Baddies - Past, Present, and Future

[WereElephant]

So far, we've gone through a lot of different types of magical bad guy:

Warlocks
Demons
Werewolves
Ghosts
Vampires (Red)
Plant Monsters
Fae Nobility
Possessed Mortals
Fallen Angels
Sorcerers
More Vampires (Black and White)
Necromancers
Zombies
Shades
Fetches
Djinn (half Djinn, anyway)
Ghouls
Outsiders
Fae Hitters (Gruffs, Hobs)
Skinwalker(s)
Devourers
Vampire Lords/minor gods
More ghosts/Undead sorcerers
The Wild Hunt (sort of, briefly)
At least one Sasquatch equivalent
Octokongs
Summoned suits (Binder's guys)

I'm sure I missed some. Additionally, there are some currently known entities who either are baddies or have the potential to become so:

Still more vamps (Jade)
Whatever Drakul is
Rakshasa
Fomor
dragons
Dragons (capital D)
Old Ones
The British Prisoner
Parallel Universe beings
Retired gods and goddesses (Odin and Hades are still around, and Odin said others still roam, though without their old purpose)
The Archive (previously an ally, but who knows what might happen?)
Kincaid (ditto)
Arthur Langtry
The Original Merlin (depending on what crazy theory might turn out to be true)

And there are some things which have either been speculated on or confirmed for the future:

Kaiju

I know I missed some (haven't read all the short stories or graphic novels). What do you guys think we'll see coming up? What would you like to know more about? Who do you think is done, and won't come up again? Personally, I'm very curious about this Rakshasa thing that put Christos in such a good light with the White Council.

[Kindler]

One of the things I always wanted to see was some of the minor-league talents showing up as villains. Ones on Agent Tilly's scale—he was a living lie detector, for example. Basically, I'd like a villain who has an extremely narrow talent, but has learned to adapt that talent and employ it to devastating effect.

[jonas]

One of the things I always wanted to see was some of the minor-league talents showing up as villains. Ones on Agent Tilly's scale—he was a living lie detector, for example. Basically, I'd like a villain who has an extremely narrow talent, but has learned to adapt that talent and employ it to devastating effect.

*cough*Binder*cough*

[Lost Merlin]

*cough*Binder*cough*

I would agree, that was my first thought, also though Binder has some pretty high street smarts that have impacted how he works.  He knows when to cut and run and when to press his advantage.  Also he has no issues using modern technology to push his advantage. 

[Kindler]

*cough*Binder*cough*

Yeah, but Binder's talent is way, way too useful to be considered really minor, in my opinion. I'm talking about the guys who hang out at Mac's, with super minor kinetomancy, things like that.

Though I guess we kinda saw that in Ghost Story, now I think about it; Aristedes was super minor, and we saw what kind of petty villainy that causes.

Still, I'd like it if one of the big bads in a main novel was just some guy with a largely insignificant talent who learned how to apply it in an interesting way and caused insane amounts of problems for Dresden. Sort of how the Eebs came probably closest to killing Harry with totally mundane tactics.

I'm very likely the only person who would enjoy this though (I used to read a lot of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure), so I won't count on it.

[Lost Merlin]

it would be interesting to see someone with probability magic of some kind.  Something similar to Cassandra's tears, but more able to predict outcomes based on probabilities so that it isn't really seeing in the future. 

It would be interesting if jim did this as a side bad guy.  Someone like a bad guy, that isn't really the big bad guy or maybe a red herring/scapegoat. 

[Rasins]

Wasn't there some guy from New Orleans or something that Harry named Darth Bathrobe?

[Snark Knight]

Yeah, but Binder's talent is way, way too useful to be considered really minor, in my opinion. I'm talking about the guys who hang out at Mac's, with super minor kinetomancy, things like that.
Though I guess we kinda saw that in Ghost Story, now I think about it; Aristedes was super minor, and we saw what kind of petty villainy that causes.

The smartest thing anyone with villainous inclinations in that weight class could do with their talents is apply them to stealing money from mortals rather than run around picking fights with Wardens. Note, for example, that Aristedes only started pushing his luck because he thought Harry was dead, and he was real cooperative until Butters and Daniel failed his test and outed themselves as fake Wardens. Punching down is just so much safer than challenging someone who can do everything you can and infinitely more besides.

it would be interesting to see someone with probability magic of some kind.  Something similar to Cassandra's tears, but more able to predict outcomes based on probabilities so that it isn't really seeing in the future.

Sounds like you'd enjoy Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series. A diviner is doing something sort of like Cassandra's tears, but examining a few seconds range of all possible futures or following a single one for longer to simulate the results of actions they're considering. But it's also a skill set that's best suited to being sneaky rather than getting into head-on fights with guys who demolish buildings.

[Lost Merlin]

Sounds like you'd enjoy Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series. A diviner is doing something sort of like Cassandra's tears, but examining a few seconds range of all possible futures or following a single one for longer to simulate the results of actions they're considering. But it's also a skill set that's best suited to being sneaky rather than getting into head-on fights with guys who demolish buildings.

Ill have to give the series a look.  I think that kind of character is someone with whom Dresden would struggle.  Someone who is unwilling or smart enough to avoid head to head conflict with Dresden.  It would frustrate him to no end.  Being close then having the person slip away.  Just the kind of thing Jim would love doing to Dresden. 

[Kindler]

I'll second Alex Verus—I picked it up last week because someone mentioned it here in one of these threads. I'm on the third book now. Very Dresden-ish (there's even a line in the first few pages of the first book that nods to Dresden), but it's not a ripoff. And it's written better than the Iron Druid series; the fight scenes aren't basically "We fought. I found an opening and killed him," for instance. There's a lot of focus on the idea of using what you have; in Alex's case, it's knowledge. He knows where to be standing when the bullets start flying.

[KurtinStGeorge]

Ill have to give the series a look.  I think that kind of character is someone with whom Dresden would struggle.  Someone who is unwilling or smart enough to avoid head to head conflict with Dresden.  It would frustrate him to no end.  Being close then having the person slip away.  Just the kind of thing Jim would love doing to Dresden.

I'll third the recommendation for the Alex Verus series.  It does feel similar to the Dresden Files because both Alex and Harry have problems with higher authorities, with Dresden you get descriptions of different parts of Chicago and with Verus you get descriptions of different parts of London and they both eventually find allies to help them.  However, there are a number of key differences which keep the Alex Verus series from feeling like a British Clone of the Dresden Files.  Alex has a darker past than Harry.  The magical authorities (the British Light Council) are far better organized, yet far more politically divided, far more cynical, and filled with far more devious characters than the White Council.  Not all of the Dark magic users are necessarily totally evil; or maybe it's better to classify them as lawfully evil, but the ones who are genuinely, totally evil, can be like Nicodemus, Charles Manson and Ted Bundy rolled into one.  On the other hand, some of the boss bad guys are good employers who offer good benefits, if they don't plan to discard you after you perform one mission for them.  They need to see you as a long-term asset.

A couple of other points about the Alex Verus series are worth noting.  One, like the Dresden Files it has some very funny moments, but I don't want to give any of those moments away.  Two, unlike the Dresden Files, the other characters are more diverse; both ethnically and physically, than in the Dresden Files.  London is a cosmopolitan city and Alex's world is too.  One memorable character is Keeper Caldera.  (Keepers are like Wardens, but their organization is run very much like a mundane police department.)  She's a heavy set woman, a beer connoisseur, and a powerful mage.  It's refreshing that not every female character has to be better looking than a playboy centerfold model.         

[Kindler]

-snip-

Does anyone know how many books are planned for this series? Can't even find a wiki page for it, just for the author.