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I have a special place in my heart for the bad guy. The evil genius or the diabolical master mind was always more infinitely interesting to me than the squeaky clean hero. I enjoy the anti-hero to an extent (if done well) and only really like the good guy if he's also flawed, makes mistakes.
But the bad guy has to be redeemable. He has to have a certain something that speaks to me, that makes him charming/sympathetic/just too plain fun to hate. He has to find glee in his mallice or I just don't... I can't connect.
On that, here are some...
Top Ten All Time Bad Guys and Why
10. Replicators - SG1/Atlantis
These guys worked as a good one-shot alien. I just don't think they do as a ongoing arc bad guy. I don't find the human-form replicators all that compelling. The sheer numbers of them as little bots worked much better but also when a bad guy is unbeatable and you know you're screwed as soon as one appears... it just doesn't work for me. A bad guy you also can only fight through the power of coding??
9. The Wraith - Atlantis
There's a lot that's awesome about the Wraith. If they stopped being just so damn goofy for a minute they would really be menacing. I've always loved the idea of an organic ship and the old tried and true threat because of overwhelming numbers is employed here. The henchmen suffer from the whole storm trooper problem, they're basically just canon fodder. It just feels like in later episodes of Atlantis they've become more of an annoyance than a threat to the 'lanteans.
7. T1000 - Terminator
He's doesn't stop, you can't hurt him and he absolutely doesn't care about anything. He could suffer from the replicator problem but he doesn't for me and I can't explain it. Possibly because of the sheer relentlessness. You can't catch your breath because he certainly doesn't. He just keeps coming and that I find truly frightening.
6. Zombies
I love them in all their forms. Mostly when there's a lot of them and they are fast. The shamblers will get you only because there are so many of them but what's truly frightening is yes, it would spread that quickly because no one would really believe what was going on.
5. Zim - Invader Zim
Okay, so he's not going to take over the world any time soon but he tries so hard. The very fact that he fails despite not really being thwarted in any real way is adorable. And you gotta love Gir.
4. Angelus - Angel
Mostly because the potential is always there and he's much more charasmatic as the bad guy. The evil lurking just underneath the skin of a hero is infinitely fascinating and the very fact that happiness will bring forth the monster is just wonderful.
4. Mayor Wilkins - BTVS
I loved Mayor Wilkins. Mostly because he had that certain glee about what he was doing. However, he also had the capacity to care about things other than himself. He took in Faith when she's been abandoned by those that should have cared for her and even though he used her to do his dirty work, he was also genuinely attached. Also, he hated germs. Ha!
3. Faith - BTVS
Okay, she was only a bad guy for a little while but what was great was that you got to see Faith's fall. You understood the choices she made because you saw her reach out and be rebuffed. The first person to take the time to actually listen to her and treat her like she was important was a bad guy.
2. The Yellow Eyed Demon - SPN
As a malevolent presence in the shadows, poisoning everything in the Winchester's lives with just a single act and the fact that he was there, he really worked for me. Possessing Papa Winchester upped the creepiness and he became the ultimate bad guy.
He lost something with familiarity. I found him less threatening as we hurtled towards the season finale of S2. Maybe I just don't like seeing my bad guys coming?
1. Alien - Alien
I just... love them. In the first movie you couldn't tell what they looked like because it was always in the shadows. In the second it was blurred by sheer numbers. In the third the speed and the darkness. Face huggers are awesome. That scene where Ripley and the little girl (mental blank!!) are locked in the science lab with two on the loose... whew! They don't kill you straight away. You get cocooned and impregnated and then have to wait around until something chews its way out of your chest.
Awesome.
Edited to add: Ummm... haha... you may notice there is no number eight. Errr... a bad guy stole it!
But the bad guy has to be redeemable. He has to have a certain something that speaks to me, that makes him charming/sympathetic/just too plain fun to hate. He has to find glee in his mallice or I just don't... I can't connect.
On that, here are some...
Top Ten All Time Bad Guys and Why
10. Replicators - SG1/AtlantisThese guys worked as a good one-shot alien. I just don't think they do as a ongoing arc bad guy. I don't find the human-form replicators all that compelling. The sheer numbers of them as little bots worked much better but also when a bad guy is unbeatable and you know you're screwed as soon as one appears... it just doesn't work for me. A bad guy you also can only fight through the power of coding??
9. The Wraith - Atlantis There's a lot that's awesome about the Wraith. If they stopped being just so damn goofy for a minute they would really be menacing. I've always loved the idea of an organic ship and the old tried and true threat because of overwhelming numbers is employed here. The henchmen suffer from the whole storm trooper problem, they're basically just canon fodder. It just feels like in later episodes of Atlantis they've become more of an annoyance than a threat to the 'lanteans.
7. T1000 - TerminatorHe's doesn't stop, you can't hurt him and he absolutely doesn't care about anything. He could suffer from the replicator problem but he doesn't for me and I can't explain it. Possibly because of the sheer relentlessness. You can't catch your breath because he certainly doesn't. He just keeps coming and that I find truly frightening.
6. ZombiesI love them in all their forms. Mostly when there's a lot of them and they are fast. The shamblers will get you only because there are so many of them but what's truly frightening is yes, it would spread that quickly because no one would really believe what was going on.
5. Zim - Invader ZimOkay, so he's not going to take over the world any time soon but he tries so hard. The very fact that he fails despite not really being thwarted in any real way is adorable. And you gotta love Gir.
4. Angelus - AngelMostly because the potential is always there and he's much more charasmatic as the bad guy. The evil lurking just underneath the skin of a hero is infinitely fascinating and the very fact that happiness will bring forth the monster is just wonderful.
4. Mayor Wilkins - BTVSI loved Mayor Wilkins. Mostly because he had that certain glee about what he was doing. However, he also had the capacity to care about things other than himself. He took in Faith when she's been abandoned by those that should have cared for her and even though he used her to do his dirty work, he was also genuinely attached. Also, he hated germs. Ha!
3. Faith - BTVSOkay, she was only a bad guy for a little while but what was great was that you got to see Faith's fall. You understood the choices she made because you saw her reach out and be rebuffed. The first person to take the time to actually listen to her and treat her like she was important was a bad guy.
2. The Yellow Eyed Demon - SPNAs a malevolent presence in the shadows, poisoning everything in the Winchester's lives with just a single act and the fact that he was there, he really worked for me. Possessing Papa Winchester upped the creepiness and he became the ultimate bad guy.
He lost something with familiarity. I found him less threatening as we hurtled towards the season finale of S2. Maybe I just don't like seeing my bad guys coming?
1. Alien - AlienI just... love them. In the first movie you couldn't tell what they looked like because it was always in the shadows. In the second it was blurred by sheer numbers. In the third the speed and the darkness. Face huggers are awesome. That scene where Ripley and the little girl (mental blank!!) are locked in the science lab with two on the loose... whew! They don't kill you straight away. You get cocooned and impregnated and then have to wait around until something chews its way out of your chest.
Awesome.
Edited to add: Ummm... haha... you may notice there is no number eight. Errr... a bad guy stole it!