V is for vexing vituperative villain

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Two years ago, I was walking from Chicago to Battle Creek, Michigan, with a group from Voices for Creative Nonviolence. On the day when we left Chicago and walked into industrial Indiana, it was a dreary, rainy day. We were walking on the side of a busy road with no shoulder. It became a scary, dreary, rainy day. We walked on gravel and small rocks that felt like boulders. I could feel the blisters growing on my feet. It was a vexing experience. I wondered what sort of villain would be so vituperative as to build this ugly industrial place and then abandon it, once the place became too tired to support creative humans.

It must have been a very vexing villain. Building the industrial wasteland would have been all about profit but abandoning it without cleaning it seems very vituperative.

So, today, I will talk about villains. Now that I’ve mentioned the industrial wasteland, I will turn from real-life villains to fictitious villains. Here are some of my favorite villains:

  • The Master from Doctor Who. A time lord, therefore powerful. The Master’s purpose is to prevent the Doctor from helping humans and a host of space aliens. Delightfully devious. The master, like Doctor Who, is able to regenerate 12 times. I am wondering if they have exceeded their allotment of regenerations. Delightfully devious. Great villain.
  • The Daleks from Doctor Who. They look like giant pepper shakers. Their vocabulary is somewhat limited to “You will obey,” followed by “You will be exterminated.” They used to be stymied by stairs as they roll around on wheels. In a new, ever more devious trick, the Daleks have learned to levitate.
  • The Borg from Star Trek. Wonderful villains. If you’re not careful, you can become one. That’s what happened to Captain Jean-Luc Picard. He was assimilated by the Borg but, fortunately, he got free with the help of his crew. He was traumatized by the experience. The Borgs’ vocabulary is also quite limited, consisting mostly of “You will be assimilated! Resistance is futile.”
  • The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Doctor Seuss created a really funny, self-absorbed villain. He didn’t like anyone having fun so he tried to steal it so that the Whos in Whoville would weep instead of sing. He failed to steal Christmas, but he brought hilarious villainy to a new level.
  • Nellie Olson in Little House on the Prairie. What an annoying young lady. Always tormented Laura Ingalls. She brought youthful villainous attitudes to a new level, especially since her mother egged her on.

  • Dracula. Of course, any villain who is human, yet also a giant bat (with the exception of Batman, who is a superhero), qualifies as an excellent villain. This villain lives in Transylvania and sucks the blood of lovely young ladies, causing them to grow fangs instantly and follow him anywhere, even if he did bite their necks, rather than blow in their ears.
  • The evil landlord from The Perils of Pauline. The Perils of Pauline is a classic nineteenth century melodrama, featuring an evil landlord and a damsel in distress. The dialogue is priceless:
Evil landlord: You must pay your rent!
Pauline: But I can’t pay my rent.
Evil landlord: Pay your rent or marry me!!! (he twirls his long, very waxed mustache, which appalls Pauline.
Pauline: I will never marry you!
Evil landlord: Marry me or I’ll tie you to the railroad tracks!!!
(he does so)
Pauline (as the noise of the train gets louder): Help! Help!
Fortunately, Pauline is saved by her heroic boyfriend before the train arrives. In fact, seconds before. It’s great to have a hero in the face of so many wicked, rotten vexing vituperative villains.
Question: Who are some of your favorite vexing villains?

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4 thoughts on “V is for vexing vituperative villain”

  1. Alana

    President Snow from the Hunger Games trilogy (I read them before the books became popular, proud to say). This is one nasty villain. Of course, he made a fatal error; otherwise, the trilogy would have ended 2/3 through book #1.

    Reply
  3. Susan Brody

    Hands down, the Wicked Witch of the West and her equally evil flying monkeys! Also, the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland who goes around screaming, "Off with his/her head!"

    Reply

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