Who would have guessed that Sparkler Coffinmaker has a dark side? In this post, Coffinmaker shares his Best Villains List. Enjoy! —SparkNotes Editors
I don’t know why, but I love bad guys. It probably started with Star Wars; I thought the stormtroopers in their white jumpsuits and no-nonsense helmets with frowny-mouths looked way cooler than the Rebels and their doofy headgear. I mean, really, what are they wearing, half of an oversized, yogurt-covered peanut?
More than the bad guys, even, I love the bad guy. Villains are so, so, so bad. Like, cool bad. I'm sure some of you share my affection for evildoers, and so I have compiled a list of the top villains of all time. I'm not going to number them because of all the controversy that might entail, but here they are:
Sauron (from Lord of the Rings)
Even though he’s seen sparsely in the movie and isn’t seen at all in the books, I got the feeling that this villain was a real people person. I mean, you’d have to be, to get hordes and hordes of orcs to follow you, right? Extra points for being a disembodied, fiery eye, and for being 11 feet tall in the prologue of the Fellowship of the Ring. Anybody who’s 11 feet tall is a great villain in my book.
What really seals the deal for Sauron is the elvish butt-kicking he did in the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring. Remember that? He makes the list for all those elves that went flying when he swung his mace.
Darth Vader
When I think "villain," I think Darth Vader. The mask, the lightsaber, the height—he’s no 11-foot Sauron, but he’s still cool. Also, the fact that he has such an elaborate backstory—growing up, falling in love—makes him a well-rounded character in the audience's eyes. A villain is ten times better when he has interesting origins.
Vader loses points for turning good in the end, but he still makes the list. Bonus points because no villain has ever been parodied as many times as Anakin Skywalker.
Agent Smith (of The Matrix)
Hugo Weaving played this guy better than any other actor could have. He gets points for talking in a cool monotone ("You hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability"), exactly how I imagine a computer program should talk. Plus, the way he kicks butt throughout the film is so suspenseful that it had me chewing on my popcorn and my nails.
Count Dracula
Dracula’s cool because he’s cautious. Whereas most villains lose because they aim too high or are overconfident, Dracula knows when he’s met his match, and tries to get back to Castle Dracula. The fact that he has more powers than Van Helsing could count on his fingers gives him points, and the way he nearly turns both of the leading females into vampires for eternity also counts for something.
Plus, you have to take into account all the quotes attributed to him, even though he actually never said them in the book: "Good evening," and, "I vant to suck your blood."
Did Coffinmaker miss any of your favorite villains? Expound below!
By: Contributor
Topics: Life
Tags: sparkler posts, movies, villains
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