Best ASOIAF Villains?

[Fat Mac]

I put Littlefinger as best villain. The ultimate schemer and power player.

[northernshe-wolf]

Littlefinger and Theon are the most complex villainous characters- because they don't seem like they are villains. This makes them my favourite. I wouldn't actually consider Theon a full villain, but Littlefinger, definitely.

Ramsay is horrific in all senses, as is Joffrey, but they're needed.

[Frank White]

THe re is Gregor of course but what about Tyrion? From the point of view of the smallfolk he is a total monster, even before he murders his nephew and then escapes from the black cells to kill his own father before disapearing without a trace.

http://25.media.tumb...gnsnbo1_500.gif

[Lord Warhammer]

The great other

Red Rhallo

Littltefinger

Ramsey

Cersei

in that order

[LeoSuperstar]

Are they still "villains" if I want them to win?

[StannisBamfatheon]

Villains I love:

Ramsay

Joffrey

Cersei

Varys

Littlefinger

Villains I'm "meh" on:

Roose

Tywin

Victarion

Villains I despise:

Gregor

Craster

Walder Frey

Euron

ETA: added villains

Nothing inspires love quite like a sadistic, rapist, creepy goon. I'd love to know what you find interesting about him....

[redviper9]

Nothing inspires love quite like a sadistic, rapist, creepy goon. I'd love to know what you find interesting about him....

I'll echo StannisBamfatheon here (welcome back, by the way!): why do you love Ramsay? I mean, I like reading Tywin and Roose, but I still believe that they're awful human beings.

[LeoSuperstar]

I'll echo StannisBamfatheon here (welcome back, by the way!): why do you love Ramsay? I mean, I like reading Tywin and Roose, but I still believe that they're awful human beings.

Well, Ramsay is a good hunter, nobody can deny that... Maybe he likes hunters.

[StannisBamfatheon]

I'll echo StannisBamfatheon here (welcome back, by the way!): why do you love Ramsay? I mean, I like reading Tywin and Roose, but I still believe that they're awful human beings.

hah yeah friend....I was across the narrow sea for quite sometime. I kind of fell out of my fanhood with ASOIAF(treasonous I know) and in turn didn't visit the forum. Only to lurk once in a while. I'm surprised anyone remembers me! But lately I got lands of ice and fire for christmas and have been pouring over the maps, reading the books again, watching the show, scouring the web for fan art, it just made sense to finally come back. That new Arianne chapter was really good btw! Anyway sorry for off-topic post.

But for me a good (i.e. interesting) villain is one whose not motivated by pure, unadultered sadism, evil, or lust for power. I like a little ambiguity, like say Saren from Mass Effect. I know he's pretty unpopular among the fandom but I find Victarion fascinating, all the younger brothers who've been slighted in Westeros I seem to be fond of. Great commander, leader of men, yet always outfoxed by his Pirate Wizard bro, the Greyjoys are all dicks but there fun to read about.

[ladyofslytherin]

We can't root for Baelish, but we can watch dumfounded as he continues to rule the damn world. There's a certain pathos in his story too, cause it's kind of like...Revenge of the Nerd.

:bowdown: THIS. YES. EXACTLY.

[redviper9]

hah yeah friend....I was across the narrow sea for quite sometime. I kind of fell out of my fanhood with ASOIAF(treasonous I know) and in turn didn't visit the forum. Only to lurk once in a while. I'm surprised anyone remembers me! But lately I got lands of ice and fire for christmas and have been pouring over the maps, reading the books again, watching the show, scouring the web for fan art, it just made sense to finally come back. That new Arianne chapter was really good btw! Anyway sorry for off-topic post.

But for me a good (i.e. interesting) villain is one whose not motivated by pure, unadultered sadism, evil, or lust for power. I like a little ambiguity, like say Saren from Mass Effect. I know he's pretty unpopular among the fandom but I find Victarion fascinating, all the younger brothers who've been slighted in Westeros I seem to be fond of. Great commander, leader of men, yet always outfoxed by his Pirate Wizard bro, the Greyjoys are all dicks but there fun to read about.

Well, it's good to have you back.

I agree with you that the best villains are the ambiguous ones. That's why I "like" Tywin and Roose, because they're not just the "classic" evil of a Gregor, Ramsay, or Joffrey. Yes, Tywin and Roose do deplorable things; but you know there's more going on behind the scenes than with a mindless killing machine like the Mountain.

ETA: And yeah, that Arianne chapter was pretty awesome.

[Lady Tippy Wolfsbane]

Best "Villains"

Cersei, Jaime, Theon, and Sandor.

I'm surprised anyone remembers me!

I remember you! :D

[ladyofslytherin]

In terms of most obviously twirling black moustachios & tying hapless maidens to railroad tracks:

Gregor Clegane

Joffrey Lannister

Ramsey Snow

Craster

Amory Lorch

Meryn Trant

Boros Blount

In terms of looking like a villain but turning out to be an antihero, or at least human enough that we don't exactly want to see them decorating oak groves:

Jaime Lannister

Sandor Clegane

In terms of people that you start out not being sure what they're up to, but the more you see of them the more sure you are that you should run in the opposite direction just to be on the safe side:

Littlefinger

Varys

Melisandre

Everyone in the Greyjoy family with a Y-chromosome

Tywin Lannister

Qyburn

In terms of characters who are just mean-spirited, vicious a$$es that you just want to slap in the face until your hand turns numb:

Randyll Tarly

Alliser Thorne

Janos Slynt

Every Frey that had anything to do with the planning & execution of the Red Wedding

Cersei Lannister, Reznak mo Reznak and Hizdar zo Loraq also deserve a good slap around, but they don't really fit any other categories 'cause they're really not that great at being villains. They're kinda inept at it, and I almost want to shake them and say "Villany... you're doin' it wrong."

There are a whole host of other baddies, an entire chorus of characters you love to hate and probably a full brigade's worth of people who might not be evil but you shouldn't trust them even half so far as you can throw them, but those are my top picks.

[UnbentFury]

1. Roose Bolton. Guy is deliciously evil and scheming, is sadistic but clever, and has an aura of creepiness that not even his son can match. I mean, seriously, he keeps Ramsay in line.

2. Euron Greyjoy. He's probably the only Ironborn besides Rodrik and Asha, who isn't a complete idiot. Seeing him crap all over his brothers' plans was really satisfying. He's also a sex bomb in my head.

3. Ramsay. We need a straight up lunatic guys. I know Gregor is equally as bad, but I just like Ramsay more.

4. Littlefinger. Watching him manipulate people is fun, but the only reason he isn't high up there with me is because he kind of started all this over being friendzoned. Kinda lame dude.

Honorable Mention/Tie for First Place: Qyburn. This motherfucker scares me almost as much as Roose. With these two characters they have the advantage of not being in the spot light too much. No one thinks much about all of the evil shit Roose has been doing up until now, because everyone is focusing on Ramsay. Nobody even knows what Qyburn does in that dungeon.

[StannisBamfatheon]

Best "Villains"

Cersei, Jaime, Theon, and Sandor.

I remember you! :D

And you as well Tippy, I'm sure you definitely held it down in the Stan army in my absence. Do we still have the group hug icon? Wait a minute.....YUUUUSSS!! :grouphug:

[Kittykatknits]

Nothing inspires love quite like a sadistic, rapist, creepy goon. I'd love to know what you find interesting about him....

He probably loved his mom...

[DogLover]

Nothing inspires love quite like a sadistic, rapist, creepy goon. I'd love to know what you find interesting about him....

As in villains I love to hate, not enamored with. I think Theon/Reek has one of the best POVs because Ramsay is so twisted. I also enjoyed Sansa's insights into Joffrey. When Ramsay gets his comeuppance I will certainly cheer, as I did when Joffrey died, but it will be far more satisfying.

As for the meh list, as crucial as they are to the plot, Tywin and and Roose don't incite the same kind of fascination for me as they do other readers.

The hate list, I'd be fine if they never existed. Gregor is one dimensional and Craster is as revolting as Ramsay, but his story lacks the creepy fascination.

ETA

[Scipio Africanus]

My favourite villains are LF, Varys and the QoT. Evil ruthless schemers with quite a bit of intelligence, adaptability and rescourcefulness.

I echo @doglover that I don't find Tywin, Walder Heffner and Roose all that interesting. They're only ruthless and amoral, but I find them lacking in the intelligence department.

Guys like Gregor, Ramsay, Biter, Rorge, Shagwell, Drogo, Qyburn, Craster etc I don't want to get to know at all, I just want them to you know, six feet under. Some of those we do get to see more of (Ramsay) but ultimately they're pretty much cardboard characters for us to hate (or rather, most of us to hate).

[LordStoneheart]

Whoops, I forgot Lady Stoneheart. Spurned mother, having lost all her children and her sense of humanity, now only seeking revenge? That's like a villain straight out of a martial arts film. Great character.

She is one of my favorite characters, but I wouldn't considerer her a villain. She's killing the villains.

Don't give me that look, think about the people she's killed. Freys mostly.

Unless you're a troll or hipster type who wants to go against the common interest, the Starks are most certain the good guys. At least we're meant to route for them. That's why they have the most point of views in the story per family.

She hasn't killed Brienne yet, but for fans of the Beauty, look at it from the BWB perspective. She was found with the Baratheon Lannister king's scoll, sword, and sigil. She also had Podrick, a known Lannister squire. Lady Stoneheart wants her dead when she tries to defend Jamie, the man who sent her son regards right before the sword went into his chest. But it appears she changed her mind and is letting Brienne take part in their plans to kill Jamie. (Now, people like to defend Jamie and say he's changing, but how exactly is he changing? He stopped fucking his sister and saved Brienne from a bear. That's about it.)

Is she wrong for not believing Brienne's claims? No. Two houses betrayed her and her son, and murdered her. I'd be quite untrusting too.

All in all, Lady Stoneheart should not be considered a villian in the same vein that Edmond Dontes, Sweeney Todd, Hamlet, and Inigo Montoya aren't considered villains, at least to me.

But I suppose this whole thing has been a digression from the topic, so I'll say the best villain is Cercei.

[TheBlackBard]

I have to say I'm supprised to see so many people have Vareys up on their list. I'm not totally covinced that he is a "villan". He's definitely a conniving git, but I think it could all be for the greater good. He does after all try to get Ned spared to stop a war, surly that cant be evil? And when he says that "he serves the realm" I do think its truthful.

also Qyburn is being vilified more than he deserves, sure he cuts people up but its more for science than anything else. Loads of people have done this throughout history and are considered pioneers.

The top villans for me are:

Ramsey and the Mountain - both are just as horrible as the other.

Joff - one of the most satisfying moments when he's clawing at his own throat.

Walder Frey - Really does make you want to see all the Freys die a horrible slow death.