actor to have hit the gym specifically to get fit for a role that may not have actually determined the need to show off physical strength. (Back then well written plot, great acting skills, and portrayel of deeping character development was KEY to blockbuster movie, not the effects like transformers).

I have to really think hard of mine.

Originally I'd say Darth Vader from my childhood (Empire Strikes Back] but the lext 3 movie installments (Episodes 1-3) pretty much killed all the EVIL out of Vader. I LOVE what Rogue did to restore Darth Vader's evil, and FULLY explained the connection of why Star Wars' (Ep 4) began with the original voice and changed to James Earl Jones' voice - the REAL Vader). Again real character development, plot, and perfected Acting ... and this was done by Hollywood's KING of acting a real stage actor of over half a century!!

Childhood Villians:
Mum-Ra (both original and new Thundercat series)
- 'Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed form ... to Mummm-Raaaa Di ev'er Living ... Muhaaahahahah!'
(yeah just for that chant alone, running through the park at night at 12yrs old and scaring the bejesus out of smaller kids LMAO)
The Baron Vladimir Harkonen
- Dean Di Laurentis' Dune (the original release). Yeah ... "Jessica, I want to spit on your face, just a lil spittle ..."
So disgusting, gross and demeaning = pure villian!
Megatron
- the original transformers 6 season run from the late 80's. ready to kill (and did in the original anime movie vs GI Joe which presented the thrill of death (Duke) and never delivered), throw Starscream under just about every bus of failure he rode in on lol, and every vile insult he slung towards any autobot and schemed towards a victorious end: finally killing Starscream as Galvatron.
Movies really sucked in the 80's REALLY sucked for good movies with villains or I may not have watched many.
Fun Fact: The voice actor for Starscream also did Cobra Commander on GI Joe cartoon's that ran back to back the same seasons and time slots.

Current:
General Zod:
Man of Steel. Great actor that not only looks the part of all the villians he's played but embodies them.
"I was bread for war, honed my skills on Krypton, where were you born, on a Farrrm!?"
"I WILL find him"
(Fun fact: that line, slightly altered was first spoken in the movie Dune by Sting 'I will kill him")

The Prestige: Robert Angier
- The ability for a character to be so obsessed over a goal that he believe will define him throughout the ages of time as achieving greatness that even while torn apart from the death of his wife to be can wish to and methodically inflict the DEATH by trail for the false death of himself on his rival ... that my friends is evil to the Nth degree!

no third as of yet.