Best Villain

[BAYLOR]

Darth Vader
Agent Smith (Matrix)
Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter BOOKS)
Milo Minderbinder (Catch-22)
The Mayor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Lex Luthor (despite some unfortunate live actor showings)

Great list all of them despicable. The one Hated on that list the most Is Milo Minderbender I so wanted to see him in front of a firing squad. Actually I hated ever character in Catch 22.

 

[Droflet]

I had a debate about this some years ago. The villain most overlooked is Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in Die Hard. Surely he's a contender?

 

[Chris Guillory]

The Operative - Serenity
Viscous - Cowboy Bebop
Jubal Eary - Firefly
+1 Sephiroth - FFVII
General Hummel - The Rock
Darken Rahl - Wizard's First Rule

 

[Chris Guillory]

ALIEN Queen - Aliens
Predator
T-800- Terminator
Boba Fett - Star...something
Kahn - Star...other something

 

[galanx]

One of the best-imagined sf/f villains in my reading experience is Wither, the deputy director of the NICE, in C. S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength. He's just back from Davos....

Coupled with Mr. Frost....

 

[Heather Myst]

Here is a pleasant trio:

Master Poisoner Castor Morveer
Torturer Sand dan Glokta
Dream Walker Emperor Jagang

 

[SilentRoamer]

So here are my thoughts:

Vader is the obvious villain that springs to mind in film. The eponymous mask, heavy breathing and menacing presence.

Abercrombies Sand dan Glokta is a fantastic villain - because he makes you sympathise with him, then proceeds to remove somebodies fingertips....

Baron Harkonnen is a great villain in Dune and persists even into Children of Dune.

Somebody mentioned The Shrike but I always saw the Shrike as an inescapable force of nature rather than a motivated villain.

 

[Chris Guillory]

Here is a pleasant trio:

Master Poisoner Castor Morveer
Torturer Sand dan Glokta
Dream Walker Emperor Jagang

Was Sand dan Glokta a villain? Just as I was typing that question, I thought yes, and further, who in that series was NOT a terrific villain at some point? Besides West and his sister?

 

[MemoryTale]

For the Final Fantasy villains, I've always preferred Kefka to Sephiroth. Many more memorable lines, plus he actually won... Kinda.

My favourite villains by media:

Book - Petyr Baelish, AKA Littlefinger - A Song of Ice and Fire
Movie - Magneto, the X-men franchise. Either actor.
TV - Sutekh, Dr. Who
Game - Gaius, Tales of Xillia.

 

[Ajid]

I Guess villain is a broad term.

Ina a controversial move, to avoid spoilers, I'd say "Elethiomel" The use of weapons because of ... Well it would add spoilers.

I was thinking the Shrike from hyperion but not really a true "Villain" in my book.

From TV or movies I'd have to say, and I know this will be unpopular, that despite some awful episodes and writing the actors portrayel of Gul Dukat always made me think he was a fatastic villain.

I guess that I like a villain that has a such a distorted and twisted view of the world that in they think they're the hero.

The ultimate though has to be Dick Dastardly.

 

[reiver33]

Mr Morden (B5) - an abject lesson in what you want isn't what you need

 

[Ajid]

Mr Morden (B5) - an abject lesson in what you want isn't what you need

I have always been a little uneasy of approaching shadows.

 

[Droflet]

Bester: B5. For tv.

 

[BAYLOR]

The T 1000

 

[BAYLOR]

Bester: B5. For tv.

I loved Bester , Walter Koenig was truly magnificent in the role.

 

[Chris Guillory]

The T 1000

I'd even go as far as to say Robert Patrick in general!

 

[BAYLOR]

I'd even go as far as to say Robert Patrick in general!

He was incredibly menacing and scary in that role. He really is a wonderful actor .

 

[thaddeus6th]

Gul Dukat was an excellent chap.

 

[svalbard]

Was Sand dan Glokta a villain? Just as I was typing that question, I thought yes, and further, who in that series was NOT a terrific villain at some point? Besides West and his sister?

Was he a villain though? He started out as one, but that changed. How about a conflicted protagonist do or even a tortured one?

 

[BigBadBob141]

Can't think of any villains off the top of my head.
But I would just like to say that the worse the villain the stickyer his/her ending should be for a satisfying ending.
Or if they do get away they should re-appear in a later book and get their cumuppence there.
Come to think of it in "Dr No" by Ian Fleming, he gets buried alive under a huge pile of guano (dried bird poo), what away to go!!!
This may sound vengeful of me but in real life this very rarely happens, just look at Idi Amin & Pol Pot to name a few.