Science Fiction and Fantasy books and films are loaded with wonderful characters. Some of those characters, despite being villains, have followings just as big as the heroes of sci-fi and fantasy do. In fact, a few of them are more popular than their golden boy adversaries. Here's a list of just a few of the greatest bad guys in the universe. I hope you enjoy it.
Technically he dies as a good guy, but before Anakin went all father figurely on the Emperor, he was the most feared Sith in the galaxy. Darth Vader is quite possibly the most famous fictional villain in all of film and literature.
Without the Daleks, Doctor Who would just be the tale of a guy bouncing around in a blue box doing good deeds. The Daleks want total domination of time and space, and will stop at nothing to get it. They are the Doctor's greatest enemy and have struck fear into the hearts of many people despite looking like bloated pepper pots!
Let's see, she tricks children with Turkish delight, freezes anyone who goes against her, manages to kill the one unifying being in all of Narnia, and, despite said being's return from death, still picks another fight with him! I'd say that ranks Jadis as one bad mamma-jamma!
He's the ever-living embodiment of evil and he can't stand the Thundercats! Mumm-ra was always one step behind Lion-O and company, but that never stopped him from trying to defeat them!
They've received plenty of upgrades and have been stopped by the Doctor dozens of times over the years, but one thing is for sure: The Cybermen always come back! They are my all-time favorite Doctor Who enemies.
Jango's boy grabbed just about as much attention from Star Wars fans with his few minutes of screen time as did more prominent characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo. The character would go on to be given more screen time when the original films were re-released and a backstory via the prequels. He's my favorite Star Wars baddie.
While the Star Trek franchise has had its fair amount of bad guys, none of them come even close to Khan. He is without a doubt the single baddest dude in the Star Trek universe.
You've all heard the story before. A creepy kid with amazing abilities has delusions of grandeur and soon enough, he's hiding bits of his soul in horcruxes and running a gang of baddies that call themselves Deatheaters. He dubs himself a lord although there is no apparent need to and then decides to take out the one kid who somehow manages to survive what should have been a fatal attack. Who's the creep kid this time around? Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort!
When I was a youngster and The Wizard of Oz came on television, I was scared to death of the Wicked Witch of the West. While her name suggests a penchant for alliteration, it seems the Wicked Witch was interested in nothing more than avenging her sister's untimely death by the time Dorothy literally drops into the merry ol' land of Oz!
Few bad guys have scared the living daylights out of me as did Calibos from the original 1981 version of Clash of the Titans. Punished for basically ticking off Zeus and being an all around bad guy, Calibos goes after Perseus for revenge.
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rbuchananAugust 10, 2011
Among villains, Mumm-Ra's persona is unique, wholly defined by perpetual nervous breakdown.
Nice idea for a list. I LOVE the Wicked Witch. She and the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion are my favorite characters. And don't forget that the Wicked Witch wasn't just interested in revenge, she was all about those ruby slippers too!
Yes the baddies are often the most fun part of the movies, what would Rocky Horror be without Frank N. Furter. I love the Daleks, even though they are the bad guys I find them so funny, most of the time they have reduced their entire vocbulary to one word - EXTERMINATE !!!!
Awesome, awesome list. You've got some sci-fi, some fantasy, and some truly memorable characters. Where's Gollum though?
kfontenotDecember 01, 2010
I debated on whether or not to put Gollum on this list. I finally decided that he was just too pitiful of a little guy to add him to a list of great bad guys. Maybe I'll make another list featuring good guys who make bad decisions!
Despite looking extremely cool, I have to admit that I'm a dork. I grew up on the outskirts of the small town of Oberlin, LA. I have since relocated to the Lake Charles, LA area.I love my home state … more