There are villains that we “like” (to be fond of, to be attached to,
to hold in esteem), there are villains that we love to hate, there
are villains who are just misunderstood, there are villains who are
horrible. Do not mistake liking a character with being a likable
character.
The Terminator got all the attention on screen. But the character
is not likable. Do you believe Sarah Connor likes him? Was he
reprogrammed when he was sent back because he was too likable
in the first movie? Same with Darth Vader. He murders innocent
people, he slaughtered children, his in not likable in the sense that
he has qualities that put him in favorable regard.
Walter White wasn't the villain of “Breaking Bad”. He was the protagonist,
could even be called the hero, his intention was to provide for his
family. That he chose to break the law in that pursuit doesn't make
him the villain of the story.
While we all like the villains of the slasher franchises they are not
likable characters. We like to see how Freddy or Jason or Michael
are going to kill people, but they are not likable.
Who doesn't like Hannibal Lecter? But is the character someone to
be fond of? Starling has respect for him, but does she like him?
The meaning of the word matters. My favorite villain in Frank Booth.
Entirely unlikable. A truly nasty villain. Nothing redeemable about him.
He never makes any list of the best villains. Is it because he's too nasty?
Too unlikable? Vader is usually number one or two on lists, but is he
even a villain? He is a misunderstood boy who makes some poor decisions
and grows up to be a misguided old man who saves his son.
I look at the lists and see that there aren't any truly nasty villains on
them. There are many reasons for that including that people who vote
are unlikely to have a deep knowledge of movies, but it could be that
villains can't be truly nasty. Kahn rarely shows up on lists in the top 20
or 25. He is a noble villain who people like. Is he truly nasty?
My personal favorite truly nasty villains: Frank Booth, Tajomaru, Hans
Beckert, Phyllis Dietrichson, Wong Chi-hang, Max Cady, Henry Potter,
Tommy Udo and I must give a nod to Mrs. Iselin.
I suspect most of you don't know who most of them are – look 'em up.
So I think a villain can truly be nasty with no redeemable characteristics
but (as Sweetie says) make sure they are interesting.