I had posted a list of favorite scifi and fantasy characters quite a while back. Today, I'll delve into villains in the same genres, because protagonists grow, in part, in relation to the villains who pose a threat to them.
I'll start with an alphabetical list and then, details.
Almalexia
the Borg in general, their Queen(s) as well ;
Bester ; Brunt ; Big Brother
Cartagia ; Cardassians
Dukat ; Dalek ; Dementors
Elim G.
Female shapeshifter ; Kivas Fajo ; Anthony Fremont
Gollum ; Gowron: Grima Wormtongue
Hall 9000 ; the Hirogen
The Intendant
the Jem'Hadar ;
Khan N. Singh ; Koba ; Klingons ; Koval ; Kanamite
Londo Mollari ; Lursa and B'etor ; Lore ; Bellatrix Lestrange
Madred; Morden ; TNG's Moriarty ; Draco and Lucius Malfoy ; the other mother (Coraline) ;
The Nazgûl ; Neroon
Orcs
Emperor Palpatine
Q (Star Trek)
Kylo Ren ; Romulans
Sheogorath ; The shadows (Baylon 5) ; the 4 S's (Hobbit/LOTR) ; Seska : Sloan ; Lon S.; Species 8472 ; Severus Snapes
Tomalak ; Tira
(SoulCalibur) ; Tripod masters
Dagoth Ur ; Ungoliant
Darth Vader ; Lord Voldermot
Weyoun ; Winn Adami ; Weeping Angels (Doctor Who)
[X is an empty letter for me, as I haven't seen anything with a villain starting with it]
Yagrum Bagarn
JB
Zorg ; General Zod
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And now... the details!
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Video-games :
In Soul Cailbur, fighting and fantasy games, Tira was raised as an assassin and became addicted to murdering others. She has two sides in her personality, with shifting moods and she derives a demented pleasured causing suffering to others - except for animals. 'oh, you're broke already" in Soul Calibur III was replaced to other, less, derisive comments such as "I don't need you, you're no fun" in IV, but still showing that demented nature.
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Elder scrolls :
Almalexia, Dagoth Ur, Sheogorath and Yagrum Bagarn appear in fantasy videogame Morrowind. Almalexia and Sheogorath dispaly some kind of madness- I love the dark humour about their individual insanity and to run their errands ; Dagoth Ur and his minions are the main antagonists, and Yagrum Bagarn , also part of the main quest, is the last living Dwemer and looks like a steam-punk creature, with the body as an egg, and his legs are metalic, like the Dwemer centurion spiders, and remains enigmatic as to translating an important book... ...It was an extra pleasure to dispatch one of them into the afterlife.
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Movies and or/books :
Hall 9000 is the artificial intelligence in Arthur C.Clarke's Space Odyssey series - starting with '2001, A Space Odyssey' novel and movie, both appearing in 1968. I sadly have only seen the movie and have had the book series on my to-read list for a very long time! The line from the movie when Hall says "I feel it, I can feel it" is epic.
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Big Brother is perhaps the most chilling villain, in the sense that George Orwell's 1984's Overbearing governmental entity that watches and controls everyone's movements and even thoughts, in order to prevent dissension and rebellion is a prediction come true! It's also one of the most mysteriously guarded secrets in his dystopian book, and whose influence on Star Trek's Tal Shiar and Obsidian Order is quite notable...
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Emperor Palpatine, Kylon Ren and the very well know Darth Vader are characters in the Star Wars saga, each showing great powers and unique stories, despite repetition as a saga of angry, violent men who want, above all, to rule others ruthlessly.
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General Zod, the famous line "All kneel before Zod" and his costume, are the only reasons I'd watch the first Superman movies again. Simply iconic, and simultaneously hilarious.
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The Other Mother in Neil Gaiman's Coraline, and the adapted movie, is a creepy creature, who lures children into another world, to capture, keep and suck their souls, in this children's fantasy novel.
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Harry Potter books/movies:
The Harry Potter universe has various villains, some we love to hate, some we hate to hate, or unhappy with their outcomes. For instance, I'm disappointed at the Umbridge arc, as she showed tremendous villainy, but I wasn't happy at all with the results. Thus, I love the characterization and the evils, and results for Bellatrix Lestrange, The Dementors, the Malfoy (father=Lucius, and son Draco), Severus Snapes and Lord Voldermot. They each act with evil intentions, their portrayals are powerful and conclusions are satisfying. Voldermot's is visually nice in the movie, but I prefer the conclusion in the novel. I love that the Dementors represent more than evil, with the added analogy to depression - with its feelings of emptiness, visually shown as that drawing of one's life energy.
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Hobbit/Lord of the Rings, Middle-Earth (+ books):
Gollum, The Nazgûl : Orcs; Grima Wormtongue ; the 4s ;and Ungoliant are all characters in Tolkien Legendarium.
Ungoliant or Ungoliantë appears in the Silmarillion as well as stories written during the many years in which JRR had conceptualized his mythologies of Middle Earth ; the descriptions of her evil acts are some of the most poetic in those earlier stories, seen in the books of Lost Tales 1 & 2, The Lost Road, and the Quenta Silmarillion.
The 4s' are Sauron, Saruman, Shelob and Smaug, and all the others listed above (Gollum etc) appear in their final forms in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
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Tripods books/tv show:
Tripod masters are alien creatures, who, in the Tripods novels and classic 1980's tv show, have come to Earth and enslaved humans. They remain somewhat mysterious, and more developed in the novels, as the show's 3rd season was never produced, but their look in the show (different than their more mecha nature in the novels), technology, special needs, the way they enslaved the humans and the personality explored in both and either forms have marked my childhood and I came to love the complexity in a supposed easy to read Young Adult sci-fi fiction series.
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Shows :
Doctor Who
When Weeping Angels are first met in Doctor Who, they are monsters, who appear to us as immovable statues. However, one cannot blink, or they'll come closer to their target... one of the spookiest and scariest villains in the saga, who sadly changed its view on them over time.
The Dalek are one of those races who despise emotions, and show a fanatic will to destroy all life forms they deem inferiors, over time and space, and one of the most enduring foes for the Doctor. They're creed is "exterminate".
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The Kanamite and Anthony Fremont are two of the villains in The Twilight Zone.. one has lied about their purpose, the other has mental capacities that cause devastating effects to the neighborhood, as he holds them hostage to his whims... Although there are other villains in that show, they're not necessarily "fav" due to their actions, but their endings were, as general rule, satisfying, because Serling had moralistic and yet, sometimes, chilling endings, such as those two mentioned above.
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Babylon 5 :
Bester, Cartagia, London Mollari, Neroon are characters, and the Shadows, a race, in Babylon 5.
Bester is an arrogant, selfish, and a telepath, who loves innuendo and yet, complex and interesting villain ; Cartagia is really a cold hearted dangerous leader with a huge ego and a lot of madness ; Londo Mollari is extravagant, loyal and patriotic, with some of the best dialogues in the show and one of the grayest areas of villainy ; Neroon's more of a grey area villain, an antagonist who's path has a very interesting conclusion... ; and the Shadows are a mysterious race of great power, with ships whose sound will pierce your ears, but such an interesting race to have invented.
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This last section is the longest, for villains in Star Trek :
The Borg in general, their Queen(s) ; Brunt ; Cardassians ; Dukat ; Elim G. ; Female shapeshifter ; Kivas Fajo ; Gowron ; The Hirogen ; The Intendant ;
The Jem'Hadar ; Khan N. Singh ; Klingons ; Koval ; Lursa and B'etor ; Lore ; Madred ; Tng's Moriarty ; Q ; Romulans ; Seska ; Sloan ; Species 8472 ;
Lon S. ; Tomalak ; Weyoun.
What, what a huge list of antagonists, all in the Star Trek universe!
The Borg, Cardassians, Hirogen, Klingons, Romulans, Species 8472 : each of these races populate the galaxy and pause, at one point or another, a threat to the Federation, and/or to one another.
The Borg are a unique race, half-humanoid, half-machine ; but they aren't androids or robots, they assimilate all that they can in a perpetual quest of both conquest or perfection, to adapt and be able to learn and assimilate other races, and their technologies. They are a collective, with shared thoughts and travel at high velocities, in very powerful ships known as Cubes or Spheres.
Their Queen, or Queens, as they are played by different Actors in the shows/movies, are cold, ruthless, and direct all orders over the Borg.
Klingons, first seen as human-looking in the 1966 Star Trek (aka TOS), and then with long hair, ridges and other differences in appearance starting in 1987's TNG, are a race of warriors who pride themselves in a quest for Honor ; they are quick the fight, but may drink with their enemies in the pause of war, before meeting on the battlefield again. Their politics are complex, and well developed in many episodes.
Romulans also had their first shown in TOS. They also like to fight and conquer, but, as a race, they like to deceive and pull strings behind the scene when it suits their needs. They are arrogant, in a more acerbic and dangerous way than the Vulcans, their biological cousins... Their appearance is mosly human-looking, with a couple differences.
Cardassians, on the other hand, have only been discovered and portrayed starting in TNG ; they are op.pressive, secretive, paranoid, and resort to torture with no qualms. Part of their history remains a mystery, but alluded to.
Species 8472 is even more unique, as it isn't humanoid at all. Highly dangerous, telepathic, adaptable and lives in a remote corner of our galaxy... Best not to tell you more!
The Hirogen are a nomadic race, who see all other lifeforms as they prey for their hunt ; they tend to be very tall, with an appearance both humanoid and reptilien of sorts, and seem to live in anarchy. Their origins remain a complete mystery.
The Jem'Hadar are a humanoid, reptilian race, consisting only of males. They are highly aggressive, strong warriors, and they lack individuality, somewhat like the Borg.
... now to characters :
Tng's Moriatry is a Holodeck character, created when Data and his friend Geordi play Holmes-inspired stories. The Actor is good and the result of that arc was very imaginative.
Kivas Fajo is a collector of rare and unique items - and people. One day, he kidnaps a member of the crew... for his collection.
The Intendant is an evil version of a beloved character on DS9 - seen in its Mirror Universe story-arc. It gave the Actor an opportunity to play a ruthless, cold, passionate, conflicted version, and seems to have enjoyed the process.
Female shapeshifter is the main leader of a race of other shapeshifters ; they don't really have gender, but take form as they will. She, much like almost her entire race, are distrustful and paranoid about "the solids", those who cannot shapeshift. Part of the main arc in DS9.
Khan N. Singh is a genetically augmented human, with great strength, intelligence and cunning. He uses his abilities to wrongdoings and an arc is created in created after TOS episode Space Seed, to the Wrath of Khan, and most epic portrayals in friendships and enmities alike.
The Q are an omnipotent, immortal beings, all referred to as Q. Their origins are unknown and they dwell in a dimension beyond the comprehension of all lesser beings, to whom they present the realm in form, shape and content, as to their own abilities. The only race we ever know to visit them are humans. The Q use their powers as they see fit, with their own code of conduct, often causing mischief, strife and other catastrophes, possibility out of boredom. They are like trickster gods, and the main one we see is the first Q seen in TNG, portrayed by John De Lancie.
Elim G. a professional liar. One never knows when Elim is truthful or not, simply because all the lies are woven into half-truths and innuendos. Elim's various occupations and past activities are mentioned in the same fashion, what is true, and what isn't, remains to be seen, heard and conjectured upon.
Madred is one of those villains who appears only in one story - albeit a 2-parter episode. It is a most disturbing story to watch, as TNG dared to be so dark as to portray cruel and cold torture of one of the most beloved characters ; the story marks, with all its perturbing content, and one always remembers the most famous line from it, about lights...
Lore, much like the Intendent, is an evil version of another character, but is told in a different way, without resorting to alternate timelines/universes. One wishes to stay away from Lore, who is also capable of torturous acts.
Lursa and B'etor are sisters ; they are Klingons, who try to take revenge on other characters, through manipulation, commercial exchange and military acts, for political gain.
Some of Gowron's acts are also politically driven, but not a clear-cut villain at all times, as at periods, he's a friend and ally.
Dukat is really one of those villains, whose true nature only shows darker and darker motives and actions, and grows into being the evil with no true redeeming qualities, and one loves to hate Dukat.
Another political intrigue comes with Koval, in an arc I better not discuss at all, and let you discover it...
Tomalak's a Romulan. As such, stories involving him have political intrigue, deceit and manipulation. His exchanged with Picard, especially, are well written and acted, and he's portrayed by the late Andreas Katsulas, who was G'kar in B5, with a district voice and delivery.
Sloan cannot be discussed without spoilers. Suffice to say, he loves secrets, either for keeping or unraveling...
Weyoun is a Vorta, a diplomat with keen ears and weak eyes ; one of the most interesting secondary characters whose importance is shown only in the growing arcs of DS9.
Seska's selfish motives make her a villain of a unique sort, a long time before her true face shines with its malice...
Perhaps the most gray-area of villain, Lon S. is a tragic kind of both hero and villain, fighting to find balance between violence and peace, between impulse and control...
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