Villains we love to hate

MANILA, Philippines - They add spice, they complicate matters, and they bring hate. Who are these characters? They are the villains. It is evident that they contribute a lot, especially in turning the events of a movie. Although villains usually fail or die, they are equally as important as the lead characters. Actually, viewers love villains, that is, in another way—they love to hate them. Who are these villains? Here are some popular ones that are truly blood-boiling: (NOTE: control your temper as you read along)

Colonel William Tavington of The Patriot. Who could ever forget this cruel character? He is good at accomplishing his job in a harsh way, even if it involves innocent ones. The scene where he killed the second eldest son of Benjamin Martin really triggered viewers to hate him till the end of the movie—or maybe until now. Consequence: He was killed by Benjamin Martin.

Cruella de Vil of 101 Dalmatians. Her deep obsession for Dalmatian’s fur really gets into the nerves of viewers, especially dog lovers. Puppies are her choice. She will hunt them no matter what it takes, as long as she gets their fur. Is she Crazy? Many believe she is. Consequence: She was arrested.

Lord Voldemort of Harry Potter. In the world of wizardry, Lord Voldemort is feared so much that others don’t even dare to say his name. He especially eyes on Harry Potter, who is believed to have the power to defeat him. Consequence: After several battles, he is very much alive and still powerful, so the battle goes on.

Biff Tannen of Back to the Future 1 to 3. This tough guy is the master bully of Hill Valley. He especially picks on the Mcflys, a regular family with a history of being bullied by the Tannens. As long as there are Tannens, the Mcflys will never be free from being bullied. Consequence: Some of the Tannens have already changed for the good but since this is a time traveling movie, there are other bully Tannens out there — probably in another time frame.

Lex Luthor of Superman. Lex, a powerful and intelligent man, is the major and worst enemy of Superman. To him, Superman is a big hindrance to his plan of dominating the world. Although he doesn’t have special powers, he can make Superman weak by using Kryptonite. Consequence: In the 2006 film Superman Returns, Lex was trapped in a desert island.

 “The Plastics” of Mean Girls. Not to be trusted and not to be befriended, “The Plastics” is a group of girls you don’t want to encounter. They successfully turned innocent Cady Heron into one of them. Luckily, Cady got back on her feet just in time to regain her friendship with her true friends. Consequence: The group separated, but a new group of “Plastics” is emerging.

Colonel Miles Quaritch of Avatar. The insensitive and irritating colonel has nothing in mind but pride and greed. He ruthlessly commanded the attack to Pandora. The battle killed a lot of Pandora’s inhabitants and destroyed almost all their homes. Consequence: He was killed by Neytiri, a Pandora inhabitant.

Miranda Priestly of The Devil Who Wears Prada. You wouldn’t want to be working with a boss like Miranda. Her being too strict and impossibly demanding makes her staff shakes just by hearing her voice. She may be good at training her staff to be the best but she will do everything to stay in power. Consequence: Still successfully working in the fashion industry, but a lot of her staff already knows her bad side. Why do most of them stay? 

Palpatine of Star Wars. Palpatine or Darth Sidious? He is both. This evil and treacherous character is the main villain of the Star Wars saga. He is the one responsible for other villains such as Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus and even Darth Vader a.k.a Anakin Skywalker. Consequence: Finally, killed!

Percy Wetmore of The Greenmile. He is not the kind of jail guard prisoners would want to have. He is a heartless and sadistic person — a true nightmare for inmates. He deliberately does things to make it hard for the inmates. Consequence: Confined in a mental hospital — whew!

Commodus of Gladiator. Commodus is the murderer of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his father. Jealousy, power and pride fueled him to become evil-hearted. He targets Maximus, a general whom his father loved and trusted. Consequence: Killed during a duel with Maximus, who also died.

Warden Samuel Norton of Shawshank Redemption. The abusive warden of Shawshank prison deserves to be despised. He makes money from his so called work program for the prisoners. Consequence: His fear of shame at being caught made him shot himself.

Bill of Kill Bill. Also known as the “Snake Charmer,” Bill is the head of the D.V.A.S. (Deadly Viper Assassination Squad). He obsessively searches for his former lover (one of his lady assassins) only to find out that she’s starting a new life and is getting married. To seek revenge, he calls his team to ruin the wedding in a bloody way. Consequence: Killed by his former lover using the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.

Max Cady of Cape Fear. Max Cady is the type of person who will get even no matter what — a true pain in the neck. After getting out of jail, he obsessively stalks and disturbs the lawyer who had (deliberately) failed to defend him. Even the lawyer’s family is bound to suffer Max’s revenge. Consequence: Drowned.

Chucky of Child’s Play. The character truly gives dolls a bad name. It says bad words, it threatens, it moves without batteries, and, worst of all, it kills. Now who would want a doll like that? Chucky is a unique villain — a memorable one. Consequence: After several times of being killed, there’s still a chance that Chucky is alive.