Classic Villain



"In the comic you know how you can tell who the arch villain is going to be? He's the exact opposite of the hero!"

- The Villain, Unbreakable

A quintessential villain, who acts as an evil foil to the hero's personality and is a main block to his journey towards his destiny. Will always end up existing as an obstacle to, or as a consequence of, the hero's quest, and they generally have the following characteristics:


 * Represents a particular sin or vice, most often Greed, Ambition, and Wrath.
 * If the hero represents a particular virtue, the Villain's vice will often be the inverse (see the point below about opposites). Also common (especially when the Hero is an Anti-Hero) is a vice they share in common, but one which the hero overcomes and the Villain embraces.
 * Visually different from the rest of the characters (too many to count).
 * Speaks differently than the rest of the characters (e.g. Jafar's regal-esque accent and Scar's eccentric drawl).
 * Befriends the hero, or, at the very core, has a level of deception which may or may not be known by the audience.
 * Uses that deception to further his/her own ends. This plan generally moves the plot, and is essential to the hero(es)'s character development/journey.
 * Achieves part of said ends before the final battle, usually this is what brings the deception to light.
 * Has a dramatic Final Battle against the hero, during which the visuals are of a noticeably different scheme, such as during a storm, or with fire in the background.
 * At their core, behind it all, they are the complete opposite of the heroes, and lacks the strengths the hero does, while being strong where the hero is weak.
 * An iconic death, usually brought on by the character's own flaws.

In a nutshell, a villain who is iconically evil and represents a certain sin deep down, who deceives the heroes to further his own ends, is essential to the heroes' Character Development, and is defeated iconically in a super-dramatic final battle, usually due to his own flaws.

This is extremely common in Disney Animated Canon, where it could be said that any given villain follows this formula, though the Trope Codifiers may be in the works of William Shakespeare, where, likewise, any given villain could fit this mold perfectly.

"It's not my fault! I'm not to blame! It is the Gypsy girl, the witch who sent this flame! It's not my fault, if in God's plan, He made the Devil so much stronger than a man!"
 * The Evil Queen. The first Animated Canon villain - adapted, of course, from the Brothers Grimm story - personifies Pride in her status as Fairest of Them All, and Envious of her stepdaughter Snow White, becomes horrifically Wrathful, determined to see the girl dead. Her beauty and voice is cold and haughty compared to the warmth and sweetness of Snow White; when she transforms herself into a peddler, she becomes a wretched old hag who plays on the girl's kindness. She succeeds in poisoning Snow White with an apple, and a thunderstorm starts immediately afterwards. Snow White's friends - both the forest animals and the Seven Dwarfs - chase her to the top of a cliff. The Queen attempts to crush them with a boulder, but a bolt of lightning strikes the cliff, sending her over the edge...and the boulder falls after her.
 * Scar. Vice: Envy/Wrath. Often stated as the king of all the Disney villains, this guy traumatized many a child with his assassination of Mufasa, and his musical number that's reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Wildly different looking the other lions, he is copper colored with a black mane (though apparently he resembled Mufasa's much more honorable father, in a bit of a subversion), and was extremely skinny. Is eventually done in by his own cowardice when he blames his horrible actions on his henchmen.
 * Zira from the sequel, too. Vice: Wrath/Pride. VERY angry at Simba for exiling her and feeling her pride hurt by this and her Tyke Bomb son betraying her.
 * Jafar. Vice: Ambition. An Evil Chancellor with a black and red motif, which extends to his kingdom when he takes over, Jafar has both a villain song and a kick ass leitmotif. However, he was also somewhat... relatable, leaving many rooting for him instead, and that's probably why he lived through the movie in an age where Disney villains generally died, but not the sequel. Is eventually done in by his own ambition, when his lust for power leave him trapped in a Genie's lamp. Has a pet parrot who is essentially his equal partner in crime, though Iago generally does do the manual labor.
 * Mozenrath. Vice: Pride/Envy. A ruthless young ruler with a lust for power to contrast Aladdin's insecurities about becoming a good Sultan. While he's both mighty and cunning, he's also very arrogant, seeing himself as the "Most powerful sorcerer of their generation". He is envious of Aladdin gaining power "the easy way" through his engagement to Jasmine and having the Genie to grant him magical assistance, while Mozenrath had to sacrifice his own hand and a big part of the rest of his lifespan for magical power.
 * Ursula. Vice: Greed/Wrath. An extremely evil-looking Octopus Mermaid, Ursula uses her crooked contracts and devilish wiles to trick Ariel in basically allowing her to usurp the entire kingdom. Has a couple of pet eels and a memorable song number. Gets stabbed by the bow of a ship piloted by Ariel's Prince Charming.
 * Clayton. Greed. Jane and her father's bodyguard. Unique in that his deception/revelation of being the final villain of the story is impossible to detect until right before he does it, before that is merely seems as though he's trying to keep everyone safe. Accidentally hangs himself when, in a rage, he tries to kill Tarzan.
 * Yzma. Her vice is Ambition, obviously, being the classic Evil Chancellor. As for opposites, she's old, scheming, and malicious while Kuzco is young, impatient, and merely thoughtless; she's pale and wears dark colors while everyone else is tanned and wears bright colors. Doesn't die, but she does get turned into a kitten by one of her own potions.
 * As per nearly everything else in that movie, Yzma is, in a large way, a parody of Disney's own use of this.
 * Cruella de Vil. Greed. Wears furs, speaks in an over-the-top manner, clouds of cigarette smoke. Pretends to be friendly with the dalmatians' owners to get access to the puppies. Defeated by being in a crash during a dramatic car chase. Total opposite of the heroes, in spades. She doesn't die (IIRC), but she's defeated because of her lack of self control (Karmic Defeat?).
 * In the original book The Hundred and One Dalmatians, she suffers a Humiliation Conga -.
 * Syndrome. Envy/Wrath. Tons of Wrath. While not exactly completely distinctive, Syndrome is still about a foot or two shorter than most of the characters, and has a notable costume (with a cape), since the heroes called the red and black motif. Decieves our hero into thinking that his inventions had gone rogue, but was actually using them to kill heroes. Biggest explicit body count of any Disney animated villain. Uses technology while the heroes use their own powers, and has a second in command who may or may not be a super and may or may not be romantically involved with him. Is a deconstruction of the stereotypical comic book origin/villain. Defeated when his cape, a symbol of his over the top overcompensation, due to his lack of self esteem (that's right, we just went psychiatrist on him), is caught in a plane turbine, which then explodes. By Word Of God may not be dead, maybe.
 * Gaston. Pride/Lust/Vanity. He is not visually distinctive from most Disney heroes and characters, but this is intentional. He is intended to be the complete opposite of the Beast character; the Beast is ugly and has a nasty temper, but is also noble and inwardly kind (though he struggles to make this apparent at first). Gaston is handsome and popular but despicable and inwardly monstrous. Might have been a Lovable Buffoon if he weren't such a complete asshole, but the effect stays the same. Most audiences tend not to take him seriously, as most of the plot moves without him. Has not one, but two songs, plus a reprise - the former and reprise are about how great he is. The Beast spares Gaston's life in the climax, but - proving that he is beyond redemption - he stabs the Beast in the back; in doing so, he accidentally falls to his death.
 * Claude Frollo was also a Pride/Lust villain. He was a Knight Templar who was fully convinced that he was in the right despite Kicking The Dog rather viciously with the Gypsies and Quasimodo, and his lust for Esmerelda drove much of the plot of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He's one of Disney's creepiest villains, committing more horrible atrocities than many of Disney's worst, and is comparatively worse than the Victor Hugo novel and play that inspired him. And again, he's sure he's a good man.


 * Dr. Facilier. Greed, with a hint of Sloth. He's noticeably lanky and wears a black and purple outfit with a skull-and-crossbones top hat. His low, almost lazy-sounding voice perfect for sweet-talking unsuspecting rubes. Oh, and his shadow is sentient. His name is meant to be a play on the French word facile, meaning "easy", and he's all about cutting corners, which contrasts with Tiana's remarkable (to a fault) work ethic. Much like Ursula, Facilier uses Naveen's desires (for "the green") to tempt him into agreeing to his intentionally vaguely-worded business proposition.
 * Chick Hicks wears his Ambition and Pride on his hood, but Envy and Wrath are also present, especially when he's losing. In the beginning of Cars, he's simply a slightly darker copy of Lightning McQueen's own flaws, but whereas McQueen undergoes Character Development, Hicks doesn't change at all. By the end of the movie, he and McQueen are complete opposites, which helps highlight just how far McQueen has matured.
 * Mother Gothel. Pride in her youthful looks, which also qualifies for vanity. More than simply befriending the heroine however, she kidnaps her at birth for her youth restorative powers and brings her up as her own child so she can emotionally manipulate her into never leaving her side. She seems sweet and loving, but it's all a ploy. Her out-of-date clothing and curly black hair sets her apart visually from the other characters.

Anime

 * Father Cornello, ironically. Ambition (planned to use the decieved "followers of the Church of Leto" to destroy Amestris), and is visually different (pure white skin compared to the dark-skinned Reoleians). On another note, a majority of the underling Deadly Sins fit the bill as well, having the personality of their eponymous sin, as well as having a visual difference to the normal citizens.
 * Dante, herself, represents Greed and Pride.
 * Nightmare from Kirby of the Stars. Sloth, Wrath, Ambition. For the sloth part, he's generally a laid-back sort of tyrant who prefers to kick back and amuse himself with watching the progress of current events. For the wrath part, he enjoys watching others get angry because this anger eventually leads them to be consumed by hatred, which is what he loves. This often gives him a perfect opportunity to use the terrible things they do due to their anger to his advantage by turning them into Demon Beasts/monsters. And for the ambition part, he wants to take over the galaxy by having his Demon Beasts/monsters go down to planets to conquer them. Despite his laziness, he has quite a knack for trickery and deceit, and can absorb attacks into his cape (which is also invulnerable until opened up in the games), making him somewhat of a Villain Sue,.

Comic Books

 * Obidiah Stane from Iron Man, especially in the movie. Greed and Envy. In addition to Bald of Evil, he is also rather tall and imposing, and is a smooth talker in contrast to Tony's more brash way of talking. While Tony is naive, and thus allows evil acts to happen through inaction, Obidiah is cunning and manipulative, causing many of the events in the storyline. Throughout the movie he pretends to be helping Tony Stark brave the wrath of the stockholders (after his decision to get out of the weapons business), while secretly closing him out. Partway through the movie, it is revealed that he not only is closing Tony out of the company, but he tried to kill him and is illegally trading weapons / dealing with terrorist organizations.
 * Lex Luthor. Ambition and Pride with heavy helpings of Wrath and, depending on the writer, Envy and Greed. The Trope Maker of Bald of Evil, Lex Luthor is nowadays a Corrupt Corporate Executive who excels in manipulating the moment and cares little for the fates of people who get in his way, in contrast to Superman, who not only feels that no one is above the law, but has that whole Truth, Justice, and the American Way thing. Lex, who is perfectly fine with ruining the lives of those he needs to get ahead and breaking the law to cement his power, is constantly defeated by Superman, who saves those whose lives he ruins and tends to stop his law breaking before it starts, and despite his Villain with Good Publicity status, Superman not only repeatedly refuses to look away, but pledges to expose and defeat him. As time went on, Lex began to become obsessed with Superman, and, in the current continuity, gave away his Good Publicity status for good (or, at least, for a while) to try to kill Superman with a battle suit and Kryptonite laced steroids. Is eventually defeated by his own Pride and Wrath, throwing away his status for revenge.
 * The Joker. Greed and Pride often motivate his evil deeds, but he's largely defined by Wrath; the thief had "one bad day" years ago that led to him falling into a vat of chemicals and emerging as a Monster Clown. Batman, though a vigilante, is on the side of law and order; by comparison the Joker loves destruction and chaos. The men are aware of their status as foils to each other; in fact, Batman was unintentionally responsible for the Joker's origin. Because of this, the Joker believes he is the only one who can kill the Bat - and he will stop others who try to beat him to the deed. The Dark Knight Trilogy pushes the Order Versus Chaos theme further: while we know this Batman's backstory, the Joker's is never revealed (instead of his appearance being permanent, he wears makeup). The only motivation for this Joker's crimes is to create mayhem and encourage others to let go of their own moral codes in hopes of stopping/avenging it, and he openly admits he needs Batman as a foil because it makes things fun.
 * The Smiler. Greed, Pride, Wrath, and.
 * Red Skull. Ambition, Wrath and pure Hatred. The living embodiment of the horrific evil of Nazism, fed by a difficult childhood where murderous violence was his only release. Unlike Captain America (comics), who is a direct warrior who inspires his fellows into fighting for the greater ideal of America while recognizing his nation's failings, The Red Skull is a manipulator and schemer who seduces his own followers with his foul ambitions of domination and extermination of all who dare oppose him, first in the name of the Third Reich and then for himself alone.

Film

 * Emperor Palpatine. Ambition. Pure ambition. While his deception is in the first (storyline wise) half of the sextology, he gains his color coded differences in the second half, what with his ultra-aged appearance and stylish black cloak. Is always in dark rooms and such when he is in his Sith garb, and has an ominous theme that plays most of the time when he is onscreen. Done in when he tortures his apprentice's son. Vader doesn't appreciate it and tosses him into an engine exhaust vent.
 * Except for the Force-Ghost and his clone bodies. In that incarnation, he eventually dies trying to possess Anakin Solo.
 * Also from the Star Wars EU (specifically the Knights of the Old Republic comics), is Haazen. He embodies envy full stop, to the extent that it's totally eaten up his life; he has a color scheme of dark greys, purples, and reds that sets him apart visually from both other Jedi and Sith characters (fitting, since he considers himself neither); he decieves Lucien into thinking he's his friend and mentor (Lucein snarks at Haazen a lot, but its clear he also relies on him a great deal) and is a Shadow Archetype to main character Zayne Carrick. He also gets a big Karmic Death brought about as a direct result of his own actions.
 * While we're at it, Darth Vader is more iconic than the Emperor, and in his own ways- brought to the Dark Side by Anger, clad in black armour and masked, and a very personal relationship with the hero... and definitely qualifies for the classic death scene.
 * in Unbreakable, distinguished physically by his malady. In this case his physical contrast with the hero is the actual basis of the plot, and not just a signifier.
 * General Zod, Ursa and Non in the Christopher Reeve Superman film series. Whereas Superman was sent to his world to live peacefully with the natives of Earth and decides to be its champion, The Phantom Zone criminals choose to come to Earth and conquer it as the supposed right of being innately superior. In doing so, while Superman is like the arrival of a benevolent and humble god, the Trio is a walking/flying armageddon of arrogant selfishness.

Literature

 * Voldemort, full stop. Ambition, snake-headed, hissing speech, his time as Tom Riddle in the diary, and everything else.
 * In the end, its his pride or arrogance that is his downfall, since his egocentric worldview means that 1: he constantly underestimates his opponents, even after he is beaten a dozen times, 2: make him a bad judge of character, as he cannot comprehend love and friendship, and doesn't see  coming, and 3: refuses to admit he needs and relies on others, treating them as pawns instead of comrades (see the above spoiler for how that worked out).
 * Sauron from The Lord of the Rings. Greed and Ambition to control everybody in Middle-Earth. Though being incorporeal throughout the book, his ring serves as the primary obstacle to the Fellowship. His powers of deception are entirely unmatched by anybody else in Middle-Earth; his early exploits include fooling a Numenorean king into starting a war against the Valar, which ended disastrously for his kingdom. He even ends up twisting Saruman into serving him (who, incidentally, is also very good at convincing others and thinks he will double-cross Sauron, something Sauron knows all too well). Sauron commands vast armies through his will alone. Frodo and Sam sneak into a fiery volcano to destroy his ring, and he is completely broken.

Live Action TV

 * Khan from Star Trek the Original Series: Pride till his wife died on the planet that Kirk left them on, then transformed utterly to Wrath! Befriends the heroes in the original "Space Seed" episode. Done in by his pride in the climax, leading directly to Star Trek II the Wrath of Khan, much of which takes place in a dangerous yet visually arresting nebula. He and his henchmen have a kind of biker band look going for them in contrast to the heroes' clean-cut Starfleet uniforms.
 * Khan may fit better as a Tragic Villain, with Pride and Wrath as his tragic flaws that overcome his otherwise noble nature and eventually push him past the Moral Event Horizon, sealing his fate.
 * Consider all the similarities between Kirk and Khan (such as their arrogance, loyalty to friends, and proctiveness for those who serve under them)
 * In Doctor Who, the Master has been repeatedly described as the Doctor's equal and opposite. Pride and creeping madness are what defines him, and motivate him to seek to dominate the entire Universe. Originally conceived as a suave, Wicked Cultured manipulator to foil to the Doctor's more hands-on approach, recently he's changed into a more active, childish and visibly agressive character (again, to reflect the changes in The Doctor's character). This might be explained by the fact that he's going more and more insane (culminating in Joker-level crazyness coupled with massive Foe Yay). The two's similarity is lampshaded multiple times throughout the show, even by them.
 * Davros is the other notable archvillain The Doctor has (not counting the countless species that hate him). This man is made of Pride and insanity, even more so than the Master. He is repeatedly betrayed by his own creations, the Daleks because he cannot conceive of them judging him inferior to them, even though he himself programmed them to see any non-Dalek as inherently inferior and worthy only of destruction. To that is added his idea that destruction is the only expression of power: when asked whether or not he would wipe out all life in the Universe should he have that power, he declared that he would without hesitation, since in his mind, such an exercise of power would place him above the gods. In the 2005 revival, he planned to destroy The Multiverse in its entirety, for that exact reason.
 * Major Zod in Season 9 of Smallville: Wrath and Pride. Has all the same powers as Clark, inverted: he gains his abilities under a red sun. His British accent marks him as very different from any member of the main cast, as does his fondness for military dress. He eventually gains the same powers as Clark, and at the same time, takes advantage of him while he is infected with Red Kryptonite, then blames him for the death of one of his men. It's all revealed in the finale, when his ego and rage get the better of him. His men abandon him, and he's defeated by Clark in a very brutal Knife Fight.

Tabletop Games

 * Strahd Von Zarovich from Ravenloft is a villain whose main vice is Lust, as he has continually pursued the incarnation's of Tatyana, even though he can never have her. He is also very visually distinct in all of his appearances, although he is often said to pose as his own servant. He is also sometimes depicted inviting the PCs to his Castle, such as in the computer game Strahd's Possession. While he has never been killed, any battle in which the PCs face him is likely to be in Castle Ravenloft, a very dramatic place for a battle.

Theater, specifically Shakespeare Villains

 * Caius Cassius. Envy, possibly Ambition. He is also described as having a "lean and hungry look". While pretending to be Caesar's friend, he conspires to assassinate him, and it is not entirely clear (as is often the case with Shakespeare motives), whether he truly believes the stories he feeds Brutus about how Caesar is attempting become dangerously powerful, or whether he is simply jealous of his position and wishes to take it. In any case, he manipulates Brutus and others into conspiring and killing Caesar. His plan backfires when Marc Antony rallies the people of Rome against them, and they are forced to fight in a war, in which Cassius eventually takes his own life after being defeated. (haven't read it in a while, please fill in the gaps)
 * Iago, from Othello is a classic example of Envy. Though not visually distinct, he has lots of asides and soliloquies.
 * YMMV on that one. Read carefully - Iago has exactly 4 lines explaining his motives, which read "I hate the Moor; AND it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office: I know not if 't be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety." The word "and" is important here - he's not giving his reasons. This is just an excuse, and he knows it.
 * He also didn't get a coveted promotion.
 * Not visually indistinct necessarily. it really depends on casting.
 * He is, however, very visually distinct from Othello, the Tragic Hero of the play, who also happens to be black.
 * And by 'black' we mean...North African, or maybe Turkish, or possibly even an Arab. Othello was written in the days before English developed its modern obsession with precise names for colors. Let alone ethnicities.
 * Not necessarily--we don't know how he wound up among the Italians, so his forebears could have been traded up the Nile as military slaves, and be what we call 'black,' although he's probably a defection from the Ottoman officer corps in some way, and most of their military-command slaves were actually white. The majority of black ones were harem eunuchs. Lots of political power, but not a lot of chance to produce Othello.
 * He could be descended from the Arabic population of Sicily. We just don't know.
 * More probably? Shakespeare didn't have a realistic mental image of the racial milieu of the Mediterranean. He'd never been there.
 * Richard III, physically distinguished by his hunch back and limp. His opening soliloquy makes clear his Ambition arising from Envy of the healthy: "... to command, to check, to overbear such as are of better person than myself". A twisted body creates a twisted mind.

Toys

 * Makuta. Ambition and Envy. A shapeshifting master of shadows determined to seize the power and respect the Great Spirit Mata Nui had by embarking on a millennia-spanning plan involving putting him to sleep and taking control of his Humongous Mecha body, and going after the whole universe from there. The deception is shown in the prequel chapters, where he impersonates a ruler and turns an entire city against its heroes in order to further his plot. At his core, as he once described himself and other characters brought up again in Shut UP, Hannibal moments, he is nothing, lacking true purpose after turning his back on his intended destiny of helping Mata Nui achieve his ultimate goal.

Video Games

 * Dimentio in Super Paper Mario. Ambition. A harlequin-like villain who wants to remake the world in his image. While deceiving his ambiguously villainous superiors into thinking he's on their side, he essentially deceives the player into thinking he's going to turn out to be on the hero's side the whole time. Turns out that, while his superiors want to destroy the universe completely, Dimentio wanted to remake it into something better (IE, his). After usurping his boss' power, he is defeated after a Final Battle in a nightmarish room covered with his trademark harlequin smile.
 * Kotomine Kirei, of ''Fate/stay night. He personifies... well, pretty much everything evil, but Ambition and Wrath mainly. He's easily most physically imposing character in the entire cast, he's a Large Ham voiced by Joji Nakata, and he pretends to be allied with the heroes until he does something utterly evil ( in Fate and   in Heaven's Feel) to break the illusion. In both routes, the final fight is him vs. Shirou  . He is outright said to be Shirou's polar opposite in nearly every way, and although his deaths aren't ironic in any way, they're thematically appropriate: in Fate,   In Heaven's Feel,
 * As the note above says Kotomine is different from Shirou in nearly every way, the ultimate similarity between them is what keeps Kotomine from being a cut-and-paste villainous archetype: he and Shirou both only feel meaning through others. They're standing on opposite sides of a very thin line with each still being on the line itself.
 * from Pokémon Black and White. Pride and Ambition.
 * Chaos Shogun Kitsune from Adventure Quest Worlds. Pride and Wrath. He sided with Chaos in an attempt to restore Yokai Island to its former secluded sanctuary by using the Hanzamune Dragon Koi Blade to release the O-dokuro from the rift of time because he was angry with Emperor Daisho extending Yokai's hospitality. His anger eventually got the best of him when the hero opened up a portal leading him right back to the Yokai world.
 * Chaos Lord Tibicenas. Pride. He tried to become as powerful as the Efreet by playing with Chaos magic, for which he was punished by being banished from the Djinn world and made to spend years as an outcast. He used Zahart as his master until Zhoom destroyed his ring so that he could return for revenge against the Efreet. His pride became his own undoing when the Efreet granted the hero's wish to have him strip him of his powers.
 * from Kirby's Return to Dream Land. Envy and Ambition.
 * Sarevok from Baldur's Gate. Ambition, wrath; attempts to . Starts off the hero's journey by killing their foster father and sending others to hunt for the hero. Appears as an enormous Black Knight (or as close as you can be without the armour being actually black) with glowing eyes. Doesn't befriend the hero, but deceives everyone else, both the good guys and the bad guys. Comes extremely close to being able to declare the war he seeks right before being thwarted. The dramatic Final Battle takes place in an ominous underground temple of Bhaal, and the ending cinematic shows the moments right Sarevok's death as his body disperses into golden dust and  . Is physically stronger than the hero, but

Western Animation

 * Discord from My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. Pride, with occasional moments of Wrath. Discord is an evil spirit of chaos and disharmony who takes the form of a Mix and Match Critter that has a very sadistic sense of humor and plans on ruling Equestria while turning it into a World of Chaos with the population as his play-things. After he steals the Elements of Harmony, the only things that can defeat him, he lures the main characters into a maze by tricking them into thinking that that's where the elements are, where he uses a Hate Plague on each of the heroes, with the exception of Twilight Sparkle, by using each of their character flaws so that they can't use the Elements of Harmony anymore once they find them.
 * Megatron from Transformers Prime. Ambition and Wrath with a hint of Pride. Megatron contrasts with his Arch Enemy Optimus Prime in two key ways. First, his design is curved and angular with large shoulder spikes compared with the chunkier but smooth Optimus and other Cybertronians. In his backstory, Megatron and Optimus used to be partners in action, as Megatron sought at first to change how the Elders of Cybertron treated other transformers. Their key split was that while Megatron sought to be named the next Prime and overthrow the guard with force, Optimus asked that the guard reform and was thus recognized as true prime material despite not asking for it. Overcome with Wrath, Megatron destroyed Cyberton searching for the Matrix of Leadership before bringing his war to earth afterwards. While he was first thought to be destroyed by his inability to allow his legion of the undead to be destroyed in the Five Episode Pilot, he came back and his ultimate demise is to be determined (the show hasn't finished airing).
 * Firelord Ozai from Avatar: The Last Airbender: Pride and Ambition. Gleefully contribute to the project of his father and grandfather to Take Over the World, switching in the finale to Omnicidal Maniac and A God Am I to further eliminate all hope in the heart of those who resist him. Through he doesn't face The Hero Aang directly until the finale, he's the main reason why the Deuteragonist Zuko stays so messed up for most of the series. As a Social Darwinist Evil Overlord who choosed Kick the Dog as a hobby, he's basically the direct opposite of the Badass Pacifist Warrior Monk Aang, which shows in their final confrontation,