In all of Sci Fi who is you favorite villian and why?

[Gritti]

I'm working on the villians in my story at the moment and while I'm not exactly stuck I would love to know what you think makes a great villian great.  Personnally I believe that a villian has to be alomost as likeable as the hero, but what else, or do you disagree?  Hit me with it.

[comprex]

In all of SF and fantasy, Julian May's Marc Remillard, closely followed by Lord Foul.  


You will allow me to observe that asking "Who is your favorite villain" as opposed to something like "Who is the scariest, most dastardly, effective and potent villain within your favorite work in SF and fantasy?"   predisposes  the respondents to cite likeable villains.     

Frankly, I do not think the villain has to be at all likeable for a novel to really work well.    O S Card's treatment of Baba Yaga, for example, comes to mind here.

[Gritti]

well why can't the scariest, most dastardly, effective and potent villain be your favorite.  Likeable doesn't mean nice at least in my opinion.  thanks for the feedback though.

[Paynesgrey]

I'd have trouble picking just one.  Deliciously malicious is fun, but complex and doing what he thinks is "right" both have their merits. 

[Quantus]

Cant pick just one, but my short list would include:

Galadan (Fionavar Tapestry)
Sephiroth
Crowly (Good Omens)  if he counts as a villain
Big D (aka Darth Vader)
Q
Vissor Three (Animorphs)
Uchiha Itachi (Naruto)
The Clown (Spawn)
Light Yagami (Deathnote)
Lelouch vi Britannia (Code Geass)

(there are more, but its already not really a "short list", so Ill stop there )

[comprex]

  Likeable doesn't mean nice at least in my opinion.  thanks for the feedback though.

No, I would agree that it doesn't. 

The prejudice comes from the overlap of 'favorite' and 'likable' which was my original point.   

A more interesting (to me) question would be:  Who is your favorite villain that you do not like -AT ALL-?

It would probably get me to thinking of the likes of Prince Red in Nova, irrational egotism combined with wily competence.

[LizW65]

Saruman the White from LOTR
Steerpike from Titus Groan
Gul Dukat from STDS9

Personally, I would consider Crowley the hero of Good Omens, not the villain (and arguably an author-insertion for Neil Gaiman.)

[Paynesgrey]

Dukat was a pretty good one, very complex, very conflicted.  Then screaming yellow bonkers.  Loved that series. 

[Quantus]

Macbeth from Gargoyles

[Jen'ari]

Do "Christmas Critters" from South Park's Imagination Land Saga count?

"Now come on ya'll..."

[Darwinist]

Yknow, it pains me to say this. PAINS. I am not a Star Wars fan. Fact, I loath that it has turned sci-fi into a mockery through its most hardcore and visible fans. It's hard to take sci-fi seriously when you see some 400 pound greasy sweaty guy dressing up cosplay as Boba Fett and slurring his words through a lisp and crustied acne.

but Darth Vader.

When you think Sci-Fi villain, that is the first name that comes to mind. When you peel back the geekery and mostly horrid acting in the prequels - Darth was the original baddy. He even had a great story that evoked genuine empathy from the crowd in the end. That a dude who is built to epitomize evil for two and half movies, could turn around and get you to care about him, is quite rare.

On a less serious note, I'd vote Christmas Critters as a close second. They might be on a cartoon kiddy show, but they are definitely memorable, scary, evil, and hilarious. Imaginationland made them better known, but the original christmas episode made them legendary.

Squirrely: Hey look it's Santa Claus!
Woodland Critters: Yay!!
Racoony: Let's eat his flesh

[madpoet]

Finally had to register just to reply to this topic

First, let me say that the Imaginationland Christmas Critters are just really, really creepy!  And Darth Vader is always a great choice.  But my favorite without a doubt is Roy Batty from Bladerunner, played brilliantly by Rutger Hauer.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Steerpike is definitely up there.

The Hunter, from C.S. Friedman's Coldfire trilogy.

I think on the whole I am more fond of books that are morally ambiguous enough that there is not anyone in them one could point to and clearly define as a "villain".

[Quantus]

The Gremlins, from the movies of the same name.

[Gritti]

Thanks everyone.  Your imput was very useful.  My first villian is born, let my hero beware.