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One of the great things about supervillains is their lunatic schemes, which usually rely on the phases of the Moon and a squad of cyborg dolphins sailing into the bay at 12:07 precisely. The real reason the good guy always wins is because the bad guy doesn't keep it simple. More »
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Over a decade into the 21st Century, our imaginations are captivated by creations of the 19th and 20th. Sherlock Holmes rules television and movies. We're eagerly awaiting new movies about James Bond, Captain Kirk, Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. Where are the 21st Century mass-media heroes and villains? Why isn't anybody even trying to create them? More »
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Almost every actor has at least one massive failure on his or her imdb page. A performance so hideous, you're liable to get punched if you bring that movie up on the red carpet. And some of the best actors have played some of the most hideous supervillains. More »
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There's a dreadful ailment that afflict superhero movies: the villain overload. Movies about costumed crime-fighters seem to attract surplus villains, like barnacles. Is it because the merchandising people want more toys to market? Or because they just want to pad out the cast with a few more names? It's hard to say. More »
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They always say: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." But how can you always tell the difference? It's a well-known fact that most of the time, an epic hero's arch-enemies is the hero's former best friend. More »
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Why does science fiction have so many heroes and villains? Why are some heroes so much cooler than others, and why can't villains be ruthless and competent? Here's our introductory guide to the eternal struggle of good versus evil. More »
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Would Lost's final season have been more compelling if it had been like the final Harry Potter book? Just a random thought. More »
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Villains: They're crazed, they're flamboyant, and they're the smoggy, sparking engine that keeps many a story chugging along. Except that a villain who can't kill the hero for some contrived reason is worse than having your hero fight global illiteracy. More »
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We're all expecting G.I. Joe to be one of the worst movies of all time — but we were actually overestimating it. Judging from the novelization, G.I. Joe will be a masterpiece of badness, Showgirls meets Plan 9. Spoilers ahead... More »
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It's no secret this summer's list of blockbusters has been a lackluster collection of underachievers. But who's to blame for this debacle? We point a stern finger at the weak collection of villains. Just check out our list of indictments. More »
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Will J.J. Abrams really make Star Trek 2: The Rehash Of Khan? Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman told an interviewer there's "a 50/50 chance" Khan will show up in their sequel. Here's why it's a terrible idea. More »
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The villain's evil scheme in the new James Bond film, Quantum Of Solace, sounds pretty demented. But it can't possibly be as crack-addled as Blofeld's monstrous plan in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, as seen in this clip. More »
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They don't make supervillains like they used to, as we mentioned the other day. Today's super-villains are more like super-kittens, that you just want to scritch behind the ears. Or else, they're the hero's friend, until the script suddenly needs them to glue on a giant mustache and become evil. But who's the wobbliest recent villain of them all? Vote for your favorite. More »
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Why are people still so crazed over Heath Ledger's Joker after a month in theaters? Maybe because he's the first villain we've seen in ages who didn't kind of lick. The problem of villain suckage is endemic in heroic narratives, where villains get redeemed, become sympathetic, or lose their menace too easily. We've got a 7-point diagnosis for villain anemia, plus a "unified theory" of how to make villains awesome, and why they matter. Spoilers for recent movies, and upcoming TV, below. More »
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Now that we know volume three of Heroes will be called "Villains," it's not too soon to start bracing ourselves for the worst. After all, that show hasn't had the greatest track record in creating and sustaining villains so far. There's no surefire way to make a villain scary and memorable. But there are some proven methods for making your villains dull and wimpy, and Heroes has used a few of them. Here's the complete list of how to create a boring villain. More »
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