Villians are interesting because they can be so almost otherworldly. True villians do horrible things that are worthy of taking notice of. It's not like you casully encounter a villian walking down the street everyday. Usually their backstories are interesting and compelling. At least in my case, I always want to know what it was that pushed them over the edge. I feel that in stories they usually reflect the culture of the current time. Or in the reader's case, their worst nightmare. If I'm going to read and believe a story, I have to be scared of the villian. Or at least a little concerned about them.
I can think of many villians like Voldemort and Sauron but the most memorable villian to me is the Joker. Now, I'm not a huge superhero junkie (although I do enjoy a good superhero movie every now and then) but The Joker has left the most lasting impression. He does absolutely the most horrible things, constantly killing and wreaking havok for seemingly no reason. He is probably certafiably insane. But this is so compelling. I want to know why he is that why, why he goes to such extreme measures. But he kind of has this outlook on life that rings true. I am always startled at his quote about human nature:
"To them, you’re just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don’t, they’ll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you. When the chips are down, these… these civilized people, they’ll eat each other. See, I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve."
- The Joker (http://www.buzzpirates.com/2009/06/the-13-best-quotes-by-the-joker-in-the-dark-night-heath-ledger-lives-on/)
He has a poor outlook about the selfish nature of people that sometimes is very true. Plus, through his almost goofy childlike ways, he's just a villian I love to hate.
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