Baddies

Who is literatures greatest villian? A simple question but not an easy one to answer.
Criteria for this list, simple really, who is the greatest villain/bad guy/evil doer in literature.
We came up with the following, in no parilcular order, see what you think:

Want a bit more?

Here are our explanations to why we think these characters are the best at being bad

Hannibal Lecter (Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal):Serial killers in books, television and film: blame this guy. They may have became a cliche, but Lecter is scary and yet captivating. It is testament to how great a baddie this character is that the genius serial killer has become such a part of the mainstream.

Mister Hyde: A warning that humans should not play god, a metaphor for the inner demons in us all or just a good villain, if a story contains someone taking or doing something to change into something nefarious then who does not think of Mr. Hyde, that is the impact of this character. An alter ego that has entered into our language. Plus he was a nasty piece of work.

Raskolnikov: A murderer, with minimal reason to kill. Memorable not for the deed itself, but for his reaction. Fear of being caught as much as guilt trouble this man, and leads to the inevitable.

Sauron: For a character who never actually appears other than as an eye, he makes a big impact. The ruler of Mordor and the creator of the magic ring, Sauron's menace is felt through the three Lord of the Rings books, not bad for essentially a cameo role.

Professor Moriarty: Sherlock Holmes is one if literature's great characters and in reality Moriarty does not appear that often, but when he does you remember him. The simple fact that almost all Sherlock Holmes stories of modern times feel they need to include Moriarty, is testament to the enduring appeal of this baddie.

Voldermort: Harry Potter's nemesis has transcended even those hugely successful books to be a part of modern culture. Time will tell whether he rises or falls on this list.

Big Brother: If Sauron of LotR is a bit part, then Big Brother takes that to extreme. However, like Sauron, it is the menace he exudes over the characters and story that make him such a notable bad guy.

Pennywise the clown: Many memorable monsters from horror writer Stephen King, but in Pennywise he tapped into that deep seated fear we all have for demonic clowns (any clowns really) and created the nightmare creature that makes even grown ups in the light of day uneasy.

Dracula: Of course Dracula makes the list. He is, after all, the archetypal vampire. The book version of him is actually quite different to almost all modern representations of him and vampires. Our ideas of Dracula stem more from Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee than this book, but Bram Stoker's masterpiece is where it all started. .

We cheated a bit here to include both creature and creator. Here is our explantion. Few books have had the impact this one has. Few have created so noteworthy a 'villanous character' in the form of The Monster but The Monster is not really the villain here, it is Victor Frankenstein himself. He creates the monster and instead of dealing with his creation he abandons it. The poor creature, with no guidance, acts as would be expected. Saying that, it is Frankestein's' Monster that peoepl remember.

Cthulhu: Lovecraft has many notable villains and creatures but Cthulhu is the best known. Even if you cannot pronounce his name you probably know the tentacle face. He is mentioned in many a tale, but usually little more than mentioned. Yet his presence seems always there. An unbeleivably giant and powerful monster. If he wakes we are doomed.

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Close but didn't quite make the list:

Tom Ripley: Clever and amoral Patricia Highsmith's Thomas Ripley is also suave, sophisticated and strangely endearing.

The White Witch (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe): The ultimate ice queen ensnaring her victims in her diabolical, erm, Turkish Delight.

Nurse Ratchet (One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest): It is what she represents that makes her the bad guy. McMurphy is the free spirit, the individual. Nurse Ratchet is the system. She dislikes, mistrusts and fears him because she does not understand him. She believes she must destroy him to save the other inmates.

Fagan (Oliver Twist): A thief but also an almost kindly uncle (in a way). Bill Sykes is the true nasty one, but Fagan is the one everyone remembers.

Milady de Winter (The Three Musketeers): One of the original femme fatales, almost everyone male that comes into her company seems to fall for her. As much a tragic figure as a villain, she is still one terrific baddie.

Long John Silver: Undoubtedly a baddie, but a charming and captivating one. You know Long John even if you do not know the book. You might struggle to name any other characters, but you know him. There is probably no a better known pirate, including the real ones.

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Honourable Mentions:

Pinkie Brown from Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, Satan from Paradise Lost by Milton, Napoleon from Animal Farm by G. Orwell Ernst Stavro Blofeld, various by I. Fleming, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho by B. Ellis, Mr Kurtz from Edge of Darkness by J. Conrad Captain Hook from Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie.