Your favorite type of villian?
- Thread starter inFAMOUSCowZ
- Start date
I got much the same impression from Moriarty in Sherlock, the miniseries from last year. Cold, calculating and ruthless to a fault, but in conversation he gives off the impression that beneath the chill exterior he's a raving madman.freakyalex said:
Depends on the show. differenet things work depending on different circumstances.
My problem with the psychos is that they are often such a local threat. While they can be scary and dangerous, they rarely tend to be acting in a group and often are incapable of any real long term plans. As such I think they can be quite good at getting me to be afriad of them, or to hate them, but never to think they are an interesting character.
My favourite type of villian is the bad guy who deals with an idealogy that is, in some ways attractive. He won't be snarling all the time and raping left right and centre but will give reasons for his actions. He will be capable of eating dinner with his family and his wife will genuienly love him. But what he actually does is evil and to a certain extent the villian recognises it but is unable to stop doing it due to his own moral convictions that this is right. So he develops a sense of hatred towards himself which adds to him by making his character feel much more realistic. Yes he needs to be stopped , but a small part of you asks "Is he really?"
Sorry that was rambling and not well thought out.
My problem with the psychos is that they are often such a local threat. While they can be scary and dangerous, they rarely tend to be acting in a group and often are incapable of any real long term plans. As such I think they can be quite good at getting me to be afriad of them, or to hate them, but never to think they are an interesting character.
My favourite type of villian is the bad guy who deals with an idealogy that is, in some ways attractive. He won't be snarling all the time and raping left right and centre but will give reasons for his actions. He will be capable of eating dinner with his family and his wife will genuienly love him. But what he actually does is evil and to a certain extent the villian recognises it but is unable to stop doing it due to his own moral convictions that this is right. So he develops a sense of hatred towards himself which adds to him by making his character feel much more realistic. Yes he needs to be stopped , but a small part of you asks "Is he really?"
Sorry that was rambling and not well thought out.
I agree fully with OP, the more complex and morally ambiguous villains are the best, they are more believable and thus more relevant. These kind of villains are far more common in Anime, than in western stories, adding to one of te reasons to why i love Anime.
This favorite type of villain is followed by the funny (and usually not very successful) villains. Finally, the theatrical Villains are always fun (3rd place).
This favorite type of villain is followed by the funny (and usually not very successful) villains. Finally, the theatrical Villains are always fun (3rd place).
My god, how true this is.Irony said:
I spent 9 hours straight at a weekend once.
OT: I tend to like black and black, grey and black, or grey and grey morality, so...
I like when the villain has some sort of history with the protagonist, or at least the deuteragonist or the tritagonist.
But I also love when the real villain is behind the scenes, letting everything play itself out before making their move. For example, in the story I started working on today, the Dark King, Edinias, was once the pupil of Chriamus, a wise Mage. Chriamus, meanwhile, was once the best friend of the Wretched Mage, Durzon. Hoping to overpower his former mentor, Edinias has summoned Durzon from beyond the Forbidden Plane, and agrees to allow Durzon to raise an army of demons. When he is finally able to confront his mentor, he has his demons strike him down, afraid of him. As a last resort, Chriamus orders his newest student, Tailis, to enter the Dark King's service. The King kills her, and brings her back as a Wretched (a human with a demon sealed into their soul). Over time, Tailis secretly recovers the corpses of Chriamus's other five students, and brings them back as the Black Hand, and plans to bring down the Dark King. While all of this is happening, the Venori (a Mage family living in a floating citadel[the entire world is steampunk, by the way]) are behind the scenes, watching as their newest member(although she does not know she is a member) directly, and indirectly, eliminates all of their enemies.
But I also love when the real villain is behind the scenes, letting everything play itself out before making their move. For example, in the story I started working on today, the Dark King, Edinias, was once the pupil of Chriamus, a wise Mage. Chriamus, meanwhile, was once the best friend of the Wretched Mage, Durzon. Hoping to overpower his former mentor, Edinias has summoned Durzon from beyond the Forbidden Plane, and agrees to allow Durzon to raise an army of demons. When he is finally able to confront his mentor, he has his demons strike him down, afraid of him. As a last resort, Chriamus orders his newest student, Tailis, to enter the Dark King's service. The King kills her, and brings her back as a Wretched (a human with a demon sealed into their soul). Over time, Tailis secretly recovers the corpses of Chriamus's other five students, and brings them back as the Black Hand, and plans to bring down the Dark King. While all of this is happening, the Venori (a Mage family living in a floating citadel[the entire world is steampunk, by the way]) are behind the scenes, watching as their newest member(although she does not know she is a member) directly, and indirectly, eliminates all of their enemies.
Seconded. I'm fond of the clever assassin villain as well.Jedoro said:
And seconded. Both of these are a tie in first for my favorites. There's actually a 3 way tie, the hard-boiled noir type (Sometimes a hard archetype to find.) can be pulled off. Mona from Max Payne would be an example of this, if you ask me.370999 said:
I like cunning villains who have a psychopathic side and have a long running relationship with the main antagonist. The only character I have encountered like this is Achilles from the Ender's Shadow series.
I like people who perform evil because it is for (at least in their opinion) the betterment of everyone. TV Tropes calls it Well Intentioned Extremist.
The crazy powerful type that does horrifying things and has techniques that can intimidate even the hero, basically the worst case scenario. I like ém because when they finally get their cummuffins it is really satisfying.
Like these pricks:
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3900000/Carnage-spider-man-3979267-1024-768.jpg
http://images.saiyanisland.com/data/529/Orochimaru.jpg
http://www.sinopenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/general_grievous.jpg
Like these pricks:
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3900000/Carnage-spider-man-3979267-1024-768.jpg
http://images.saiyanisland.com/data/529/Orochimaru.jpg
http://www.sinopenn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/general_grievous.jpg
I like villains that can follow this: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EvilOverlordList
Sadly, none such exist...
Sadly, none such exist...
Smeagol, maybe?
No, stop. Not the barber from High Plains Drifter shouting "Gollum! Gollum!" at his reflection. I don't know how he got onto the set or why they left him in the film, but no. Not him.
Read the book. Him.
I think my favourite type of villain is the one who's only a villain because you're seeing the story from a particular point of view. If we can have anti-heroes, maybe I'm talking about an anti-villain.
No, stop. Not the barber from High Plains Drifter shouting "Gollum! Gollum!" at his reflection. I don't know how he got onto the set or why they left him in the film, but no. Not him.
And so Gollum found them hours later, when he returned, crawling and creeping down the path out of the gloom ahead. Sam sat propped against the stone, his head dropping sideways and his breathing heavy. In his lap lay Frodo's head, drowned deep in sleep; upon his white forehead lay one of Sam's hands, and the other lay softly upon his master's breast. Peace was in both their faces. Gollum looked at them. A strange expression passed over his lean hungry face. The gleam faded from his eyes, and they went dim and grey, old and tired. A spasm of pain seemed to twist him, and he turned away, peering back up towards the pass, shaking his head, as if engaged in some interior debate. Then he came back, and slowly putting out a trembling hand, very cautiously he touched Frodo's knee - but almost the touch was a caress. For a fleeting moment, could one of the sleepers have seen him, they would have thought that that they beheld an old weary hobbit, shrunken by the years that had carried him far beyond his time, beyond friends and kin, and the fields and streams of youth, an old starved pitiable thing.
Read the book. Him.
I think my favourite type of villain is the one who's only a villain because you're seeing the story from a particular point of view. If we can have anti-heroes, maybe I'm talking about an anti-villain.
My favourite villains are ones that are actually heroes but know that they have to be the villain for the greater good and that nobody else will ever know the truth. For instance The Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3 or Lelouch in season 2 of Code Geass.
When ever I talk to people about Star Wars they never believe me when I tell them that Grievous is awesome. As most of them have only seen the movies or the second animated clone wars show.Nazulu said: