movies/tv Best Animated Villains? Post Pics and Say Why

[DiscordAnarchy 770]

Easily one of my favorites:

 

 

I just love how ruthless Khan was in the Tale Spin series. He was cold, calculating, yet a gentleman to women and cruel to those who fail him.  A perfect archtype.

 

 

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

I would post something about discord... but that's to be expected. So I'll post:

Hades from Hercules.

I just love how versatile his sequences are and how they can changes in so many different ways.

Edited April 2, 2013 by Rainbow Dashey

[Tank the tortoise 262]

This was a tough one for me cause for some reason I began drawing a blank simply cause you asked.  There are so many that come to mind yet fail at the idea of Best.  However, I think one stands above the others.  While he is far from my favorite villain he is possibly one of the darkest ones I remember from my childhood.

 

Xanatos from Gargoyles.

 

He even has his own trope!

Edited April 2, 2013 by TanktheTortoise

[DiscordAnarchy 770]

I would post something about discord... but that's to be expected. So I'll post:

Hades from Hercules.

I just love how versatile his sequences are and how they can changes in so many different ways.

 

 

Did you know that when James woods auditioned for the role, the reason they chose him was because everyone prior was being all ROAR! I AM EVIL and he was more like a con-artist/salesman going like "Hey, okay whattya know whattya saw, here's the deal and sign here and here!"

 

@ Tank

 

Xanatos was really awesome. Not really evil, not really good...a perfect balance of greed and intelligence

 

 

DarkHeart would be another one of mine. While his ending was VERY cheesy, the fact that he was practically SATAN and he was striking deals with pre-teens to get their "souls" just so he could gain more power to destroy the Care Bears is pretty psychotic and awesome. Plus he had a great look and voice. Loved his glowing eyes.

[Orablanco Account 3,708]

Some of CITRUS KING's Animated Villains (I'll add more when I think of them) SPOILERS FOR ALL CHARACTERS MENTIONED

 

 

Tetsuo Shima, Akira

The concept of a weak, downtrodden individual coming into immense power and going bonkers has become a popular one in geek-dom (or whatever you call it), and that popularity can be traced back to this character. An orphaned bike-gang member who grew up on the streets of Neo Tokyo (which makes Gotham look like Ponyville), Tetsuo only had his surrogate brother, Kaneda, to look out for him. But having to constantly depend on others (who usually picked on and looked down on him) didn't do wonders for his inferiority complex. The sudden god-like telepathic powers dumped on him in the movie probably didn't help matters either, sending him on a vengeful rampage that ends up getting him involved in a plot too complicated to explain if you haven't seen this movie.

 

What I love about this character is that while he follows the classic "oppressed character goes mad with power when given the chance to fight back" arc, he doesn't just "snap". The movie shows that Tetsuo's downfall is the result of years of frustration and personal issues, which not only makes him more realistic, but more relatable. There's also a great dynamic between him and the protagonist, Kaneda. Even when Tetsuo commits some unforgivable crimes an forces his hand, Kaneda has conflicting feelings about trying to kill his childhood friend, and Tetsuo is too frustrated and confused to see that Kaneda genuinely cared about him. Deep stuff.

 

While many of his more evil acts were cut in the translation from manga to anime, Tetsuo remains a pretty creepy and sometimes frightening character (you don't mess with him when he needs his fix). And that cape he picks up in the third act is just awesome.

 

 

Lotso, Toy Story 3

That friggin' bear, am I right? His torture, brainwashing, and oppression of others are enough to make him one of the most hated villains ever associated with Disney (a Disney Store refused to sell his dolls to kids), but what makes Lotso so great is the  disparities of his character. His homely appearance and Ned Beaty's warm and hospitable voice completely betray the cruel, selfish monster underneath that strawberry-scented fur, and his rationale for his actions is contradictory BS that comes undone when Woody calls him out. He has a tragic and sympathetic backstory that may be almost as sad as Jessie's from Toy Story 2, but you soon forget that when you see his attempts to make anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path as miserable as he is.

 

And what makes it all better (at least for me) was how shockingly dark he was. He's easily the darkest character Pixar has ever done (which is saying a lot), and I did not expect Lotso to be so damned evil. I think everyone had the same reaction when he left the toys to die in the incinerator after taunting them with their impending death.

 

Lotso is a perfect foil to the protagonists. If the Toy Story trilogy is about dealing with loss and change with grace and optimism, Lotso is what happens when someone lets that hurt consume them and turns it into hate.

Edited April 12, 2013 by CITRUS KING46

[HunterTSN 1,444]

 

Besides the fact that I'm a total sucker for steampunk, John Silver is one of my favorite villains from one of my favorite movies. Hell, he's not even revealed to be the villain until almost halfway through the movie and even then he had a bit of a soft side (no pun intended). He is a very deep, emotional, and even philosophical character that was much a good guy as he was bad. 

[Batbrony 16,087]

Oooo, good topic, good topic indeed!  Well, here's one that's near and dear to my heart (which, for those of you who know me, really shouldn't surprise any of you ).

 

Joker (Batman: The Animated Series)

 

 

For the past 20 plus years, Mark Hamill (yes, that Mark Hamill for those of you too young to remember!) has simply owned this role, and until Heath Ledger's performance in "The Dark Knight" in 2008, the closest anyone came to defining the character in a televised or filmed format as legendarily as Hamill was Jack Nicholson (and c'mon, let's be honest, Jack pales in comparison to both Hamill and Ledger).  While I adore Ledger's performance, for me, Hamill is still the greatest Joker onscreen, striking a perfect balance of unpredictable hilarity, randomness, and downright terrifying mannerisms, bringing to life what is by far the greatest super villain in comic book lore.  If the pic didn't convince you, take a gander at this.

 

 

...

 

 DAYUM!!!!!!!!  Still gives me chills!    And... I... LOVE IT!!!!!!!! 

Edited April 12, 2013 by Batbrony

[Adente 1,000]

Judge Claude Frollo 

 

Do I really need to explain WHY I think he is the best animated villain in history? Just go listen to Hellfire and then try and argue anyone else is better! Plus, he must be the only character ever made under the banner of the mouse who is openly sexual, commits genocide, and is an all around evil perv. Props to you Disney, for making a character as hatable/likeable as Frollo.

[Sir.Flutter Hooves 2,953]

Scar from the Lion King. He was always my favorite. His sly nature, and his ambitious way of being so evil always thrilled me! He was by far the best Disney Villian. His song Be Prepared was by far one of the best Disney songs, and he controlled whole pack of Hyenas! How cool is that?

 

Edited April 12, 2013 by Sir.Derpington Hooves

[Orablanco Account 3,708]

Damn Batbrony and Windy Runner, you beat me to it. Those guys were gonna be the ones I talked about next, lol.

 

Frollo in particular is my favorite animated villain ever,maybe even my favorite villain next to Darth Vader and Ledger Joker.

 

Hellfire basically sums up why he's such a fantastic character: his excuses and rationalizations for his horrible deeds aren't for everybody else. He's trying to convince himself that he's the good guy. The fact that he knows how inexcusably awful he is, and the fact that it's eating away at him, makes him much darker and interesting.

 

And that's ignoring the attempted genocide and baby murder!

 

(Also, I call dibs on psychoanalyzing Princess Azula and Lord Sheng )

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Some wonderful selections already . I'll throw in Syndrome from The Incredibles. 

 

 

I always loved how he was a living example of the dark side of hero worship, and how one bad day can change everything. He also is one of the darkest villains in animated film (shooting missiles at an incoming jet, willing to let his assistant get broken in half, mocking a man who thinks his children have just been blown up, trying to kidnap a baby and raise it to be as screwed up as he it) and overall I love how his twisted desire to be a hero dominated his entire life. Interestingly enough, he could have been a shining example of how even ordinary people could rise to do amazing things, but he was ultimately far more interested in the glory and recognition than what was truly important.

Edited April 12, 2013 by DashForever

[aRegularPony 306]

I'm probably only saying this cause I recently watched Code Geass, but whatever.

Mao. I mean, look at that guy. And his mind reading geass. He's childish, and only wants to 'save' C.C. Also, he is a professional at chess. And he totally didn't cheat. Of course not.

 

 

And he has a house in Australia. 

[Orablanco Account 3,708]

 

I know Mark Hamill's Joker is the most beloved villain from Batman: The Animated Series (and rightfully so), but we need to give Mr. Freeze some love. If you ever wanted to know how awesome the writers behind the show were, they took a character who robs banks with a freezing gun and turned him into a tragic figure worthy of Shakespeare and gave him some of the greatest villain dialogue ever, which all somehow managed to be ice-themed.

 

I would mention Harley Quinn (one of the best animated characters ever), but I see her as more sad and tragic than outright villainous (like the Ice King).

Edited April 12, 2013 by CITRUS KING46

[Megas 28,139]

 

My vote goes to Cell from DBZ. One of the biggest draws for me is how he's literally made from the most powerful fighters in the universe, making him the ultimate living Bioweapon(I might also add that he's technically the closest to achieving immortality) as well as being the only villain to kill Goku. He's also one of the more intelligent foes in the series(imo), although I'll admit, his plan was pretty confusing as well. 

Edited August 24, 2014 by Megas75

[Mister G 101]

Judge Claude Frollo 

 

Do I really need to explain WHY I think he is the best animated villain in history? Just go listen to Hellfire and then try and argue anyone else is better! Plus, he must be the only character ever made under the banner of the mouse who is openly sexual, commits genocide, and is an all around evil perv. Props to you Disney, for making a character as hatable/likeable as Frollo.

I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Some villains are laughably evil (read: Hades and King Candy), but this one proves how evil he is AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE. HE ATTEMPTED TO THROW QUASI DOWN THE WELL.

In my opinion, he is the most evil Disney villain of all time. He is a self-righteous and fanatic and he believes that he isdoing this for God, genocidal sexual deviant.

Top that, Joker, Lotso, and King Candy

Edited April 12, 2013 by Noflippinbody

[Fluttershy_babe 53]

Chantel DuBois from Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.

I know that it's a little kids movie, but I saw it with my little cousin and liked Chantel DuBois for some reason xD

and i love her for her smarts. She is really tricky, also.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Fluttershy_babe

[Dzastur 1,719]

 

General Woundwort, Watership Down

 

The bunny from hell. Ruthless. Scary. Bloodthirsty. And a legitimate terror onscreen thanks to the animators.

 

He's the reason I never owned a pet rabbit.

[An Old Head 4,816]

Charles Muntz from Up. I always love the villains who have a tragic story to semi-justify their villainy. Permanently ostracised for his tropical Snipe bird fraud, and left with no other goal in life but to find and capture the Snipe live, I can't help but always look past his madness and attempts to hunt down Carl and Russell and realise that it's those endless years of searching for the bird to no avail, and slowly losing more and more days of your life in hopeless pursuit of it; with nothing else to live for. It's really tragic for a Pixar film.

 

Oh, and the moment where he holds the helmets of the adventurers it's implied that he murdered, is definitely a contender for the darkest Pixar moment ever.

 

"You know, Carl, the people who pass through here tell pretty good stories.

A surveyor making a map...

A botanist cataloguing plants...

...an old man taking his house to Paradise Falls.

Oh, that's the best one yet. I can't wait to hear how it ends."

 

Edited April 13, 2013 by Flipturn ツ

[Dzastur 1,719]

 

(No introduction needed.)

 

The why:

 

"I snuck into America amidst a bunch of undocumented Canadian comedy writers for The Jimmy Kimmel Show... whatever that is."

 

"I am presently incarcerated, imprisoned for a crime I did not even commit. `Attempted murder,' now honestly! Did they ever give anyone a Nobel prize for `attempted chemistry?'"

 

"Your guilty consciences may force you to vote Democratic, but deep in your hearts you long for a cold, Republican leader who'll cut taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king!"

[. eris . 1,661]

OH YEAH I TOTALLY LOVE THIS TOPIC.

 

Prepare yourselves, for you are about to witness the ultimate villain fangirl known to mankind.

 

1. Judge Claude Frollo, from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame.

 

 

Arguably Disney's darkest and most threatening villain, Judge Claude Frollo embodies everything a villain should be - ruthless, insane, sadistic, held to a twisted set of iron-clad morals, and full of lust. His desire for the gypsy woman Esmeralda is turning his religious nature on its ear, and he blames God for not destroying her. While his insanity begins to ravage him as his burning lust for Esmeralda grows higher and higher, he delivers possibly the best Disney Villain song: Hellfire. This is not, like most Disney villain songs, a song about how evil he is. It's a song about how he's tormented by what he believes is Satan's minion, Esmeralda, and wants her to either be his mistress or burn in hell.

 

Disney. You know, for kids!

 

2. The Joker and Harley Quinn from Batman: The Animated Series.

 

 

The Joker is the ultimate comic book villain, both on screen, on paper, and in our heads. He's funny, but he's also sick. His dark sense of humor makes us wonder if we're going to hell for laughing at his jokes. When he needs to be, he's sly and charming, and can play us for fools any day of the week. At the same time, he loves chaos and torture, and - like Frollo - has a sense of twisted morals in regards to his nemesis, Batman. Even at his most charming there's no sense of humanity in him, and when he turns into his overpowering monster, all of us get the chills.

 

And then there's Harley. Oh my gosh, there's Harley. The last person in the world in need of a sidekick would be the Joker, and yet for him, it flat out works. She's just as sick, determined, humorous and obsessed as he is, and their relationship is both deranged, beautiful, and tragic at the same time. Clad in skintight leotard, she's both beautiful, incredibly dangerous, and would die for the Joker. Actually, he does try to kill her a few times. Their relationship can be picked apart and analyzed over, but I love them. They're villainous romance at it's best - dark, horrible, funny, and abusive.

 

3. Syndrome, from The Incredibles.

 

 

He's the Joker without being fully realized. He's quite dark, and very much a little boy at heart - his whole reason for villainy stemmed from a bad experience as a little boy. But where the Joker has a sense of humor about his crimes and almost reveres Batman as being the Yin to his Yang, Syndrome is virtually humorless except when confronted with the pain and anguish of his once-icon, Mr. Incredible. He's the darkest kind of hero-fanboy, and behind that buck-toothed grin and wild orange hair, there's a little boy lurking in those baby blue eyes. That's possibly what makes him so effective - that our hero, the man we're cheering for, created his own villain.

 

4. Dr. Facilier, The Princess and the Frog

 

 

Does he even need an introduction? Charming as the devil himself, the good Doctor can manipulate you into any corner he wants with just a wink of those purple eyes. He's dangerous when up against a wall though, and has possibly the best shadow ever put onscreen. I love how he effortlessly twists people's dreams back on themselves, truly teaching the lesson of what you want may not be what you need. While his voodoo magic is mysterious, frightening, and downright bizarre, there's no doubt that he can use you as his puppet any day of the week.

 

5. Vector, Despicable Me.

 

 

Er, hilarious. Yes. Downright hilarious, with a perfect character design and some truly hysterical moments. He also has the added bonus of being from my second favorite animated film of all time. <3 Despicable Me is rare in that every single character design is perfect for that character and voice, and Vector is no exception. Vector is what every pimpled nerd wants to be - they want to be the richest supervillain of all time, with awesome weapons like the Squid Launcher! Oh yeah! Okay, maybe that's just me. But still, Vector is funny, determined, and above all, the geekiest supervillain you'll ever meet.

 

Honorable Mentions: (Villains I like but can't be bothered to post pictures/explain why they're awesome.)

 

John Silver, Treasure Planet.

Ursula, The Little Mermaid.

Rasputin, Anastasia.

Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother, Shrek II.

Queen of Hearts, Alice in Wonderland.

[Genepool 224]

Hard to say in all honesty, there are some really good ones out there.  I'm tempted to say Nightmare Moon, cause i'm a sucker for the fallen characters that have to repent their actions.  Doomsday is my #1 favorite villain of all tims because he's just out to kill.  Doomsday doesn't care about fame, wealth, or power; not to mention his origin story, the original one, is downright brutal. 

 

I can't think of a really, REALLY good one right now.  Since i'm in a bit of a Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood bit as I listen to some of the OST, i'll probably go with Bradly.  Fuhrer King Bradly, or Wrath as he is known is probably the scariest amongst the 7 of "Father's" children.  He's cold, calculating, devious, trained for extreme combat, and he's downright brutal, leaving no room for mistakes. 

 

[An Old Head 4,816]

Oh, there's another one I think is worth mentioning too; the Coachman, from Pinocchio.

 

 

I can sum up how sick he is in three words - he tortures children. It's a Disney film! Twisted child abuse? Lulling them to a child haven, cursing them into donkeys and then selling them to the labour trade and the circus? The guy is terrifying. He's truly a villain.

Edited April 13, 2013 by Flipturn ツ

[immblueversion 331]

 

Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2, natch. He's probably the closest thing Dreamworks has to Judge Frollo, even if the parallels aren't quite there. He's wicked, cunning, committed mass-genocide, looks kickass when he fights, and perfectly alternates between funny and creepy, even being both at once. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for tragic Greek-esque villains; there's something about paranoid figures hell-bent on changing their own fate for some sort of personal gain that makes me giddy, especially when they come face-to-face with the hero who's supposed to cause their downfall.

 

Also, he's Gary Oldman in peacock form. They say he's a perfect addition to the gallery of Oldman villains, and I'd love to see this guy included in them more. Even if you don't like Kung Fu Panda, if you're a fan of Gary Oldman, then Shen alone is worth it. Though you'd kinda have to see the first movie anyway.

 

Oh, why bother just talking about him?

Peacocks are awesome. Edited April 13, 2013 by immblueversion

[Tank the tortoise 262]

(Also, I call dibs on psychoanalyzing Princess Azula and Lord Sheng )

Be careful not to get lost on that one.  Azula had more than a few screws loose by the end of the series.  I think she was a good villain as are the rest of these.  However, the reason I listed Xanatos was because we were looking for the best.  He was the only one in my honest opinion who could be that evil in real life and still get away with it.  That being said, as I have stated before he is far from my favorite .

 

Incidentally I would be intrigued to see if anypony could actually guess my favorite villain of all time.  Any takers? I will give you two hints, first they are not from MLP and second they have not been listed on this list.

 

In Discord voice: Good luck everypony!

[Dzastur 1,719]

 

Gollum, The Hobbit (1977)

 

His movements, his dialogue...the animators nailed him so well that Peter Jackson was pretty much forced to use the same type of voice in his version of Smeagol. Otherwise, there would have been a revolt.