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Meme time again! Not much else is going on at the moment, we're suffering a rather brutal heatwave over here (I can't wait for fall) and my imagination tanks are a bit low. So, I'm entertaining myself and passing the time with some harmless, mindless photo manipulation.

When it comes to villains, I'm very selective. I'm always saying I most prefer sympathetic villains, but I also enjoy a villain here and there who's just there to scare you out of your socks, and I like an occasional "surprise villain" provided the surprise is pulled off correctly.

I find Ursula interesting because we don't really know all that much about her. We know she did something to cause banishment (a cut scene had Ariel give her a friendly reminder of how she'd tried to overthrow Triton) and she had some serious, unresolved issues with her mother and sister, and that's about it. Somehow, the meager information we do get makes her all the more fascinating, and she's so charismatic and sleazy that we're kind of happy to leave the majority of the details alone.

I find Maleficent delightfully wicked, because, really, what else would you expect from someone with a title like "The Mistress of All Evil"? What makes her especially frightening and appealing is that she doesn't need any reason to go after anyone. She uses the exclusion from Aurora's christening party as her excuse, and it was a rather nasty scandal to deliberately overlook high-ranking people at big events...but it's obvious she's not that broken up about it. She just wants to go after an innocent girl, to send down frost upon a fragile flower before it has a chance to fully bloom. That's pretty much the lady's idea of "fun."

Mr. Freeze is totally understandable if not totally justifiable. He's one of the few villains Batman feels truly sorry for, and that's saying a lot. The only reason Batman goes after him at all is because he sees the line separating vengeance from justice. Freeze even manages to rend Terry's heart in Batman Beyond.

Judge Claude Frollo is a truly threatening menace, stopping at nothing to get what he wants and trampling anyone who gets in his way. He's regarded as the absolute vilest of Disney villains, even to this day. He's still my personal favorite, that's for sure.

Mayor Bellwether came as a real surprise, but her motivations make almost perfect sense when you think it over. The only thing that pushes her into the territory of villainy is how far she's willing to go, how low she's willing to stoop.

Zaheer has some pretty noble ideals, however misguided he may be about them. Sometimes he comes off more as a shady hero than anything else. He won't hurt other people if he doesn't have to, but expect no mercy when he has to. He's one of the biggest contributors to the refinement of my Beowulf's character.

With Shan-Yu, the subtext is incredible. In a society that focuses way too much on gender, gender doesn't make an atom of difference to him. This invincible war lord takes a single look at this dainty farm girl and wastes no further time in chasing her down. "You better start running, little girl! I'll kill you just like all the others!"

The Coachman is your typical evil incarnate archetype; there's some speculation that he's the Devil himself in human disguise. Whatever he is, there's no question he's an archetype done right.

The Air Conditioner only gives off a very mild hint of villainy. When all's said and done, he's more jerkish than anything else, and it's hard not to feel a sharp pang of pity for him during his epic meltdown: "Just 'cause you can move around, you think you're better than I am! I'm not an invalid! I was designed to stick in a wall! I LIKE BEING STUCK IN THIS STUPID WALL! I CAN'T HELP IT IF THE KID WAS TOO SHORT TO REACH MY DIALS! IT'S MY FUNCTION!"

King Haggard is about as mysterious as they come. Unlike Ursula, we have no clue whatsoever who he is, where he came from, or what happened to him. All we know about him and the Red Bull for certain is that neither one belongs to the other, that the Red Bull only obeys those who aren't afraid of him, hence why he backs down when you fight back. We don't know why nothing in all of creation makes Haggard happy (with the notorious exception of unicorns), whether he's always been that way or something happened to make him that way. Peter S. Beagle never bothered with the details of his backstory, and personally, I kind of like being left guessing about Haggard's origins. You get to make up just about any backstory you like.

I dare anyone to tell me that Judge Doom didn't freak them out at least once. He sure spooked me as a kid, and I still find him plenty disturbing. "One seriously disturbed Toon" may be one of the biggest understatements of all time.

You have to admire Azula's dedication to her cause, even if it is an evil one. In a way, her dedication makes her that much more tragic, because we see she has legitimate potential but that potential is being used the wrong way. Not even Zuko has it half as bad as she does.

Margaret Hamilton is still universally praised for her performance as the Wicked Witch of the West. Even those who don't like the movie or the story at all can find something to say in her favor. While she clearly had a lot of fun playing the character, it also went to her heart how much she frightened children, since she always had a soft spot for children, being a schoolteacher on the side with a couple of children and grandchildren all her own. So, when she had the opportunity to play the Wicked Witch again, she said, "No, thanks, I think I scared kids enough already." And she made a special guest appearance on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to prove that most actors and actresses are very nice people who are only playing a big game of make-believe.

Death appearing in Big Bad Wolf form is a rather refreshing subversion. When all's said and done, he's the exact opposite of evil incarnate. He only wants people to respect him, to better appreciate the lives they've got, which is more than fair.

King Candy is powerful clever. He's able to fool almost everybody with relative ease for the longest time, and only those who pay extra close attention can pick up a faint whiff of something truly sinister going on in this candy-coated Heart of Darkness.

The Colonel, who's only antagonistic from certain points of view, stands remarkably firm. He doesn't even flinch when Spirit gets right in his face, he comes the closest of anyone to taming Spirit for good (Spirit is only able to gain the upper hand when his opponent lets his guard down a little) and he has no qualms about letting his gun speak for him. At least he finally knows when to yield, acknowledges how certain things and creatures really are best left alone. I used to be disappointed by this outcome as a kid, but now I like it just fine.

Captain Hook never fails to crack me up. Even if I don't like Peter Pan as much as I used to, Hook is one of the things that keep me watching. He's an absolute riot, and they manage to do him a fair bit of justice in Return to Never Land.

Ratigan all but oozes charisma all over the place. It takes real talent to make an absolute slimeball the most perfect gentleman.

Mrs. Tweedy is a downright sadistic one for sure, but she certainly doesn't lack for creativity. When eggs are no longer cutting it, it doesn't take the woman long to discover the much greater marketability in meat pies. It's horrifying from a chicken's point of view, yet perfectly pragmatic from a human's point of view.

"In less than a fortnight, every grocers' in the county will be stocked with box upon box of Mrs. Tweedy's Homemade Chicken Pies."

"Just 'Mrs.'?"

"Woman's touch. Makes the public feel more comfortable."

When it comes to sympathetic villains, Rameses possibly breaks my heart the most. You can just tell he still cares about Moses, and he's doing what he honestly believes is right even if he goes about it all wrong. This is why I favor The Prince of Egypt over The Ten Commandments, because they really humanize both Moses and Pharaoh and play up their relationship so much more. That final scene, with Rameses screaming Moses's name on the other side of the Red Sea, is still a little hard for me to watch. Just a little.

Say what you will about Frozen, but I did think the way they pulled off Prince Hans was nicely done. They sure had me fooled at first, and despite knowing his true character, I still have to say he's rather hunky.

While I hardly care for Star Wars, I do like Darth Vader and appreciate very much how he didn't die a villain, even if that meant dying in the process.

On the flip side, I don't think there's any hope of redemption for Fire Lord Ozai, and I don't think he deserves it, either.

Tai Lung is another fine example of excellent potential falling by the wayside. He had an especially big influence on my Tyrell. I think he's the only other villain I pity just as much as Rameses and Mr. Freeze, if not more.

Madame Medusa absolutely steals the show. Geraldine Page nailed just about every single line in a single take, and Milt Kahl single-handedly animated everything because he was the only one who could pull her off. Furthermore, Milt Kahl really aimed to one-up Cruella de Vil, and he based Medusa's personality on his own ex-wife. Ooooh, burn!

Lena plays off the heroes and the audience exceptionally well. When I first saw Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island from start to finish (my first watch, which was on TV, got cut off in the middle), I had no idea she was one of the bad guys all along. Even to this day, the revelation remains shocking.

Kent Mansley feels entirely human, even if his paranoia is rather over the top. This is why they set The Iron Giant in the time of the Cold War, when such paranoia would be the most plausible, and this guy still comes off as a bit of a maniac.

Mother Gothel does have her oddly adorable moments, which only serve to make her that much creepier. According to Disney, she's the kind of person who gives love like a poisoned apple.

I hardly indulge in Game of Thrones, for obvious reasons. That said, there's something to be said about a character so utterly despicable that even the actor hated him and then retired from acting altogether when he was done. From what little I dared to peek at on YouTube, it was enough to get the wheels in my head turning about a different version of King Joffrey, something a lot more palatable, and thus Tyrell Gavin Lactantius came into existence.

I feel Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is one of the most underrated movies out there, with Eris as a woefully underappreciated villain. She's the goddess of chaos, so she literally lives to mess with people, and she's immortal and therefore unbeatable...although there are certain rules even she must obey. According to Greek mythology, no matter how terrible the gods and goddesses were, no matter how atrocious their behavior, they were always bound to their word. Whenever they made a promise, they followed it to the letter, whether they liked it or not.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie pays an excellent tribute to all those classic Nintendo games, and Bowser is no exception. Opinions about Jack Black vary, but I personally liked him in this. My niece is obsessed with that "Peaches" song and that's pretty much the only movie she ever wants to watch these days.

Just about everything that comes out of the James Woods version of Hades is solid gold. Unsurprisingly, James Woods made the character a lot more entertaining than what Disney originally had in mind, like your typical used car salesman who won't take no for an answer, and he had so much fun that he told Disney, "Anytime you need me to voice him again, I'm your man!"

I haven't seen Psycho all the way through, and I'm not sure I want to. But like Joffrey, I stole a few peeks on YouTube and what I saw gave me the willies something awful. Back in the day, a villain like this was not only engrossing but completely revolutionary.

Donkey Kong 64 made up a significant chunk of my childhood (so I was delighted to see a few homages in the Mario movie) and King K.Rool had a significant impact on me. He legitimately scared me at times, and when I finally beat him, it was almost disappointing. Goes to show you often have more fun trying to win than actually winning. Then all that's left to do is restart the game.

I love Chernabog to pieces just because I can. If he had a little more screen time, he would replace Frollo as my most favorite Disney villain. Next to The Pastoral Symphony and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Night on Bald Mountain is my favorite Fantasia snippet. No further questions asked.

Well, that's about it. I managed to kill a good couple of hours with this. Now to grab me some more water and maybe another Popsicle.

See you next time!

Template courtesy of Sukoshi13 : 'I Admire This Villain' Meme Template

All images property of their respective owners.

Description

Meme time again! Not much else is going on at the moment, we're suffering a rather brutal heatwave over here (I can't wait for fall) and my imagination tanks are a bit low. So, I'm entertaining myself and passing the time with some harmless, mindless photo manipulation.

When it comes to villains, I'm very selective. I'm always saying I most prefer sympathetic villains, but I also enjoy a villain here and there who's just there to scare you out of your socks, and I like an occasional "surprise villain" provided the surprise is pulled off correctly.

I find Ursula interesting because we don't really know all that much about her. We know she did something to cause banishment (a cut scene had Ariel give her a friendly reminder of how she'd tried to overthrow Triton) and she had some serious, unresolved issues with her mother and sister, and that's about it. Somehow, the meager information we do get makes her all the more fascinating, and she's so charismatic and sleazy that we're kind of happy to leave the majority of the details alone.

I find Maleficent delightfully wicked, because, really, what else would you expect from someone with a title like "The Mistress of All Evil"? What makes her especially frightening and appealing is that she doesn't need any reason to go after anyone. She uses the exclusion from Aurora's christening party as her excuse, and it was a rather nasty scandal to deliberately overlook high-ranking people at big events...but it's obvious she's not that broken up about it. She just wants to go after an innocent girl, to send down frost upon a fragile flower before it has a chance to fully bloom. That's pretty much the lady's idea of "fun."

Mr. Freeze is totally understandable if not totally justifiable. He's one of the few villains Batman feels truly sorry for, and that's saying a lot. The only reason Batman goes after him at all is because he sees the line separating vengeance from justice. Freeze even manages to rend Terry's heart in Batman Beyond.

Judge Claude Frollo is a truly threatening menace, stopping at nothing to get what he wants and trampling anyone who gets in his way. He's regarded as the absolute vilest of Disney villains, even to this day. He's still my personal favorite, that's for sure.

Mayor Bellwether came as a real surprise, but her motivations make almost perfect sense when you think it over. The only thing that pushes her into the territory of villainy is how far she's willing to go, how low she's willing to stoop.

Zaheer has some pretty noble ideals, however misguided he may be about them. Sometimes he comes off more as a shady hero than anything else. He won't hurt other people if he doesn't have to, but expect no mercy when he has to. He's one of the biggest contributors to the refinement of my Beowulf's character.

With Shan-Yu, the subtext is incredible. In a society that focuses way too much on gender, gender doesn't make an atom of difference to him. This invincible war lord takes a single look at this dainty farm girl and wastes no further time in chasing her down. "You better start running, little girl! I'll kill you just like all the others!"

The Coachman is your typical evil incarnate archetype; there's some speculation that he's the Devil himself in human disguise. Whatever he is, there's no question he's an archetype done right.

The Air Conditioner only gives off a very mild hint of villainy. When all's said and done, he's more jerkish than anything else, and it's hard not to feel a sharp pang of pity for him during his epic meltdown: "Just 'cause you can move around, you think you're better than I am! I'm not an invalid! I was designed to stick in a wall! I LIKE BEING STUCK IN THIS STUPID WALL! I CAN'T HELP IT IF THE KID WAS TOO SHORT TO REACH MY DIALS! IT'S MY FUNCTION!"

King Haggard is about as mysterious as they come. Unlike Ursula, we have no clue whatsoever who he is, where he came from, or what happened to him. All we know about him and the Red Bull for certain is that neither one belongs to the other, that the Red Bull only obeys those who aren't afraid of him, hence why he backs down when you fight back. We don't know why nothing in all of creation makes Haggard happy (with the notorious exception of unicorns), whether he's always been that way or something happened to make him that way. Peter S. Beagle never bothered with the details of his backstory, and personally, I kind of like being left guessing about Haggard's origins. You get to make up just about any backstory you like.

I dare anyone to tell me that Judge Doom didn't freak them out at least once. He sure spooked me as a kid, and I still find him plenty disturbing. "One seriously disturbed Toon" may be one of the biggest understatements of all time.

You have to admire Azula's dedication to her cause, even if it is an evil one. In a way, her dedication makes her that much more tragic, because we see she has legitimate potential but that potential is being used the wrong way. Not even Zuko has it half as bad as she does.

Margaret Hamilton is still universally praised for her performance as the Wicked Witch of the West. Even those who don't like the movie or the story at all can find something to say in her favor. While she clearly had a lot of fun playing the character, it also went to her heart how much she frightened children, since she always had a soft spot for children, being a schoolteacher on the side with a couple of children and grandchildren all her own. So, when she had the opportunity to play the Wicked Witch again, she said, "No, thanks, I think I scared kids enough already." And she made a special guest appearance on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to prove that most actors and actresses are very nice people who are only playing a big game of make-believe.

Death appearing in Big Bad Wolf form is a rather refreshing subversion. When all's said and done, he's the exact opposite of evil incarnate. He only wants people to respect him, to better appreciate the lives they've got, which is more than fair.

King Candy is powerful clever. He's able to fool almost everybody with relative ease for the longest time, and only those who pay extra close attention can pick up a faint whiff of something truly sinister going on in this candy-coated Heart of Darkness.

The Colonel, who's only antagonistic from certain points of view, stands remarkably firm. He doesn't even flinch when Spirit gets right in his face, he comes the closest of anyone to taming Spirit for good (Spirit is only able to gain the upper hand when his opponent lets his guard down a little) and he has no qualms about letting his gun speak for him. At least he finally knows when to yield, acknowledges how certain things and creatures really are best left alone. I used to be disappointed by this outcome as a kid, but now I like it just fine.

Captain Hook never fails to crack me up. Even if I don't like Peter Pan as much as I used to, Hook is one of the things that keep me watching. He's an absolute riot, and they manage to do him a fair bit of justice in Return to Never Land.

Ratigan all but oozes charisma all over the place. It takes real talent to make an absolute slimeball the most perfect gentleman.

Mrs. Tweedy is a downright sadistic one for sure, but she certainly doesn't lack for creativity. When eggs are no longer cutting it, it doesn't take the woman long to discover the much greater marketability in meat pies. It's horrifying from a chicken's point of view, yet perfectly pragmatic from a human's point of view.

"In less than a fortnight, every grocers' in the county will be stocked with box upon box of Mrs. Tweedy's Homemade Chicken Pies."

"Just 'Mrs.'?"

"Woman's touch. Makes the public feel more comfortable."

When it comes to sympathetic villains, Rameses possibly breaks my heart the most. You can just tell he still cares about Moses, and he's doing what he honestly believes is right even if he goes about it all wrong. This is why I favor The Prince of Egypt over The Ten Commandments, because they really humanize both Moses and Pharaoh and play up their relationship so much more. That final scene, with Rameses screaming Moses's name on the other side of the Red Sea, is still a little hard for me to watch. Just a little.

Say what you will about Frozen, but I did think the way they pulled off Prince Hans was nicely done. They sure had me fooled at first, and despite knowing his true character, I still have to say he's rather hunky.

While I hardly care for Star Wars, I do like Darth Vader and appreciate very much how he didn't die a villain, even if that meant dying in the process.

On the flip side, I don't think there's any hope of redemption for Fire Lord Ozai, and I don't think he deserves it, either.

Tai Lung is another fine example of excellent potential falling by the wayside. He had an especially big influence on my Tyrell. I think he's the only other villain I pity just as much as Rameses and Mr. Freeze, if not more.

Madame Medusa absolutely steals the show. Geraldine Page nailed just about every single line in a single take, and Milt Kahl single-handedly animated everything because he was the only one who could pull her off. Furthermore, Milt Kahl really aimed to one-up Cruella de Vil, and he based Medusa's personality on his own ex-wife. Ooooh, burn!

Lena plays off the heroes and the audience exceptionally well. When I first saw Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island from start to finish (my first watch, which was on TV, got cut off in the middle), I had no idea she was one of the bad guys all along. Even to this day, the revelation remains shocking.

Kent Mansley feels entirely human, even if his paranoia is rather over the top. This is why they set The Iron Giant in the time of the Cold War, when such paranoia would be the most plausible, and this guy still comes off as a bit of a maniac.

Mother Gothel does have her oddly adorable moments, which only serve to make her that much creepier. According to Disney, she's the kind of person who gives love like a poisoned apple.

I hardly indulge in Game of Thrones, for obvious reasons. That said, there's something to be said about a character so utterly despicable that even the actor hated him and then retired from acting altogether when he was done. From what little I dared to peek at on YouTube, it was enough to get the wheels in my head turning about a different version of King Joffrey, something a lot more palatable, and thus Tyrell Gavin Lactantius came into existence.

I feel Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is one of the most underrated movies out there, with Eris as a woefully underappreciated villain. She's the goddess of chaos, so she literally lives to mess with people, and she's immortal and therefore unbeatable...although there are certain rules even she must obey. According to Greek mythology, no matter how terrible the gods and goddesses were, no matter how atrocious their behavior, they were always bound to their word. Whenever they made a promise, they followed it to the letter, whether they liked it or not.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie pays an excellent tribute to all those classic Nintendo games, and Bowser is no exception. Opinions about Jack Black vary, but I personally liked him in this. My niece is obsessed with that "Peaches" song and that's pretty much the only movie she ever wants to watch these days.

Just about everything that comes out of the James Woods version of Hades is solid gold. Unsurprisingly, James Woods made the character a lot more entertaining than what Disney originally had in mind, like your typical used car salesman who won't take no for an answer, and he had so much fun that he told Disney, "Anytime you need me to voice him again, I'm your man!"

I haven't seen Psycho all the way through, and I'm not sure I want to. But like Joffrey, I stole a few peeks on YouTube and what I saw gave me the willies something awful. Back in the day, a villain like this was not only engrossing but completely revolutionary.

Donkey Kong 64 made up a significant chunk of my childhood (so I was delighted to see a few homages in the Mario movie) and King K.Rool had a significant impact on me. He legitimately scared me at times, and when I finally beat him, it was almost disappointing. Goes to show you often have more fun trying to win than actually winning. Then all that's left to do is restart the game.

I love Chernabog to pieces just because I can. If he had a little more screen time, he would replace Frollo as my most favorite Disney villain. Next to The Pastoral Symphony and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Night on Bald Mountain is my favorite Fantasia snippet. No further questions asked.

Well, that's about it. I managed to kill a good couple of hours with this. Now to grab me some more water and maybe another Popsicle.

See you next time!

Template courtesy of Sukoshi13 : 'I Admire This Villain' Meme Template

All images property of their respective owners.