The Top 10 Villains in the History of Science Fiction and Fantasy Film and Television

Villains - we love to hate them. Often, the villain of a story is more interesting than the hero. I've put together a list of my favorite 10 villains of science fiction and fantasy film and television. They're in no particular order - all ten of them share the spotlight!

Lord Voldemort: Lord Voldemort is the noseless, serpentine dark wizard in the Harry Potter film series. As evidenced in the latest film, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, even as a child Voldemort had no goodness in him. He's evil, and even though he can never seem to beat a teenager, he's deadly.

Sauron: Sauon is the nearly faceless villain of The Lord of the Rings. He's so terrifyingly evil that his rule sends half the earth into darkness.

Emperor Palpatine: The Emperor is the prune-faced villain of Star Wars. Some may call Darth Vader the best villain, but until the point when Vader kills the Emperor, Vader does the Emperor's bidding. He commands lightning and the minds of weak men.

Ming the Merciless: In the movie Flash Gordon, Emperor Ming is the ruler of the planet Mongo. Ming not only looks like a great villain with an outrageous outfit and super-long oiled goatee, he has all the cool toys - ray guns, rocket ships, and robots.

The Kurgan: In the first Highlander movie, we're treated to The Kurgan - a sadistic, powerful immortal stomping around in skeleton armor or chains and black leather. His powerful voice, leering grin, and imposing physique did much to carry the movie.

Kahn: Kahn is Captain Kirk's nemesis, seen both in the original TV series and in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Khan's seemingly genteel manner combined with his absolute determination to see Kirk destroyed (no matter what his own fate) makes him a deliciously grand villain.

Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty: She may be a cartoon, but she's an evil queen and a fire breathing dragon, to boot. Her green flames, ability to shapeshift, and horned costume make her an admirable villain. The climactic scene of the dragon and prince fighting in a castle courtyard filled with thorns got me started on a lifelong love of fantasy.

The Clown in IT: Evil Clowns are just freaky. Tim Curry's supernatural force of evil masquerading as a clown is terrifying. In the made-for-TV miniseries IT, children battle their greatest fears as they fight IT.

Darkness: The Lord of Darkness, from Legend, was an almost beautiful villain. His red skin, gigantic horns, hooved feet, flowing cape, and thundering, smooth voice epitomize villain. And his attempts to woo Lily added another dimension of menace.

The Terminator: The T1000 in Terminator 2 may have been a better machine, but nothing beats the original. In the Terminator, the machine of the same name was a relentless and unfeeling man-like machine with a sawed off shotgun. In the end, as he was crushed to little more than a silver skeleton, he still was determined to kill his intended victim.