To cast your vote for the current list project, we ask that you submit your own Top Ten list. You must provide the Name of the Villain, as well as the book, film or other media where the villain is from and the author, creator or director of that media. If you don't know all the details of the villain you want to vote for, please look it up on Amazon. You may vote for any villain from fiction in the alternative reality genres. Our definition of these terms is not strict. Cross-genre and other types of liminal fiction are welcome. If you have any questions, please ask them in our Online Help forum.
We ask that you rank your items in a 1-10 list, 1 being the best, 10 being the tenth best. The results will be calculated using your ranking to weight the votes. Villains placed at the #1 spot will be given 10 points, #2 given 9 points... #10 given one point. Keep this in mind as you are composing your list.
If you do not want to rank your ten, that's fine. We also accept unranked lists of ten (or less). If you chose to submit an unranked list, each item on the list will be credited with 5 points. Submitting an unranked list of more than 10 will result in the final choice listed being ignored in the counting. If you are submitting an unranked list, please DO NOT number it. Remove the numbers for the email or online form. A note to our editors saying "this list is in no particular order" is welcome, but there is a chance it might be overlooked in the numbers crunching of compiling the final list. Removing all numbering from your unranked list assures that all items will be given equal weight.
If you simply cannot settle on only 10 villains and would like to submit more for consideration, you may include up to ten (10) additional items as "Honorable Mentions." Your list of "Honorable Mentions" must be labeled as such, and must follow your ranked or unranked list of 10. "Honorable Mentions" receive one (1) point each when we count the votes.
You may also submit a partial list. If you simply can't come up with a worthy ten, feel free to submit one, two, three... or nine. But remember, you don't have to put all of them at the head of the list. If you can't think of a full ten, but want to vote for some of your favorites, make sure to assign them appropriate rankings. Leave the middle numbers blank if you have to. If you want to vote for an item, but don't think it's quite top 5 quality, put it in a lower rank and don't fill in the rest. We want this list to be an accurate representation of your sentiments.
Finally, we ask, that as you are posting your lists, feel free to comment on the items listed as you mention them. Your quotations may be included in the feature article once the list is compiled. If your commentary is quoted, it will be credited to your given username. Commentary is not required for submitting a list. Nor is commentary on every item listed. If you just want to comment on your #1, or just on a random few, that's okay. Any commentary is welcome.
If you run your own discussion forum, and you think your members would be interested in participating in this and future lists, we would be happy to invite them over, and give your online community credit for helping out. Please see our Top 10 Associates page for more details.
Voting will remain open until June 29, 2008.
You may submit only one list, and there are two options for submission:
1) You may submit using our email form. Use this option if, for whatever reason, you do not want to post your list publicly on the ARWZ Community Forums. However, please be advised that your list submission using the email form will be FINAL. You may not edit your list once it is submitted by email. If you want to be able to edit your list, please use option 2...
2) You may submit by posting on our ARWZ Community Forums. With this option, you are free to edit your list at any time up until the close of voting.
If you have any questions on how voting works, please ask in our Online Help forum. If you please, you may copy/paste this format for composing your list:
1. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
2. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
3. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
4. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
5. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
6. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
7. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
8. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
9. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
10. NAME OF VILLAIN: from BOOK/FILM/SHOW/ETC: by AUTHOR/DIRECTOR/CREATOR(s): COMMENTS:
If you're ready to post your list, then click on the link below:
Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 35 Location: Portland, Oregon
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:59 pm
A lot of my favorite books don't have clear cut villains as I tend to prefer books with conflicts that don't just fall into good and evil. That said, of course there are exceptions, though they probably lean to a lot of pop culture classics. So I'll play...
1) Sauron from the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein - I'm not the ultimate hobbit-head to say the least, but when it comes to powerful scary bad guys, that's a pretty high standard to try to top.
2) C'thulhu from the C'thulhu mythos by H.P. Lovecraft - Lovecraft set the standard for every scary, tentacled alien monster with this elder god.
3) Darth Vader from Star Wars by George Lucas - While I'm not particularly into the way the character developed in the later movies, it is impossible to deny the dark energy (Force) of this character in the first film. The scene where he chokes to death his failed minion really says it all.
4) Smeagol from the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein - A bad guy who maybe even wants to be good, but falls prey to all the wicked little temptations that destroy people - greed, addiction, power, preciouuus...
5) Stormbringer from the Elric series by Michael Moorcock - The sword of the hero is the real villain. Truly a genius level insight about violence, warfare, and "heroism".
6) The Beserkers by Fred Saberhagen from the Beserker series - Robot machines created aeons ago with the sole purpose of destroying all organic life. Saberhagen tapped into a very scary idea here, and future writers such as Alastair Reynolds and Gregory Benford were certainly taking note.
7) The Daleks from Doctor Who by Terry Nation - The Daleks are kind of corny of course. They can't even use stairs (until recently Russell Davies granted them levitation powers) and they never seem to see the Doctor and his companions hiding behind a pillar just inches from them and all their supposedly deadly machinery. Nonetheless, they are also cool. We want the Doctor to win of course, and he always does, but we can't help but get excited by their cries of "Exterminate!"
8 ) The Baldies from the Time Trader series by Andre Norton - Are they really just humans evolved into the future? Or are they the evil aliens they seem? Norton created these bad guys when the Cold War was in full effect and they stumbled in on time travel conflicts between the western and Soviet block teams and made things even messier. They of course were somewhat based on the Soviets themselves, the way the Klingons were, and after the Cold War, the later books made all this a bit more complicated.
9) Global Warming in The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard - This is a bit of a stretch perhaps, but then the Natural Disaster is often the villain in a lot of stories I like. Ballard was a master of this in the '60s too, and The Drowned World was about Global Warming two decades ahead of even the first scientists saying that maybe all those greenhouse gasses weren't such a good thing for the world.
10) "Town and Country" in River of Gods by Ian McDonald - [SPOILER ALERT] A soap opera that has the whole country of India enthralled, but is actually an AI bent on controlling the populace. Brilliant.
Joined: 28 Mar 2006 Posts: 291 Location: Waco, Texas
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 10:53 am
I think clearly discernible villains are more prevalent in fantasy than science fiction. In SF, the antagonist tends to be something other than an individual, or even group of individuals, more likely to be a technology run amok or a force of nature like global warming, or a natural or man-made disaster.
Anyway, I decided to list five from books and five from tv/movies (and in a couple of instances they are both).
1. Sauron - from J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
2. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen - from Frank Herbert's Dune saga.
3. Damon Julian - from George R. R. Martin's Fevre Dream.
4. Benedict Howard - from Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron.
5. Professor Moriarty - from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
6. Lucas Buck - as portrayed by Gary Cole on the television series American Gothic.
7. Angelus - as portrayed by David Boreanaz on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
8. Kahn Noonien Singh - as portrayed by Ricardo Montalban on the series Star Trek and in the movie Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn.
9. The Terminator - as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original 1984 film.
10. Benjamin Linus - as portrayed by Michael Emerson on the series Lost (although it is possible we will eventually learn he is "one of the good guys" as he claims, but I consider him a villain now).
Plus, here are a few others I considered.
Darth Vader
Sylar from tv's Heroes
Mayor Richard Wilkins from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Adelai Niska from Firefly
Bob, the spirit possessing Leland Palmer on Twin Peaks
Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 523 Location: Upstate New York
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:56 am
Okay, I'll see if I can come up with ten. Sorry if many are from Doctor Who - I just love the villans in that show:
1. The Daleks
Doctor Who
creator: Terry Nation
Who says the Daleks are corny (ljim2000)? If you go back to the beginning, the Daleks were actually a pretty interesting and innovative creation. And they have been in some of the most powerful of Doctor Who episodes, in both the old series and the new one ("The Dead Planet", "Genesis of the Daleks", "Dalek", "The Parting of the Ways" ). Okay, so they have been in a few corny ones, too, but they always had a certain presence on the small screen.
By the way, the Daleks have been able to go up stairs since the Sylvester McCoy Dalek episode "Remebrance of the Daleks". It wasn't a Russell Davies innovation.
2. The Master
Doctor Who
played by Roger Delgado and later Anthony Ainley
It has been said that the Master was the Moriarty of Doctor Who. Intelligent, hypnotic, and evil, the Master was a great foe for the Doctor. Delgado played the Master with a bit of a suave demeanor, while Ainley's version may have been nastier.
I didn't mention the Master in his "degenerate" form, because I prefer the Master in his original (non-rotting) form, although his stint as the main baddie in "The Deadly Assasin" was quite good.
The current incarnation of the Master is pretty good, but in a madder, more unpredictable way.
3. Cybermen
Doctor Who
creators: Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
At their best, the Cybermen are emotionless, mechanical beings bent on survival by converting other humanoids into more Cybermen. When you think about it, it's a really disturbing idea. And the conversion units of the new series are absolutely horrifying.
4. Sauron
The Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien
Some people have commented that Sauron didn't seem to be much of a threat because he's just really an eye, but I get the idea of a being so evil and powerful that he could literally cover the land in darkness. The fate of the world was truly in the balance, and if the ring survived all the battles would have been for nought. And only the elves had a means of escape - all other races would have had to deal with the coming of darkness and all the suffering that entailed.
A pretty bad baddie indeed.
5. Darth Vader
Star Wars
creator: George Lucas
In the first two films (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back), Vader worked as a truly evil villain. That black suit, while perhaps a bit stereotypical of a villain, was just magnificent. And the way he just swept through a scene was amazing.
6. Alien
Alien
creator: H. R. Giger
Okay, maybe this is more of a horror movie set in space than "true" sci-fi, but I think the design and menace of the alien in the film should be mentioned. The design of the creature by the artist Giger is awsome.
7. Saruman
The Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien
I love Christopher Lee's performance as Saruman in the films. He plays evil very well. As a character, Saruman is more of a "personality" than Sauron. While perhaps not as big a threat as Sauron, Saruman's betrayal still ranks as an effective "evil" moment.
8. Gollum/Smeagol
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkein
Gollum goes from a threat in the dark, the riddling cresature in the Goblin caves, to a truly disturbed being. I find Gollum's psychology to be fascinating - he struggles with himself, but can't quite free himself of evil. He represents the threat from within, and is a good example of a character past the point of possible redemption.
9. The Terminator
The Terminator
creator: James Cameron
A relentless killing machine played by Arnold Schwarzenegger - what more do you want?
10. Davros
Doctor Who (specifically "The Genesis of the Daleks")
creator: Terry Nation
Davros, as originally presented in "The Genesis of the Daleks", was a truly evil genius. He admitted that he would release a deadly microbe if he had a chance to allow it to be the only living thing in existence. That's a very disturbing idea, and gives an insight into the dark mind of the creator of the Daleks. _________________ "I'm going to do what the warriors of old did. I'm going to recite poetry!"
Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 46 Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:07 pm
1.
Lucifer/Satan
From: Various religious texts, Bibles, etc.
By: well� this is kind of redundant.
No one is worse. Lucifer created evil. He�s the ultimate top ten list topper. Everyone knows of him, and he is the biggest scapegoat of bad behaior of all ages, and he deserves it too. He's costarred in so many fiction works as the bad guy, where else should I put him?
2.
Hannibal Lecture
From: Silence of the Lambs
By: Thomas Harris
Read the book, you�ll get creeped out. Watch the movie, and you�ll never see Anthony Hopkins the same again. Not to mention the whole night vision scene. The only thing worse then knowing someone wants to kill you is knowing they are smarter than you�ll ever be.
3.
The Joker
From: DC Comics
By: Bill Finger & Bob Kane
The Joker is a master criminal with a clown-like appearance, including bleached white skin, red lips, and green hair. Initially, the Joker was portrayed as a violent sociopath who murders people and commits crimes for his own amusement. Jack Nicolson did a great job portraying the Joker in Batman.
4.
Agent Smith
From: The Matrix
By: Larry and Andy Wachowski
Imagine a being that cannot stop, never tires, and adaptable on a superior level. No imagine he�s after you. Watch the movie and you�ll know when you hear �Mr. Anderson� you�re in trouble.
5.
Annie Wilkes
From: Misery
By: Stephen King.
The ultimate stalker, which makes all upcoming authors really question their profession. A twist on Machiavelli�s: �Is it better to be loved or feared?�
6.
The Shark
From: Jaws
By Peter Benchley
Read the book or watch the movie. Now take a pleasant vacation to any beach location. Try not to react when your friends say �Let�s go body-surfing,� I dare ya. I still look out into the deep blue.
7.
Ming the Merciless
From: Flash Gordon
By: Alex Raymond
Take the most sadistic, evil, and nasty person you know. Now give them magic powers and put them in charge of the universe. I�m going to need a bigger rock to crawl under.
8.
Sephiroth
From: Final Fantasy 7
By: Tetsuya Nomura
I know it�s a videogame, and one of the most cutting edge and popular games of its time. This character is the ultimate villain whose popularity has caused other video games (over 10) to include him as well. As I recall as I played FF7, I hated every time he popped up on my TV.
9.
Palpatine / Darth Sidious
From: Empire Strikes Back
By: George Lucas
I know, Darth Vader is cooler looking and intense, but he returned to good. No self respecting villain would ever do that. Evil until destroyed, the Emperor is one of the big baddies in literature and film.
10.
Cujo
From: Cujo
By: Stephen King
Damn dog. Scary, insane, nasty dog! Let PETA defend this rabies-infested animal. _________________ �If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.� - General George Patton.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You can vote in polls in this forum
Alternative Reality Web Zine: ISSN# 1559-3037
All materials on these pages (including fiction, poetry, essays, articles, interviews and opinion pieces) are copyrighted to the original authors and may not be reproduced without permission.
.