I figure there must be a few older posts about this, but it’s still a valid discussion to bring back to life. What is the best bad guy ever? Why?
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Thanos and Killmonger definitely come to mind. They’re both incredibly bad ass, likeable, and deep characters. Killmonger especially has one of the most relateable motivations; it’s one of those cases of “doing the right thing in the wrong way.”
Thanos’ goal, of course, is really ridiculous. If he wanted to bring peace to the universe, he could do it in a benevolent way. However, he’s so deluded, narcisistic and sociopathic that he has convinced himself that killing billions is a just thing to do. But, that’s just part of why his character is so strong, because he believes so wholeheartedly in his goal and actually has real motivations.
Couple all that with the fact that they both have really great lines and they steal every scene they’re in. 
And how can we forget Heath Ledger’s Joker? Nothing needs to be said but that he’s an insurmountable legend.
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Well, Thanos already has been mentioned. So I’m going to say Negan from The Walking Dead. I like the comics version of Negan better than the TV show but don’t get me wrong, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has nailed the role on the show so far. His first appearance where he kills Glenn in the comics and in the show, Abraham then Glenn, with a barbed wire baseball bat that he named after his dead wife, Lucille, is something that I won’t be forgetting for a very long time.
Can’t wait to see Negan go up against Beta in the show soon!
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Eru Ilúvatar from lord of the rings
His plan of getting rid of magic will kill everyone besides the humans.
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Here’s a guy that I’ve actually wanted to mention for sometime.
King Dedede. One of the most badass antagonists in Nintendo history. No, really. Here’s why.
He is the self-proclaimed king of dreamland, but he has the power to back it up. Though not often in the villain role more these days, and if he is, it’s pretty much purely because he’s possessed by eldritch abominations that he deals with on a day to day basis.
Notice that Kirby is canonically labeled as having nigh infinite strength and is capable of defeating Majiin Buu, as well as being capable of cracking planets with his fists. King Dedede frequently fights on par with Kirby and while more often than not he is controlled and doesn’t win, the worst Dedede ever comes out with is a few minor scratches.
Despite seeming like a fat and kind of dopey penguin…which he is…he is still capable of running and catching up to the warp star, something that moves roughly at or at times faster than the speed of light.
On top of that, King Dedede is shown to actually bear more destructive power than Kirby can, breaking much heavier and larger obstacles than Kirby is capable of, and doing it casually. Indicating that while Kirby does end up ultimately getting the better of Dedede, the king does in fact actually hit harder than Kirby can in terms of raw power. Not to mention the time that he outright THREW Kirby into space in order for Kirby to reach a new planet.
Plus, while you might be led to believe otherwise, Dedede, does in fact show some cunning. The events of Super Smash Bros Brawl have him playing a huge role into rescuing everybody from their statue forms and he was the one who came up with the plan to seal nightmare in the fountain before Kirby sabotaged it.
My point being, that yes. He’s strong. He’s an idiot. He’s ridiculous. But he’s strong. But when you are in his lands…you will bow down or lay down.
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Most likely everyone know that I love WH40K so here are my favorite villains
Magnus the red
And Alpharius Omegon
Magnus only turned to chaos because he was pushed into a corner. And only wanted to save his legion (he already sacrificed his eye before to save them)
And Alpharius is one of my favorites too because he’s not technically evil. He joined chaos to fulfill a prophecy that if Horus won chaos will be destroyed and wanted to save the galaxy from it even if it means sacrificing humanity
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Monokuma and Junko because they made me laugh. If Nagito is considered a villain then him too, he’s so smart and even with his self-depreciation he’s manipulating everyone around him plus his jp voice 
Shuu Tsukiyama from Tokyo Ghoul is kind of a villain at first. He’s so extra and fancy swoons
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The Illusive Man.
He’s a great orator and seems pretty… open-minded. If it weren’t for the forced hostility from Shepard in ME2, I think we’d get off even better.
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That doesn’t sound familiar to me. Where in Lord of the Rings is that mentioned?
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That was impression the first time while playing…but after a few run throughs…it doesn’t feel like Cerberus was ever really all that clever.
Their big plan is bringing back Shepard so they can be told what to do. Then they spend pretty much the entirety of third accomplishing nothing but just running around like a jackass while the Reapers invade. They also went ahead and despite being perfectly aware of the risks and how it never, ever, ever ends well for anyone,went and played with Reaper technology and got themselves indoctrinated.
I mean…for most of 2 they seem like they have it fairly well together, but by 3 they are just running around with the idiot ball.
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Not particularly clever, I am just mentioning just how skilled The Illusive Man is more specifically.
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Ikr, so awesome!
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I believe it was actually in Silmarillion. But I also don’t recognize this.
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The Master of Magnetism…
“To live among the stars… To rule jungle kingdoms… To guide entire nations… Only to find oneself here. A self-loathing man might see this as deserved punishment. A vain man might compare this to the Christian Devil’s fall from heaven. Me… I think the coffee’s not terrible. I have been known by many names. Max Eisenhardt. Erik Lehnsherr. Magnus. Magneto. Each name marks its own sin. And one day I’ll answer for those offenses. But not today. Only my actions… What I do in the name of all mutants… Hold any real meaning.” - Magneto
Magneto Volume 3 Issue #1, 2014.
“I wanted this to be professional. Efficient, adult, cooperative, not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way, so he won’t be joining us for the rest of his life.” - Hans Gruber
…And Hans Gruber in the film Die Hard (1988) played to perfection by the late great Alan Rickman. Arguably the greatest action film villain of all time.
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My all time favourite would be Azula from Avatar. She was such a complicated character. She did terrible things throughout the show but I couldn’t help but sympathise with her. Her family is just so messed up.
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Douglas. The murderous sociopathic power hungry a-hole that kind of introduced Sam to magic in the first place. Also taught him which might not have been such a great idea.
Hold me closer necromancer.
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These are my favorites and my reference to the theme villains:
Joker (Heath Ledger) from Batman
Hans Landa (Christopher Waltz) from Inglorious Basterds
Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) from The Silence of Lambs
Calvin Candy (Leo DiCaprio) from Django Unchained
Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day Lewis) from Gangs of New York
Amon Goeth and Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) from Schindler’s List and Harry Potter
Lord Benton (Alun Armstrong) from Frontier
Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) from No Country for Old Men
Alex DeLarge and his gang from Clockwork Orange
And finally, in a minor degree, Jordan Belfort and everyone in Stratton Oakmont (Leo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, etc …) from The Wolf of Wall Street.
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It’s not said directly but the whole plot of the trilogy is how magic is fading since Eru loves the humans so much. Sauron stopped it by using the ring to act as an anchor but with him gone now the elves, dwarves, and other magic beings will vanish over time since Eru lives his gift of man more than anything.
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I have a type of villains i like. The crazy psychopaths 
They do evil because it’s fun! Good and evil are simply social constructs according to them. Some things that are allowed/encouraged in one culture are frowned upon or even outright illegal in another culture. Therefore humans decide what’s ‘good’ or ‘evil’ and so they believe they can decide their own ‘good’ or ‘evil’ and if others call them evil for it they don’t care. It means nothing to them. Or it makes them happy. Because they consider what the majority calls ‘evil’ as ‘fun’.
They are pretty smart and extremely manipulative of course so it’s pretty hard to get rid of them. They use people, they lie and do whatever it takes to archive their goals. And bonus points if they look like they have fun doing it.
Also bonus points if they are mentally unstable and/or loose it sometime during the story…
So outright crazy psychopaths 
The whole “doing the right thing in the wrong way” always made me wonder why can’t someone walk up to them and say “Thank you for your kind thoughts, but please let us be in our misery. We do not want to be saved. We want to suffer on our own so let us be. Bye”? Because them and their martyr complex are kinda pathetic in my eyes 
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There’s a new TV show called Killing Eve. The Russian assasin in the show is masterfully complex and compelling she’s funny, scary and strangely endearing.
Also Boss Smiley from the Sandman series. He’s only in it briefly but he lives on in my imagination years afterwards.
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