Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
#51
Inane Thread Master, 2018 TOTY
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Are any of us really anywhere?
Posts: 49,710
Received 965 Likes
on
805 Posts
Re: Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
I would argue that Ultron is a better choice. Thanos actually did what he did to help save the universe from itself, it's just a very short sighted plan because even if he halved all life in the universe, populations would eventually rise and cause what he had tried to undo. Ultron just wants to eradicate life in its entirety.
#52
DVD Talk Hero
#53
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
Forget Thanos' motives, it's hard to take a guy seriously who has a ball sack where his chin should be.
Except he mudered a.dozen kids and blew up an entire planet of people. That's on top of strangling anyone who displeased him. I wouldn't want to hang with him.
Except he mudered a.dozen kids and blew up an entire planet of people. That's on top of strangling anyone who displeased him. I wouldn't want to hang with him.
#54
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
The following users liked this post:
IBJoel (08-02-22)
The following users liked this post:
IBJoel (08-02-22)
#56
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
the definition of Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that contains imagined elements that don't exist in the real world. Science fiction spans a wide range of themes that often explore time travel, space travel, are set in the future, and deal with the consequences of technological and scientific advances.
since the last two Avengers movies deal with just about all of that and though may not be a traditional sci-fi movie, i think i can skirt the line and in those regards say that one of the greatest villains i've seen (especially for what he did in Infinity War) is:
since the last two Avengers movies deal with just about all of that and though may not be a traditional sci-fi movie, i think i can skirt the line and in those regards say that one of the greatest villains i've seen (especially for what he did in Infinity War) is:
But I do like Thanos and he has been one of the more compelling villains of all time.
#57
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
Wait. I think no one is really getting the jest of this thread. So is this is supposed to be who would be the most fear inducing villain IRL? Like assuming you don't know much about the villain and they are just out there IRL? I'd think not Darth Vader then because I'm sure there would be a large populace that would see Darth Vader as a politician representing order in the galaxy. We likely wouldn't know anything about his exploits. They would probably spin the destruction of Alderaan as a large terrorist planet that had to be eradicated to maintain peace.
I'd think any kind of kaiju would be the most terrifying IRL. Just imagine if Godzilla were real. The utter destruction. Just an unstoppable force of nature that kills indiscriminately. Levels entire cities. Oh yeah and he spits out radioactive atomic breath. Then an even larger three headed one shows up and they start fighting and falling on buildings and knocking them out.
#58
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
I think there's a difference between a villain and a monster. Jaws is a monster. The Andromeda Strain bacteria is a monster. A kaiju is a monster, and it's really a personification of a force of nature. A tornado isn't a villain, even though it's destructive. A villain has malice.
#59
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Who is the greatest sci-fi villain of all time?
There are two kinds of villains. One acts purely out of malice or cruelty for their own pleasure. The other kind believes their actions are right, just, or beneficial. Thanos, and probably even Darth Vader, would fall into the latter. Though some are combination of both.
Thanos and Adrien Veidt both killed a lot of people because they believed the action was necessary.
It is an uncomfortable proposition. We can easily look at someone like Osama bin Laden or Adolf Hitler and call them villains because they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocents; both believed their causes were righteous and would not have seem themselves as villains.
But, on the flipside, are we as comfortable calling George W. Bush a villain because he started two pre-emptive wars that killed tens of thousands of people? Are we comfortable with calling Harry Truman a villain because he dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities, killing and maiming thousands in the process, even though it may have prevented even more casualties on both sides if the war against Japan had dragged on for years?
Thanos and Adrien Veidt both killed a lot of people because they believed the action was necessary.
It is an uncomfortable proposition. We can easily look at someone like Osama bin Laden or Adolf Hitler and call them villains because they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocents; both believed their causes were righteous and would not have seem themselves as villains.
But, on the flipside, are we as comfortable calling George W. Bush a villain because he started two pre-emptive wars that killed tens of thousands of people? Are we comfortable with calling Harry Truman a villain because he dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities, killing and maiming thousands in the process, even though it may have prevented even more casualties on both sides if the war against Japan had dragged on for years?
The following users liked this post:
tanman (08-04-22)