20 Sinister Menaces in Fiction and in Real Life
August 05, 2007
In this day and age, it seems that everyone loves villains in fiction. There seems to be an increasing trend in films for turning some enemies into anti-heroes.
Yet, both in reality and in fantasy, there are often characters that represent sinister menaces; and usually become those rivals that we all love to hate.
This is not a top 20 list; rather it is a haphazard selection of some of the malevolent entities we come across in day-to-day news, novels, history, film, video games, comics, and more.
Let's take a walk through this selection of immorality and obnoxious beings...
Evil Corporation:
The RIAA
If this was a top 20 list, I would hazard a guess and say these guys would probably be number 1. The Recording Industry Association of America has become a sinister menace to music lovers across the USA over the last few years. They continually pursue baseless and frivolous lawsuits against those they have accused of stealing copyrighted material; and claim they are owed something ridiculous like $750 per song (when in reality, it is probably less than $1 per song). The RIAA are a symbol, particularly to younger people, of how far corporate greed has become; and how out of touch 20th century business and law is with 21st century reality. They say that truth is stranger than fiction; it is worth wagering whether any fiction writer could come up with a more detestable villain than the RIAA.
RIAA targets everyone
Evil from the mind of Frank Miller:
Yellow Bastard
The work of Frank Miller has transcended that of basic comic books; it is now fairly much an art into itself. Miller's creative works have gone into graphic novels, and films and one character he created is possibly the vilest representation of ravenous evil: Yellow Bastard. From the pages of Frank Miller's Sin City, Yellow Bastard, otherwise known as Roark Junior, is an adversary that has loathsome and realistic evil: he is a sadistic pedophile; kidnapping, abusing, and raping children. Miller created this character as an image of the evil that corrupts and devastates the reality we live in. Yellow Bastard is a contemptible and selfish character.
That Yellow Bastard
Comic Book Evil:
Carnage
Spiderman already has key arch-enemies such as the Green Goblin and Venom, but perhaps the most evil he encountered was Carnage. Cletus Kasady bonded with an offshoot spawn of Venom's symbiote costume; and became Carnage. However, what made him different was the pure mindset of wrath and destruction he had: the symbiote had melded with a serial killer. Similar in approach to that of Yellow Bastard, the Spiderman writers incorporated Carnage as a representation of real life evil, but within the context of comic book superpowers. While the character proved to be a difficult foe for Spidey, it really wasn't until the release of the one-shot comic Carnage: Mind Bomb that fans discovered how twisted Kasady really was. The comic was a gruesome journey into the character's mind and viewpoint; an extremely graphic, torturous, violent, and disturbing description of who Carnage actually is.
Venom vs Carnage
Middle Earth Evil:
Sauron
The dark lord Sauron, enemy of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, is an unusual evil character in the sense that in the novels, we never actually see him. His threat is signified by the lidless flaming eye, overlooking Mordor, but his evil-doing is observed and conducted by those who choose to follow him. There are many interpretations as to why Tolkien shaped this character to be almost unseen; but perhaps that is one reason why it was so successful: it is the evil we do not see, that we need to fear the most. There are countless interpretations as to what Sauron represents. Given the timeframe in which Tolkien wrote his novels, one interpretation could be that the lidless eye was more of a symbol of the armies of darkness; very much like the swastika and how it was perverted by the Nazis during the Second Word War. Sauron himself though, is the embodiment of rallying to a cause against evils in real life - a justification for why sometimes people must join together against such evil, no matter how hopeless the cause may see.
Mordor and Isengard / Sauron and Saruman
Animated Evil on Television:
Mr. Burns
Yes, it is comedic, but The Simpsons has been at the forefront of social commentary on television screen for nearly two decades. And the main character that reeks of wickedness is obviously millionaire Montgomery Burns. Burns is creator Matt Groening's depiction not only of corporate materialism, but also of how greed can blind individuals to significant aspects of life. The creation of Burns is also a means by with Groening and his creative teams can actively take the piss out of the top 1 percent wealthy in the United States, which is something that we all can appreciate.
Mr. Burns Is Evil
Video Game Evil:
Officer Frank Tenpenny
Everyone has a favorite video game, and everyone has a favorite video game boss. For this article, I wanted to select someone who was not necessarily a good boss to fight against; but an elaborately fleshed out character that players just loved to hate. Enter Officer Frank Tenpenny from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas made by Rock Star. The character you play, CJ, is sucked back into gang lifestyle as a means by which he can bring his mother's killers to justice. During this time, the one group of people you would think could help you turn out to be your worst enemy: the police. With an insatiable hunger for power driven by corruption, Tenpenny indulges in being able to control others and places CJ in risky positions and missions that will often only benefit Tenpenny's greed or cover up his corrupt nature. Voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, Tenpenny is a representation of another form of evil often encountered in real-life.
Tenpenny the "Cop"
Evil 007 Villain:
Jaws
Everyone has a favorite James Bond foe. This one may not be the most intelligent, but for me at least, he was certainly the most memorable. There is just something impressionable about a big beefy bad-guy with a mouth full of metal. In his first film appearance, Jaws was an relentless slaying machine (though in Moonraker they turned him into bumbling comic relief), and Whilst his characterization is not necessarily an accurate illustration of evil in real life, it is his uncanny ability to seemingly escape from numerous misfortunes to continue to fight Bond that makes him an endearing evil character to fans.
The Spy Who Loved Me - Theatrical Trailer
Evil Enemy of the Federation:
Khan
Easily the most memorable of the Star Trek antagonists, Khan Noonien Singh first appeared in the original series in the episode Space Seed. While the episode clearly placed him in the role of antagonist, it was not until his return in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan that his character had developed into a malicious and manipulative murderer. In the Star Trek universe, Khan is a genetically engineered "superhuman", who was a dictatorial tyrant on Earth in the late 20th century. For Gene Roddenberry, Khan may have been a demonstration of where he saw certain technologies going, and also where he saw the politics of the time progressing. Much later, in Star Trek II, Khan seems be more representative of vengeance; many of his quotes are paraphrases from Moby Dick, implying that his quest for revenge is, above all else, an obsession that will afflict both himself and those around him.
Kirk and Khan - Face to Face
Evil from the Roman Empire:
Commodus
Son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Commodus is more prominently known in pop culture from his portrayal by Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott's Gladiator. In real life, Commodus' reign of the Roman Empire was rife with political discord, as he seemed to not pay much interest for the need to be involved in controlling state affairs. With attempted coups, and common accusations of conspiracies, Commodus would eventually take somewhat more interest in leadership, but would do so in more of dictatorial fashion. Even though this did not directly make him the most evil Roman ruler, it did make him a symbol of opposition to the Senate, and placed him far from the level of respect that had been held by his father Marcus Aurelius. Commodus' nature was delusional: he was inadvertently evil by allowing himself to be corrupted by power; something that many historians look at as the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire. In fact, Dio Cassius wrote about Commodus and described him as "not naturally wicked but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. His great simplicity, however, together with his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions". Though the Gladiator film is not historically accurate, the depiction of Commodus is a creative play on the concept of how power corrupted him.
Commodus: Busy Little Bee
Evil Sith Lord:
Darth Vader
It would probably be sacrilegious to compile an article of evil villains and not include the ultimate Sith Lord, Darth Vader. Originally a Jedi Knight known as Anakin Skywalker, he was seduced into the power of the Dark Side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine, and became Darth Vader. As Palpatine took control of the galaxy and proclaimed it to be the Galactic Empire, Vader became Palpatine's enforcer, and leader of Imperial armed forces. In the Star Wars saga as a whole, through all six films and the expanded universe, Vader is a symbol of a hero's fall from grace, and the fact that no matter how blinded or how far you become from your original self (more machine than man), redemption is possible. Before there was a prequel trilogy however, in the original films, many saw Vader for a lot more than this. In the words of a demotivator poster, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But it rocks absolutely, too".
The Rise of Darth Vader
Evil Enemy of the Time Lord:
Davros
As far as Doctor Who is concerned, perhaps his most famous group of enemies is The Daleks - misshapen aliens who conceal themselves in a tank-like shell. The leader of the Daleks is known as Davros. He was a tyrant who used his scientific background to create and engineer the army of the Daleks. In the series, he is the ultimate account of the fictional "mad scientist", twisted and bent on both domination and revenge. He considered the Daleks to be the supreme form of life, and that other forms of life were inferior; a position and intent often found in some of the tyrants in our own history; and a belief system that would ultimately result at his own demise at the hands of his own creations.
The Daleks turn on Davros
Evil Mythology:
Loki
In popular culture, he is known as comic-book character Thor's arch-rival, often appears in Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and is the genesis behind the mask in the comic and film adaptations of The Mask. In reality however, his origins are based in Norse mythology, and he was regarded as the god of mischief; an engineer of deception and treachery. His description in the mythology is less that of an unadulterated evil, but more of a cosmic deceiver. After murdering Balder, the god of innocence, Loki is punished by the other gods and bound him to three slabs of stone using the entrails of his own son, Narfi. There he remained until Ragnarok, the battle of the gods at the end of the world.
Loki as portrayed in the Marvel Universe
Evil Decepticon:
Megatron
With the recent success of the Transformers movie, it is probably inevitable that this character would deserve mention in this article. Megatron is the evil leader of the Decepticons from the universe of the Transformers. Against Optimus Prime and the Autobots, Megatron leads his army to Earth, continuing a war between the two factions that has been ongoing for (depending upon what source or version of the Transformers you look to) perhaps decades or even centuries. Like some of the evil characters mentioned above, his philosophy often appears to be that the Transformers are superior beings and that anything else is inferior. His twisted desire for power fuels his greed for control over others... a greed that expands exponentially once the Transformers arrive on Earth.
Optimus Prime vs Megatron
Bumbling Evil Menace in Comedy:
Shooter McGavin
Sure, they are cheesy in this capacity, but every good comedy film has to have an effective antagonist; someone who is the evil menace, often in place for further bumbling comic relief. Perhaps one of the best created characters of this mold was Shooter McGavin, the million-dollar golfer from Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore. He represents greed, power, and elitism, all of which are shown in an extravagant and exaggerated fashion that makes it not only hilarious but identifiable. Why include him here? Mainly because of this: McGavin:"I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast." Gilmore:"You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?"
I rest my case...
Shooter: What I Eat For Breakfast
Animated Evil in Film:
The Evil Queen
Every animated film has an enemy, and in the decades before the cartoon film industry was inundated with digital technology and orchestrated formulaic screenplays, the Evil Queen from Disney's interpretation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was probably the best portrayal of a villain in an animated setting. Her very being in the story characterizes jealousy, and how its seeds can degenerate a person into careless and poor decisions - a manifestation that was so effectively shown on-screen on the classic film. Although the fairy tale has been known for multiple generations, the Evil Queen's interpretation on screen in 1937 became a foundational infrastructure upon which developments of other evil contenders in other films would be built upon in the years to come. Indeed, the version of the Wicked Witch of the West from the film version of The Wizard of Oz was clearly influenced by these defining aspects of the character from the Disney version of the tale.
The Evil Queen
Evil Little Bastard:
Damien
Meet Damien Thorn. He is the son of the devil. The Antichrist. Take your pick of the names - he is our evil little bastard of this article, and he first appeared in the film The Omen. Born at 6:00 am on June 6, and marked with the number of the beast, the followers of the devil work to protect young Damien as he raised into the world of politics, in preparation for him to unleash wickedness and despair upon the world. While it is based on end of days biblical prophecies, the fact that creator David Seltzer linked the character to politics cannot be ignored. One could interpret that decision in numerous ways, but one underlying feature that continues to stand out in all films and novels of The Omen series is that power (in this day and age: politics and money) is undoubtedly an attraction to evil beings. Why include little Damien in this article? Why not? The little bastard tried to kill his mother for crying out loud!
The Omen - 2006 Theatrical Trailer
Cheesy Evil but Classic Evil:
Hans Gruber
Despite the fact that Live Free or Die Hard granted action fans a breath of fresh air as far as the Bruce Willis franchise was concerned, the original still features perhaps the cheesiest, yet most classic rival to grace the screen of an action flick. Performed by Alan Rickman, Hans Gruber is the leader of a German group of "terrorists" who hold hostages in the Nakatomi Building - all in the name of getting away with over $600 million worth of bearer bonds. The character's popularity was enhanced by the walkie-talkie dialogue shared between himself and John McClane... YKYMF...
The Demise of Hans Gruber
Evil Wizard:
Voldemort
Voldemort, the evil dark wizard from the Harry Potter saga, is such an evil bastard that most of the wizards are too scared to even say the guy's name. Though J.K. Rowling's first few novels in the Potterverse firmly establish the character as an extremely unpleasant and evil enemy, it is not until the last few novels of the series that we get a deeper insight into the wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle. Sharing a common thread with the above-mentioned villains, Voldemort considers himself superior above all other beings, particularly with regard to his intellect and knowledge. Ultimately, it would be this concept of superiority that will continually be his undoing time and time again, and while he considers it to be his greatest strength, it will evolve into becoming his ultimate weakness.
Resurrection of the Dark Lord
Evil Historic Tyrant:
Vlad the Impaler
The historic figure responsible for influencing Bram Stoker's development of Count Dracula is perhaps far more wicked and malevolent than his fictional counterpart. Vlad Tepes Dracul III the Impaler (multiple accounts show wide variations in his name) was the tyrannical prince of Wallachia, now an area of modern day Romania. As most historic tyrants are known for their love of punishment and torture, Vlad's obsession with it was not only brutally grotesque, but part of a great military strategy. Taking a well-oiled stake, the victim to be punished was impaled alive; and left alive to die extremely slowly when the stake was raised and standing in the ground. There are claims that he ordered as many as 10,000 impalements at one stage in an effort that was done to stage a display to an oncoming Ottoman army. It proved to be effective: the attackers fled in fear. Adding tens of thousands more impalements according to numerous historical accounts, as well as the fact his torturous delights also included live amputations and physical mutilation of men, women, and children, just go to show that Vlad the Impaler was not a very nice man.
Discovery's Most Evil Men in History: Vlad the Impaler
Insane and Evil:
The Joker
With the upcoming film, The Dark Knight, being highly anticipated by fans worldwide, The Joker was a logical inclusion in this article. Ignoring the cartoon-like and campy interpretations of the character, the Joker is perhaps the most frightening adversary from the world of comic books. Despite his comical appearance (though from the looks of the upcoming film, his image is more demented and serial-killer looking), he is an inescapable murderer driven by a lack of sanity. His unpredictable and cold-blooded nature make him possibly the darkest character in all of the Batman comics, and make him one of the most formidable foes ever portrayed in pop culture. Although many interpretations of The Joker have been laughable and preposterous in years gone by, and even though Jack Nicholson's 1989 performance is leaving big boots to fill, there are high hopes for a more accurate and, indeed, more evil depiction of the villain by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.
In this day and age, it seems that everyone loves 
The work of Frank Miller has transcended that of basic comic books; it is now fairly much an art into itself. Miller's creative works have gone into graphic novels, and films and one character he created is possibly the vilest representation of ravenous evil: Yellow Bastard. From the pages of Frank Miller's Sin City, Yellow Bastard, otherwise known as Roark Junior, is an adversary that has loathsome and realistic evil: he is a sadistic pedophile; kidnapping, abusing, and raping children. 
Spiderman already has key arch-enemies such as the Green Goblin and Venom, but perhaps the most evil he encountered was Carnage. Cletus Kasady bonded with an offshoot spawn of Venom's symbiote costume; and became Carnage. However, what made him different was the pure mindset of wrath and destruction he had: the symbiote had melded with a serial killer. Similar in approach to that of 
The dark lord 
Yes, it is comedic, but 
Everyone has a favorite video game, and everyone has a favorite video game boss. For this article, I wanted to select someone who was not necessarily a good boss to fight against; but an elaborately fleshed out character that players just loved to hate. Enter 
Everyone has a favorite James Bond foe. This one may not be the most intelligent, but for me at least, he was certainly the most memorable. There is just something impressionable about a big beefy bad-guy with a mouth full of metal. In his first film appearance, 
Easily the most memorable of the Star Trek antagonists, Khan Noonien Singh first appeared in the 
Son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Commodus is more prominently known in pop culture from his portrayal by Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott's Gladiator. In real life, Commodus' reign of the Roman Empire was rife with political discord, as he seemed to not pay much interest for the need to be involved in controlling state affairs. With attempted coups, and common accusations of conspiracies, 
It would probably be sacrilegious to compile an article of evil villains and not include the ultimate 
As far as Doctor Who is concerned, perhaps his most famous group of enemies is 
In popular culture, he is known as comic-book character 
With the recent success of the Transformers movie, it is probably inevitable that this character would deserve mention in this article. Megatron is the evil leader of the Decepticons from the universe of the Transformers. Against Optimus Prime and the Autobots, Megatron leads his army to Earth, continuing a war between the two factions that has been ongoing for (depending upon what source or version of the 
Sure, they are cheesy in this capacity, but every good comedy film has to have an effective antagonist; someone who is the evil menace, often in place for further bumbling comic relief. Perhaps one of the best created characters of this mold was 
Every animated film has an enemy, and in the decades before the cartoon film industry was inundated with digital technology and orchestrated formulaic screenplays, 
Meet Damien Thorn. He is the son of the devil. The Antichrist. Take your pick of the names - he is our evil little bastard of this article, and he first appeared in the film The Omen. Born at 6:00 am on June 6, and marked with 
Despite the fact that 
Voldemort, the evil dark wizard from the Harry Potter saga, is such an evil bastard that most of the wizards are too scared to even say the guy's name. Though J.K. Rowling's first few novels in the Potterverse firmly establish the character as an extremely unpleasant and evil enemy, it is not until the last few novels of the series that we get a deeper insight into the wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle. Sharing a common thread with the above-mentioned villains, 
The historic figure responsible for influencing Bram Stoker's development of Count Dracula is perhaps far more wicked and malevolent than his fictional counterpart. Vlad Tepes Dracul III the Impaler (multiple accounts show wide variations in his name) was the tyrannical prince of 
With the upcoming film, The Dark Knight, being highly anticipated by fans worldwide, 
