Inspired
to show the love for the most charismatic antagonists today. Bad guys
that you either love to hate or love in spite of their hate. They cover
the gambit of movies, tv, and books but I made my choices from movies
for simplicity sake . You're welcome to choose from other media. I
thought of 10 and I did rank them but I also have to divide them into
two categories. It's a fine line, but their charisma tends to list
either towards "cool" or towards "charming".
These 5 have cool
charisma. Cool defined as equal to or surpassing the coolness of the
protagonist, though not necessarily likeable.
5. Dolores Umbridge, Harry Potter (books 5 and 7)
Stephen King called Umbridge the most greatest make-believe villain to
come along since Hannibal Lecter. High praise from someone who writes about demons and monsters for a living. But people like her really exist
as opposed to the handful of people who actually aspire to world
domination or other female antagonists that are most typically just
crazy b****es who just hurt for fun and are likely beholden to another
male bad guy. Umbridge is a cruel mind and can get into a person's head.
She's not "cool" per say, but she's believable and believably
frightening because her ambitions within the Wizarding world are
realistically attainable. She's certainly the most intriguing bad guy of
the series and even more interesting than the protagonists.
4. Agent Smith, The Matrix trilogy.
In this case the underlying personality of the actor who also plays
Elrond and Red Skull simply draws you to him. He's got henchmen of
sorts, but like Umbridge he's a single bad guy facing at least a trio of
good guys and remains a viable threat capable of snuffing out their
uprising. You can feel his power as being equal to the zionist group of
characters and superior to Neo until he finds his hidden power at the
end. You want to see him fall but you also don't want to stop seeing
him. Good thing it was the sort of movie he could keep returning to.
3. Professor Moriarty from the Sherlock movies starring Robert Downey
Jr. and played by Jared Harris, son of Sir Richard Harris.
His part
wasn't big in the first movie but his presence was. It takes some
impressive charisma to pull that off. And then when he got to fill out
the character in the second movie, he came close to making it to my
charming list. A gentleman who threatens a protagonist who is written as
a noticeable jerk. That also makes him just a touch cooler than
Sherlock as well. Smart is sexy. But he also has a psychotic streak that
makes him a little scary and Sherlock's smart just a little more
charming. But you can't help but love Moriarty and fear him
simultaneously. He leaves a lasting impression.
2. Saruman, LOTR trilogy.
With the strong performance of Christopher Lee, this character could
have easily overwhelmed the whole story if not for an equally strong Ian
McKellen steering Gandalf as his foil. His voice is certainly helpful
in asserting a commanding presence in all of his movies. Much like the
hypnotic power of Saruman's voice. He holds the audience's attention and
dominates all his scenes. Saruman may be a traitor and a trouble maker
but he's cool and therefore equally as enjoyable as the other good guys
and bad guys alike.
1. Khan Noonien Singh, Ricardo Montalban
Okay, he's number 1 because he's a personal favorite of mine but nobody
can deny his coolness and charisma. Improved from his first showing in
the episode Space Seed in TOS, his obsession with Kirk has piqued into a
revenge rampage. Of course Kirk doesn't deserve it, but one can't help
but admire Khan's determination and commitment as well as his ability to
land on his feet after being isolated for a number of years. The charm
factor waned as his obsession reached Captain Nemo levels, but he made a
chump of Kirk repeatedly and had it not been for Spock, he would've won
and he would've won with awesomeness.
These five antagonists have charming charisma. They are not only
likeable, but they are often equally as loved as the protagonist and
even preferred at times. They come very close to losing all credibility
as a "bad" guy because of this and it's a fine line to walk.
5. Jareth, the Goblin King, Labyrinth
I understand that Labyrinth is niche and isn't everyone's cup of tea
and I'll admit the acting was sketchy at times. But those who do like
it, the ladies in particular, like and just love the Goblin King. So, he
kidnaps babies and makes passes at a "teenager"... You're forgetting
one thing mate... he's David Bowie! (Said with the same attitude as
Captain Jack Sparrow.) Of course he must be defeated. But we (the ladies
at least) would all like to have danced with him a little longer. Who
needs a little brother anyway?
4. Lex Luthor as portrayed by Gene Hackman.
Bad guy? Sure. Cunning and devious. You bet. Also impossible to hate.
Impossible. No matter how badly he treated Miss Teschmacher and Otis. No
matter how two-faced and deceitfully he played both ends to the middle.
No matter how greedy and selfish. You never got an evil vibe off of
him...more of a loveable rascal or a rogue. He doesn't do anything
loveable! And he's actually quite dangerous. But his ego was more
enchanting than off-putting. You never want him completely defeated. The
fact that you can't dislike this character is actually what inspired my
thoughts on this topic.
3. Loki
Okay I can see how this is
looking like a "ladies men" type of list but I don't think I'm off base
in thinking that guys can't help but like these bad guys as well. And
now we're entering that gray area in which the line between good and bad
is skewed. Loki is loved by most if not all; men and women. He allies
himself with good when it serves his purpose adding a chameleon effect
to his already appealing personality and that makes all his mischief
almost forgivable. Still, he is a bad guy not a neutral character. But
it's so easy to lose sight of that at times and that's what makes him a
charming, charismatic antagonist that we love in spite of his hate.
2. Darth Vader
Before there was an EU or prequels there was Vader and everyone loves
Vader. Sometimes I still suspect that he was originally turned good at
the very end because he was entirely too popular to be defeated. He's
both cool and charming whether he's force-choking a subordinate or
revealing his identity to Luke. Somehow it doesn't matter that he killed
Obi-Wan, used Han like a lab rat and left him to a fate worse than
death, or used Luke's emotions against him to lure him into his trap.
He's still the face of the franchise and has the most appeal across the
Star Wars fandom because he went from bad guy to tragic hero in a matter
of moments. You didn't need his back story or even a real face to look
at behind the mask to see the pain behind his dark side. Now that's
charisma!
1. Hector Barbosa
This whole franchise suffered
from antagonists thats were too likeable. Barbosa, Davey Jones,
Blackbeard, and even Salazar were all far too charming to really hate.
It was necessary to have antagonists with strong personalities to match
the Jack Sparrow character but in a way they all backfired at their
purpose. Barbosa stands out especially though. It's hard to know where
to begin when listing his attributes. It's always based in the actor's
ability to draw you into the character with the little things like his
laugh. His eye rolls. All the little nuances that make you believe that
his goal makes sense. But his sad longing for the taste of an apple
captures the heart every time. I guess it's that shade of sadness and
the blurring of good and bad that makes many of these villains
irresistible. They had to bring him back to fight for the good (?)
side...at least always for his own side
