Table of Contents

Part IX

10. Captain James Hook (Peter Pan)

[Captain James Hook]

Smee: Good Mooooooooooooorning Neverland. Here he is, a man so deep, he's almost unfathomable. A man so quick, he's almost fast asleep. I give you, the steel handed stingray, Captain James Hook.

Why I Like Him: Killing at the slightest provocation, dashingly dressed in the latest fashion of his day, wielding a weapon that would forever characterize an entire genre of villains, Captain James Hook has been an idol of mine since I was a little kid. When I was 6 years old I loved him so much I dressed up as him for Halloween, and ever since then he's only grown on me. I was already a huge fan of the character, but when I saw the 1991 update of the story, Hook, I was completely sold on him.

Let's not kid ourselves, though, Hook is no braintrust. His schemes are not far reaching, his plans are not carefully thought out, and he isn't exactly a big "details" kind of guy. In fact, he falls for several ruses in both the books and the movies that call into question just how intelligent this guy really is...but he makes up for this lack of brain power with a dynamic charisma and boldness of character that makes him almost loveable.

What makes him so great, though? His plans rarely succeed, he falls short of achieving even his simplest goals, and in the end he gets eaten by a crocodile. I may be reading too much into things, but I think it is because Hook is so human that makes him a truly great villain. He's a good swordsman, a decent leader, but at the end of the day he's a regular man attempting to accomplish his (evil) goals, and his tenacity in trying to take out his enemies and further his own cause really make him the great character he is. Maybe there is a little too much hero worship here, but I leave that up to you to decide.

"Oh, I hate being disappointed, Smee. And I hate living in this flawed body. And I hate living in Neverland. And I hate... I hate... I *hate* Peter Pan!" —Hook

Smee: I've just had an apostrophe.
Hook: ''I think you mean an epiphany.
Smee: ''No... lightning has just struck my brain.
Hook: ''Well, that must hurt.

Hook: He taught her to fly. How?
Wendy: You just think happy thoughts. They lift you into the air.
Hook: Alas, I have no happy thoughts

Hook: Prepare to die Peter Pan!
Peter Pan: To die would be a grand adventure!
Hook: Death is the only adventure you have left!

9. Magneto (X-Men)

[Magneto]

Why I Like Him: Most of the goofy storylines aside, Magneto is a very well developed, multi dimensional character with an agenda, and good reasons for it. Erik Magnus Lensherr, a jew in Nazi Germany, was shot and believed killed by German soldiers, summarily dumped in a mass grave and left for dead. He managed to survive...only to end up at Auschwitz. The rest of the details of his life I leave for most of you to read about, but after a number of harrowing ordeals he manifests his control over magnetism, and slowly begins to see what happened to the Jews in Germany happen again to his new "race". Determined not to allow such a tragedy to happen all over again he devotes himself to terrorizism to protect himself and other mutants.

Even after softening late in to his career he still lapses into monstrousity time and time again, notably when he entombs the Red Skull (a Nazi war criminal) alive. Later still, when he finds that his mind may have been tampered with to bring about his new self he turns completely villainous again, this time with a renewed vengeance.

The plotlines of the movies I think did alot for the character of Magneto as well, because the face they put forth really was the aspect of him I like best. I look forward to a possible movie directly revolving around Magneto. I recently dug up this information about it:

A Magneto movie is in the works, and Ian McKellen recently revealed that both he and Patrick Stewart might appear in it, thanks to de-aging technology (the same technology used on the two actors in the opening of X-Men: The Last Stand). A small article from Entertainment Weekly has information on the movie:

"It's going to take place from 1939 Auschwitz up to 1955 or so," says writer Sheldon Turner of his just-announced "period" prequel to Fox's X-Men franchise. An exploration of villain Magneto's "psychological roots," Turner's script will also shed light on the youthful mutant's nemesis-then-friend Charles Xavier."

Sounds quite interesting, and I can hardly wait.

"Better to live on our feet than to die on our knees!" —Magneto

"Friends, our moment in history has arrived! We all have felt the sting of human hatred, seen the disgust smolder in their eyes. We have groveled and hidden, like beaten animals anxious for a crumb from a master! We have lived too long in darkness and fear! No more! Nature has made us superior! We are the living future of this mighty planet, this world is our world now, take it! It has begun!" —Magneto

"I don't want to do this Charles, rather I have to. I must be strong, because you and your X-Men are too weak to do that which must be done! ....For no matter what happens to you and me, the welfare of the children is paramount. Whether they be the innocent like Illyana, Doug and Anya before them, the lost such as my Acolytes, or the misguided like the fools you count among the X-Men; they need to be protected! They need to be awakened from the dream in which you've lulled them! Whether you admit it or not, they need...MAGNETO!" —Magneto

"I will bring you hope, old friend. And I ask only one thing in return: don't get in my way." —Magneto

8. Macbeth (Macbeth)

[MacBeth]

Why I Like Him: I was very torn between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth for this spot, but eventually chose Macbeth just because his wife sort of crumbles over the course of the play, while Macbeth becomes all the more corrupt as time goes on. As the play starts off Lady Macbeth is definitely in the driver's seat, but when she starts hallucinating that she has blood stained on her hands she loses any backbone she might've had.

Shakespeare's villains are a colorful lot, and though I like a number of them Macbeth has always been my personal favorite. Maybe it's the heavy supernatural influence that the Weird Sisters bring to the piece, but the charmed aspect of Macbeth's life was always fascinating to me. I always felt bad for Macbeth, because if I was told:

-Beware the thane of Fife.

-The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.

-Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.

I'd have been pretty cocky. In fact I'd probably have been much more reckless then Macbeth was if I was told no man of woman born could harm me. The first time I read Macbeth I was almost as surprised as he was when the prophecies started to turn against him. His death was fairly respectable though, and even though he could see his hold on the situation slowly slipping away from him he kept fighting till the end.

If you haven't seen or read the play I highly recommend it, although some sort of interpretation is needed to fully enjoy it. As is the case with most of Shakespeare's plays the stage direction and description of costumes is left vague, and so I've seen a number of modern versions of the play that were really cool.

"The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires"
—Macbeth

"The bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell."
—Macbeth

"Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand, come let me clutch thee, I have thee not, yet I see you still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight or art though but dagger of the mind, a false creation proceeding from the heat impressed brain. I see thee yet in a form as palpable as this which now I draw. Thou marshallest me the way that I was going and such an instrument I was to use. I see thee still and on thy blade blood dugeon gouts of blood which was notso before, theres no such thing it is the bloody business which informs thus to mine eye" —Macbeth

7. Dr. Victor Von Doom (The Fantastic 4)

[Dr. Victor Von Doom]

Why I Like Him: DOOM NEEDS NO EXPLANATION. Explanations are for beings that are clearly not as worthy as Doom...but because you are insignificant in the grand scheme of Doom's plans I suppose an education is in order.

Victor Von Doom was raised by gypsies in a small European county called Latveria. He lost both of his parents at a very young age. Swearing revenge, Victor began to increase both his scientific and mystical knowledge with such determination that he was given a full scholarship to Empire State University. It was at ESU that Victor met Reed Richards and Ben Grimm, and where he started his extradimensional research. Doom's vanity prevented him from adjusting the schematics to one of his experiments, and the end result was an explosion that scarred Victor for life. Expelled from school, Victor began to travel the world, eventually stumbling upon a village of Tibetan monks who trained him and crafted him a suit of body armor, complete with face plate. He soon returned to Latveria, overthrew the government and crowned himself King. Ruling with an iron fist, Doom began to turn the resources of his small nation to his plans of world domination.

He has achieved two of his three major goals: world domination (although it hasn't been permanent yet), and the liberation of his mother's soul from the demon Mephisto's realm. Reed Richards has proven resourceful thus far, but it is only a matter of time before he is crushed by Doom! Doom has conquerered nations, murdered hundreds (perhaps thousands), and managed to fight back even from death. Nothing can stop his machinations, in the end victory belongs to Doom.

"Pain? Pain is like love...like compassion! It is a thing only for lesser men. What is pain to Doom?" —Dr. Doom

"But time is endless...as is my hatred! When he least expects it, when he's most unprepared; Doom will strike again!!" —Dr. Doom

"The King of Latveria is no common murderer. If I cannot magnificently win a victory . . . it affords me no pleasure to merely slay a foe." —Dr. Doom

"A Renoir. I have three myself. I had four, but ordered one burned...It displeased me." —Dr. Doom

"So you would deign to know the secrets of Doom. Very well, it is good that you would read of the majesty and power of Doom; the rabble must always glean knowledge from their betters. Take care that you dare not to use the knowledge enclosed in these pages against our person. To do so would invoke the wrath of Doom, and such a thing should not be invited lightly. Learn well of Doom and his lands, for the world will soon fall before them." —Dr. Doom

6. The Dark Lord Sauron (Lord of the Rings)

[The Dark Lord Sauron]

Why I Like Him: When I started compiling names for a list like this a number of them I had to think about, and a number of them just came easily off the top of my head. Sauron, if you have not read the Silmarillion, may not be as clear a choice as many of you might think. In the Lord of the Rings you only ever hear of him, rarely (if ever) do you directly see Sauron taking a role in his manipulations. This is a credit to his power and planning, however, his evil extended ages back to the beginning of the First Age of Middle Earth when he was a servant to Morgoth, the Dark Lord Melkor.

Morgoth corrupted Sauron in the First Age, and made Sauron one of his chief lieutenants. During this time Sauron was known as Gorthaur the Cruel, a master of shapeshifting and illusion. He ruled over vampires and werewolves, and was one of Morgoth's most powerful servants. He was defeated and diminished in the First Age, and his master Morgoth was banished by the Valar. Sauron hid in Middle Earth to escape judgement, only to make another move for power at the onset of the Second Age.

He reappeared at the opening of the Second Age, some 1,000 years after he hid himself from the world, under the guise of an illusion. Making himself appear to be beautiful, Sauron took the name Annatar "the Lord of Gifts" and went among the elves of Eregion. Counseling them in the ways of magic, he helped the elven-smiths forge the rings of power. Secretly, in the fires of Mount Doom, he had forged the One Ring that would have the power to dominate the wills of all the other ring bearers. The elves, who became aware of this, removed the rings and there was a great war fought between the forces of Sauron and the forces of elves. It was during this war that Sauron blazed deep into the heart of the elvenlands and took back 16 of the rings he helped to create. 3 rings were forged secretly without his aid, though, and remained with the elves.

Those 16 rings Sauron gave to the humans and dwarves. 7 he gave to the dwarves, who proved to willful to control, but were overwhelmed by greed instead. 9 he gave to the kings of men, whom became Nazgûl, enslaved to his will. He was driven back to Mordor where he raised the dark tower Barad-dûr, and gained control of many of the evil forces that he had controlled in the First Age. With an army of orcs, trolls, and evil men under his command he now was worshipped as the man god of Mordor.

It was at this point that Sauron and the Númenóreans began to wage war upon each other, and my knowledge of this period of time is a tad bit fuzzy, but suffice to say Sauron becomes an advisor to the human king of Númenor and convinces him to attack Valinor. The god Eru directly intervened, however, and drowned the Númenórean navy as they sailed to their destination. It was here that Sauron died for a time, however his spirit went back to Mordor and reassumed a corporeal form as he re-formed his army. It was here that he lost the ability to change into the forms he had decieved the elves with, however, and now he could only rule through terror and force.

This is about where most of you will begin to pick up the storyline of the Lord of the Rings, as a last alliance of elves and men was formed to stop him, invading Mordor and laying siege to Sauron's tower for 7 years. It was at this point Sauron was forced to emerge and was overwhelmed by Gil-galad and Elendil, whom were both killed in the process. Isildur, Elendil's son, took the ring for himself. You all should know the rest.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
—The One Ring

"But they were, all of them, deceived, for another Ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master Ring, to control all others. And into this Ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. "One Ring to rule them all." One by one, the Free Lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A Last Alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor and on the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle Earth. Victory was near. But the power of the Ring could not be undone." —Galadriel, retelling of the Last Alliance