Who was the most compelling VILLAIN you've ever come across, and why?

[A.F.]

I enjoy the classic villains like Dracula, Moriarty, Bill Sikes and Sauron, but my favourite has to be The Joker from the Batman comics and graphic novels.

[Jacques]

Dr. Hannibal Lecter played by Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of The Lambs. Unruly, calculated, cold hearted murderer so close to reality !

[Jon Recluse]

Daniel Flowers Bunkowski, a.k.a Chaingang from SLOB.

The definition of human monster.

[Ann]

NYKen wrote: "I just wanted to ask for all the readers out there, who was the most compelling VILLAIN that you have ever come across in your various readings, and why?

There was this villain, I forgot the ch..."

I agree with you on the Joker

[Marianne]

Hi All,
a bit late but I too think Bill Sikes is up there as a bad villain, he graduated from a petty criminal, to bully, wife beater and murderer. The worst villain for me, however, is Nurse Mildred Ratched from Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Also a
great film.

[Jennifer]

This might be an unusual one, but one of the first villains that I remember feeling real hatred for and complete frustration with was Professor Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

[A.F.]

NYKen wrote: "A.F. wrote: "I enjoy the classic villains like Dracula, Moriarty, Bill Sikes and Sauron, but my favourite has to be The Joker from the Batman comics and graphic novels."

MWAAAHHHHHH! A.F. I've rea..."

Yes, The Killing Joke was the Joker at his most villainous.

[Thayer]

For me, the most compelling villain is Michael Corleone from Mario Puzo's The Godfather. The reason I find him compelling, is that there is a metamorphosis from a core innocence of moral relativity to a build up of a deadened soul. The character of Michael Corleone seems chilling, because he is distinctly human and being human, presents the decay of one's core attribute in the face of artificial ethics within an equally artificial corporate structure (family business and money).

[Thayer]

I suppose one does tend to think of the villain as inherently villainous. One walks in, and there is the villain readily identifiable, due to the exaggerated tone of villainy. I don't see Michael Corleone as a villain for the sake of villainy or as some nemesis to a singular heroic character representative of a moral structure, which I suppose would be the exact definition. I will concede that he does not fall into that category. It was the chilling aspect I was immediately thinking of.