I’m a big fan of Burn Notice (on the USA network) and recently they ran a best villains marathon. This got me pondering “Who are my favorite villains and why?” I considered all genres and all sources; books, TV, movies, games, comics, etc. Well, after a while, I came up with a short list. These are not ranked in any fashion and in no particular order.

Magneto (Marvel Universe)

Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Benjamin Linus (Lost)

Scorpious (Farscape)

The Joker (DC Universe)

Now comes the question of why they made the list. Each of these villains is a complicated, three dimensional person. Each feels as though they do what they do for some greater good. Whether it is to save their loved ones, their ideals, their people, their planet or the galaxy, each bad guy does what others may consider evil simply to protect something they consider very important. And to that end, each villain will do whatever it takes to secure that protection. Even the Joker believes that he is an agent of Chaos and therefore he must destroy Order and Law in order to bring everyone into the Truth of the Chaos that rules reality. (madness will to that to you)

If fact, the cold, cruel ideology that ‘the ends justifies the means’ is precisely what makes each of these people the villain in their respective stories. They don’t do evil things just for the sake of doing evil things. But their ideals and methods are not what most would consider good or honorable, or even just. They are all often cold, merciless, efficient, practical, and above all, very intelligent. These aspects are what makes these characters the antagonists that I love to hate.

Now, I realize some of my choices may be considered by some as a tad cliché, but that doesn’t mean that their place on my list isn’t justified. I’m sure that if I put more time and thought into it, I could come up with quite a few even better examples of great villains. And I’m willing to hear your list of favorite villains and why you chose them.  Bring ‘em on!

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