Thursday 7 June 2012

My Favourite Villain


-spoilers for Thor, Harry Potter, Sherlock, and Doctor Who-

He only ever wanted that one simple thing. But the search for it destroyed him. He went too far, and maybe he was always willing to go too far. A loveless life, a violent death with few mourners to remember him. Suicide, in fact (really, what was the point of living anymore?). The outcast, the black sheep, the liar, the lonely. So many lives on his hands. The people who were just like him were killed (or hunted) with even more viciousness than the numberless innocent dead. Feared and hated.
The stuff of legend.

But what's his name? Well, I'm not going to say it. It's hidden, so to speak. I mean, you don't just go SAYING that name. Someone has to force you to use it, doesn't he?

And when they do...


They're crying. "TELL ME!" (And the word is weary. Laufeyson, you tell him.)

Confused. "Could you write it down?" (And, well, you can't spell it. "Voldemort. Don't make me say it again.")

Yelling. "The name! Now! The name!" (And it comes out with a scream of pain. "Moriarty!")

And laughing. "Use my name." (And you whisper it. "Master. Please.")


Yeah, yeah, I stretched it a bit for some characters. Loki wasn't asking Odin for his name when he screamed "Tell me," but goodness the dramatic effect is beautiful. And, well, I wouldn't say Voldemort's death was suicide, strictly. Hey, it was his own curse.
But look at how similar they all are! And then there are parallels between individual villains - from the list and throughout history (fact and fiction). Let's go into this some more, I love this. Because it doesn't get old, and that's the beauty of it.

A gorgeous facet of some villains is that they hate their own kind. Hate them! Why? Because they hate themselves. And I'm not talking their own species, though that can happen - Loki wanted to take out his entire birth planet (I guess that's what you'd call it? A planet you were born on, but got adopted from? Galactic foster kids, enlighten me). But think about Voldemort and his lust for racial purity within Wizardkind. So he murdered Muggle-born witches and wizards. But of what birth was he, in the end? A Muggle and a half-squib. Real pure, there, Tom. Who did Moriarty most want to bring down? Well, the detective who would one day shake the criminal's hand and identify them both as the same man. Likewise the Master and the Doctor.
And what about Hitler? People say he was part Jewish, is that true? Even if it isn't, he didn't have blonde hair and blue eyes.

What about that old self-inflicted death? Voldy's curse rebound, like I mentioned, along with Moriarty's own bullet and Loki letting go and falling into space (though, of course, he only stayed dead 'till after the credits. But don't let me get started on that scene or incessant fangirling will occur). Oh, yeah, and the Master's refusal to regenerate in "Last of the Time Lords" and throwing himself into the Time Lock with the Time Lords in "The End of Time" (that's a lot of "time").

And the name? Loki's true heritage was hidden. Voldemort was more commonly known as "You Know Who" or "He Who Must Not Be Named" throughout the Potter series. Moriarty's name had to be wrung out of the serial killer in "A Study in Pink." And the Master has to prompt the Doctor to use his name twice.


Oh, yeah, and whichever evil dude he is, he's got a British accent.

Caaan't forget that one.

(Come on, Wales is part of Great Britian).


I find it really, really interesting to see the similarities between all these villains. And a pretty awesome guide to crafting a memorable antagonist, too - also, it shows stereotypes to maybe break. Anyone spotted any other parallels? Who did you think I was talking about when I started with the opening paragraph - like, which villain jumped to your mind?

--

Hey, I just finished this post
And this is crazy
But off-subjectly, I got a Tumblr
So follow me maybe

13 comments:

  1. No surprise, I thought of Loki first. Actually I've never found Voldemort or Moriarty sympathetic. The Master moreso but I wouldn't say I'm desperate for him to be redeemed.
    BUT HAVE I MENTIONED HOW GLAD I AM THAT YOU FINISHED THOR AND YOU'RE IN LOKI'S ARMY WITH ME. I should warn you that Loki fangirling quickly spirals into Tom Hiddleston fangirling, and I'm doing my best to get you there too. Here are a few of my favorite interviews and such:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQaYmok6ClE&feature=youtu.be

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-9Uwqcou5g

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1urCteEKX8&feature=related

    http://www.mtv.com/videos/movies/765213/lokid-with-tom-hiddleston.jhtml#id=1644133

    And a few that aren't related to Loki...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-gP9dzD4vw&feature=relmfu

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U94cuE4f77g

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7bAWtlKLSk&fb_source=message

    http://burdge.tumblr.com/post/22982765246/tom-hiddleston-reads-bright-star-by-john-keats

    His twitter also is a must.
    Oh, and "Fallen Star" by Alydia Rackham is one of the best and most famous fanfics ever. It's Loki/Jane, which I didn't really think I'd like, but she makes it work. Mostly, Loki's redemption is what matters.
    (Am I overwhelming you with this stuff? I tried to limit myself. So sorry.)
    (One thing about your tumblr. It's set up in such a way that I can't scroll through, which is kind of irritating. If you like it that way, that's find of course, but changing it would make things easier on me...)

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    1. Haha. I never found Voldemort sympathetic or even the greatest of villains, either, but I was just drawing parallels. I guess I never found Moriarty sympathetic, exactly, but he's a GREAT villain, I think :)
      YES! Loki is so amazing - I just can't - it's - agh. Hmmm, Tom Hiddleston, really? Haha, it's just, Loki is so amazing as a character - but of course I'll watch this stuff :D

      Okay, cool!

      Yeah, I just kind of liked how unique the format is. Not sure if I should change it or not...... but I don't want it to be annoying for you :/

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    2. A lot of the best interviews are ones about Loki. The first thing I fell for was how he articulates his characters and interprets them with passion and tenderness. Okay, I need to stop now and let him speak for himself.

      It looks nice, but it's hard to open each thing you post in a new tab. You don't have to change it, though. It is your tumblr! I'm not even officially on there.

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    3. Oh, and Moriarty is a great villain of the Pure Evil persuasion.

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  2. Agh *dies* that was brilliant. He seems SOOO nice and intelligent. And yes, I love how he talks about Loki! That mtv movie won't play for me, though, because I'm in Canada. Is it on YouTube?

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    1. The YouTube ones seem to have been deleted. Maybe this will still work? It makes me laugh my head off.
      http://mrscevans.tumblr.com/post/22428191567/dontgigglesherlock-lordlamebrain

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    2. PS: If you ever come to the other side of Canada, we should meet. I'm fairly close to Toronto...

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    3. LOL! I saw a joke on the internet about having 'no gas in the tank!' and now I understand what in the world they were talking about. That was hilarious! In a really weird kind of way... :D Wish they hadn't used quite as much language but what are you going to do, eh?

      That would be so fun! But I don't really get over there a lot... haven't been there since we lived there, which was when i was, like, five. But still, really hope we could do that one day!

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    4. Oh yes, one of the reasons it's so funny is that it's so far out of what I've come to expect from him. *blushes* I only remember one swear word. Were there more? Or... Wait. Did you mean in the reblogs/tags? I didn't even look at those. :/

      If I only went to the Pacific Northwest more often... *sigh* Well, it's something to keep in mind!

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    5. (I know, I know. Lots of double-posting. I can't help my disorganization.)
      First of all, just a story, a couple of weeks ago I came down to lunch and found a bowl of macaroni and cheese heaped with more of macaroni part then I will ever eat. I sat down puzzling at it, and my twelve-year-old sister Natalie looked down at her tiny bowl and said, "I dumped half of mine into yours." I started to say, "Well, that explains it," when she yelled in a British accent, "HA! You're such an idiot! I gave you my lunch! LOKI'D!" I never knew Natalie was so cool.
      And also, just when I thought he couldn't get any cooler, I found this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryOO1Ndii90&feature=related

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    6. Ikr! It's so whacked out and just ... just having fun... I don't know :D

      I mean the movie... there was, I think one word I wouldn't generally use and then a couple of times they used God's name in vain. I'm kind of sensitive to it - i mean, i'm used to it and all, but I watch a lot of things with the thought 'could i show this to my little sister' in mind, so that contributes.
      But it was still so funny :D

      That. Is. Amazing. Your story about your sister, I mean. Seriously made me laugh out loud. You have trained her well xD

      'Kay, I'll watch it in a sec. It's my last day of school so I have to finish some stuff up. Thanks for sharing all this stuff with me!

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    7. The way he put it on twitter was, "in which I am insane & foolish."

      Ahhh. Usually I wince and forget completely, which is not an asset.

      She's gaining fans for that particular prank.

      That was my last day of school too. SUMMER, I love summer, gimme that summertime... ALL THE PHINEAS AND FERB EPISODES. But also, I said this on tumblr, but it's been my absolute joy. When I saw Thor and Avengers I had a general in the army to guide me, and I'm happy to pass my training on.

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  3. Haha - that about sums it up. But I think most awesome people have insane and foolish moments that just make them all the more awesome.

    Eh, I'm that way when I watch Doctor Who :/

    Last summer was the summer I discovered FF.N - whoa o.O Look how far I've come! I wonder what I'll be like this time next year. But yes, I looove summer too. Because of the non-school factor.
    Well, thank you very much for passing on the training, I appreciate it MUCHLY. :D


    Okay, I watched the video.
    AHHHHHHHHHH! That is IT! This guy is absolutely amazing!

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