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[BlackGhost]

Shit forgot about Walter white

 

[Manmademan]

Billy Zabka was a true little shit, but Kreese was the best villain in the Karate Kid.

oh i don't disagree- Kreese was the ACTUAL villain in that- but Zabka somehow got himself typecast into being "80s asshole guy" for his entire career. Those pics are all from different movies, but he's playing the exact same dude- hot tub time machine aside where he plays an older version of said dude.

edit: some more fun ones-

 

[vas_a_morir]

Nah - he's probably the most iconic, but as a villain he's nothing special. Personally for me the GOAT villain is Griffith from Berserk:

Does this count? People HATE Femto. They love Griffith, but Griffith wasn't really a villain. He was the "Hero" of the "Story" until he got rekt by you know who and did you know what and ended up in you know where for a year before doing you know what to you know who after becoming you know what thanks to you know who.

 

[Dinokill]

lol at people posting anime characters. Maybe Vegeta but still.

Darth Vader
T800
Predator
The joker
Michael Mayers

 

[a916]

I don't think people actually care that much about Vader as a character, only as an icon of the franchise and sci fi.

As an icon, I would put him up there... but his source material, the 3 films, he's laughably behind someone (critically) like the Joker. But as far as most loved villain, yeah he's probably it. I wonder how close Joker is especially with how much Batman is on the map and how recently we saw a genre defining performance in the Joker.

 

[Manmademan]

As an icon, I would put him up there... but his source material, the 3 films, he's laughably behind someone (critically) like the Joker. But as far as most loved villain, yeah he's probably it. I wonder how close Joker is especially with how much Batman is on the map and how recently we saw a genre defining performance in the Joker.

I think recency has a lot to do with that.

If you compared the joker to vader as a villain anywhere near the time star wars IV, V, or VI came out people would have thought you were drunk, crazy, or both. It was vader by a MILE.

Even after joker got a bump with Batman '89, that claim would still have been really questionable.

lol at people posting anime characters. Maybe Vegeta but still.

Darth Vader
T800
Predator
The joker
Michael Mayers

would have gone the Freddy Krueger route for horror icons, personally. Meyers and Voorhees don't really have much in the way of character development- they're just killing machines without personality. Krueger though? That dude is a bastard.

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

Does this count? People HATE Femto. They love Griffith, but Griffith wasn't really a villain. He was the "Hero" of the "Story" until he got rekt by you know who and did you know what and ended up in you know where for a year before doing you know what to you know who after becoming you know what thanks to you know who.

Griffith is still a scumbag. Have you seen what happens after

Spoiler

the eclipse?

Volume 22 spoiler:

Spoiler

I just read volume 22 with him reuniting with Guts, Casca and Rickert and he's not sorry for what he did to them.

lol at people posting anime characters. Maybe Vegeta but still.

Darth Vader
T800
Predator
The joker
Michael Mayers

You clearly haven't read Berserk. Griffith is a far better villain than anyone you just listed.

 

[Cameron122]

SIEG ZEON

No that's probably Ronald Reagan.

Cackled like a madman

 

[Numb]

Does this count? People HATE Femto. They love Griffith, but Griffith wasn't really a villain. He was the "Hero" of the "Story" until he got rekt by you know who and did you know what and ended up in you know where for a year before doing you know what to you know who after becoming you know what thanks to you know who.

Giffith you son a bitch.

 

[GDGF]

Shit forgot about Walter white

Heisenberg has got to be WAY up there.

 

[Dinokill]

Griffith is still a scumbag. Have you seen what happens after

Spoiler

the eclipse?

Volume 22 spoiler:

Spoiler

I just read volume 22 with him reuniting with Guts, Casca and Rickert and he's not sorry for what he did to them.

You clearly haven't read Berserk. Griffith is a far better villain than anyone you just listed.

He is not iconic. not beloved by the mainstream. The villains I listed are basically cultural icons.

 

[Kingbrave]

These two have to be up there somewhere:

and

 

[Manmademan]

He is not iconic. not beloved by the mainstream. The villains I listed are basically cultural icons.

yep. we can list great villains in media no one cares about all day.

 

[MC Safety]

What's beloved about Darth Vader? He was a whiny child and a mass murderer.

Like most of the Star Wars characters, he had a striking look at that's it.

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

He is not iconic. not beloved by the mainstream. The villains I listed are basically cultural icons.

I think I might have miss read what the OP was asking LOL. At least Griffith is one of the most beloved villains on GAF.

 

[Monocle]

Despite Lucas's best efforts at character assassination, Vader is still iconic.

What's beloved about Darth Vader? He was a whiny child and a mass murderer.

Like most of the Star Wars characters, he had a striking look at that's it.

Nah, until the the prequels his look and persona made him the ultimate badass. The armor, the voice, the force powers, the lightsaber. Classic stuff. And his character had hints of real complexity until George Lucas bashed us over the head with Anakin's lame arc.

 

[PeskyToaster]

We're talking beloved. Not your favorite dork nerd villains no one has ever heard of

 

[Manmademan]

Despite Lucas's best efforts at character assassination, Vader is still iconic.

I read that comment as this guy

and got really confused for a minute

 

[zahran]

Some other great villains that come to mind:

Hannibal Lecter
The Joker
Severus Snape

 

[Bay Maximus]

He might be. A couple that come to mind:

 

[MC Safety]

Nah, until the the prequels his look and persona made him the ultimate badass. The armor, the voice, the force powers, the lightsaber. Classic stuff. And his character had hints of real complexity until George Lucas bashed us over the head with Anakin's lame arc.

Vader looked cool, but wasn't menacing except for when he choked a few helpless individuals.

He's like Boba Fett only slightly more competent.

 

[Monocle]

Vader looked cool, but wasn't menacing except for when he choked a few helpless individuals.

He's like Boba Fett only slightly more competent.

I always thought his whole presence screamed menace. Which made the Emperor that much more intimidating when you found out Vader was just his lapdog.

 

[EdReedFan20]

AFI's Top 10 from 2003:

[10] The Queen (from Snow White)
[09] Regan MacNeil (from The Exorcist)
[08] Phyllis Dietrichson (from Double Idemnity)
[07] Alex Forrest (from Fatal Attraction)
[06] Mr. Potter (from It's A Wonderful Life)
[05] Nurse Ratched (from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)
[04] The Wicked Witch of the West (from The Wizard of Oz)
[03] Darth Vader (from the Star Wars Saga)
[02] Norman Bates (from The Psycho Series)
[01]

Spoiler

Hannibal Lechter (from the Hannibal Series)

AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains

 

[ginger ninja]

You know it's true

 

[Manmademan]

Vader looked cool, but wasn't menacing except for when he choked a few helpless individuals.

He's like Boba Fett only slightly more competent.

I would watch the original trilogy again. The rebels got the jump on the empire in ANH, but Empire? nah son.

Vader sets up a trap for the rebels in cloud city by bullying lando into it so he has no choice, double crosses lando ANYWAY because what can he do to Vader, no-sells direct hits by blaster shots because his hands are apparently blaster proof AND he's fast enough to block them, beats luke in single combat and cuts off his arm. Had luke not been his son the movie would have ended right there.

Clearly no one in the rebel alliance had an answer for that guy. He was a better strategist AND better combatant than anyone on the opposing side by a mile.

 

[t26]

 

[rekameohs]

It's really a testament to how well made ESB is, since that's the only one where Vader is truly the main villain. 3 of Vader's 6 stories are shit, unlike others like Joker and Dracula, but the character design, sound design, and scripting is so excellent for Vader in the OT that he competes.

 

[LegendofDragoonLives]

Joker crushes him. Far more interesting a character. Vader is definitely one of the most iconic in cinema and an awesome character thought.

 

[Currygan]

of all times? He has a chance, in terms of worldwide recognition and popularity

I'd would say it's probably Voldemort the top cat

 

[inked_illusion]

You know it's true

youregoddamnright.gif

 

[Hero]

In Japan Char is definitely the equivalent of Vader.

Going along with anime:

Vegeta
Sasuke

 

[i am unagi]

I agree with this 100%.

 

[MC Safety]

Clearly no one in the rebel alliance had an answer for that guy. He was a better strategist AND better combatant than anyone on the opposing side by a mile.

Nah, son.

Vader waited too long to try and stop the Rebels from destroying the first Death Star. In Empire, he failed to capture the Rebels despite them flying right at his blockade. Then, he marshaled the forces of his Empire to bully a small-time operator into submission. Oh, and he used his Force powers to make an impressive show against a series of helpless prisoners.

If you watched the original series some more you might see how weak Vader really is, and how he's not at all far removed from the whiny child who mass murdered women and children in a fit of rage.

 

[Mighty Chin]

It's probably the Joker. Everybody likes the Joker.











Darth Vader was retroactively ruined by the shitheel prequels.

Ahem

 

[Herbs]

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

Hanibbal Lector and Walter White. Maybe Don Draper.

 

[Lulubop]

.

 

[Sojgat]

Probably, but he's still just a second-rate Doctor Doom knock-off.

 

[Krejlooc]

 

[Dynasty]

Aizen

 

[Chuckie]

Vader's not even that evil. He's mostly a villain by association with Tarkin and the Emperor. What's he even do? Kill Ben I guess but Ben was into it. Plus he kills that knucklehead Imperial officer so his kill count is even Stevens good guys and bad. I suppose he shoots down some Rebels around the Deathstar but the Rebels were actively trying to murder like a billion people so that's fair self defense. Vader puts Han on ice but Han was a deadbeat trying to cheat a gangster so he deserved it.

He looks imposing and he's got good menace and all but you can tell his heart isn't really in it.

He killed a shitload of kids or younglings or whatever they were called.

You clearly haven't read Berserk. Griffith is a far better villain than anyone you just listed.

Yeah well nearly no one has read Berserk, so Griffith would normally not be on a list of most beloved villains

 

[Switch Back 9]

.

See, I have no idea who that is, and I frequent a gaming forum. That means most of society doesn't know who he is, thus making him irrelevant to this thread.

We get it guys,there's some cool villains in anime. No one else cares and they're certainly not iconic or beloved by the masses.

 

[Krejlooc]

See, I have no idea who that is, and I frequent a gaming forum

You don't know who sephiroth is?

FFVII was most definitely a mass success.

 

[Noaloha]

Noah did pretty well PR-wise all things considered.

 

[Switch Back 9]

You don't know who sephiroth is?

FFVII was most definitely a mass success.

Never played a final fantasy game. And regardless, that still doesn't mean he's a pop culture icon on the level of most of the characters already posted in this thread.

 

[Krejlooc]

Never played a final fantasy game.

There are people who have never seen star wars who couldn't name darth vader, either.

And regardless, that still doesn't mean he's a pop culture icon on the level of most of the characters already posted in this thread.

Except FFVII was most certainly a major pop cultural event world-wide, and most people who play video games would recognize him, just as most people who watch space ship movies would recognize darth vader.

 

[MindGamingMantis]

Vader and Joker are tied. Vegeta is 2nd.

 

[Nostremitus]

Vader is the hero, though...

 

[Switch Back 9]

There are people who have never seen star wars who couldn't name darth vader, either.



Except FFVII was most certainly a major pop cultural event world-wide, and most people who play video games would recognize him, just as most people who watch space ship movies would recognize darth vader.

Give me a break man, star wars is a pop culture juggernaut worldwide. Not just "people who watch space ship movies" don't be ridiculous. They're on totally different levels, to say otherwise is ignorance bordering on stubborn stupidity.

Final Fantasy 7 is not a major pop culture event, get real. 9/10 random people could identify Vader or Star Wars as a franchise. I'd be surprised if 1/50 could name the villain from a video game from 20 years ago no matter how many people played it.

Apples and some Japanese fruit a core group of people really like.

 

[Krejlooc]

Give me a break man, star wars is a pop culture juggernaut worldwide.

So is final fantasy, especially FFVII.

Not just "people who watch space ship movies" don't be ridiculous. They're on totally different levels, to say otherwise is ignorance bordering on stubborn stupidity.

It sounds like you really think your space ship movies are more important than they really are.