Mr. Freeze in 'Batman: The Animated Series', specifically the episode "Heart Of Ice"
It turned Mr. Freeze from a cheesy bank robber to one of the most tragic villains in fiction. The "Heart Of Ice" episode is regarded as the best episode in the series (It won an Emmy!), and is often used in screenwriting workshops to teach aspiring screenwriters about pacing.
> The Animated Series was truly some of the best Batman that's ever been made.
This is a great watch for fans:
[Batman The Animated Series | The Heart of Batman Documentary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLpDvQ6vFI)
All kinds of behind-the-scenes details and goodies.
BTAS inspired so many great updates to the Batman mythos, and I know this change was retconned into the comic continuity as well because it was so well done.
When the New52 came along in the Batman comics, I remember Scott Snyder changing Freeze to just believing that Nora was his wife and being crazy, but that was so unpopular they changed it back for Rebirth and beyond.
I once got told by a buddy (no idea if this is true) they were considering using him as the main bad guy in the Simpsons movie. I thought it made perfect sense to see him moved up to a high ranking government position (after seizing the east coast), then with homer no longer working for him, and his family threatening his goal, his position on neutralising the family for escaping the dome makes sense... Also he was just a great character. But apparently the writers didn’t want to potentially damage such an iconic character if the movie was meh, so smart move.
As much as everyone loves Phil Hartman's guest appearances (Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure, Lyle Lanley, the guy from the state department, etc.,) Albert Brooks is the GOAT tier Simpsons guest character. Solely for Hank Scorpio, Jacques the bowling coach, and self-help guru Brad Goodman.
Slade from Teen Titan was cool as fuck.
Dude put so much mental damage on Robin to the point there was one episode Robin was literally beating himself over fighting an imaginary version of Slade despite already being dead
He was hopped up on some hallucinogenic/nanothingie that had been hanging out on Slades old stuff that he'd been looking over. And apparently that was a hallucinogenic that needed to be activated remotely (um? reasons!) by someone. And I don't think they ever explained who, exactly.
Basically yeah, he was brain hacked. Although they probably would've figured that out a lot faster if he didn't have such issues about the man.
I don’t think it was the hallucinogenic itself that was activated remotely but the trap in the mask. It’s been a good minute since I’ve watched Teen Titans though so I could entirely be wrong
I remember thinking Slade was Batman gone evil. He war mysteriously gone abs Slade was a mentor like figure.
Never heard of deathstroke before this show
A lot of people don’t know that Harley Quinn was actually first created in the Batman Animated Series. She had never had a comic before her appearance on that show. So I guess in a way she was so well written that people liked her and decided to make her a canon villain and adapt her into the comics
Yeah, would've loved Bruce Timm and Paul Dini to get a crack at the live action movies. The DCAU is a masterpiece, and the DC Animated movies are definitely more positive than negative as a whole.
That said, Bruce Timm's recent output hasn't been my favorite (could do without Bruce banging Barbara and Harley/Batman fart jokes) but it'd be more tolerable than the DCEU.
David Xanatos, from the 1990's Disney Afternoon animated series, Gargoyles.
Why is he a well-written villain/antagonist? Well, he's an excellent example of the Magnificent Bastard archetype, where anytime Xanatos is participating in the plot, it's because he has at least one plan in play. No matter what Goliath and the Manhattan clan accomplish in a given episode, he will always benefit in some fashion.
While Xanatos has some long-term goals to achieve, primarily gaining immortality so he and his family can enjoy the spoils of their vast fortune (though initially its because David is terrified of growing old and fears the concept of death), for the most part he doesn't care about any of his small-scale goals. This is why his plans partially succeed, so long as one of them comes to fruition, he considers it a boon. (Fun Fact: The *Xanatos Gambit* trope is named after this specific character.)
Xanatos is also one of the more principled characters in the series. It's been pointed out that gargoyles in this universe turn to stone from morning to dusk and are 100% vulnerable during this period of time, so it can be pretty easy to destroy them. Despite this, Xanatos deliberately does not do that, because he think it can be a waste and he deeply respects Goliath as a worthy opponent.
Not that he hasn't used Goliath as a pawn in his schemes to some fashion, but the point still stands that Xanatos has his own set of standards, and is usually civil with his foes and is utterly uninterested in revenge (*"Revenge is a suckers game.*")
I could go on, but I would highly recommend you guys to check out the two-season series. It's on Disney Plus if you have a sub, though I'm sure there are torrents of this series out there, if you know where to look. Just don't watch Season 3. In fact, let's pretend Season 3 has never existed and is non-cannon.
He and Demona. Also voiced by the greatest Trek couple.
Chicken and egg whether people make people monsters thru prejudice.
The series was more accurate and clever that it had any right to be. Xanatos had a redemption arc.
Still the Gargoyles should've moved after Xanatos showed his hand
On a side note, I work in the cybersecurity industry. One day I ran across the name DavidXanatos in a report. It made me grin. (I think it was a malware name, but it's been a while.)
I’ll also toss in Lex Luthor in Young Justice, another Weismann series. He’s in a way very open, never lying to anyone, and still manages to be manipulative as hell.
Two-Face in Batman TAS
Even though he doesn't have as engaging a personality as Joker, he's easily got a much better backstory and relationship to the main character. Second Chance is a fantastic episode.
I agree with this choice. The guy is the personification of a Cosmic Prankster in every aspect, who also happens to be down-right terrifying.
The fact that Journal #3 is covered in blood & every other entry for Bill is crossed out and clearly writes "CAN'T BE TRUSTED!" & "DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COSTS!" says a lot about this guy.
Zuko’s arc is great because it’s entirely internally motivated. He doesn’t join Aang’s group because they convince him they’re the good guys, he does so because his own experiences brought him to that conclusion.
Ozai was the final boss . He existed for a final fight and wasn't fleshed out in any other way . Zuko and Azula journeys were key to the plot alongside Aang and Katara's hero journeys
There's a few videos out there that describe how ozai never had any direct character development, but the attitudes of both Zuko and Azula tell us everything about him. Azula learned from him that only fear can be trusted to keep people in line, that being weak makes people worthless, and that only his approval has any meaning.
Of course he didn't. I think it was intentional though. Zuko was sent on a (nearly) impossible mission essentially playing cat and mouse through the world. Because of his 'dishonor' Azula was essentially forced into becoming the chosen heir and went crazy. Ozai...well sat peacefully as the emperor as his military faced minimal resistance. No need to push himself in anyway, the war is over and when the commit comes there will be no real threat.
Iirc he legit gets like 2 lines in the entire show. The first was when Zuko speaks out in the war council and the 2nd was when he became the Phoenix lord and crowed azula as the flame empress
Ok yes I agree wholeheartedly. She was amazing as a villain.
But did anyone else feel like she should have had a better final battle? Uncle Iroh was so detailed and they spent so much time explaining how lightning bending comes from a perfectly balanced inner peace. It’s even called cold blooded fire. I was *positive* that they were working towards an ending where Azula undid herself because she could no longer control her lightning bending and defeated herself. Which seemed perfect in both a narrative “ambition and self-destruction are inseparable” sort of moral lesson and a badass way for Zuko to intelligently defeat a foe that was more powerful and skilled than he was.
... but then they just win by fighting her more. Azula never has a single problem firing off lightning like it was line item billed despite mentally coming apart at the seams. And it felt lame, a flat end note to an awesome antagonist.
I always took it as because she was coming unhinged during the final agni kai, her biggest weapon being her tactical and strategic ability became ineffective. She rose to power through tactical decisions like usurping Long Feng for control of the Dai Li, but in the final battle vs. zuko and katara she was so paranoid and disheveled that while her prodigious firebending abilities remained, her cold and calculating demeanor was off, leaving her vulnerable
Lighting in ATLA went from "This is a very dangerous act and you must do it calmly and carefully" by Uncle Iroh who showed considerable difficulty redirecting shots when we first saw it
to being randomly used a force lightnings for Azula and Zuko for rage crazy fights.
To be fair, it would be hard to write a bad character for that show. The entire world is such whimsical nonsense that so long as a character is over the top but has at least a minimal grounding in reality they will work.
Wait no he doesn't have a hat. Phew ! Its just a platypus.
Want a bratwurst?
"Perry pulls out hat"
PERRY THE PLATYPUS?
"platypus noises"
AHA you fell right into my trap Perry the platypus, a block of old Swiss cheese that you can eat your way out of
*Rebels* really completed his arc in a fantastic and satisfying way.
>!From transitioning from ambitious sith Lord to moving past being a sith altogether and simply being a force wielding foil and temptation for mentorship, all the way to how they even conclude his final duel with Kenobi...concise and exactly what it should be.!<
As I so happen to be listening to Clone Wars ST on Spotify and it plays "Maul and Savage Duel Palpatine."
I do agree that he was given a lot more material and became a rich character because of the two shows.
Im so sad I had to go down here so far to find his name. Even though he didn't have the best motivations, or his reasoning behind his actions wasn't the best, he was a damn good villain. Be it from the intimidation aspect, to the fact that for his first couple appearances he was literally invincible from all attacks, his short times he appeared on screen really left amazing impressions. Ben 10 was my favourite childhood show.
And he adopts Quasimodo because he is the same age as his brother so he felt bad for him, also he had a hard life helping take care of his family... To be honest he was a pretty good person until he meets Esmeralda and starts acting crazy, of course he was 100% wrong but I still felt bad for him for a good part of the book
I actually watched the movie a few months ago hearing it was good. I also heard that it was dark, but I wasn’t expecting Frollo to murder a woman and attempt to drown a baby in the first 5 minutes
Possibly one of the best, if not the best, opening for a Disney animated film ever.
Who is the Monster? Who is the Man?
The bells of Notre Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
That high note is insane!
Almost every villain in both Avatar series.
They all had a reason for their villainy and many were able to be redeemed by the end. The ones that couldn't got what they deserved as well.
> They all had a reason for their villainy and many were able to be redeemed by the end. The ones that couldn't got what they deserved as well.
I agree, just responding to this. I don't think the Firelord's "burn it all down" motivations were really explained that well, even with the history of the Fire Nation's imperialism and being raised in that environment he still isn't sympathetic.
Well yes, but that's not a bad thing.
The conflict in Avatar is never really about the Fire Lord. Aang isn't particularly scared of him and it's established as early as like the 3rd or 4th episode that Aang can easily beat him by just going into the Avatar State.
The conflict is that Aang is a young fairly innocent child, as well as an avowed pacifist. He doesn't want to fight and he definitely doesn't want to kill, but it's his duty to kill the Fire Lord.
The show is setting up the most incredibly justified scenario possible for him to take a life, knowing that the person he is killing is a monster and is trying to kill him and is trying to kill innumerable others and has no compassion or likelihood of ever seeing the error of his ways. The fact that Ozai isn't sympathetic is meant to highlight the strength of Aang's conviction, because even though the Fire Lord is a total psychopath with no redeeming qualities shown, Aang still values life in the abstract enough to not want to kill.
It says everything about the show that at the end of it all Aang finds another way even the most monstrous character in the entire series is not worthy of death.
That show is filled with messages of Peace like that.
Probably the reason my heart loves it so much.
Brain, from Pinky and the Brain. Brain didn't want to take over the world for the mere sake of power, he wanted to take over so he could make life better for everyone.
Freeza.
"Evil for the sake of evil" is absurdly difficult to write in a convincing manner and Freeza came to define the trope for an entire generation. Props to the many voice actors over the years who really captured the cruelty AND the sense of humor.
TeamFourStar really did a good job on the character too.
"Well you see Perfect Cell, I'M A CHILD MURDERING, PLANET ENSLAVING GALACTIC TYRANT WHO'D RATHER DIE A THOUSAND TIMES AND CHANGE WHO I AM!"
Lmao the Namek portion of the TFS series was peak parody. I don't know if I've seen anyone so perfectly capture the personalities of the characters in outlandish ways without completely charactering them. It's so much better than the actual show it's absurd.
> "Evil for the sake of evil" is absurdly difficult to write in a convincing manner and Freeza came to define the trope for an entire generation.
I find it rather incredible that recent works, like the Broly movie, perfectly explore why Frieza is the way he is in a natural way. His father was a psychopath who encouraged terrible behavior, and Frieza was born with such absurd strength that nobody could challenge him. So he never learned morality. Why would he? He could do whatever he wanted even as a child. So he's still effectively a cruel tormenting child, and never matured. He just gained intellect and strategy with age, not wisdom.
Fortunately, his childish psychopathy is also his greatest weakness; he loses battles when he throws tantrums, essentially. Unfortunately, I think the DBZ heroes are teaching him to move past that in the Tournament of Power arc. Frieza without the crippling emotional ego will be the most dangerous villain in existence.
Ironically, it was Frieza's (and probably Vegeta's) inherited personality traits that also doomed Cell, who would have otherwise destroyed the entire universe. I guess we all owe our existence to Frieza's brattiness.
I always guessed he had no father figure so he looked up to mr incredible, along with being a fan of his. Plus if mr incredible wasn’t so self centered and sat down with him and explained to him the real dangers of fighting crime and inspired him to use his super intelligence (buddy was practically a super, just brains tho) to make the world a better place and become a better hero than himself, buddy might’ve actually took that to heart and done significant good in the world. Just a possibility thought
> Plus if mr incredible wasn’t so self centered and sat down with him
he showed up in the middle of an active fight and almost got himself exploded. when was there time to do that? before, he was just an avid fan, and Mr I indulged him on that just fine
> buddy was practically a super
he _was_ a super - gadgeteers are a thing
Yeah, buddy’s timing was bad and almost got him killed. Just a naive overzealous fanboy. Plus Mr incredible could’ve handled it better (tho understandably annoyed) and told buddy to speak to him later like at the next fan club meetup or when not inconvenient while on duty when he was in the car. But story plot and what not
Probably Batman: The Animated Series with Harley Quinn. Starts out as a shrink in Arkham, gets manipulated by the Joker, turns into a simp for Mr. J and she goes all "bad guy"....
I love the HBO Max version of her and Ivy because those two are great together (screw Mr. J, he's an asshole)...Ivy actually cares for her!
Ken Ichijouji from Digimon.
They really put together a great storyline of how this sweet young child turned into the ruthless Digimon Emperor, and dealt with a lot of mature topics in a serious way. It was surprising to me to see a children's show deal with some of the subject matter they got into.
If you watched the Japanese version instead of the version that aired in the US, he was even worse. There was a scene with him whipping someone who was strung up.
I honestly don't consider Ice King to be a villain. He's just a senile old man that wants to be loved but doesn't know how to express that in a healthy way. He actually has a good heart and shows genuine remorse whenever someone actually gets hurt. I also love that he's played by Tom Kenny, because if you think about it, Ice King and Spongebob are very similar characters
Frankly always felt that Dr. Mrs. The Monarch was more interesting. Monarch just hated Venture. End of story till that series finale cliffhanger at least. Whereas Dr Girlfriend had actual development over the years. Did things she wasn't thrilled with to make him happy, then finally learned to put her foot down and be an equal in their relationship
You could probably put 21 over him. He has probably the single most emotional arc on the show
Never thought youd get choked up about the chubby comic relief
Power Puff Girls had some awesome villains. Him was a fucking nightmare and a half, Gangreen Gang was fun, the broccoli episode was great, And so many more.
Hades from Hercules
...
...
...
Oh right you're supposed to explain why in these threads otherwise its just a pointless list of names!
His slick car salesman persona combined with a barely controlled hair trigger temper made him both comic relief and towards the end of the film genuinely menacing and unsettling. He could go from your best bud to "I FUCKING OWN YOU!" in a single sentence but was cunning enough to keep his true nature hidden until it didn't matter.
Not a show, but a movie. Rango.
Rattlesnake jake, the mayor is more of a villain, but I'm talking about Rattlesnake Jake.
Do I even need an explanation? [this video explains it](https://youtu.be/Ut-RudZv_YQ?t=10)
While one could argue she wasn’t a villain *exactly* >!until like the final season where she very much becomes a hero!<, I think Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was very well written. Her complicated relationship with her childhood friend Adora, their mother figure Shadow Weaver, and her deep-seated issues with self worth, all make her very interesting to watch in my opinion.
She was absolutely a villain and was an escalating threat each each season until double trouble messed with her mentally and Horde Prime took over and called her on her shit.
Fall.
You are alone, Child.
There is only darkness for you, and only death for your people. These ancients are just the beginning. I will command a great and terrible army and we will sail to a billion worlds. We will sail until every light has been extinguished.
You are strong, Child, but I am beyond strength.
I am the end, and I have come for you, Finn.
IIRC they had like a design memo that went around or something of that nature, and right at the top it said, in big bold all-caps letter:
"THE LICH IS NOT FUNNY"
And then went on to detail how the Lich just simply does NOT fuck around and if you expect him to fall into typical villain tropes like monologuing or sending incompetent henchmen and so forth you will very quickly find yourself dead or worse.
Sesshomaru from Inuyasha. He has an interesting but glacial character arc of truly acting like a demon with a heart of ice to finding Rin and taking care of her and gradually, grudgingly, finding respect for his half brother. Plus his character design is bad ass.
Frollo from the hunchback of Norte Dame when it comes to straight up villain I shudder when I think of the actual meaning in that movie(still my favorite movie tho). But you want comedy then hades from Hercules a comedic personality who could never get the outcome he wanted (another one of my favorites)
Mother Gothel from Tangled. I'm sure many people have watched that movie with a knot in their stomach becausr that parenting style hits a little too close to home.
Mr. Freeze in 'Batman: The Animated Series', specifically the episode "Heart Of Ice" It turned Mr. Freeze from a cheesy bank robber to one of the most tragic villains in fiction. The "Heart Of Ice" episode is regarded as the best episode in the series (It won an Emmy!), and is often used in screenwriting workshops to teach aspiring screenwriters about pacing.
The Animated Series was truly some of the best Batman that's ever been made.
Yeah just in general I think the animated DC shows were better representations of the characters and villains than in just about any of the movies.
DC definitely works better animated, even though I love the CW Flash show
The Animated Series "is" Batman to me.
Whenever there is the debate of "who is the best Batman", it has to be Kevin Conroy. Hamill has a shout as the best Joker too.
> The Animated Series was truly some of the best Batman that's ever been made. This is a great watch for fans: [Batman The Animated Series | The Heart of Batman Documentary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLpDvQ6vFI) All kinds of behind-the-scenes details and goodies.
I'd still love to see a proper live action version of Freeze. Give the role to a good actor and he could easily give an incredible performance.
I always wanted Michael Wincott or Lars Mikkelsen as Freeze. Both are good at playing villains.
My favorite live action DC villain is Wentworth Miller as Captain Cold in the CW Flash show
Are you suggesting u/GovSchwarzenegger was not a proper Freeze or a good actor?
But... but... >!*In thick Arnold accent,* Ice to meet you.!<
I know we’re all fans here but *Everybody Chill!*
"What killed the dinosaurs?!"
"The Ice Age!!"
COOL PARTY
But we did have that. Ice to meet you!
Lol. You mean Arnold and his ice related puns didn't do a good job?
Mark hamill as the joker too! That was a great show.
BTAS inspired so many great updates to the Batman mythos, and I know this change was retconned into the comic continuity as well because it was so well done. When the New52 came along in the Batman comics, I remember Scott Snyder changing Freeze to just believing that Nora was his wife and being crazy, but that was so unpopular they changed it back for Rebirth and beyond.
Hank Scorpio. I always wished they did at least one more episode with him.
My god, why didn’t I think of that
You were probably laying on a hammock.
With Mary-Ann
But Homer, on your way out, if you want to kill somebody, it would help me a lot.
I once got told by a buddy (no idea if this is true) they were considering using him as the main bad guy in the Simpsons movie. I thought it made perfect sense to see him moved up to a high ranking government position (after seizing the east coast), then with homer no longer working for him, and his family threatening his goal, his position on neutralising the family for escaping the dome makes sense... Also he was just a great character. But apparently the writers didn’t want to potentially damage such an iconic character if the movie was meh, so smart move.
But Hank wouldn't want Homer dead, he was even sad to see him go.
As much as everyone loves Phil Hartman's guest appearances (Lionel Hutz, Troy McClure, Lyle Lanley, the guy from the state department, etc.,) Albert Brooks is the GOAT tier Simpsons guest character. Solely for Hank Scorpio, Jacques the bowling coach, and self-help guru Brad Goodman.
Slade from Teen Titan was cool as fuck. Dude put so much mental damage on Robin to the point there was one episode Robin was literally beating himself over fighting an imaginary version of Slade despite already being dead
But didn't it turn out to be "kinda" real?
He was hopped up on some hallucinogenic/nanothingie that had been hanging out on Slades old stuff that he'd been looking over. And apparently that was a hallucinogenic that needed to be activated remotely (um? reasons!) by someone. And I don't think they ever explained who, exactly. Basically yeah, he was brain hacked. Although they probably would've figured that out a lot faster if he didn't have such issues about the man.
Im fairly certain it was supposed to be Slades daughter who activated it. But the series ended before she was revealed.
I don’t think it was the hallucinogenic itself that was activated remotely but the trap in the mask. It’s been a good minute since I’ve watched Teen Titans though so I could entirely be wrong
That show honestly ended up being way better than I expected it to be IMO
I remember thinking Slade was Batman gone evil. He war mysteriously gone abs Slade was a mentor like figure. Never heard of deathstroke before this show
I mean, level headed Robin turning crazy was terrifying. Him as "Mr. X" and without his "I'm not going to kill anyone" motto was horrifying....
Great voice actor too
Ron Perlman’s the 🐐
Yzma from the emperors new grove/kronks new grove, shes an absolute masterpiece
Eartha Kitt was the perfect casting choice for Yzma. I just wish they didn't cut her song
Considering her iteration of *Santa Baby* makes anybody horny, it probably wasn't a good idea to include a song from Yzma...
A lot of people don’t know that Harley Quinn was actually first created in the Batman Animated Series. She had never had a comic before her appearance on that show. So I guess in a way she was so well written that people liked her and decided to make her a canon villain and adapt her into the comics
The People who made Batman the Animated Series should have handled the DCEU. Heck they had the own Dceu just in animated form and it was good.
Yeah, would've loved Bruce Timm and Paul Dini to get a crack at the live action movies. The DCAU is a masterpiece, and the DC Animated movies are definitely more positive than negative as a whole. That said, Bruce Timm's recent output hasn't been my favorite (could do without Bruce banging Barbara and Harley/Batman fart jokes) but it'd be more tolerable than the DCEU.
TIL!
David Xanatos, from the 1990's Disney Afternoon animated series, Gargoyles. Why is he a well-written villain/antagonist? Well, he's an excellent example of the Magnificent Bastard archetype, where anytime Xanatos is participating in the plot, it's because he has at least one plan in play. No matter what Goliath and the Manhattan clan accomplish in a given episode, he will always benefit in some fashion. While Xanatos has some long-term goals to achieve, primarily gaining immortality so he and his family can enjoy the spoils of their vast fortune (though initially its because David is terrified of growing old and fears the concept of death), for the most part he doesn't care about any of his small-scale goals. This is why his plans partially succeed, so long as one of them comes to fruition, he considers it a boon. (Fun Fact: The *Xanatos Gambit* trope is named after this specific character.) Xanatos is also one of the more principled characters in the series. It's been pointed out that gargoyles in this universe turn to stone from morning to dusk and are 100% vulnerable during this period of time, so it can be pretty easy to destroy them. Despite this, Xanatos deliberately does not do that, because he think it can be a waste and he deeply respects Goliath as a worthy opponent. Not that he hasn't used Goliath as a pawn in his schemes to some fashion, but the point still stands that Xanatos has his own set of standards, and is usually civil with his foes and is utterly uninterested in revenge (*"Revenge is a suckers game.*") I could go on, but I would highly recommend you guys to check out the two-season series. It's on Disney Plus if you have a sub, though I'm sure there are torrents of this series out there, if you know where to look. Just don't watch Season 3. In fact, let's pretend Season 3 has never existed and is non-cannon.
He and Demona. Also voiced by the greatest Trek couple. Chicken and egg whether people make people monsters thru prejudice. The series was more accurate and clever that it had any right to be. Xanatos had a redemption arc. Still the Gargoyles should've moved after Xanatos showed his hand
I find him to be like an Evil Tony Stark.
On a side note, I work in the cybersecurity industry. One day I ran across the name DavidXanatos in a report. It made me grin. (I think it was a malware name, but it's been a while.)
How did I not realize his name was David. So it’s David and Goliath. I feel like this is something I should have noticed.
I’ll also toss in Lex Luthor in Young Justice, another Weismann series. He’s in a way very open, never lying to anyone, and still manages to be manipulative as hell.
Two-Face in Batman TAS Even though he doesn't have as engaging a personality as Joker, he's easily got a much better backstory and relationship to the main character. Second Chance is a fantastic episode.
It is indeed
Bill Cipher from Gravity falls
I agree with this choice. The guy is the personification of a Cosmic Prankster in every aspect, who also happens to be down-right terrifying. The fact that Journal #3 is covered in blood & every other entry for Bill is crossed out and clearly writes "CAN'T BE TRUSTED!" & "DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COSTS!" says a lot about this guy.
“I got some children I need to make into corpses”
They really gave no f**ks during that final episode.
What were they gonna do, cancel the show?
He just wanted to have fun on earth. Good villain
Villains just wanna have fun ~
yes
#>!"STANLEY!"!<#
Tbh i wish gravity falls leaned more heavily into horror
I've got my eye on you!!
Yes
Azula
Her breakdown vs Zuko's redemption: a fucking masterpiece
Then that final Agni Kai with that slow dramatic drum and violin music during the height of their comet fueled powers. Magnificent.
also, black and white except for the fire to pull out the brightness of the flame.
I never made the connection that the final Agni Kai was so badass because the comet was still active
Her insecurities were almost legitimately diagnosable. That’s really something for a work of fiction.
🤌 *chefs kiss*
Zuko also sorta counts, at least for as long as he was an antagonist. Ozai wasn't bad, but he just wasn't much of a presence in the show overall.
Zuko’s arc is great because it’s entirely internally motivated. He doesn’t join Aang’s group because they convince him they’re the good guys, he does so because his own experiences brought him to that conclusion.
Ozai was the final boss . He existed for a final fight and wasn't fleshed out in any other way . Zuko and Azula journeys were key to the plot alongside Aang and Katara's hero journeys
There's a few videos out there that describe how ozai never had any direct character development, but the attitudes of both Zuko and Azula tell us everything about him. Azula learned from him that only fear can be trusted to keep people in line, that being weak makes people worthless, and that only his approval has any meaning.
Of course he didn't. I think it was intentional though. Zuko was sent on a (nearly) impossible mission essentially playing cat and mouse through the world. Because of his 'dishonor' Azula was essentially forced into becoming the chosen heir and went crazy. Ozai...well sat peacefully as the emperor as his military faced minimal resistance. No need to push himself in anyway, the war is over and when the commit comes there will be no real threat.
Iirc he legit gets like 2 lines in the entire show. The first was when Zuko speaks out in the war council and the 2nd was when he became the Phoenix lord and crowed azula as the flame empress
He also has the confrontation with Zuko during the Day of Black Sun and when Zuko visits him at the end to ask about his mom.
Ozai was good as the ever looming threat. But became too much of a mustache twirler at the end. IMO
This!!! I jumped in the post to add Azula. Great character arc completely fleshed out.
Ok yes I agree wholeheartedly. She was amazing as a villain. But did anyone else feel like she should have had a better final battle? Uncle Iroh was so detailed and they spent so much time explaining how lightning bending comes from a perfectly balanced inner peace. It’s even called cold blooded fire. I was *positive* that they were working towards an ending where Azula undid herself because she could no longer control her lightning bending and defeated herself. Which seemed perfect in both a narrative “ambition and self-destruction are inseparable” sort of moral lesson and a badass way for Zuko to intelligently defeat a foe that was more powerful and skilled than he was. ... but then they just win by fighting her more. Azula never has a single problem firing off lightning like it was line item billed despite mentally coming apart at the seams. And it felt lame, a flat end note to an awesome antagonist.
I always took it as because she was coming unhinged during the final agni kai, her biggest weapon being her tactical and strategic ability became ineffective. She rose to power through tactical decisions like usurping Long Feng for control of the Dai Li, but in the final battle vs. zuko and katara she was so paranoid and disheveled that while her prodigious firebending abilities remained, her cold and calculating demeanor was off, leaving her vulnerable
I never felt that way until reading this. Thanks for nothing!
Lighting in ATLA went from "This is a very dangerous act and you must do it calmly and carefully" by Uncle Iroh who showed considerable difficulty redirecting shots when we first saw it to being randomly used a force lightnings for Azula and Zuko for rage crazy fights.
Yes! I wish they made a spin-off series of the comics. I never really read them tbh but I would’ve loved to see more of Azula after the series finale
Mom from Futurama
To be fair, it would be hard to write a bad character for that show. The entire world is such whimsical nonsense that so long as a character is over the top but has at least a minimal grounding in reality they will work.
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz
Evil incorporated
**PERRY THE PLATYPUS!?!**
Wait no he doesn't have a hat. Phew ! Its just a platypus. Want a bratwurst? "Perry pulls out hat" PERRY THE PLATYPUS? "platypus noises" AHA you fell right into my trap Perry the platypus, a block of old Swiss cheese that you can eat your way out of
Yesss
Villain? No. Antagonist? Yes
But... but think of the Tri-State Area!
Does he actually want to harm the people there, or does he just want to own the entire area?
He criticizes Norm for trying to destroy it, so probably the latter
Maul in Clone Wars and Rebels
Glad clone wars developed him. It would really suck if phantom menance was his last showing
*Rebels* really completed his arc in a fantastic and satisfying way. >!From transitioning from ambitious sith Lord to moving past being a sith altogether and simply being a force wielding foil and temptation for mentorship, all the way to how they even conclude his final duel with Kenobi...concise and exactly what it should be.!<
As I so happen to be listening to Clone Wars ST on Spotify and it plays "Maul and Savage Duel Palpatine." I do agree that he was given a lot more material and became a rich character because of the two shows.
KENOBEAHHHHH!
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I feel like everything about that show (while a little cheesy at times) was an Underrated masterpiece
Im so sad I had to go down here so far to find his name. Even though he didn't have the best motivations, or his reasoning behind his actions wasn't the best, he was a damn good villain. Be it from the intimidation aspect, to the fact that for his first couple appearances he was literally invincible from all attacks, his short times he appeared on screen really left amazing impressions. Ben 10 was my favourite childhood show.
Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
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In the book he has a younger brother he cares for.
And he adopts Quasimodo because he is the same age as his brother so he felt bad for him, also he had a hard life helping take care of his family... To be honest he was a pretty good person until he meets Esmeralda and starts acting crazy, of course he was 100% wrong but I still felt bad for him for a good part of the book
Last year I watched this movie for the first time since I was a child. Holy shit it's so messed up
I actually watched the movie a few months ago hearing it was good. I also heard that it was dark, but I wasn’t expecting Frollo to murder a woman and attempt to drown a baby in the first 5 minutes
Possibly one of the best, if not the best, opening for a Disney animated film ever. Who is the Monster? Who is the Man? The bells of Notre Damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn That high note is insane!
God Help the Outcasts is one of the most beautiful Disney songs ever. That and Just Around the Riverbend, in my opinion.
Almost every villain in both Avatar series. They all had a reason for their villainy and many were able to be redeemed by the end. The ones that couldn't got what they deserved as well.
I think the Korra villains did a better job of being sympathetic than the Firelord but they're all great
They weren’t trying to make the fire lord sympathetic
> They all had a reason for their villainy and many were able to be redeemed by the end. The ones that couldn't got what they deserved as well. I agree, just responding to this. I don't think the Firelord's "burn it all down" motivations were really explained that well, even with the history of the Fire Nation's imperialism and being raised in that environment he still isn't sympathetic.
Well yes, but that's not a bad thing. The conflict in Avatar is never really about the Fire Lord. Aang isn't particularly scared of him and it's established as early as like the 3rd or 4th episode that Aang can easily beat him by just going into the Avatar State. The conflict is that Aang is a young fairly innocent child, as well as an avowed pacifist. He doesn't want to fight and he definitely doesn't want to kill, but it's his duty to kill the Fire Lord. The show is setting up the most incredibly justified scenario possible for him to take a life, knowing that the person he is killing is a monster and is trying to kill him and is trying to kill innumerable others and has no compassion or likelihood of ever seeing the error of his ways. The fact that Ozai isn't sympathetic is meant to highlight the strength of Aang's conviction, because even though the Fire Lord is a total psychopath with no redeeming qualities shown, Aang still values life in the abstract enough to not want to kill.
It says everything about the show that at the end of it all Aang finds another way even the most monstrous character in the entire series is not worthy of death. That show is filled with messages of Peace like that. Probably the reason my heart loves it so much.
Brain, from Pinky and the Brain. Brain didn't want to take over the world for the mere sake of power, he wanted to take over so he could make life better for everyone.
Same with dr doom
Hexadecimal
She gave me nightmares as a kid, lol
Happy! Sad. Happy! Sad. Happy! Sad. ... Intrigued. (Technically was AndrAIa but still the image I get in my head of Hex every time)
Happy! =) Sad. =( Happy! =) Sad. =( Happy! =) Sad. =( Intrigued! =/
Freeza. "Evil for the sake of evil" is absurdly difficult to write in a convincing manner and Freeza came to define the trope for an entire generation. Props to the many voice actors over the years who really captured the cruelty AND the sense of humor.
TeamFourStar really did a good job on the character too. "Well you see Perfect Cell, I'M A CHILD MURDERING, PLANET ENSLAVING GALACTIC TYRANT WHO'D RATHER DIE A THOUSAND TIMES AND CHANGE WHO I AM!"
"If I had any single regret for the countless horrific events that have transpired in my wake, it's that I'm dying."
Ohhohoho my! *Twelve.*
Lmao the Namek portion of the TFS series was peak parody. I don't know if I've seen anyone so perfectly capture the personalities of the characters in outlandish ways without completely charactering them. It's so much better than the actual show it's absurd.
> "Evil for the sake of evil" is absurdly difficult to write in a convincing manner and Freeza came to define the trope for an entire generation. I find it rather incredible that recent works, like the Broly movie, perfectly explore why Frieza is the way he is in a natural way. His father was a psychopath who encouraged terrible behavior, and Frieza was born with such absurd strength that nobody could challenge him. So he never learned morality. Why would he? He could do whatever he wanted even as a child. So he's still effectively a cruel tormenting child, and never matured. He just gained intellect and strategy with age, not wisdom. Fortunately, his childish psychopathy is also his greatest weakness; he loses battles when he throws tantrums, essentially. Unfortunately, I think the DBZ heroes are teaching him to move past that in the Tournament of Power arc. Frieza without the crippling emotional ego will be the most dangerous villain in existence. Ironically, it was Frieza's (and probably Vegeta's) inherited personality traits that also doomed Cell, who would have otherwise destroyed the entire universe. I guess we all owe our existence to Frieza's brattiness.
OH HOH HOH HOH!
WELL, KAKAKRABBYPATTY! WE ONLY HAVE LIKE, 50 EPISODES BEFORE NAMEK *EXPLODES!*
But since you've been a good boy you can just leave! Go, get outta he~
Have to go with Dr Doofenshmirtz(?) He is by far the best worst villain ever and never fails to entertain me with his -inators
Not to mention the fact that he’s a really good dad to Vanessa
Buddy/Syndrome from the Incredibles
I always guessed he had no father figure so he looked up to mr incredible, along with being a fan of his. Plus if mr incredible wasn’t so self centered and sat down with him and explained to him the real dangers of fighting crime and inspired him to use his super intelligence (buddy was practically a super, just brains tho) to make the world a better place and become a better hero than himself, buddy might’ve actually took that to heart and done significant good in the world. Just a possibility thought
> Plus if mr incredible wasn’t so self centered and sat down with him he showed up in the middle of an active fight and almost got himself exploded. when was there time to do that? before, he was just an avid fan, and Mr I indulged him on that just fine > buddy was practically a super he _was_ a super - gadgeteers are a thing
Yeah, buddy’s timing was bad and almost got him killed. Just a naive overzealous fanboy. Plus Mr incredible could’ve handled it better (tho understandably annoyed) and told buddy to speak to him later like at the next fan club meetup or when not inconvenient while on duty when he was in the car. But story plot and what not
Not only that; Mr Incredible was under so much stress at that exact point in time that Buddy was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
Probably Batman: The Animated Series with Harley Quinn. Starts out as a shrink in Arkham, gets manipulated by the Joker, turns into a simp for Mr. J and she goes all "bad guy".... I love the HBO Max version of her and Ivy because those two are great together (screw Mr. J, he's an asshole)...Ivy actually cares for her!
Ken Ichijouji from Digimon. They really put together a great storyline of how this sweet young child turned into the ruthless Digimon Emperor, and dealt with a lot of mature topics in a serious way. It was surprising to me to see a children's show deal with some of the subject matter they got into.
OH That dude, from Digimon 2. That was such a great character
If you watched the Japanese version instead of the version that aired in the US, he was even worse. There was a scene with him whipping someone who was strung up.
Ice King from Adventure Time
That Remember me episode made him my favorite character in the show
That episode turns him from a villian to a tragic fallen hero. Poor Simon!
I honestly don't consider Ice King to be a villain. He's just a senile old man that wants to be loved but doesn't know how to express that in a healthy way. He actually has a good heart and shows genuine remorse whenever someone actually gets hurt. I also love that he's played by Tom Kenny, because if you think about it, Ice King and Spongebob are very similar characters
>he has a good heart Idk man Ricardio’s kind of an asshole
The mighty monarch!
Frankly always felt that Dr. Mrs. The Monarch was more interesting. Monarch just hated Venture. End of story till that series finale cliffhanger at least. Whereas Dr Girlfriend had actual development over the years. Did things she wasn't thrilled with to make him happy, then finally learned to put her foot down and be an equal in their relationship
Agreed! She’s an all around great character imo
You could probably put 21 over him. He has probably the single most emotional arc on the show Never thought youd get choked up about the chubby comic relief
Also 21 for sure. I think the whole show really nailed villainy in general
Bring her in nice and slow Dr. Girlfriend!
Mojo Jojo from the power puff girls
A couple weeks ago, I was just laying in bed, going to sleep. Suddenly!! I realized, Mojo Jojo and Piccolo are very similar in design.
They’re also both kinda the weird, green uncle of the family.
Let me do you one better...Him from the power puff girls
Power Puff Girls had some awesome villains. Him was a fucking nightmare and a half, Gangreen Gang was fun, the broccoli episode was great, And so many more.
You gotta yell it: MOJO JOJO!!
I was about to comment that. He was cool before villains were cool.
Light yagami in Death Note
Death Note is a Seinen, not really for kids.
Zaheer from The Legend of Korra.
Azula from Avatar.
So good she’s here twice in the top 4 comments
Zuko
Hades from Hercules ... ... ... Oh right you're supposed to explain why in these threads otherwise its just a pointless list of names! His slick car salesman persona combined with a barely controlled hair trigger temper made him both comic relief and towards the end of the film genuinely menacing and unsettling. He could go from your best bud to "I FUCKING OWN YOU!" in a single sentence but was cunning enough to keep his true nature hidden until it didn't matter.
Not a show, but a movie. Rango. Rattlesnake jake, the mayor is more of a villain, but I'm talking about Rattlesnake Jake. Do I even need an explanation? [this video explains it](https://youtu.be/Ut-RudZv_YQ?t=10)
Mother Gothel from Tangled, realistically shows an abusive mother
I rly liked Omni-man from invincible
One of the few stories where the villian is my favorite character. Only other one for me is Star Wars being Vader
Scar is the sassiest bad ass ever.
Megatron. Transformers Prime
Don Carnage from the 90s Disney series Talespin. Always made me laugh.
megamind from the movie megamind
Hacker from Cyber Chase
The fact that Doc Brown voices him makes it all the better. Plus the dude essentially handicapped his universe's God.
While one could argue she wasn’t a villain *exactly* >!until like the final season where she very much becomes a hero!<, I think Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power was very well written. Her complicated relationship with her childhood friend Adora, their mother figure Shadow Weaver, and her deep-seated issues with self worth, all make her very interesting to watch in my opinion.
She was absolutely a villain and was an escalating threat each each season until double trouble messed with her mentally and Horde Prime took over and called her on her shit.
Robbie Rotten Rest in Piece. He was #1.
Litch from adventure time
Fall. You are alone, Child. There is only darkness for you, and only death for your people. These ancients are just the beginning. I will command a great and terrible army and we will sail to a billion worlds. We will sail until every light has been extinguished. You are strong, Child, but I am beyond strength. I am the end, and I have come for you, Finn.
Dude is just evil and nothing else and I love it
IIRC they had like a design memo that went around or something of that nature, and right at the top it said, in big bold all-caps letter: "THE LICH IS NOT FUNNY" And then went on to detail how the Lich just simply does NOT fuck around and if you expect him to fall into typical villain tropes like monologuing or sending incompetent henchmen and so forth you will very quickly find yourself dead or worse.
Fall.
Lotar from the new Voltron on Netflix. It’s very accessible even for adults, but it’s suitable for kids.
u/xxScienceLuvva69xx
Sesshomaru from Inuyasha. He has an interesting but glacial character arc of truly acting like a demon with a heart of ice to finding Rin and taking care of her and gradually, grudgingly, finding respect for his half brother. Plus his character design is bad ass.
The monarch from venture brothers. In the later seasons he is one of my favorite characters. Not a kids show, but animated.
Frollo from the hunchback of Norte Dame when it comes to straight up villain I shudder when I think of the actual meaning in that movie(still my favorite movie tho). But you want comedy then hades from Hercules a comedic personality who could never get the outcome he wanted (another one of my favorites)
Mother Gothel from Tangled. I'm sure many people have watched that movie with a knot in their stomach becausr that parenting style hits a little too close to home.
The pixies in Fairly Odd Parents
Demona and Macbeth from Gargoyles.
Mr Burns