You know there are some villains that you love. Modern storytelling encourages writers to take care in making sure that the “bad guys” have as much character development and “relatable motivation” as the heroes, which has given rise to the likeable bad guy.
Of course, there are also those villains that we love because they know how to stick it to people, and you have to admit that every now and then, people get a little out of whack and need a good villain to snap them back to reality.
With the San Diego ComicCon coming up, I thought that I’d give you a list of villains that inspire me, and why I find them admirable.
5. Stannis Baratheon (Game of Thrones). I won’t deny that he was a jerk – he started badly by killing his younger brother Renley, and ended badly by sacrificing his only child, Shereen – but you have to admit that the guy had a focus and determination that’s lacking in our “instant everything” society. Sure, that focus led him to follow a demon priestess, but he was resourceful for a while, and his dedication was admirable. If real people had half of that internal motivation and focus, then they’d accomplish amazing feats that would surprise even them, and the world would be a much better place. I did hope he would cull the ranks more, even though his overall chances at taking the Iron Throne were negligible.
4. The Winter Soldier (Captain America – The Winter Soldier). This dude inspired me to take the Metro when I went to Washington D.C.! Seriously, it was the conflict between programming and personality that made Bucky interesting. He was the perfect tool of Hydra, operating in the shadows until the perfect moment which, unfortunately, also brought him face to face with his former best friend and opened a conflict between the world he was in and the world he once knew. Watching that conflict unfold was compelling, and best of all is that we aren’t completely sure how it worked out yet.
Of course, there are also those villains that we love because they know how to stick it to people, and you have to admit that every now and then, people get a little out of whack and need a good villain to snap them back to reality.
With the San Diego ComicCon coming up, I thought that I’d give you a list of villains that inspire me, and why I find them admirable.
5. Stannis Baratheon (Game of Thrones). I won’t deny that he was a jerk – he started badly by killing his younger brother Renley, and ended badly by sacrificing his only child, Shereen – but you have to admit that the guy had a focus and determination that’s lacking in our “instant everything” society. Sure, that focus led him to follow a demon priestess, but he was resourceful for a while, and his dedication was admirable. If real people had half of that internal motivation and focus, then they’d accomplish amazing feats that would surprise even them, and the world would be a much better place. I did hope he would cull the ranks more, even though his overall chances at taking the Iron Throne were negligible.
4. The Winter Soldier (Captain America – The Winter Soldier). This dude inspired me to take the Metro when I went to Washington D.C.! Seriously, it was the conflict between programming and personality that made Bucky interesting. He was the perfect tool of Hydra, operating in the shadows until the perfect moment which, unfortunately, also brought him face to face with his former best friend and opened a conflict between the world he was in and the world he once knew. Watching that conflict unfold was compelling, and best of all is that we aren’t completely sure how it worked out yet.
3. Darth Maul (Star Wars, Episode I). Admit it – the Sith are cool. And you know you were mad at Obi Wan Kenobi for killing him because the dude was just awesome with that double sided light saber. No talk, all action, and extremely efficient. Darth Maul had great potential and, even though The Clone Wars cast him as surviving, we never truly got to see just how fully awesome he could be.
2. Loki (Thor, The Avengers, and Thor 2 – The Dark World). Loki is one that could be useful to have around sometimes! He’s not only clever, but he has a commanding presence that you simply can’t ignore. When this guy walks in the room, you stop and take notice – whether you like it or not. He may be a bad buy, but he’s a bad guy that knows how to make people stop and listen. I know I’m not the only one that wants to take lessons from him on that!
1. Darth Vader (Star Wars, Episodes III-IV). You may be cool, but you’ll never be “Force master, black robes, and cool music ques when you walk in a room” cool. We all envy Vader’s mastery of The Force. Don’t tell me you don’t wish you could grab a blaster from across the room, or punish a disturbing lack of faith through a view screen! If Kylo Wren is half of that in Episode 7, then we’re in for another excellent trilogy.
Bad guys at their best! Stay tuned – next entry, I’ll give you a list of sidekicks I love.
That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!
Bad guys at their best! Stay tuned – next entry, I’ll give you a list of sidekicks I love.
That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!
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