Tags
baroness emma orczy, brian jacques, c.s. lewis, castaways of the flying dutchman, disney, disney fairies, j.m. barrie, j.r.r. tolkien, lord of the rings, peter pan, redwall, return to neverland, secret of the wings, star wars, the chronicles of narnia, the clone wars, the pirate fairy, the scarlet pimpernel
Hello, and welcome to another list! This time, we are discussing the Top Ten Villains who Made an Impression on Me.
I mentioned in my TCWT post that I was thinking of posting this. Well, here it is, realized. ๐
- Tash, The Last Battle, The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. Basically the demonic opposite of Aslan, Tash was a four-armed beast with a vulture’s head and demanded human sacrifice of his worshipers.ย Honestly, if Tash was not the father of lies (and desensitization), who’d want to serve him?
- Darth Sidious,ย The Return of the Jedi, Star Wars. Was there ever any quibbling? This villain is something of an archetype, but oh Force, he pulls it off with charisma. Darth Sidious made an impression on me, mostly because he was THE villain, back in the day when I was wide-eyed and clutching my teddy bear as I watched The Return of the Jedi for the first time. I mean, most villains want the hero dead. Sidious wanted Luke’s soul. How creepy is that?!
- Gabrielle Damien (Mademoiselle Guillotine), A&E’s Scarlet Pimpernel trilogy, based on the books by Baroness Orczy. Both blatant and shockingly vile, Mademoiselle Guillotine has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. What earns her a place on this list, though, is her hatred for Catholicism and disrespect for the sacred, coupled with her utter disregard for human life or dignity. Surprisingly enough, Damien was shot by the series’ main villain, which redeemed him, slightly, in my eyes. (That alone should tell you exactly what I think of Damien.)
- Maguda Razan, The Angel’s Command, Castaways of the Flying Dutchman trilogy, by Brian Jacques. She was a sort of mafia-boss-slash-mother-of-evil-slash-abomination. Think Sidious’ insanity crossed with the White Witch and then throw in a splash of Tash, and you have Maguda Razan. She kidnapped Ben basically because she wanted to feed off of his nightmares and the memories of his time on the Flying Dutchman years before.
- Shift, Ginger, and Rishta Tarkaan, The Last Battle, Narnia. Shift and his cadre of liars made a special impression on me. I was as enraged by their deceptions as the heroes of the story were (after reading the book, I had a dream where I was chasing Shift through Narnia, walloping him with a frying pan. I have counted it as one of my sweetest ever.) Their respective, well-deserved deaths (claimed by Tash, losing the power of speech, and claimed by Tash) were received by me with vindictive feelings of justification.
- The White Witch, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Narnia. The White Witch was a conniving deceiver, and I still think she hasn’t been portrayed correctly on screen. In the old BBC movies, she looked overdone (though that’s due to the style of the times), and her acting seemed overly dramatic. However, she was the better of the two portrayals, in my opinion. (Those movies also had the perfect Peter, too… *sigh* In fact, all of the Pevensies, Jill, and Eustace were perfectly casted. It’s the costume design and the special effects that I have problems with.) The White Witch in the new movies seems a bit too exotic for the role. (I have not seen the new movies. But from what I have seen, this is what I think.)
- Moriarty, Sherlock, based on the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is one of those generic villains who wanted the hero dead in the original. However, his intellect earned him a spot on this list even before the BBC series. Andrew Scott’s acting brings the character of Moriarty to new levels; from mere brilliant criminal mastermind, he goes to total insane psychopath, playing a game against Sherlock. The biggest difference between Moriarty and Sherlock is that Sherlock has a reason to live, while Moriarty is “bored” by life, and his only reason to live is to play the game. (Also, is he coming back in Season Four?!)
- Cluny the Scourge, Redwall. He was the Redwall villain. He made a big impression on me mostly because he was almost like an orc only he was a rat, and I was eleven, I think. It was the more kid-friendly version of orcs, actually. ๐
- Grima Wormtongue, The Two Towers, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Sauruman was an also-ran, competing for this spot, but though he managed to nearly permanently wreck the Shire, it was Wormtongue I felt made the bigger impression. There’s something in the human psyche that despises a truth-twister, and as a truth-twister Wormtongue definitely qualifies.
- Captain Hook, Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie. There was no way I was going to leave the number one villain of childhood off this list. (Sid, aka The Destructive Kid Next Door, from Toy Story was the only other person I’d consider for this spot, and he comes nowhere near to what I felt from Hook.) Hook was scary. He wanted to kill Peter. He was able to use Peter’s cockiness against him. That’s what I liked about him as a kid.
Pros as a teenager/young adult: Hook is the most sympathetic villain you will come across in children’s literature. He is wonderfully fleshed out, and even has more backstory than Peter, though parts of his past are shrouded in mystery. Since Peter symbolizes the innocence and wonder of childhood (in my fanfiction re-telling ofย Peter Pan I go so far as make him a metaphor for fairytales and the far reaches of the imagination,) Hook thus symbolically, by extension, wants to do away with the innocence and wonder and imagination of childhood. Yet he still feels bad about it! (“No little children to love me.”)
And last but not least, for a word about Hook in The Pirate Fairy. In my opinion, Hook (played by Tom Hiddleston) was the best part of The Pirate Fairy. Without him, it would have been just another Disney fairy movie, (No offense, Secret of the Wings), with its corresponding message of “follow your heart”, “believe in yourself”, and “have faith” (well, scratch that last one, it’s actually from Return to Neverland.) IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE IN ALL THE WORLD WHO WANTS TO SEE A REMAKE OF Peter Pan, only with Hiddleston as Hook and Asa Butterfield as Peter?! (And a properly vindictive Tinker Bell, from which Disney has recently strayed?!)
Anyway, Tom Hiddleston played a thoroughly entrancing Hook, making us feel like he was a good guy who’d fallen in with bad companions, until the turn-about near the end, when he shocked us by the fact that, though he is able to believe enough to fly (grown-ups flying is still really nausea-inducing for me, unless it’s the Return to Neverland version of Wendy; in my opinion, it detracts from the mystique it should have–Disney, please do your research!), he is the mastermind of the pirates’ plan.
The other thing I’d love to see with Hook would have to be a story where he ends up helping Peter, Wendy, Michael, John and the Lost Boys to save Neverland (or helps Wendy, Michael, John, and the Lost Boys to rescue Pan.) Actually, this is the plot of the latter part of the retelling I’m working on, though it would be nice to see other people’s takes on it as well. ๐ - Captain/Admiral/Grand Moff Tarkin, Star Wars. No, actually, there is no number eleven. ๐ Tarkin is just the runner up. As is everyone else after him on the list. Tarkin struck me as evil because he’s a sociopath who doesn’t care who gets in his way, and he will stop at nothing to see the Jedi removed from military service (mainly because of their MORALS, which is vile in the extreme,) and vilified as well, if possible. Tarkin is a good example of why, after the Clone Wars began, for the Jedi there was really no good way out. They are keepers of the peace, not soldiers, as Master Windu explains, but once they’ve begun as a part of the fighting, they are no longer able to withdraw, due to people like Tarkin, who would gladly perpetrate all kinds of atrocities if the Jedi were to leave the field of war. Also, the war has horrible effects on their young (Ahsoka Tano’s inability to relax, for one, and Barriss Offee’s fall for another), and not just on their young: Pong Krell, a full Jedi Knight, is allured by the power the Dark Side offers and falls. (In fact, Obi-Wan and Anakin’s journey is actually a microcosmic allegory for what is happening to the Jedi as a whole. Ever since Qui-Gon’s death, Obi-Wan has been doomed to failure with Anakin by both his own promise to train Anakin and his [often conflicting] oath to serve the Republic and Jedi Order. Obi-Wan’s unwillingness to talk about his emotions, furthered by Anakin’s tendency to throw it back into his face when he summoned up the guts to do so, exacerbated the problem, sending them, inextricably linked, in a downward spiral, which ended with Anakin’s fall, which wounded Obi-Wan in a way that he never recovered from. Similar things happened with the Jedi Order and the crippled, failing Republic.)
- Pong Krell, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Yes, most of my villains are from Star Wars or Narnia, I’m well aware. -_- This guy is the reason why the Jedi were vilified in the latter years of the Clone Wars. As explained above, he sold out his loyalties to the Republic and Jedi Order in the hopes of gaining a place in what he believed to be Dooku’s “New Order”. In the process, a bunch of clones were murdered, including Waxer, the trooper who befriended the little girl (Numa) back in Season One. (I am still in shock from Waxer’s death. And it’s been almost two full seasons since Umbara!) Umbara was an attempt on the Clone Wars writers’ part to show the darker side of war, and was the first incident of friendly fire actually shown on the Clone Wars. Man, did they nail the story. :’-( (I totally wanted to see Obi-Wan finding out about Krell’s treason and come and fight him and be incredibly awesome and do some tail-kicking, but it didn’t happen, and I guess the episode was more effective this way. However, there was a darker side to the clones taking Krell down; they proved that clones could, in fact, defeat Force Users, even those of dubious alignment.)
- Sauruman. He laid waste to the Shire, desecrating something we held sacred. And he was killed by Wormtongue, partially redeeming the Rohan traitor.
So, there’s my list of Top Ten Villains who made an impression along with three runner-ups. (Sorry Dooku did not make it onto the list, he’s awesome and I love to write him, but he didn’t make nearly the impression on me that even Cluny did.) I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading, and God Bless!
You have good taste in villains. Though I don’t think any of the characters listed here can even touch the Dragon from Goldstone Wood. Creepiest. Villain. Ever.
I have not read Goldstone Wood…. so I can’t say. Still… These are the best in my mind. ๐
Go read Goldstone Wood! Though I think I’ve told you that before.
I think you have. ๐
I understand the LOTR and C.S. Lewis onesโdefinitely some baddies there. Beyond that, I’m afraid I can’t say, but oh well. A good villain is a good villain, no matter what.
Indeed. Some of these people I doubt that anyone else knows much…
Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. I’d put Hannibal Lecter in but he was kind of an antihero.
Ledger was so amazing that he turned what would otherwise have been a decent movie into a classic, and one of only two superhero movies (along with “The Incredibles”) to ever win a major Oscar.
For that matter, Syndrome was great too.
YEEESSSSS!!!!! Finally someone who agrees with me!!! I was so gutted when he died! He was such a good Joker.
But… Syndrome?
Absolutely. They had a lot of ways to go cliche but instead they took the type of character normally used for comic relief – “I was your biggest fan and now am your worst enemy!” – and turned him into a ruthless evil mastermind. His backstory could have ended making him a rather silly figure, but instead it just made him scarier when you realized how insane he had to be to let that event affect him that much.
It’s just… the hair. There’s an old photo of me hanging upside down on monkeybars with my hair like that. I can’t take him seriously.
Don’t knock the hair, man. You just wish you could pull that off.
I just said I did. I mean… and he monologues. And two angsty kids get the better of him. Twice. And a baby.
Jack-Jack kicks his tail. ^_^
*head desk*
Awww! :-3 That sounds so cute… *ahem* *looks around to see if anyone was watching*
Yeah, BUT JACK-JACK RIPS HIS HAIR OUT >:-D
Back in ’06 when it came out, I didn’t know how corny it sort of was, and he was really scary to me… Especially SPOILER ALERT when he tries to kidnap Jack-Jack. 0_0
But the monologueing is lampshaded in possibly my favorite line in any movie ever. And it’s less that the kids beat him and more about HOW. First he didn’t even realize they were there, and then he wasn’t totally clear on what Violet’s powers entailed. And Jak-Jak, again, took him completely by surprise.
We’re not talking about normal kids here. They are superheroes.
Jack-Jack took everybody by surprise. Including his parents.
And yeah, that’s a good point.
JACK-JACK RULES.
And he has a pretty good demented evil laugh, too. You can’t knock that.
YOU HAVEN’T SEEN “THE INCREDIBLES”?! *dies*
*confused* Of course I’ve seen it. You aren’t the only one blessed with kid siblings.
Oh. I was a bit confused. :-S
“The Incredibles” is so much more than a corny superhero movie, though. It brilliantly riffs on all of the most well-loved superhero tropes, it has great action scenes (it’s rare when I can watch a fight scene done in CGI and still think “Man, that was really cool”), and it’s arguably the most conservative movie made in perhaps the last 20 years or so.
“The Incredibles” is brilliant, and is probably in my top five movies period.
Hmm… yeah, I guess. (Watch How to Train Your Dragon.)
Okay.
HTTYD. Another great movie. ^_^
“Thank you for summing that up.”
I loved it. ^_^ For some reason, movies like “Wreck-it Ralph” and “The Incredibles” are more memorable than “Cars” or the princess or fairy movies. It’s probably the content, and the fact that the story in “Ralph” and “Incredibles” is so much more soul-satisfying. ^_^
Hmmm… so like what the Lego Movie was, a bit… It used about every last corny trope and yet came off brilliantly… If only I’d known what to look for.
“Wreck it Ralph” was cute, but it wasn’t as good as “The Incredibles”.
“Cars” was bleh. I intentionally avoided the sequel.
It wasn’t. “Incredibles” seems to have been a one-off, unfortunately ๐ฆ
I agree! My dad loved it, but I don’t like it much at all. If I ever watch it, I watch it just to listen to the soundtrack.
I think Pixar promised an “Incredibles” sequel, actually.
Bit late for that, isn’t it?
You’d think, right? But this was recent. http://screenrant.com/incredibles-2-cars-3-details/
Cars 3?! I thought Cars 2 killed the franchise already!?
Oh. Okay.
0_0
We should start a “Lightning is Dead” parody thing… just because… >:-D
Ehm… NVM.
๐
Indeed… I can’t wait to see HTTYD 2… hope it lives up to its original, like Kung Fu Panda 2 did…
I’m told by a friend who saw it in France that it is in fact better.
For one thing
Kijรฉ Hiccup is grown up a little and less weedy.I hope so!
Heehee, Rosalie is a fangirl! Rosalie is a fangirl! X-POf Hiccup? Well… let’s just say I sense another mind palace sketch coming on.
๐ I can’t wait to read it. ๐
You’ll have to. New stories go to the end of the queue. (Novels are in a separate queue altogether.)
Okay. ๐ I know the feeling…
Really? That’s exciting. I just hope they don’t screw it up!
Heath Ledger…. I don’t think I’ve seen that movie… who’s Hannibal Lecter?
“The Incredibles” is amazing. It deserves every award it gets. ๐
You’ve NEVER seen “The Dark Knight”? With Heath Leger as the Joker?
Scott’s Moriarty (which was excellent, by the way) was completely riffing off of Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker, and rightly so. One of the most compelling performances ever.
You’ve really never heard of Hannibal Lecter? Hello? “Silence of the Lambs”? The only horror movie ever to win a major Oscar (I believe several, in fact, though I may be wrong)?
Anthony Hopkins as Lecter gets sixteen minutes in the movie. His portrayal of the character was so compelling he won an Oscar for it and became one of the most famous villains/anti-heroes of all time. If you count him as a villain only Ledger’s Joker really comes close to him acting-wise.
Both of those movies are outstanding.
Never seen either of those movies, and don’t quite know what they’re about. They’re now on the “to be watched” list, though. If I can actually sit through a horror movie, that is… 0_0
My four year old sister is a fan of Batman and Wonder Woman, and I don’t know anything about either one… Figures. -_-
“Silence of the Lambs” is a mystery/psychological thriller/horror movie* about a female detective trying to find a kidnapper by interviewing a serial killer trapped in an insane asylum named Hannibal Lecter, nicknamed Hannibal the Cannibal…for obvious reasons.
“The Dark Knight” is a Batman movie featuring Heath Ledger as the Joker and some other guy nobody cares about as Two-Face, and is generally considered one of the best superhero movies of all time, mostly because of Heath Ledger, who played a thoroughly insane, compelling, and terrifying Joker. I highly, highly recommend both movies.
*Somebody I know argued that he didn’t think “Silence of the Lambs” should count as a horror movie. I argue that any movie that features a man using another person’s chewed off face as a mask is a horror movie. The viewer can decide.
Yikes. That does sound like a horror movie…
Anyway, I’m not sure if I’ll be allowed to watch them. I may be in college, but I’m living at home; what my parents say goes. ๐
She doesn’t think she’s… oh, never mind, Erin, go ask Raya to tell you all about it.
Oh. Okay. *wanders off obediently*
I just saw a clip from the Making-of-LotR thingy, and Legolas looked so sad… I just wanted to give him a great big hug. Poor elf.
Great list. I would like to add Mumra from Thundercats, a cartoon I loved as a kid in the 80s. No one will know or care who he is, but I feel better for having mentioned him ๐
I’ve actually talked to a couple of people who’ve watched Thundercats. ๐
Those are good people ๐
๐
Maguda Razan sounds cool! Maybe i should take the time to finish Angel’s command…
YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED READING “THE ANGEL’S COMMAND”!?
*wallops you about the head with a rolled-up newspaper* GO FINISH IT!!!
*grabs newspaper and throws it back at you*
No I haven’t, and I am incredibly busy! You may have to wait till Thanksgiving vacation so I have a good solid 4 days to read before having the satisfaction of learning of my finishing it.
*sigh* Fine… *grabs newspaper and whacks Anakin in the head with it for no reason* DOWN, BOY.
X-P
I loooove Moriarty and Captain Hook. I must say, Tom Hiddleston makes an amazing bad guy!! He’d be a good Moriarty…
Oh, but Tom Hiddleston would make an even better Holmes brother I think. ๐
i sure with that would happen!
ooooh, you’re right, he would! Sherlock does have another brother, right? I think someone said something about him being in the next season…he would be so awesome for that role!!!! ๐
What?! Sherlock has another brother? Where was that in ACD?
Umm…maybe that was just a rumor? I could have sworn someone told me he had another brother…
Hmmm…. It would be cool. Also, I can’t wait to find out what outlandish name they’ve thought up for him! *rubs hands together, grinning evilly* It had better be good! It has to measure up to “Sherlock” and “Mycroft”! ๐
They hinted at it in the last season finale, yes.
And they’ve been teasing about Tom Hiddleston playing him ever since.
I really think that would be awesome if he did! ๐
….. 0_0
?!
You can’t be serious!
Or.., oh no… what if you ARE?!
0_0 What a terrifying mental image… Still, I doubt he could beat Andrew Scott! (Did you watch the clips in the links? If not, please go watch it… you’ll see what I mean.)
Who…is Andrew Scott? *looks it up*
*fails as a fangirl*
…………
no idea what that means.
It’s sister. Sherlock and Mycroft have a sister.
Oh! Haha, I feel dumb. ๐ I read a kids book where they had a sister…was it Enola Holmes or something? Or maybe she was Sherlock’s niece? I don’t remember, but it was good!
Honestly, I don’t think I would really like that…
Yes! Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes books! (They aren’t kids books. More like teen-fic.)
okay… I still don’t know if I’d enjoy them.
*dies*
What? They do! I’ll send you a copy of the book to prove it if you’re not careful.
No, it’s just that I don’t remember…. wait. There’s no reference to a sister in Conan Doyle… are they bringing in a character from a fan’s work (authorized or not)? On the show, I mean.
Oh, I don’t know about the show, but there is a semi-authorized sister in the print world.
Ahhh… I think we may be mixing up the rumor of another Holmes sibling in the show with the already-written stories about Enola Holmes. (It would be substantiated, though, if we knew BBC had bought the rights to the Enola Holmes books, though they would probably alienate some fans if they included her–just an observation.)
Ohhhh… okay. Wait, there’s another ‘nother Holmes? (They haven’t – and you’re right, they would.)
I have no idea… I think it may be just a rumor. I sort of hope it is, because we met the Holmes parents already…
And if there’s another sibling it’s just like awk-ward.
Yeah! I mean, we already saw the Holmes parents and it was weird…. though I like them. It just seems as if they couldn’t be more different from their sons.
I’ll go along with Sids. And the Witch. (White, not Blue!) If you want more Hook backstory, read the sequel. (Geraldine McCaughrean! It’s so epic!)
Wait, Tarkin wanted to do what? Idiot.
Hey, add Cassius! I was at the Globe watching Julius Caesar today, and he’s a total freak.
Huh? Blue? What?!
I’m pretty sure I said “white…” Oh wait. let me guess. They made the White Witch’s dress blue in the new movie. >:-(
Cool!
And yes, he did. The jerk. (And I’m actually censoring myself there…)
I will have to check that out… *sigh*
Nooo… I was trying to specify that the Blue Witch is not a villain.
I’m confused. What fandom are we discussing!?
Ehem. Blue. Blue Witch. Witch. Saalisan. Does this help you at all?
OH. I thought you were talking about Chronicles of Narnia and I was thinking, “what?!”
Ah. I see the problem.
Yup. ๐ Nasriel isn’t evil. Naturally.
Naturally.
WHYYYYYYYYY DAVE FILONI!!! WHY DID BARRISS HAVE TO TURN EVIL!
I swear, it’s Barriss’ fall that is making me write all dark and creepy.
Go Barriss. The last few stories have been EXcellent.
now you’re starting to creep me out.
I posted a couple more on FF.n. And I’m working on a couple of one-shots. One which is Anakin-centered, focusing on how he’s always had two forces pulling on him (Obi-Wan is almost more of a force of nature than a character, at times, though he’s three-dimensional, UNLIKE Sidious…) Another one is kind of allegorical, about Obi-Wan going deaf. (I stole the idea from “A Tale of Two Cities,” though you probably wouldn’t be able to recognize it easily. Obi-Wan and Miss Pross are nothing alike.)
Aaand… there we go. Knew it was coming.
Umm… sounds… interesting? No, I can’t wait for the second one. (Anakin I can usually take or leave.)
Yeah… I keep on jumping from idea to idea. I know… :-S
I’m working on it… I don’t know what will be finished first. :-S
No, the “clear out, you’re creepy” bit.
Oh….
No, I don’t think you’re creepy. I think you just think things through a bit more than most people, and that sometimes leads to darkish trains of thought… and most people are disturbed when other people think. Bizarre, is it not?
No, it is. Because a lot of things happening in the world are dark. It is occupied territory, remember.
Yes, that’s true…
Of course Sids is super cool! I mean…not everyone can kill–what was it?–four Jedi at once? That was rather awesome, you know. Shift always scared me, too.
Nah… He was a sneaky no-good dunderhead. He’s not cool. He just makes me want to throw up.
Shift isn’t scary. He wants me want to bash in his skull with a Sidious.
But you’ve admitted he was kinda scary!
Scary? Maybe, but really sort of a one-dimensional character. Flat. What they call a “stock character” or a “stereotype.”
He only worked ’cause he was trying to turn everyone else evil too.
True. He has a cool red lightsaber though.
Yes, but it’s not exactly cool. More like fiery hot plasma… Can you imagine Sidious with poison ivy?! X-D It would be hilarious, if his language and appearance didn’t scar one for life.
Whoa, there, who are you saying has a red ‘saber? Not Sids, for sure.
Yup. Didn’t he drop both of his? X-D
Obi-Wan: *tosses the saber in Sidious’ face* Here. Next time you can pick up your own room.
I’d have nightmares for years! *laughing lots*
Yeah. Still, it’d be worth it, the guy is evil.
Yeah…but he’s my master….
He’s also obnoxious. *throws broccoli at Sidious’ head*
Ew!
Meh. ๐ It’s not even that disgusting. *throws slimy rotten spinach at Sidious’ head* >:-D
Double Ew!
Now THAT is ew! >:-D
Oh my goodness. So many of these. All the ones from Narnia. Moriarty. All the ones from Star Wars (and I realise this is a recurring theme in my comments, but I wonder why Thrawn isn’t included?) I loved your thoughts on Grima Wormtongue, and Saruman! His character was sheer awesome subversion, and helped a great deal by Christopher Lee’s superb acting. Honestly, he and the Kaminoans are the only reason I still rewatch Star Wars. That, and Obi-Wan is there, so ;P
I haven’t read any of the EU, except for the Jedi Apprentice books. So I don’t really know Thrawn.
Thanks! ๐ Christopher Lee is beyond awesome, though I think I’d be terrified of actually meeting him. And yeah, I watch Attack of the Clones skipping all the parts with Anakin. ๐ Because whiny Anakin is all annoying.