So here's the thing, I've just finished watching three Batman movies back to back, and I feel the universe might turn itself upside down if I don't do atleast one post honoring the Joker. If you know anything about me, it is that I love villains. But people tend to dislike villains, and I understand it might have to do with them being sadistic assholes, but don't let one bad villain make you root for the... hero. Blekh.
So in this post, I'll tell you how I classify villains as I see them.
The Weak Villain, example: Joffrey Baratheon.
Don't let the title fool you. There's nothing weak about what those villains do. Matter of fact, the likes of Joffrey tend to be the most ruthless No, what I mean by weak is their inner self. After all, the way I see it, a villain is the same as a hero but with different ideals. The weak villain, however, has so such ideals, just a knack for a being a little pain in the ass. He is easy to overthrow, and even the villain lovers like myself despise him.
Shame on you for putting a bad name to the V, assface*.
The Full of It Villains, example: Any Bad King/President.
Unlike the weak villain, the Full of It one has an ideal, and he chases it. Atleast, he tries. Too bad it's him that is weak. He thinks he's invincible because he has an army around him. Slip that army away, and you've got your self a naked Donald Duck that's trying to cover himself up.
So in this post, I'll tell you how I classify villains as I see them.
The Weak Villain, example: Joffrey Baratheon.
Don't let the title fool you. There's nothing weak about what those villains do. Matter of fact, the likes of Joffrey tend to be the most ruthless No, what I mean by weak is their inner self. After all, the way I see it, a villain is the same as a hero but with different ideals. The weak villain, however, has so such ideals, just a knack for a being a little pain in the ass. He is easy to overthrow, and even the villain lovers like myself despise him.
Shame on you for putting a bad name to the V, assface*.
The Full of It Villains, example: Any Bad King/President.
Unlike the weak villain, the Full of It one has an ideal, and he chases it. Atleast, he tries. Too bad it's him that is weak. He thinks he's invincible because he has an army around him. Slip that army away, and you've got your self a naked Donald Duck that's trying to cover himself up.
The Detached Villain, example: The Bane/Tywin Lannister (or any mysterious guy in a leather chair).
To be honest, the detached villains are a hit or miss for me. Take the Bane for example. He was simply a guy behind a facial mask. Scary? Maybe. But there was no base to him. No charisma. Tywin Lannister on the other hand, is also detached, emotionless, but he a badass! That stern face of his is what makes him scary, not the fact that he advised someone to rape his wife.
Although that is pretty messed up, too.
The Annoying Villain, example: Dolores Umbridge.
Powerful or not, brilliant or not, you want that asshole dead. Matter of fact, if you got the chance to teleport into the books, you'll waste it killing them.
Also, Dolores Umbridge is one of the many reasons I hate pink.
The Psychotic, Genius Schemer, example: The Joker.
I know I don't need to elaborate, but here's my two cents: If a character is manipulative enough, that it can get you to second guess your morals and beliefs, and lure you into adopting their corrupt ones, then this is what makes a good villain. It's as much about mind games than it is about how much power you pack. Physically, the Joker has no power to be mentioned, but that beautifully twisted mind of his is what makes him dangerous.
And yes, I was semi-rooting for the Joker. It might have something to do with the fact that our make-up skills are pretty much the same, though.
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Just to clarify, I have nothing against Jack Gleeson. He's a brilliant actor. So much, that he convinced us he's so evil, while in reality, he's like..
Can you FEEEEL the danger he's emitting? Evil bastard.
So, what's your favorite kind of villain, if any?
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Also, since we are on the topic of villains, here is a Movie Villain Medley that is downright hilarious (and it has the Joker in it) by Jon Cozart.
Also, Dolores Umbridge is one of the many reasons I hate pink.
The Psychotic, Genius Schemer, example: The Joker.
I know I don't need to elaborate, but here's my two cents: If a character is manipulative enough, that it can get you to second guess your morals and beliefs, and lure you into adopting their corrupt ones, then this is what makes a good villain. It's as much about mind games than it is about how much power you pack. Physically, the Joker has no power to be mentioned, but that beautifully twisted mind of his is what makes him dangerous.
And yes, I was semi-rooting for the Joker. It might have something to do with the fact that our make-up skills are pretty much the same, though.
_____________________________________________
Just to clarify, I have nothing against Jack Gleeson. He's a brilliant actor. So much, that he convinced us he's so evil, while in reality, he's like..
Can you FEEEEL the danger he's emitting? Evil bastard.
So, what's your favorite kind of villain, if any?
________________________
Also, since we are on the topic of villains, here is a Movie Villain Medley that is downright hilarious (and it has the Joker in it) by Jon Cozart.
I love all kinds of villains! Not that I would root for them but I love them because they add so much excitement to the book/show/movie. But the villain I enjoy reading/watching the most is definitely the ruthless one. Kind of like Voldemort. Knows no boundaries, all powerful, no flaws, no weak points. I love it when there isn't a fair fight because when our heroes finally win (and we know they will...hopefully), the victory is just so much sweeter.
And I love that you had examples of two Batman villains. And sorry, just had to sneak this in - Ben Affleck was totally not who I thought would be the next Batman! Not that I don't think he'll do a great job but it'll be hard believing this until I actually see it.
ARGH, seeing Dolores Umbridge never fails to make me want to puke. I have to say, I feel sorry for the actress though because every time I see her, I will always be reminded of my extreme dislike toward Umbridge.
OHMYGOD. That Jack Gleeson gif is ADORABLE! Okay, confession bear: I tend to love the celebrities better if they play assholes in TV shows and movies. Haha! I don't really get it, but I think there's something refreshing about seeing the heart behind the ruthless villains they play :) So yeah, nothing but love for Jack Gleeson, although I always feel like slapping him silly when he's Joffrey. I totally agree that the best types of villains are the ones like Joker, because I just feel like there's more danger to him if he's able to convince YOU to side with him. That usually happens to me when they try to play mind games and stuff. I think my least favourites are the ones like Umbridge-- gods, I hated her! There was no redeeming value, no depth to her character, nothing. I don't even remember how happy I was when Harry gave her what for. So yeah, love this post (as always) ;)
I have no idea who those people you are talking about except the Joker, but I still can't get the extent of his villainy because i haven't watched the movies! I seriously need to be more of a couch potato, but that's hard to do without a TV.
But I honestly love how evil Joker looks. :D
Jack Gleeson is pretty much the sweetest guy alive. My roommate ran into him when she was out clubbing in Dublin last winter and said he was incredibly shy and super nice. He's just an incredible actor. Also, he apologized to Sophie after every single take when he had to be mean to her. Isn't that the cutest thing ever??
I wish there were more truly satisfying villains out there for me to muse over. I've always wanted to read a book from the POV of the villain, as I think they tend to be way more interesting than the heroes (I mean, just look at Once Upon a Time. Without Regina it would be unwatchable).
YES to that $^%& hem hem hem Dolores Umbridge! Every time I'm reminded of her, I can't help but feel pure hate. Kudos to JK for giving us a reason to suffer from a heart attack.
And I agree about the Joker too. Heath is so awesome, isn't he? I was really looking forward to seeing a lot of him on the succeeding Batman films but...*sighs* I hope you may rest in peace, Heath.
And regarding your question, I love all types of villains. Diversity is always good. And I don't think I can stand it if our race of villains would suffer the same fate as our heroines nowadays (i.e. the same old Mary Sue with different names).
And may I add the stupid villain to your list? Have you watched the Green Hornet? The villain of that movie was pretty stupid it makes some of the scenes really funny.
lol, yes! I do tend to root for the hero more than the villain but if a villain is well done, I won't dislike the villain. Still won't root for him/her though.
"The weak villain, however, has so such ideals, just a knack for a being a little pain in the ass." - The weak villains are the least compelling to me. Joffrey's still dangerous because having no ideals makes him less predictable lol, but I just want to smack his character. Pompous little ass. But I think that's also a sign that he's a well done weak villain. There are some like him in other literature that I've read who just aren't as... compelling.
"Slip that army away, and you've got your self a naked Donald Duck that's trying to cover himself up." LOLOLOL. Okay, the Full of It villains are the least compelling of all of them in my opinion because it's as you said. It's just a front. When that's removed, there's nothing to make them frightening. They're probably the easiest to take out. (Though really, I think the Full-Of-It aspect is something that nearly every villain has o.O. If you're a villain and doing what you what you think is right, probably leads to some arrogance?)
"But there was no base to him. No charisma. Tywin Lannister on the other hand, is also detached, emotionless, but he a badass!" YES to what you said about the Bane vs. Tywin. I don't remember him assigning someone to rape his his wife - yeacH!! - but I think the detached aspect almost makes these kind of villains like the Joker too. Like sociopaths. Being detached makes them scary because there's just no pleading with them. They have a course, and they are not to be swayed from it. (Or like in Tywin's case, he'll just make you feel like a fool.)
Annoying villains... Oh gods. I was watching the seventh HP movie yesterday with my mom, and we both shuddered a little at Umbridge's little squeal? Or whatever the movie version of "hem, hem" is. I don't know who else fits into this category better than her.
"If a character is manipulative enough, that it can get you to second guess your morals and beliefs, and lure you into adopting their corrupt ones, then this is what makes a good villain." Yeah. The psychotic types - it depends. They're usually very charming, but if they're only psychotic and there's nothing else there (like a sadist), I find them less compelling... but if it's like the Joker, who so clearly has an internal working of his own, and is so charming that he can convince you, then hell yeah, that's compelling.
I don't know that I have a favorite kind of villain. You picked some of the best. The Joker, Umbridge. If he weren't portrayed as a love interest, I'd say River from Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. The Darkling. Those are just off the top of my head. It's so hard to pick because some of my favorites straddle the line between villain and anti-hero!
"Slip that army away, and you've got your self a naked Donald Duck that's trying to cover himself up."
Have I told you how awesome you areeeeeeee? Have I?! HAVE I?!?!?! You are awesome.
I really hate the weak and the annoying type of villains. Sadly, they're in almost every book I've read. Movies are more successful in making bad bad villains, you know? Well, except for The Vampire Diaries, where every villain ever is chock-full of humanity and is misunderstood and blah blah blah. In books, though, villains are always so stupid and transparent, they get their asses kicked by teenagers. Or, sometimes, just some girl.
Which is why I love the Joker. He'll never let himself be outsmarted by kids. And, may I just say, he's got the coolest villain attire I've seen? I love the "why so serious?" stuff.
And Dolores Umbridge is BLEGH!!!!!!!!!! God I hate heeeeeeer. I can go on and on and on. But I wont.
And Tywin Lannister is a bastard and I love him a little. Although I hate him because of the way he treats Tyrion. Who is a favorite.
I was just thinking about villains in fiction. I like to dislike a villain afterall that is the mark of a good villain, they are to be despised.
The genius schemer definitely make interesting villains. Welll because they're just so smart, ever so meticulous and rational. And I look forward to the battle between intellects, because usually they're matched with an equally smart hero.
The Joffrey Baratheon types are just plain scary because they're such loose cannons. Joffrey certainly screwed up a lot of his family's plan because of his impulsiveness.
Then there's also the puppet master, the unassuming villain, diplomatic, soothes and coaxes people to do what he/she wants. Makes them think they do it off their own free will, by the time they realize its not, it's too late as they're already the puppet master's creature.
Haha, love this post! The weak villain and the annoying villain have go tot be my least favorites. They just make me want to SHAKE them and SLAP them over and over! The genius schemer is my favorite, too, because they're probably the easiest to understand (at least, their logic often makes more sense than just wanting to be evil).
Exactly! Villains add the.. spice to novels, you know? Without them, it would be pretty boring. Not that it's necessary to have a villain, but still.. they're fun little evil creatures, and I love them!
And I knooooooow!! I'm not as pissed as the rest of my timeline about it, but still, I had just finished watching three batman movies back to back, and it came as a shock. I only see batman as Christian Bale.
I knoooow, right?! He is such an adroable boy anyway, but when he puts on the Joffrey attire, he's all evil and annoying. And I do share that need to see the real actors behind villains. I just think it's awesome someone can convince you to hate them that much, you know? And usually they are really, really sweet.
I know, right? even before I watched the batman movies, I just knew he wasn't good news. I mean, the make up says all, really. :D
Wow!! That is super, super cool!! I knew he was pretty sweet, but I didn't know he'd apologize to Sophie and stuff. Seriously, that made me like him even more! Oh, and I watched one interview of his, and I could kind of realize he was shy. It's amazing he's able to shake that off and really get into that... obnoxious character of his :D
Uggggh, she was made of pure annoyance particles, that woman! I had uptight, mean people like her. just.. HATE THEM!
Oh, and heath was brilliant! It's so sad he never got to see just how great everyone thought he was. He really made that movie something, you know? :D
I haven't watched the Green Hornet (didn't seem interesting to me), but I do know those kind of villains! They are so frustratingly naiive, that you just wonder who made them in charge of evil here? I mean, evil is all about badassery, not.. meh..
Exactly! I hate it when a character is just evil to be evil, and add a plot. They have to have some sort of cause or ideal, you know?
Yeah,
I guess the whole point of villains is to dislike them, but for some
reason, I end up deeply respecting them. Or atleast how their minds
work, not the cause it works for. And I totally agree with Joffrey
being dangerous. I mean, on his won, he's just a kid, but Joffrey is
a KING! With too much responsibility for someone with such screwed up
mind.
You
did tell me, but... THAT DOESN"T MEAN YOU SHOULD STOP
TELLING ME! I NEEEDZ THA LURRRRRVE, EVE!!
I
know right? Like, when are authors going to bring out the big guns?!
We neeed evil, people. EEEEVIL.
The
Joker has got the smarts, and he's got the style. Like seriously, I
spent toooo much time admiring his attire, and the make up and his
hair, and the suit. It just SAYS I'm fucking crazy, you
know?!
Tywin
Lannister is a badass, no denying that. But then again, so is Tyrion,
and if I had to choose, I'd definitely choose Tyrion.
Wow! You broke this down so much better than I could have! And yes, the detached villains scare me the most because a) they are more common in real life, and b) you just don't know what they're feeling. You don't know whether you are angering them or not, because on the off chance that you are, you might loose something important, like oh, I don't know... YOUR HEAD!
I like it when villains are pictured as love interest, but I honestly feel like enraged when they turn all soft and gooey.
Ahhh I'm totally with you! I love a good villain. I think it is part of the reason I like Snape so much - he was a villain but then he wasn't but he's still sort of villainous - whatever way you look at it he's not nice!
Oops and I meant to add that I LOVE Jon Cozart, he's seriously a genius
HE is, isn't he?! I fell in love with those sketches he put, and I watched all of them back to back :P He's really talented!
LOVE a good villain. I like the sympathetic villains, the ones who you kind of want to hug, but then defeat.(haha)
OOooh, those are quite rare but I do love them as well. It's like you hate what they're doing, but you feel sorry for them at the same time.
Dear Reem, you can't ask me what's my favourite kind of villain when you end the post with such an ADORABLE gif. Villain? What villain?? Well... I guess I have a thing for weak villains? Or antiheroes if you will. They are made out to be terrible and ruthless but they just have a different (or "wrong") way of getting things done. Does this make any sense? (Just asking because my brain still can't compute after that gif....... xD)
Okay, I have to start with this: that Jack Gleeson gif is priceless!!! So adorable - both he and the puppy.
Weak Villains - I want to throttle those
Full of It Villains - I hate those too, but rarely have strong emotions towards them. Mostly because they tend to stay in the background and I never really get to know them "intimitally" enough to hate them (like Snow in THG)
Detached Villains - yup, hit or miss
Annoying Villains - yeah welll, they are annoying so of course I want them out of the picture
Psychotic, Genius Schemer - I love me some crazies :) Joker!!!! <3333
Yes, you see, the gif's purpose is to distract you from my plan of taking over the world. Plus, he is so CUUUTEE!!
Antiheros are my favorites, but according to how people define it, he doesn't count as a villain. He's just a hero who is immoral. That's verrry interesting if you ask me.
I know right?? One doesn't make a post without including Jack Gleeson. If it were up to me, he'd be EVERYWHERE!!
I think the Full of It Villains are usually portrayed in a funny way, so people can laugh, you know? So that doesn't give me a window to hate them. OH, wle..
The Joker is awesome, isn't he?!
That's exactly it. It's like you hate the cause of their evil-doing, not them.