Is there a better all round villain than Hiddleston's Loki?

I'd say no, and I think that's a big problem. You could bring back one of the previous villains prior to Avengers 2 and that would suffice for well-developed villains. But Weaving says he won't do Red Skull again, Stane is dead, Hammer was a dud, and Loki's been used a lot already.

So far it looks like AIM and Thanos are in the works, which is cool, but neither have been particularly well-developed yet.

Introducing Ultron to the mix without any development sounds a little odd at the moment, but I'll give it a shot.

Either way it looks like Infinity Gauntlet is definitely happening, so I guess everything is just building to that.

I genuinely hope that Marvel does a good job in CapAm 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy to develop an existing context for Avengers 2.

Walter White from Breaking Bad. I don't think I've seen a more believable progression into a villain than that. He also manages to be likeable through much of it, to the point that you almost feel sorry for him when those mean people point out that he's a cold-hearted monster.

Another one I like is Gul Dukat from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He's an interesting case because most of his villainous deeds occurred before the first episode even started, and he spends much of the 7 seasons trying to defend his actions and occasionally redeem himself.

I'm trying to think of one from a film, but frankly I'm drawing blanks. It seems that most classic film villains are more straightforward, even if excellent.

EDIT: Got it. Hans Landa from Inglourious Basterds. Hilarious, vicious, likeable, great lines. He's got it all. Bonus points for being a Nazi.

See, rickman again.

How about this for a tangent... Do the English provide the best and most likeable villains?

McKellen's Magneto, Hiddleston's Loki, Rickmans.... everything!



Its not that I dont enjoy our little chats, Its just ... that I dont

Because the focus is usually on the hero, little effort goes into casting the villain and they typically get much less screen time.

It's easier for them to be cast as one-dimensional bad guys rather than complicated individuals with personalities and morals of their own.

However, Batman's villains are inherently complex and consequently have always had hi-profile actors playing them as far back as Tim Burton's 1989 film. (e.g. Nicholson's Joker, Pfeiffer's Catwoman, De Vito's Penguin, TLJ's Twoface, Carey's Riddler). The diverse individuality of his villains is one of Batman's strengths as a franchise as most super heros tend to have only one properly fleshed out nemesis.

Some of the recent Marvel films recognised the importance of this by choosing talented actors to play the bad guys while ensuring their back story is also told. (e.g. McKellan's Magneto, Weaving's Red Skull, etc.) But other films (e.g. Both the Hulk & Wolverine films) have had weak villains.

DC got lucky with Ledger's Joker. I don't think anyone could anticipate such a performance! It was made possible by giving a good director the freedom to choose his cast.

Similarly, I think Marvel got lucky with Hiddleston. Kudos to whoever cast him!

Now you even have actors of the calibre of Benicio Del Toro getting involved. The future looks bright!

As for other well-rounded villains, Hardy was superb as Bane. The perfect mix of brutality and intellect. But the twist at the end of TDKR definitely stole his thunder. He was reduced from a mastermind to a henchmen.

Thus far, only Ledger's Joker compares to Hiddleston. Weaving wasn't given enough screen time while others such as Neeson (Ras'al Ghul) or Shannon (Zod) lacked the charisma to deliver a truly memorable performance.

Looking ahead, Kingsley's ('real') Mandarin still has potential if he does return to the role.

Also, I don't know who will play Thanos but that role is begging for someone who can deliver an unforgettable performance!

EDIT: I forget to mention what some others already have....
McKellan has already passed on his torch to the equally capable Fassbender. Hence, I think Magneto definitely has the potential to compete with Loki for the title of "best" villain :D

As I've said many times before, Loki is the standout performance for me, and now in both films.

Lots of great, complex villains mentioned... I'd like to submit Hannibal Lecter. :)




Imagine there were no hypothetical situations.

I liked Prince Nuada. He was noble but cruel. He could be caring but cold as well. He was conflicted and yet determined. He believed he was righteous and was doing what he was simply for love of his people... and yet you knew that he was slightly on the crazy side.
And of course there's the fact that no other villain in history (other than maybe Boyka) could pull off sweeter moves than he did. Even Darth Maul looks ungraceful compared to him.

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Is there a better all round villain than Hiddleston's Loki?