I started reading your response and thought, "Magneto" from X-Men. If the original poster is still reading this thread and at all follows comic books or the recent movies made from comic books, you should think about comic book villains like Magneto. He was very good friends with Charles Xavier originally, but they differed on their outlook (depends on which rendition as to why - in the movies it's because Magneto had been in a Nazi concentration camp). Thus, he became a villain in many ways. Or take Lex Luthor from Superman. Granted, he's had MANY variations, but in Lois and Clark he turned in the end because of his love for Lois and wanting her to be safe, while Smallville successfully spent 8 seasons turning him from Clark's best friend to the villain from comic legend.
1. The best thing about villains in my opinion is their personality, I think that really reflects on their attributes. 2. The best types are the ones that are calm about every situation, and is not disturbed by the taking of lives. 3. I absolutely do not like the villains that you hate. Whenever I hate a character, even if it's a villain, I just can't read the book. 4. Nope.
The villains I like are the ones who don't do evil for evil's sake; they have a deeply scarred or tragic past that pushes them, consciously or subconsciously, to do the things they do and act the way they act. It adds depth and even humanity to the character, where as evil for evil's sake tends to be a caricature.
1. What makes a Great Villain Great? AND 2. what are the best types of Villains? I'll answer these two questions together by saying what I prefer in a villain. There are a couple of kinds that I especially like. The first kind is the villain that brings you much closer to the protagonist. This is usually done by evoking hatred for the protagonist's enemies or by putting the protagonist in situation that is extremely conducive to sympathy. Of course this must be balanced well, but when it is I love these villains. The second kind is the villain that has a valid points to make about the state of society. Someone brought up the Joker recently, and I would put him in this category (or a mix of both perhaps, with a little something extra on top). A novel based in a dystopia will often feature a villain (or multiple if it is a government represented) that validly assesses society to some degree and acts on those assessments even though the actions may be seen as immoral 3. Do you perfer a villain you can sympthisis with OR one you hate with a passion and wish would just die? The former usually appeals to me more. That would usually make me think more, although that isn't always true. 4. other thoughts/comments about villains? Its always fun when you can't undeniably say who they are
