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<blockquote data-quote="The Serge" data-source="post: 265121" data-attributes="member: 4049">The Joker:&nbsp; I don't think villainy always about how hi-tech a character is.&nbsp; The Joker is among the most perfect of villains because he is the near perfect antithesis of the hero.&nbsp; In virtually every way, he is The Batman's opposite.&nbsp; And, he's accomplished some pretty terrible things against The Batman.&nbsp; He got rid of the first Robin (shot him through the arm which forced Batman to dump him), crippled Batgirl (The Killing Joke) , murdered the second Robin (A Death in the Family), almost destroys Gotham City (the Robin miniseries), and routinely proves that he can't be stopped by anyone save Batman.&nbsp; Additionally, most writers don't try to apologize for his actions.&nbsp; Unlike many other villains in comics who tend to have complex backgrounds that explain their villainy (Magneto, Dr. Doom, Two-Face, etc.), the Joker's background is nebulous at best (multiple choice), and his actions seem to have no rationale other than to cause pain and torment.&nbsp; I think it's necessary to have a villain who is plain and simply evil, and the Joker is that through and through.Iago:&nbsp; While Richard III is close behind him, Iago did what he did out of pure malice and hate.&nbsp; Richard III did what he did because he wanted power.&nbsp; Iago didn't get anything but the satisfaction that he destroyed two lives... and one was completely innocent.Moriarty:&nbsp; He's up there with The Joker in that he's the perfect antithesis of the hero.Darth Vader:&nbsp; This is Lawful Evil to the extreme.&nbsp; Darth Vader supported an oppressive, sinister regime through any means necessary.&nbsp; He employed torture, murder, subterfuge, and plain old &quot;beat their @$$&quot; to promote The Empire.&nbsp; Despite this, there was always something noble about him unlike his really villainous boss...The Emperor:&nbsp; Now this is a villain.&nbsp; The personification of Neutral Evil.&nbsp; He ruled not because he wanted order, and not because he wanted regulation.&nbsp; He ruled because he wanted to.&nbsp; He ruled because others needed to serve him.&nbsp; There was not one redeemable quality about this bastard and I think he's the closest thing to a satanic character we've seen in movies in a long time.Lucifer (Milton's Paradise Lost):&nbsp; I've always wondered about those Romantic period philosphes and poets who perceived Milton's Lucifer as some kind of anti-hero.&nbsp; They liked to argue that he was fighting against an oppressive dictator that stifled self-promotion and so-on (of course, their perspective was in the context of the numerous socio-political upheavals of the time, but I digress).&nbsp; But they all conveniently forget that Lucifer was willing to damn completely innocent creatures because he was ticked off at his own &quot;oppressor.&quot;&nbsp; That's both petty, sadistic, and completely evil.Maleficent:&nbsp; Look... anyone who curses a baby out of spite is evil as all Hell.&nbsp; This %itch not only was evil, but she was undeniable cool (she turned into one of the coolest dragons on film).&nbsp; I put the Wicked Witch of the West in the same category as Maleficent.That's my vote.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="The Serge, post: 265121, member: 4049"] The Joker: I don't think villainy always about how hi-tech a character is. The Joker is among the most perfect of villains because he is the near perfect antithesis of the hero. In virtually every way, he is The Batman's opposite. And, he's accomplished some pretty terrible things against The Batman. He got rid of the first Robin (shot him through the arm which forced Batman to dump him), crippled Batgirl ([I]The Killing Joke[/I]) , murdered the second Robin ([i]A Death in the Family[/i]), almost destroys Gotham City (the Robin miniseries), and routinely proves that he can't be stopped by anyone save Batman. Additionally, most writers don't try to apologize for his actions. Unlike many other villains in comics who tend to have complex backgrounds that explain their villainy (Magneto, Dr. Doom, Two-Face, etc.), the Joker's background is nebulous at best (multiple choice), and his actions seem to have no rationale other than to cause pain and torment. I think it's necessary to have a villain who is plain and simply evil, and the Joker is that through and through. Iago: While Richard III is close behind him, Iago did what he did out of pure malice and hate. Richard III did what he did because he wanted power. Iago didn't get anything but the satisfaction that he destroyed two lives... and one was completely innocent. Moriarty: He's up there with The Joker in that he's the perfect antithesis of the hero. Darth Vader: This is Lawful Evil to the extreme. Darth Vader supported an oppressive, sinister regime through any means necessary. He employed torture, murder, subterfuge, and plain old "beat their @$$" to promote The Empire. Despite this, there was always something noble about him unlike his really villainous boss... The Emperor: Now this is a villain. The personification of Neutral Evil. He ruled not because he wanted order, and not because he wanted regulation. He ruled because he wanted to. He ruled because others needed to serve him. There was not one redeemable quality about this bastard and I think he's the closest thing to a satanic character we've seen in movies in a long time. Lucifer (Milton's [i]Paradise Lost[/i]): I've always wondered about those Romantic period philosphes and poets who perceived Milton's Lucifer as some kind of anti-hero. They liked to argue that he was fighting against an oppressive dictator that stifled self-promotion and so-on (of course, their perspective was in the context of the numerous socio-political upheavals of the time, but I digress). But they all conveniently forget that Lucifer was willing to damn completely innocent creatures because he was ticked off at his own "oppressor." That's both petty, sadistic, and completely evil. Maleficent: Look... anyone who curses a baby out of spite is evil as all Hell. This %itch not only was evil, but she was undeniable cool (she turned into one of the coolest dragons on film). I put the Wicked Witch of the West in the same category as Maleficent. That's my vote. [/QUOTE]

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