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We all know what makes a good hero, we've seen it a million times, but what makes a good, or, err, evil villian? these are the top 10 things I look for in bad guys... *note, this is for the main bad guy/overlord type, not the flesh-hungry monster running amok*

10. Facial hair - Not really important, but it does help them look evil and older, you usually think of the bad guy being older than the hero. This may be because of SOMEONE we think of as pure evil who supposedly has a goatee... no names mentioned, you'll figure it out.

9. A sick obsession - What makes people turn to the dark side? The desire to attain something at any cost, power, money, women, a cheap locket, what have you? something they want bad enough may cause people to make deals with the devil, commit horrid atrocities, and turn against old friends and beliefs. This is why thall shall not covet thy neighbor is one of the 10 commandments. This "something" is sometimes a "someone" ... to be continued.

8. An evil laugh that won't be confused with a sick little girl's laughter - what better way to say "Im evil" than to laugh like a maniac as loudly as you can? The evil laugh is a trademark, we all know this, but It's simply infuriating when you see this doofus trying to laugh when all you hear is this annoying squeel. If you need lessons on how to sully the shorts of the hero with your voice, talk to the joker, he'll make you laugh, and laugh evilly.

7. Revenge issues - A bad guy's biggest motive is usually revenge against a wrong doing against them, this also applies if the villian was a good person, minding their own business, when bandits ransack their homes and leave them for dead. The now hate-filled innocent swears revenge and becomes a plotting malicious monstrosity with a one track mind: Kill them all. ... more normally, the hero foils an early plan of the bad guy who is already bad, and this villian becomes angrier and more severe. This would be higher one the list, but cosidering revenge is a hollow victory, It's really not the best motive.

6. Love triangles - To continue from #9, sometimes the hero and the villian fall for the same person, (usually two guys and a girl, but I won't discriminate against those mislead homosexual miscreants) they fight over this person, someone dies, there's usually a happy ending... woohoo. sometimes two friends do this and one of them takes the "she'll be mine or no one's!" approach... the bad guy.

5. A good reason to hate and attack the hero - I hate it when the bad guy goes after tthis not famous, not known, seemingly random person for no apparent reason with such malice. This isn't what bad guys do, this is what morons and mosters do. Don't get me wrong, people are following this rule quite well, but it's so obvious yet unspoken, I kindof HAD to put it here.

5 out of 10, half way there! *HALF TIME SHOW* ok, back to business...

4. Intelligence - If you see a bumbling oaf in charge of a ruthless, blood-thirtsy army bent on the destruction of all that is good or happy, wouldn't you ask "WTF is going on here!?"? An evil super genious is a big part of good vs. evil, if it's a moron commanding the evil hordes, how good do the heroes look? Now, if about a quarter into the story, the villian has already captured the hero's loved ones, interrogated them, and turned them to the darkside only to absorb their power later, It's most likely going to be a movie worth watching.... If it IS a movie.

3. Insanity - A crazed villian is a good villian, as these guys are usually impossible to kill. Blown up in a helicopter, a blimp, a giant robot, fallen into a deep dark chasm, a vat of chemicals, a tank of sharks, crushed under an avalance, a falling mass of metal, a dying beast, and still they come back, still calling for blood and laughing like total psychopaths... they CAN die, but isn't easy. That, and when the hero is dodging and ducking under traps and lasers, this villian would be in there too, with a wicked smile and a knife in his hand, laughing all the way. *ho ho ho* (couldn't resist)

2. Betrayed - Who makes a better enemy than a former friend? In some way or another, the good guys sometimes mess up and leave a friend to die for reasons usually involving "it's too late, we have to get out of here, leave him" only for this forsaken friend to somehow emerge alive and vengeful. A new bad guy is born... there's a moral here, DON'T DITCH YOUR FRIENDS, YOU SELFISH b*****d!!

1. A "good" cause - Usually, the villian's rant goes like this "I want to rule the world for money, power, and supremecy" or "I will destroy those that dwell in light and plunge the world into eternal darkness!" some bad guy's ideas may not be so evil, like "I want to rule the world so that I may bring justice, order, and peace in place of the selfish, spineless leaders of today whose only goal is wealth!" or "I will destroy the world now rather than let it dwindle away in war" are those the veiws of a bad guy? or of someone who wants to put things right NOW rather than waiting decades for a year or so of peace before it starts up again? The first one is simple, his veiw is that world leaders are corrupt and something must be done, the second says that since humans can't stop killing eachother, he'll end the suffering of the world all at once. Are they evil? or are they taking matters into their own hands rather than sit back and watch people suffer?
It's your call, but my call is that this is what makes a great bad guy, misunderstanding.

I might make a top 10 bad guy thing, but not soon.