The first-round results are in! Let's see who made it past the initial test.
President Snow (The Hunger Games) vs Gollum (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings)
An argument could be made that Gollum did not start off evil, but was transformed (from Smeagol) into something ghastly, by the power of the ring. We even see glimpses of his former self come through occasionally. While Snow, on the other hand, really chose his path because of his lust for power, and commits heinous acts against humanity having full knowledge of what he's doing.
Winner: President Snow
Sauron (The Lord of the Rings) vs Morgoth (The Silmarillion)
In a bizarre twist of fate (seeding was random) these two face off in round 1. While Sauron definitely is the more well-known of the two (in popular culture, at least), Morgoth was the original Dark Lord.
Winner: Morgoth
Lestat de Lioncourt (The Vampire Chronicles) vs Bill Sikes (Oliver Twist)
Ann Rice lets Lestat walk the line between villain and antihero throughout her Vampire Chronicles. Dickens, meanwhile, leaves no question as to Sikes' character: he is vicious and shows no remorse over his criminal actions or brutality towards Nancy (his girlfriend).
Winner: Bill Sikes
Agent Smith (The Matrix) vs Grand High Witch (The Witches)
The Grand High Witch's scheme to rid the world of children is twisted to say the least. But this clip from the third Matrix movie shows Agent Smith's cold, sinister nihilism that defines so many great villains.
Winner: Agent Smith
Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars) vs Michael Myers (Halloween)
Palpatine seeks to rule the galaxy. Betrayal, deception, and mass murder are all just part of the plan. Michael Myers is a creepy and deranged killer but he does not compare to the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.
Winner: Emperor Palpatine
Capitán Vidal (Pan's Labyrinth) vs *SPOILER ALERT* (The Shining)
There's just something... *SPOILER ALERT* Vidal is horrifically cruel in Pan's Labyrinth, but doesn't quite leave the same kind of lasting impression.
Winner: "The Shining" villain
Frank Underwood (House of Cards) vs Loki (Thor, The Avengers)
Underwood is ruthless when it comes to politics, and life: "For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted." Loki also wishes to reach the top of the food chain, but his methods are even more ruthless and his end-goal of enslaving the entire human race goes beyond what Underwood is capable of.
Winner: Loki
Gozer / Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (Ghostbusters) vs Biff Tannen (Back to the Future)
Let's face it: Gozer is a fun villain. A god with enormous amounts of power, and she lets you pick the form of your destroyer (in this case, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man)? But Biff's wickedness is off the charts. "Why don't you make like a tree, and get out of here." Even if he wasn't the brightest.
Winner: Biff Tannen
Carrie (Carrie) vs John Doe (Se7en)
You can't help but feel a little bad for Carrie, at least at first. All of the chaos (you know, her telekinetic rampage) was originally caused by mean high school bullying. John Doe, though? He is pure evil and believes he is actually doing God's work.
Winner: John Doe
Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) vs Tywinn Lannister (Game of Thrones)
My knowledge of Tywinn Lannister is somewhat limited, as I've only seen the first season of Game of Thrones. But I do know that Nurse Ratched is a terrible, awful woman whose mistreatment of her patients crosses the boundaries of physical and severe emotional abuse.
Winner: Nurse Ratched
The Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) vs Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
Hans Gruber will do anything to pull off his heist, even if it means killing innocent people under the guise of an act of terrorism. The Queen of Hearts, however, often threatens people with the death penalty, but the executions are rarely carried out.
Winner: Hans Gruber
Samara Morgan (The Ring) vs Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Both characters rate high on the creepiness scale and kill numerous victims. Samara goes after anyone who watches the haunted video and Freddy stalks the teenagers of Elm Street. This one is a toss-up, but I think Samara has the slight edge due to her lack of motivation. Why is she evil and why does she kill? She just is and she just does. At least Freddy has a tragic back-story (not that it justifies anything, but helps to understand).
Winner: Samara Morgan
The Joker (Batman, The Dark Knight) vs Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones)
Why so serious, Cersei? Maybe because she knows she has no chance to match up with the likes of the Joker, who gleefully murders and creates chaos, just for fun. Cersei can be manipulative and very cold, but it's not enough to move on to round 2 of the tournament.
Winner: The Joker
The Evil Queen (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) vs Darth Vader (Star Wars)
Another one that really isn't even close. Sure, the Evil Queen's murder attempt on Snow White is admirable, but it pales in comparison to the dastardly deeds that Lord Vader commits on a regular basis. Even if you're on his side, he might just use the force to choke you if you displease him or anger him in any way.
Winner: Darth Vader
Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th series) vs Buffalo Bill (The Silence of the Lambs)
Buffalo Bill kidnaps and kills women for their skin, so that he can create a "woman suit". Sorry, Jason, you won't be moving on to round 2.
Winner: Buffalo Bill
Jafar (Aladdin) vs Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
Both are despicable, but Jafar's wicked deception - trying to steal the throne as an advisor to the Sultan - gives him the advantage.
Winner: Jafar
Severus Snape (Harry Potter) vs Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
Ursula makes a deal with Ariel, but when the mermaid gets too close to succeeding Ursula secretly sabotages the whole thing. She's evil through and through, but for Snape... *SPOILER ALERT*
Winner: Ursula
Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange) vs Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon)
Neither Alex nor Hannibal are good people, but Alex plays more of a role of antihero than villain. Hannibal, on the other hand, is pure villain, and a deliciously evil one at that.
Winner: Hannibal Lecter
Emperor Commodus (Gladiator) vs Scar (The Lion King)
These two villains have an astonishing number of things in common. Both claim the throne by killing off a weakened family member. Both become tyrannical rulers while the protagonist is exiled. And both are big fat cowards. But it's Scar's underhandedness (trying to blame the hyenas), when he believes he has lost, that gives him the upper hand in this duel.
Winner: Scar
Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Pride and Prejudice) vs The White Witch (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Lady Catherine can be nasty, but she can't quite compete with the evil White Witch who reigns over Narnia. 100 years of winter and no Christmas!
Winner: The White Witch
Jigsaw (Saw) vs *SPOILER ALERT* (Psycho)
Upset alert! The mentally unstable killer in "Psycho" is a classic villain, but Jigsaw just might have what it takes to win this one. His twisted world views makes him an intriguing character and his unconventional methods turn this match-up extra interesting.
Winner: Jigsaw
Pazuzu (The Exorcist) vs Magneto (X-Men)
Sure, Magneto can control metal. But can he do this?
or this?
or even begin to attempt to do this?
Winner: Pazuzu
*SPOILER ALERT* (Gone Girl) vs Chucky (Child's Play)
Chucky may be an evil killer trapped in a doll, but to be honest this one is really not even close. In "Gone Girl"...*SPOILER ALERT*
Winner: "Gone Girl" villain
Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter) vs Terminator (The Terminator)
Umbridge tries to make you think that she's a nice little lady, while in reality she is vicious and cruel. Maybe that's why I think she's about 100 times worse than the Terminator, who doesn't try to hide his motives. It's also worth mentioning that the Terminator is programmed to be evil. What's Umbridge's excuse?
Winner: Dolores Umbridge
The Phantom (The Phantom of the Opera) vs *SPOILER ALERT* (2001: A Space Odyssey)
Another antihero (The Phantom) can't quite go toe-to-toe with a true villain... *SPOILER ALERT*
Winner: "2001: A Space Odyssey" villain
T-1000 (Terminator 2) vs The Wicked Stepmother (Cinderella)
I'm not sure why, but the T-1000 just seemed a lot meaner than the original Terminator. Don't get me wrong, the Wicked Stepmother was indeed wicked, especially towards Cinderella, but did she ever do something like this?
Winner: T-1000
Dexter Morgan (Dexter) vs Petyr Baelish / Littlefinger (Game of Thrones)
Dexter is just too darn nice. Sure, he kills people, but only other murderers. By contrast, Littlefinger is not a nice guy at all.
Winner: Littlefinger
Benjamin Linus (Lost) vs Mr. Potter (It's a Wonderful Life)
Both attempt to own and control those around them, but Potter gets the nod because of his sinister greed.
Winner: Mr. Potter
Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmatians) vs Count Dracula (Dracula)
I just keep thinking about those adorable puppies and what Cruella De Vil was going to do to them. Dracula is a staple villain, but the "Cruel Devil" has the upper hand in this match-up.
Winner: Druella De Vil
Vigo the Carpathian (Ghostbusters II) vs Joffrey Baratheon (Game of Thrones)
Vigo is not exactly a likable guy, but Joffrey is just so hateable. Everyone can agree to enjoy loathing Joffrey.
Winner: Joffrey Baratheon
The Governor (The Walking Dead) vs Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)
This is a brutal first-round match-up. Both are heinous villains who murder and lie to gain power. It could go either way, but I think the Governor wins by a nose.
Winner: The Governor
Gustavo Fring (Breaking Bad) vs The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)
The Wicked Witch of the West just has too much star-power to succumb to Gus. "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!"
Winner: The Wicked Witch of the West
The Bracket
After the first round, here's what the bracket looks like:
* - denotes a villain's name that was removed to avoid spoilers. To see the real name, find the matching entry in the list of match-ups above and click the *SPOILER ALERT* link (only if you've already read or seen the book/movie/show or don't mind spoilers)
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