Favourite villains

This time we had to give in to the rules and have 12 villains because we just could not decide! Of course we also explain why we think they make great villains. You can't have good villains without the other characters being interesting, that would simply be wasting a good villain (case in point The Dark Knight). 

1. Knives from Trigun. We're telling you, this show is not regular anime. He is the most hatefully despicable coward. Probably the best thing about him is that you do love to hate him but he's still somehow pitiful; such a great and complex person. Would he be as heinous though if the protagonist wasn't the kindest character ever? We don't know, but we love the fact that Knives is so contemptible.

2. Max Cady from Cape Fear. He's by far the scariest man ever. When people say that Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men is scary, they have clearly never seen the original Cape Fear. Robert Mitchum is the most unnerving actor ever. He made me almost wet my pants. I was 21, so yeah, he's freaking scary.

3. Owen Crawford from Taken. He's possibly the most interesting one on this list. Amazingly good at lying and cheating. He's very believable, we're certain there are leaders like him. He does not deter from his cause.

4. Mr. Skimpole from Bleak House. This man's a leech. He will suck you dry until there's nothing left. The most abhorrent thing about him is the facade he puts up, which is the pretense of idiocy. We hate this man with a passion.

5. Norman Bates from Psycho. We should make it clear that he's not on this list because of the famous last minutes of the film, but it's his mask of normalcy which freaks us out the most (if living with one's mom at that age can be called normal....) He's very unsettling. We couldn't sleep after watching this the first time.

6. Darth Vader from The Star Wars-trilogy. "I find your lack of faith disturbing." We rest our case. Dum-dum-dum-dum-du-dum-dum-du-dum. Ah, Darth Vader.

7. Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He's the most developed and intriguing Disney villain. He's a disgusting old hypocrite, and we love every bit of him. Also, Frollo has hands down the best villain song in the history of villain songs.

8. Kilgrave from Jessica Jones. First of all, he has the most interesting superpower anyone could have. He's simultaneously so creepy/rapey yet charming - it's just wrong! Much like Knives, inside he is a child who never grew up. By far the best damn villain we've seen in any Western superhero outing. Also the character design is flawless. Plus, David Tennant.

 

9. Hans Gruber from Die Hard. He's such a delight. He's so likable and suave that you almost root for him. The interaction between him and John McClane is pretty legendary.

10. Mr. Sheldrake from The Apartment. He's the king of douchebags. He's the same as Knives: his actions hurt someone very vulnerable and he knows it and uses it to his advantage. Grrrrrrrr!

11. Harry Powell from Night of the Hunter. This is probably the most groundbreaking villain on this list. When you hear him whistling from afar or see him standing under that lamp post you shiver from terror. Two of the most horrifying scenes in film history.

12. Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. He's a narcissistic jerk. His IQ must be lower than 70. The reason we think he's interesting is because he doesn't want Belle for physical reasons or pleasure (although we're sure that would be a perk for that misogynist) but to show her off as some kind of a hunting trophy.