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Originally posted by LittleAlbatross29:
5.David Xanatos from Gargoyles- he was such a mind trip .I'd be wary of crossing him.

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Originally posted by BulletInTheBrainPanSquish:
Hi, just wanted to say that, firstly, I'm a newbie to this web-site, I just finished tinkering with my profile.

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Originally posted by BionicBatman:
Reavers: You never saw them until Serenity. But in Firefly they were so evil that it makes Jayne afraid. They are the best villains ever!

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Originally posted by Murph:

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Originally posted by BionicBatman:
Reavers: You never saw them until Serenity. But in Firefly they were so evil that it makes Jayne afraid. They are the best villains ever!

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How could I forget the reavers! Holy crap, you are so right!

All we are, is dust in the wind...dude.

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Originally posted by Cybersnark:
Thought I'd already done this thread, but that was another forum. Copy'n'pasting:

Naraku, from InuYasha. What makes Naraku truly horrifying for me is his intellect. Yeah, he's a shapeshifter and a demonic cannibal who can extrude parts of himself to become slaves to do his bidding, but his real power is his ability to read people. Naraku knows exactly what buttons to push, and exactly what to say to get people to do whatever he wants them to. Everyone around him is simply a pawn in his game for absolute power. And he's not just a genius either; he's beautifully twisted --a sadistic monster who singles out the ones he can hurt the most, and knows the very best way to twist the knife. It's all part of his plan, as he believes the negative emotions are more powerful than the positive, and the more rage and hatred and despair the Shikon jewel soaks up, the more powerful it will become (and, by extension, the more powerful it will make him when he finally consumes it). He's intentionally causing as much pain and misery as he can around the jewel (and, by association, the show's heroes). And he doesn't make mistakes. If it ever seems like he's making a mistake, like things are turning against him, it's only because that's what he wants it to look like. Other villains might fake their deaths to gain the element of surprise --Naraku actually died, knowing exactly what everyone around him would do. The events of Castle Beyond the Looking Glass were flawlessly orchestrated. The outcome --and Naraku's resurrection-- completely inevitable, given the personalities and natures of all involved. Even in defeat, Naraku won.

Kagura, from InuYasha. She's one of Naraku's spawn, but will stop at nothing to escape him (his death is secondary, what she really wants is Freedom). Like Naraku (having, like Sin from Milton's Satan, inherited the best qualities of her creator), she is an expert "player," and everything and everyone around her is nothing more than a tool. A means to an end, to be used and discarded. She makes alliances, keeps secrets, plots betrayals. . . She is a wind demon, and --like the wind-- she refuses to be tamed. Yet she has no choice, because Naraku knows her as well as he knows himself. Her every betrayal, every secret, every thought is orchestrated. Controlled. She can conceive of nothing except what Naraku wishes, and he's given her just enough lead to realize this (thus causing her no end of anguish and driving her to ever greater heights of treachery as she tries to outsmart him). Naraku hasn't just robbed her of her freedom, but of free will itself. She's not so much a villain, but less even than a victim, with no hope other than to turn her rage and pain outwards --a living weapon in Naraku's control.

Sesshoumaru, from InuYasha. My favourite demon. His name means "perfection in killing," and he lives up to it. No enemy can stand against him, and he routinely slaughters entire armies just to practice a new weapon or technique (or if they just happen to be in his way when he's out for a walk). Not just a demon, but a demon Prince (son of the greatest Demon King --Inu no Taisho), Sesshoumaru is as high above other demons as they are above humans --he regards humans as insects. Barely worth his attention (as I said, not even worth the effort to go around them instead of through them), though, on occassion, entertaining. What gets me about Sesshoumaru is how reasonable he is. He almost never loses his temper, remaining calm and alert at all times. His grudge with InuYasha isn't a matter of being Evil, but (in his mind) a simple matter of law --he (the older brother) wanted InuYasha's sword, and InuYasha (the younger and illegitimate brother) refused. He said no to a Prince. This alone is an offense punishable by death. Of course, the other issues that Sesshoumaru has with InuYasha (blaming him for Father's death, an inferiority complex, simple personal animosity) are all bubbling so far under the surface that even Sesshy himself might not know about them. Then there's Rin. A little human girl who dared to show compassion to Sesshoumaru when he didn't really need it. Compassion is as alien to demons (and to demon Royalty) as wind to a fish, but it intrigued Sesshoumaru enough for him to notice her (which is itself an event). When Rin was murdered by wolves (at the command of one of the show's alleged "heroes" no less), Sesshoumaru revived her, and adopted her (well, he allowed her to tag along, and eventually started actually keeping track of her, and finally protecting her). InuYasha himself tells us that Sesshoumaru isn't capable of love or kindness --that alone is what makes him a monster. Rin's very life is evidence that things are never so clear cut.

Kikyo, from InuYasha (before her second resurrection and becoming a wandering anti-hero). The vampiric, soul-eating miko. Unique among villains because she's explicitly not motivated by anger, or the desire to harm anyone. Kikyo is driven by Love. True Love, the kind that can change peoples' lives, and that most people spend their lives seeking and barely glimpse. Kikyo loves InuYasha, and can't bear to be apart from him. Yet, like Kagura, Kikyo has no choice. He's a half-demon, and she's a priestess, and true love really doesn't conquer all. They can never be together in life, so she shall join him in death. As a priestess, she knows better than anyone that, as one of the undead, she is banned from anything resembling Heaven. She (in the dub, at least) takes on aspects of Milton's Satan --echoing his famous "Hell of Heav'n" speech ("Better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven") as she swears that her Love could make a Heaven of Hell. Kikyo's specific plan changes throughout the series, reacting to what she learns and what the other characters do (which right there makes her more interesting than most "scheme of the week" types). At first it's simply to kill InuYasha, but once she learns of the effect Kagome has had on him (treating him like a good man, and thus making him want to be a good man), she realizes that his damnation is no longer assured. She makes a deliberate and conscious choice to embrace Evil, and to turn InuYasha to Evil as well (all the better if Kagome dies along the way --Jealousy is to evil as Love is to good). Also, Kikyo's newly amoral nature is intoxicating to her. She comments that she's never felt as alive as she does now that she's dead, and (believes herself) exempt from the spiritual morality of punishment/reward (what's the point of doing good if you're damned anyway?).

And of course, there's InuYasha himself. InuYasha is no Prince Charming. Blood soaks his hands, and a part of him enjoys it. On occasion, his demonic half takes over, leaving him as a savage who destroys all in his path (including innocent bystanders and even his own friends and loved ones). He's not mindless in this form; he's still articulate and cunning. He knows what he's doing, can remember it (he doesn't seem to at first, but we eventually learn that he's been repressing it), but he just doesn't care. Like an addiction, he can't stop himself (until his human mind reasserts itself and he has to deal with the consequences). This is the root of his trouble with people; anyone who gets close to him, anyone he allows himself to care about, is just another potential victim. He could rip his beloved apart with his bare hands, and laugh while doing it --so he can't allow himself love (even when he knows Kagome loves him). His full-demon form is a point of conflict between Kikyo and Sesshoumaru; she wants him to give in to it, and become a monster, while Sesshoumaru's plan requires InuYasha to understand his nature and feel remorse for his "crime" (i.e., his very existence) which requires a rational mind. This means that, on occasion, one or the other will actually end up helping InuYasha against the other.

Demona, from Gargoyles. Demona is a genocidal psychopath, but what makes her stand out is her justification. Humans have mistreated gargoyles since both species evolved, and Demona's actions are motivated by a sort of twisted patriotism --vengeance for the attempted genocide of her race. The fact that she's the ex-lover of the show's hero (and the mother of his child) doesn't hurt (then there's the poetry of Demona's daughter being called Angela). She's highly intelligent, but (unlike some evil geniuses) isn't averse to getting her claws dirty: she has over 1,000 years of fighting experience, and it shows --not just in hand-to-hand, but with the latest highly-advanced weaponry and everything in between. Equal parts sorceress and scientist, Demona even runs her own multinational corporation (Nightstone Unlimited) as a front for her weapons-manufacturing R&D work. If Kikyo reminds me of the Miltonic Satan, then Demona evokes Faust; selling her soul for the immortality to exact vengeance. Of course, it's impossible to discuss Demona without invoking the Hunters ("there will always be a Hunter. . . and there will always be the Hunted"). The Hunters are the bloodline of a Scottish boy Demona once maimed almost 1,000 years ago, each generation trained and pledged to destroy her and her "demonic" kind, no matter the cost. Between the two of them, Demona and the Hunters define the concept of "monster" --utterly unable to accept their own guilt, instead transposing it onto their enemies. ("NO! What have I. . . What have they done to you?!?")

David Xanatos, from Gargoyles. Xanatos is perhaps the most multifacetted, complex villain in cartoon history (certainly in the Disney canon, no one else even comes close). Simply put, he wants to live forever. The product of a self-fulfilling prophecy (the adult Xanatos travelled back in time and left a note for his younger self, who used the knowledge it revealed to build an empire), and the founder and owner of Xanatos Enterprises. Xanatos has a genius-level IQ, yet enjoys the physical aspects of combat (where Demona uses violence as a tool, Xanatos actively seeks out confrontation with his enemies --he actually likes the Gargoyles, because his typical foes are only found in boardrooms and offices). If he were less intelligent, or had been born a few centuries earlier, he'd be a general or a warlord. Instead, he's a multi-billionaire with a fondness for rough sports --sort of like an evil Bruce Wayne. He's also one of the only villains I've seen who manages to redeem himself without losing his edge, and without being immediately trusted by the heroes. After terrorizing the gargoyles and establishing himself as their most ruthless foe, Xanatos falls in love, gets married, then becomes a father. To everyone's surprise, he turns out to be a good father. Everything that he's done and acquired in his hunt for immortality has now become superfluous. He's found immortality; the only immortality that any human needs. . . or deserves.

Prince Zuko, from Avatar: The Last Airbender. A Firebender (i.e., a mage, able to bend fire to his will), he's also a master martial artist. Like Xanatos, Zuko is a multifacetted villain; an exiled prince who wants to capture the Avatar to regain his station. He is brutal, violent, and very, very angry (much like his abusive father), but there are kernels of compassion and heroism beneath his rage. He has lost everything he's ever had, and is regaining his life through brutal determination --this is the only life possible for him. The entire universe seems to want him dead, but no matter how badly he is scarred, wounded, or tortured, he. Will. Not. Stop. The dichotomy between Zuko and his sister motivates everything he's ever done. ("Father said she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born.")

Azula, Zuko's sister in Avatar. As Uncle Iroh says: "She's crazy, and she needs to go down." Nothing complicated or ambiguous here: Azula is a psychopath --father's favourite, 'cause he interprets cruelty as strength. She has no mercy or compassion in her; even as a child, she lied, stole, and viciously beat anyone who crossed her. She's out to kill the Avatar, and her brother, for no real reason other than because it's "fun." An even more skilled firebender than her brother, Azula may also be the superior fighter. What makes Azula scary is her utter skill and cruelty. Unlike the Operative, she won't kill children because she has to; she'll kill them because she can.

Scorpius, from Farscape. Scorpy is just ruthless. Highly intelligent and focused, but not without a certain animal passion. He's the product of a rape between a heat-generating Scarran and a cold-blooded Sebacean woman, so his very body is trying to destroy itself (his Scarran blood generates incredible heat, and he needs his built-in life-support systems to keep his temperature down --the fire of his birth is what killed his mother). Scorpius' entire existence is focused on a single goal; extermination of the Scarrans. To that end lives, technology, worlds, entire species are only means to an end. Unlike many villains, Scorpius doesn't bluff. He will commit atrocities and even sacrifice himself in pursuit of his goal. In his way, he can be as cruel as Naraku, but with Scorpius it's never personal (except against the Scarrans). In fact, he goes out of his way to protect his allies, if only because his plan calls for their survival --he's equally capable of torture (both physical and psychological). He is a hard leader, but (unlike Vader) fair. Competence and loyalty are amply rewarded, honest failures are tolerated (though treachery is dealt with in the most. . . efficient manner).

Shinzon, from Star Trek Nemesis. Shinzon makes the list by simple virtue of his relation to Picard. Every franchise has tried the "evil twin" archetype (Star Trek more than most), but Nemesis did it best. Shinzon is Picard, in every way except one. Picard was lucky. Born into a family that loved him, in a society governed by the best impulses of civilization, with Starfleet to guide and inspire his genius, Picard became Starfleet's finest Captain --intelligent, erudite, courageous, and compassionate. Shinzon. . . didn't. Raised and abused in darkness, tormented by a monolithic Empire built on the backs of oppressed slaves, Shinzon became a monster --cunning, charismatic, daring, and passionately loyal to his adopted people. This is Shinzon's only redeeming quality, his love for the Remans, the same love that Picard feels for the Federation and its principles. To Picard, this love is turned outward, and he travels the stars helping strangers. Shinzon's love is cruel and paranoid, and he takes to the stars to destroy his enemies --enemies who would save him if he allowed them to. He is Picard's twisted reflection, and the conflict between them cuts to the core of what Star Trek (at its best) has always been about --can we change? Do we have the capacity to live up to our better natures, or are we nothing more than the results of the forces that shaped us? Is there any reason for Hope, or just fatalistic Despair? Shinzon fails this test; the Reman mines made him a monster, and that is all he can ever be. Nemesis is a horror film, not because of the Nosferatu-inspired Remans, but because of Shinzon's tragic nature.

Angelus, from Angel. Like InuYasha, Angelus is the dark side of the hero, but Joss takes it in a different direction. Instead of being a periodic monster, Angelus stayed around for a whole year (and remains a presence even when Angel is in complete control). What makes Angelus stand out is his connection to the heroes --he knows exactly what will terrorize Buffy and her friends, and delights in tormenting them, knowing all the while that they don't have the guts to just kill him (because they think they can bring Angel back). He's not particularly smart, but he toys with them like a cat torturing a mouse before the kill. And Buffy can't even kill him --he's beyond her reach. Instead, she ends up killing her lover.

The Operative, from Serenity. The first we meet him, he tells us that he has no name or rank --like the secret "Academy," he does not exist. Inara later notes that he's a believer --a believer in the Alliance. To the Operative, the rigid laws of the Alliance represent the only acceptable path, and whatever sins he must perform are justified. He harbours no delusions about his purity though; he knows that he's a monster. He doesn't want to be, but he sacrifices his life, his name, and his very soul to create a better world, a world where creatures like him can not exist. If nothing else, the Operative represents the epitome of "Civilization," and leaving him to witness the outcome of that civilization ("a world without sin") was the cruellest thing Mal could have done.

Jubal Early, from Firefly. Early is. . . not quite right. He's human, but more alien than anything you're like to find in Star Trek. It's hard to guess how intelligent he may be, because his mind seems ever so slightly unhinged. He's not wacky or hyperactive, like the typical crazy-type (Joker, we're looking at you), but incredibly creepy. He's quite calm, even articulate. Everything's tightly controlled, restrained, but with an underlying current of insanity. He's a philosopher, always taking a moment to mull over the implications of terms and expressions that others simply gloss over (whether or not it's still someone's room when they're not in it --what's the difference between occupying a place and possessing it?), and even his momentary lapses in concentration betray a brilliant and thoughtful mind. River pegs him as a sociopath; a serial killer with obsessive-compulsive traits (killed a dog as a child, then cleaned everything up. No one ever found out).

Sims, from Jeremiah. Sims is a pawn in a much bigger game, but doesn't care. Like the Operative, Sims is a Believer, a remorseless killer in the name of a greater good. What makes him dangerous is that his religious faith is tempered by intelligence. When it is revealed to him that "Daniel" (the spiritual leader to which Sims has pledged his allegiance) does not exist (and that Sims has therefore been lied to), he accepts it, but doesn't care. "Pretty girl tells you you're handsome, doesn't matter whether it's true or not. You walk a little straighter, stand a little taller." Sims accepts the lie, because his faith gives him Comfort and Hope, even if it isn't Truth. And if that religion tells him to destroy his enemies, he will do it. It is simply his duty.

Moriarty, as written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'm not talking about any of the myriad of film and TV versions, but the original character as written in "The Final Problem." We (via Watson's account) never meet Moriarty face to face except when he's in disguise, so all we know of him comes through Holmes' anecdotal description. Holmes is typically sparing with his praise and swift with criticism, but even he is clearly impressed by Moriarty's genius. Ultimately, we never need to meet Moriarty --Holmes' description makes him far more terrifying than any direct appearance could. His is the hand that has directed seemingly the entire criminal world, orchestrating everything from assassins to pickpockets --and by extension, Holmes himself as he investigates the crimes. Moriarty is cultured and educated --like InuYasha's Naraku, but more genteel, and with a worthier foe.

The Jaffa, on Stargate SG-1. While not a single enemy, the Jaffa have a favoured place as an example of how to write an army of highly-skilled troops (with Star Wars' Stormtroopers as an example of how not to do it). Jaffa and Stormtroopers are both supposed to be the elite shock troops of their respective empires, but where the Stormtroopers are remembered as lightweight "generics" who can't shoot straight, the Jaffa are never less than a genuine threat. Simply put, the Jaffa, on occasion, win. Their weapons are far more powerful, their strategies much more advanced, their equipment unmatched by anything on Earth, and their effectiveness unquestioned. When confronted, the SG forces have no choice but to retreat, outsmart them, or die. Any open battle results in massive casualties, and the SGC is perpetually only a step ahead of them. The heroes must plan strategically, careful to pick their battles. The only edge the SGC has is psychological --the Jaffa are rigidly trained, but the Tau-ri can be more creative than the Jaffa are equipped to deal with. And then there're Anubis' Cull warriors, who are downright nightmare-inducing --bulletproof, implacable, adaptable, and relentlessly cunning. Just one super-soldier is too many for the SGC to deal with.

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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Originally posted by Dreamwalker:
Yuzum Vong,

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Originally posted by Cybersnark:

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Originally posted by Dreamwalker:
Yuzum Vong,

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Nitpick: Yuuzhan Vong.

The Yuzzem are tall furry creatures from Endor, seen in the old Ewoks cartoon. The image of these long-legged puffball creatures trying to take over the galaxy is. . . kinda funny, actually.

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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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