Who is your favorite villain?

For the discussion of topics not already covered by the other categories.

Who is your favorite villain?

Darth Vader
11
14%
The joker
11
14%
Ghidrah
7
9%
Gigan
7
9%
Bowser
0
No votes
Dracula
0
No votes
Robotnik
2
3%
Freddy Krueger
1
1%
Glados
5
7%
Hal
0
No votes
Cthulhu
1
1%
Other (explain)
31
41%
 
Total votes: 76

User avatar
Kaltes-Herzeleid
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 1086
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2014 11:07 pm
Location: The Great Tomb of Nazarick

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Kaltes-Herzeleid »

My top five, in no specific order.

Hannibal Lecter - As he appears in Thomas Harris' three novels and primarily the films Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs and the first season of Hannibal (before it went to shit).

Michael Myers - Best slasher villain, no one else comes close in my opinion. The perfect combination of a supernatural force of evil and the murderer stalking you in the shadows. To me, he's best represented by the first two films and the recent 2018 movie. Though I am fond of his H4 and theatrical cut of H6 portrayals as well. 2007 deserves a mention too.

Judge Holden - From Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. One of the most evil and fascinating, enigmatic characters put to page, in my opinion.

Francis Doalrhyde - To me, only two versions of Dolarhyde make the list. As he appeared in the original novel Red Dragon and its first and only worthwhile screen adaptation, Manhunter. Tom Noonan's portrayal of the character in Manhunter isn't just the greatest screen performance of a serial killer, but one of the most underappreciated performances in cinema history. Less of a monster and more of an interdimensional other perceiving and interacting with humans the only way he knows how.

King Ghidorah - Self explanatory really. To me, the best representations of him are the Showa era (namely GtTHM, IoAM and Godzilla Vs. Gigan), ROM 3 and Legendary's KotM.
Resized Image

User avatar
GmkGoji
Gotengo Officer
Posts: 1825
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2018 5:10 pm
Location: Liyue Harbor

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by GmkGoji »

As much as I love Ghidorah, Bowser, and Dr. Robotnik, but for me, my favorite villain is Saint-germain from Symphogear. She feels like a natural villain with understandable motives despite the methods. I'm bias as hell, but still. She's an extrordinarily well thought-out and developed villain.
Resized Image
Heiki, hecchara!

mikelcho
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2594
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:23 pm

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by mikelcho »

On the list, isn't the Joker's name supposed to be spelled with a capital J?

User avatar
_JNavs_
Keizer
Posts: 9647
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2019 7:59 pm
Location: New York

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by _JNavs_ »

The villains are always the more interesting characters.

Metal Gear Solid has Big Boss, Solidus, Skullface, Ocelot, Psycho Mantis etc.
Halo has The Arbiter, Atriox, Tartarus
Most DC villains
Marvel really only has like 4-6 good villains tops, but even then they're all still more interesting than the heroes

With all that being said though, this all comes down to Joker and Vader, no one else on the list compares. However i consider Vader to be a Tragic Hero in the long run, so i have to go with Joker.

Added in 1 minute 26 seconds:
Looking at the list i have no clue how almost 30 people chose "other" and didn't explain themselves, yet barely picked Joker and Vader.
Last edited by _JNavs_ on Sun Jul 05, 2020 9:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
____________________________ImageImage___________________________
Instagram: @Lord.Gojira

User avatar
Spuro
Keizer
Posts: 9532
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:34 pm
Location: Monster Island

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Spuro »

_JNavs_ wrote:The villains are always the more interesting characters.
They really aren't. It depends on the story and the characters involved. And much of the time it's the heroes, not the villains, who carry the bulk of character development.

Edit: Was scrolling through my old posts to make sure I hadn't answered this already (could have sworn I did...) and found that the two of us had this exact same debate over a year ago. Oops.

Added in 1 hour 54 minutes 40 seconds:
Alright I apparently haven't answered here, though I could have sworn I have...

I want to cover my favorite "sub-types" of villains, and my favorite from each type. The sub-types are the redeemed villain, the twist villain, the quotable villain, the cool villain, the allegorical villain, and the monster/beast villain.


The Redeemed Villain: Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender) – A perfect example of a "redeemed villain." Zuko is a complex and three-dimensional character (arguably the best in the series) who traverses the full scope of villain to hero in a believable and engaging way. He's what Kylo Ren wishes he were.

The Twist Villain: Solas (Dragon Age: Inquisition) – On the opposite end of the spectrum, Solas is a perfect example of the twist villain done well: one who is supposedly on the hero's side for the majority of the story. He's also a complex and well developed character in his own right – he's not evil for the sake of being evil, but instead desperate to atone for his mistakes of the past and return his people to their former glory. As he's a video game character in an RPG, your millage with Solas will vary depending on your interactions with him. Luckily for me, my character happened to be engaged in a romance with him, which made the twist all the more emotionally satisfying. Too bad Dragon Age 4 is going to be butt-fucked by EA. I would have liked to see where this led.

The Quotable Villain: Agent Smith (The Matrix) – Sometimes you like villains because of how dang QUOTABLE they are, regardless of their character depth. Smith is that for me. He even elevates the sequels a bit.

The Cool Villain: Darth Maul (Star Wars) – And sometimes, you like villains simply because of how cool they are, and nothing else. Darth Maul is that for me. (Luckily, the TV shows have expanded upon his character and made him decently well-rounded in his own right, so now I can happily say that I don't just like Maul for his looks.)

The Allegorical Villain: Skynet (The Terminator) – Sometimes a villain serves as an allegory or warning, as we should all be well aware of as Godzilla fans. I could have easily slapped Godzilla himself on here, but I want to stick to one villain per-franchise here, so instead I'll give a shout out to Skynet, which represents both the horrors of nuclear annihilation and the dangers of artificial intelligence, both topics that remain as relevant today as they were in the 80s. It's telling that all these years later people still make jokes and references to Skynet when discussing AI, and it shows how much of an impact this villain has had on society.

The Monster Villain: Destoroyah (Godzilla) – As a Godzilla fan, naturally I love a good monster antagonist, giant or otherwise. Destoroyah is my favorite of them, not only for his ties to the oxygen destroyer or his design, but for the sheer scope of his abilities and the untapped potential this character has. When you stop and really think about it, the films and comics don't even scratch the surface of what this monster is capable of.

Added in 40 minutes 4 seconds:
Oh, duh. Forgot the comedic villain sub-type.

The Comedic Villain: Yzma (The Emperor's New Groove) – "I bet you weren't expecting THIS!"
Last edited by Spuro on Mon Jul 06, 2020 9:14 am, edited 2 times in total.
eabaker wrote: You can't parse duende.
Breakdown wrote: HP Lovecraft's cat should be the ultimate villain of the MonsterVerse.

User avatar
JAGzilla
Sazer
Posts: 11817
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:45 pm
Location: Georgia

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by JAGzilla »

I've never been able to see Vader as an actual villain. I was introduced to Star Wars through the Jedi Academy novel trilogy, which takes place ten years after ROTJ, and speaks retrospectively of Vader as being ultimately a good man who was twisted by the Emperor. Then movie-wise I saw the Prequels first, so that showed me Anakin's beginnings. He was a whiny, power-hungry ass by AOTC, but still being manipulated and stuck in the competing grips of larger forces. That doesn't excuse the things he did as Vader, of course, but it does make him feel more sad and tragic than anything. It's obvious that Darth Sidious is the real villain, with Vader and the other Dark Siders being his chess pieces.
"Stop wars and no more accidents. I guess that's all I can ask." -Akio

User avatar
The Octopus
G-Grasper
Posts: 1279
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:06 am
Location: Pacific Ocean

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by The Octopus »

Here's mine.
Image
Image

User avatar
Manuelito Canelito
G-Grasper
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:01 am
Location: My parents basement

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Manuelito Canelito »

Gonna share a couple:

Bondrewd, from Made In Abyss

Image

This has been a tough one, since there are a lot of anime villains I love and I could put in this (Griffith, The Major from Hellsing, Dio Brando among others), but Bondrewd for me takes the crown.

Not only is he inmensely fun to watch, not only do his cold ham tendencies make him stick on your mind, but is the duality inside him that makes him so fascinating.

He's not cruel, but he inflicts cruelty and pain beyond imagining. He's loving, yet his love is expressed the most grotesque and twisted ways. He's perfectly rational but thoroughly deranged. He's both terrifying and strangely charismatic at the same time. Inhuman, and yet entirely dedicated to the progress of humanity.

Such a complex, fascinating and well written villain.

Lord Cutler Beckett and Davy Jones, from Pirates of the Caribbean

Image

I know I said would only share a couple, and from the two, Jones for me wins by a slight margin, but overall I think their villainy only truly shines in their duumvirate.

The monstruous looking Jones at first appears to be the most inhuman. He's cruel, sadistic, and takes pleasure in making others suffer. And yet, you always notice there's something beneath that. The way he almost breaks down when Jack tells him of Will's story, the pain in his face as he looks at his heart shaped locket, the melody from that very same locket. These are snippets from the man inside the monster. The man whose every second of existence is misery and pain, betrayed by the one being he loved more than anything in the world, and even now wrecked by guilt by what he did to Calypso in a moment of rage, Davy Jones's cruelty merely comes from his desire to get back at the world for what it did to him, and for everyone to be as miserable as he constantly is.

Becket, meanwhile, initally seems like the less evil from the two. Not unnecesarily cruel, only wants to rid the sea of pirates (something objectively good) and he doesn't torture our protagonists like Jones does. And yet, that too is a mask, and inside there's a complete sociopath, that won't hesitate to kill thousands or even millions in the name of profit, that can hang children without a second glance, and whom only wants to exterminate pirates because they interefere with his business. Unlike Jones, whom is tragic villain motivated by purely sentimental reasons, he's a slimey smug snake that is motivated purely by money and power.

And right there, in the difference between these two and how they interact, is when they shine brightest.
All houses have the same. Roof. Floor. Walls. People yelling at you that they're calling the police because you broke into their house. It's only when you give them love that they truly become Home

User avatar
ShinGojira14
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5340
Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:08 pm
Location: Under the Wild Montana Skies

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by ShinGojira14 »

Gonna revive this thread from the grave for the sake of it.

Sabor from Tarzan was an absolute unit.

"William Knifeman! AH! AH! AH!"

Resized ImageResized Image

User avatar
Rando Yaguchi
G-Force Personnel
Posts: 691
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2021 12:06 am

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Rando Yaguchi »

A tie between Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Joker in The Dark Knight.
SoggyNoodles2016 wrote:Misato stans just built different.

rayyanwatts
Young Farmer
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2021 9:42 am

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by rayyanwatts »

no personal issues but still i'll go with gigan lol :D

User avatar
Gojira1604
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 1169
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:38 pm

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Gojira1604 »

Image
These guys. Godzilla, Ghidorah & Gigan are their overall antagonistic versions.
Last edited by Gojira1604 on Tue Mar 22, 2022 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Major sssspielberg!
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2226
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 7:48 am

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

I'm gonna say right now Volgin in MGS3:
Even though he's sadistic and despicable, he's got a lover he truly seems to care about, and given the nature of the relationship, you can imagine his superiors wouldn't be too happy. It adds just enough dimension to an otherwise one dimensional villain
Kaltes-Herzeleid wrote: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:44 am I love Final Wars. I praise Final Wars. Simple as.

mikelcho
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2594
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 12:23 pm

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by mikelcho »

mikelcho wrote: Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:38 am I've got two top favorites from mystery and detective literature: Professor James Moriarty and Dr. Fu Manchu.

My top favorites from comics are (from DC Comics) the Joker and the Penguin, (from Marvel Comics) the Leader, MODOK, Doctor Octopus, Doctor Doom and Egghead.

As you can see, I like the smart ones.
I forgot to add one more from DC Comics: the Riddler.

User avatar
Mac Daddy MM
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5045
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:27 pm

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Mac Daddy MM »

I don't see Negan's name being dropped enough in here, even if just for the Walking Dead TV show. His introduction and war arcs are top, and his portrayal by JDM is amazing. And while his redemption was also top tier, following the comics, he was an absolute monster of a villian for Seasons 7 and 8, and his presence felt before he even made his actual debut in Season 6.

"I am Negan."

Image


Quote of the Year:
plasmabeam wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 3:03 am Hear me out on this. What if Godzilla is actually Suko’s father? In GvK when Godzilla defeated Kong and they were roaring at each other, what if Godzilla inseminated Kong at that moment and that’s why they were screaming?

User avatar
LegendZilla
Sazer
Posts: 10355
Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2013 3:57 am
Location: British Columbia, Canada

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by LegendZilla »

Mac Daddy MM wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 12:29 pm I don't see Negan's name being dropped enough in here, even if just for the Walking Dead TV show. His introduction and war arcs are top, and his portrayal by JDM is amazing. And while his redemption was also top tier, following the comics, he was an absolute monster of a villian for Seasons 7 and 8, and his presence felt before he even made his actual debut in Season 6.

"I am Negan."

Image
When we first met him, he seemed like the most insufferable character imaginable. Now he's gone a complete 180 degree turn.

User avatar
ShinGojira14
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5340
Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:08 pm
Location: Under the Wild Montana Skies

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by ShinGojira14 »

Mac Daddy MM wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 12:29 pm I don't see Negan's name being dropped enough in here, even if just for the Walking Dead TV show. His introduction and war arcs are top, and his portrayal by JDM is amazing. And while his redemption was also top tier, following the comics, he was an absolute monster of a villian for Seasons 7 and 8, and his presence felt before he even made his actual debut in Season 6.

"I am Negan."

Image
Alpha and The Whisperers were absolutely nothing compared to him and the Saviors.
"William Knifeman! AH! AH! AH!"

Resized ImageResized Image

User avatar
Mac Daddy MM
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5045
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:27 pm

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Mac Daddy MM »

ShinGojira14 wrote: Fri Dec 23, 2022 9:49 am
Mac Daddy MM wrote: Tue Dec 20, 2022 12:29 pm I don't see Negan's name being dropped enough in here, even if just for the Walking Dead TV show. His introduction and war arcs are top, and his portrayal by JDM is amazing. And while his redemption was also top tier, following the comics, he was an absolute monster of a villian for Seasons 7 and 8, and his presence felt before he even made his actual debut in Season 6.

"I am Negan."

Image
Alpha and The Whisperers were absolutely nothing compared to him and the Saviors.
Evidenced by the fact it was Negan who offed Alpha and ended the last of 'em.


Quote of the Year:
plasmabeam wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 3:03 am Hear me out on this. What if Godzilla is actually Suko’s father? In GvK when Godzilla defeated Kong and they were roaring at each other, what if Godzilla inseminated Kong at that moment and that’s why they were screaming?

User avatar
CamtheGodzillafan
E.S.P.Spy
Posts: 4063
Joined: Tue May 31, 2022 7:16 am
Location: Riding on the back of a sky shark
Contact:

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by CamtheGodzillafan »

It's a tie between 4:

Darth Vader
Alan Gabriel
General Grievous
Ultraman Belial
Image

User avatar
Gojira1604
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 1169
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:38 pm

Re: Who is your favorite villain?

Post by Gojira1604 »

New Favorites, Many from Star Trek:
The Dominion
Image

These guys carried most of the DS9 show as a threat that really had everything. A perfect orderly caste system with a giant armada. Conniving, imposing numbers and resolve, and a sympathetic angle to them as well. It always felt kinda sad watching a Changeling get killed. Though they made for perfect infiltrators and puppet masters. A species blinded by their own mistrust of all other beings, one birthed of persecution which the show smartly demonstrated a few times on a smaller scale with Odo.
Then there's the Jem'Hadar soldiers and the Vorta overseers. Them being clones engineered to obey the Founders made it so that they were always an undoubtably dedicated force, a duo. The Vorta were always the more treacherous and callous ones, but they were never as despicable as the Cardassians for example as you understood it was their nature and couldn't be helped. The few episodes that explored their failure to grasp the concept of free will were very effective & again, made yah feel sorry for these bred into war slaves. Never made the Jemhadar or Vortas any less threatening or cool. Really the Vortas played the part of the Dominion's "managers" perfectly, especially Weyoun. Jeffrey Comb's performance was delightful and magnetic every single time. He played off the heroes, his Cardassian allies and his masters splendidly. Often it was downright fun. So, speaking of the Cardassians,
Spoiler:
also became part of the Dominion
, they were amazing too. Certainly more relatable than other members of the Dominion, they were a desperate people that truly embraced their ambitiousness at the cost of their own autonomy. They always looked cool next to the JemHadar. And they could be genuine scumbags at times that you loved to hate, none more than:

Gul Dukat
Image

The man who made the Dominion War arc possible, a conflict that pushed the heroic forces and people of the Federation to the brink and the hard reality of war. So much to say about him in particular. He changed a lot throughout his time yet at the same time did not. Always stayed a duplicitous person who even after so much (evil) that he had done could still almost convince you that he had, this time, really changed. For either the worse or the better. Some have described him as an egotist that believed his own lies and I think I agree. Still, he demonstrated a lot of passion in is beliefs and his dedication to his goals, even if they switched from wanting his people to take all they once had and rule the galaxy to his then dedication to the Pah'Wraith spirits. The latter was pretty fun. Lastly, I'll mention the Breen aliens. They were pretty cool and mysterious throughout, really like the design and sounds they made. Helped the Dominion stay fresh (as opposed to stale? which would kind of undermine my previous praise of them lol). "The (literal) changing face of evil". By the end of the show I was worried for The Female Founder and Weyoun as by that point I'd grown attached to them.

Will honorably mention The Borg from TNG, specifically Locutus. A highlight of the show and the episodes always key to revisit on rewatches. They are creepy, the ultimate authoritarian force yet not a conventional empire. Yet they really only had one motivation, as big a threat as that goal represented to, all life. Picard becoming Locutus is of course maybe the greatest cliffhanger of all time and maybe a small reason as to why the Borg weren't as threatening later on. It was impossible to top that. Saw the first episode with them in Voyager recently though and it filled me with those same feelings from their first appearances in TNG just hearing their voices.
Image
Last edited by Gojira1604 on Sun Dec 25, 2022 6:06 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Post Reply