I think it is sad that not many readers talk about villains. Have you ever considered how much a well-written villain brings to the story? As they often say that a hero is only as good as the villain. It's the villain's job to bring out the best traits in heroes. So, I believe that a great villain can really take a story to the next level and maybe even make it epic.
When I say "favorite" I actually mean our most hated villains. Because the more you hate the villain the better they are. I think our hatred is kind of proof that the author has done their job well in developing a villain worth reading about. What do you think?
Some of my most hated and despised villains of all times are;
Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series:
She was the Defence Against Dark Arts teacher in Hogwarts (Book Five). Her purpose there was to keep a close eye on Dumbledore's activities and brainwash students into believing that there were no real threats to the wizarding world and Voldemort is just propaganda. She was an evil witch and I think it is safe to say that we all hated her with a passion. But did you notice how she brought out the best of Hermoine Granger? Hermoine was at her best in book five of the series and afterward. I think a lot of that credit goes to Umbridge, the most hated of all villains. We also hate Lord Voldemort, of course, but not more than Dolores Umbridge.
Bellatrix Lestrange is another character from Harry Potter that we love to hate. She was a lunatic and a follower of the dark Lord. Also, Sirius Black's cousin who ended up causing his death as well as murdering Dobby. How on earth can we ever forgive her? Not a chance.
Author: J.K. Rowling
Agatha Trunchbull, Principal from Matilda:
So, it was a long time ago when I read Matilda and what an amazing story it was. I loved every character and I loved the story too. I still remember the villain of the story, a dreadful Principal who punished children and was horrible to teachers, especially her niece and my favorit teacher of all times, Miss Honey. Although Matilda's parents were also part of the problem but it the oppressive principal who was the real villain of the story and who ended up bringing forth the abilities that Matilda possesses. To this day she remains one of my most hated literary villain. Also, I think it might have something to do with my own villainous high school principal. Oh, how I hate that woman even to this day (yikes!).
Author: Roal Dahl
Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones:
I think he is the vilest character ever written or at least I have ever come across. Seriously, that man is truly worthy of all our hatred. I am not really a Game of Thrones fan. I like it well enough, I suppose but it is not a series I am passionate about. Yet, it has some of the cruelest and most hates villains ever. Phew! The series is actually full of them and they do tend to bring out the best in our favorite characters aka Stark siblings. All of them are going to reach their full potential because of these vile beasts that the author has created. So, yeah there is that.
Author: George R.R. Martin
Lady Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice:
As compared to other villains sighted here, Lady Catherine may seen like a sweet old lady, she was anything but. In her own way she did try to ruin our favorite love story of all times. So, she is definitely worth mentioning. She was an uppity woman who looked down upon anyone and everyone. She was the aunt of our favorite hero, Mr. Darcy and she hoped that he would marry her daughter. When Lizzie Bennett came into the picture she didn't take it so well and tried to come between her and Mr. Darcy. Not that it worked so, all was well in the end. But we still hate her for trying her worst anyway.
Author: Jane Austen
Every Other Character from The Great Gatsby:
If I have to name one character from this book, I won't be able to do it. I still don't know who was the real villain in this story. Was it Daisy Buchanan who only cared about money and prestige and used Jay Gatsby in the worst way possible? Was it her racist, cheating husband Tom? Or was it Jay Gatsby himself, an obssessive man who couldn't look beyond his obssession and idealistic views of the world? Honestly, it is hard to say. There are a number of very flawed characters in this book and they all seemed to bring out the worst in each other. All in all, this was one messed up story.
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
P.S. So, this is a very short list of my most hated villains in literature. Who are some of yours? Do share and thank you for reading my post.
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