NationStates Jolt Archive

You can do either, or both. Pick your favoroute evil genius, in both Fictional and non-fictional prospectives.

Fiction: Dr Eggman! Not the original Dr Robotnik, I recently learned that Dr. Eggman is actually Dr. Robotniks son. I learned it after I played one of his games. Although usually he never wins (Like all fictional evil geniuses), but he does win WITH sonic in Sonic Adventure 2, helping to save the earth (Only to preserve his own life). Strange, a love of mechanics, an evil robot army, and desire for world domination. Evil Geniuses eat your heart out.

Non-Fiction: The man who created the Nuclear bomb. I forget his name. Although he started the space age, he created the greatest evil ever to exist. Nowadays, America uses them to deter attacks. Without Nukes a war between the Soviets and America would have certainly broke out however, so perhaps the Nukes are a mixed blessing... But did they really need to build so many?

Enter your own choices.

Fiction - Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' nemesis.

The Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh, pessimistic, sarcastic and always spoiling everything.

My neighbour upstairs who has bought dancedancemania (what ever) and plays it constantly. I may have to move.

Mandark!
Ha! Haha! Ha! Haha-haha!

Non-Fiction: The man who created the Nuclear bomb. I forget his name. Although he started the space age, he created the greatest evil ever to exist. Nowadays, America uses them to deter attacks. Without Nukes a war between the Soviets and America would have certainly broke out however, so perhaps the Nukes are a mixed blessing... But did they really need to build so many?


He wasn't too happy about it either when he realised what kind of morons were in charge.

Professor Moriarty! We meet again...

Fictional: Lord Vetinari, Artemis Fowl, Steerpike (from; the Discworld series, the Artemis Fowl series, and the Gormenghast trilogy, respectively)

Non-Fictional: Um... I really don't think I should say. It's probably becoming repetitive at any rate...

I know I'm a big seething geek for it, but my greatest fictional genius would have to be Vecna - the mage/necromancer/god from D&D's Greyhawk and Planescape worlds. I hate stupid or predictable villians, or villians that live to taunt heros. Vecna conquered his kingdom, overcame death, vanquished his enemies, and became a god through sheer cunning. Depending on the way you play the adventure, he either succeeds or fails at his ultimate goal - completely reforming all of existance in his image.

As for a nonfictional villian, I'll throw my vote in for any of the Spanish Conquestidors.

Non-Fictional: Um... I really don't think I should say. It's probably becoming repetitive at any rate...

say it... we don't judge people here. Although if it happens to be bush... he's no evil genius... nor is bin laden. They're just normal people playing around with the stupid and ignorant.

Fiction: The bible

maybe my neighbour isn't the greatest evil after all, I just remembered a nice old lad we get to know as King Leopold II

Fiction: The bible

I don't think the bible is an evil genius...

say it... we don't judge people here. Although if it happens to be bush... he's no evil genius... nor is bin laden. They're just normal people playing around with the stupid and ignorant.

Nonono. None of them (*gags*)

Aside from everything else, those are people that aren't on NS, and even if they are, they most likely lack mod super-powers.

Unlike the evil genius I'm thinking of. Who also probably doesn't fit your 'not judging' ideal :p

maybe my neighbour isn't the greatest evil after all, I just remembered a nice old lad we get to know as King Leopold II
argh stupidstupidstupidstupid Only now I saw the word GENIUS in the topic....

Unlike the evil genius I'm thinking of. Who also probably doesn't fit your 'not judging' ideal :p

It's not me is it... :rolleyes:

heh heh heh.

Fictional: Lord Vetinari, Artemis Fowl, Steerpike (from; the Discworld series, the Artemis Fowl series, and the Gormenghast trilogy, respectively)

Non-Fictional: Um... I really don't think I should say. It's probably becoming repetitive at any rate...

Vetinari isn't EVIL :p. Genius, easily. But...evil? :D

Hmmm...best fictional evil genius, eh? I'll have to go with Head Alien from the comic It's Walky. That guy was AWESOME :D

It's not me is it... :rolleyes:

heh heh heh.

Well... have you mod powers?

You may possibly also fit the list of non-fictional evil geniuses, but you aren't on my list of 'em yet.

Maybe I'll just have to keep an eye on you as well, from here on in.

Vetinari isn't EVIL :p. Genius, easily. But...evil? :D

Hmmm...best fictional evil genius, eh? I'll have to go with Head Alien from the comic It's Walky. That guy was AWESOME :D

Don't you kill my appreciation of him... he is totally evil. It's just the supreme geniusness that makes it seem like he isn't.

Don't you kill my appreciation of him... he is totally evil. It's just the supreme geniusness that makes it seem like he isn't.

Not to hijack, but you have a TG, and I got yours.

My favorite for fictional would have to be Scorpius from Farscape.

As for non-fictional, I don't think people like that actually exist.

Although Dr. Eggman isn't exactly good at his job, I do like the theme song he has on Sonic Adventure 2...

My favorite for fictional would have to be Scorpius from Farscape.

As for non-fictional, I don't think people like that actually exist.

Eh, Scorpius annoyed me, but you get a gold star for watching Farscape.

Eh, Scorpius annoyed me, but you get a gold star for watching Farscape.

Do I get anything for owning all four seasons on DVD?

Not to hijack, but you have a TG, and I got yours.

I got it, replied, and am leaving for dinner now (mwahaha crazy Australian timing!)

as for this:

Do I get anything for owning all four seasons on DVD?

You get all four seasons on DVD. So I wouldn't complain :D

fic: Kerrigan, Zerg Queen of Blades... or maybe Auctures Mensk, who set her up to be remolded by the Zerg.

r/l: Dr. Michael Aquino, founder of the Temple of Set, U.S. Army Colonal.

I got it, replied, and am leaving for dinner now (mwahaha crazy Australian timing!)

as for this:



You get all four seasons on DVD. So I wouldn't complain :D

I sent you another one, by the way.

And I want Season 5 on DVD....:(

Do I get anything for owning all four seasons on DVD?

I guess you can have a green star as well, then. But don't tell anyone - they'll think I'm going soft.

I guess you can have a green star as well, then. But don't tell anyone - they'll think I'm going soft.

Sweet! Stars!

Hmm.....Voldemort from Harry Potter.

Farscape is rather radical in that its main villains, Scorpius and Kraise, who sacrificed his life for the heroes' team, were not totally villains but rather more complex and conflicted than that. One thing I really love about it.

One thing I really hate is how they say "Frell" all the time as if everybody's kids don't know exactly what that means. ;)

for r/l I was tempted to say Torqumada, but I doubt he qualified as a genius... just an evil power-hungry zealot.

Non-Fictional - Satan
Fictional - Satan (hear he was loosely baised off a real guy)

Farscape is rather radical in that its main villains, Scorpius and Kraise, who sacrificed his life for the heroes' team, were not totally villains but rather more complex and conflicted than that. One thing I really love about it.

One thing I really hate is how they say "Frell" all the time as if everybody's kids don't know exactly what that means. ;)

for r/l I was tempted to say Torqumada, but I doubt he qualified as a genius... just an evil power-hungry zealot.

I think Scorpius is a good evil genius because even when he's doing the right thing, he's doing it because and only because it furthers his own agenda. Every single action he takes, even good ones that help the crew of Moya, are taken because they end up promoting his ends. That's evil genius if I ever heard of it.

Hmm.....Voldemort from Harry Potter.

SADACT... wait! i like Dr. Eggman!

*Silent*

To be honest, I'm not fond of Harry Pothead.

I think Scorpius is a good evil genius because even when he's doing the right thing, he's doing it because and only because it furthers his own agenda. Every single action he takes, even good ones that help the crew of Moya, are taken because they end up promoting his ends. That's evil genius if I ever heard of it.

But his ultimate ends are to protect the Sabacians, and everyone else, from their enemies... not entirely evil, although they are a sci-fi version of Pax Americana.

But his ultimate ends are to protect the Sabacians, and everyone else, from their enemies... not entirely evil, although they are a sci-fi version of Pax Americana.

No, his ultimate ends are to kill as many Scarrans as possible, and he sees the best way to achieve this is to align himself with the Peacekeepers. I imagine if a more viable way to kill Scarrans came along he'd jump ship nice and quick.

No, his ultimate ends are to kill as many Scarrans as possible, and he sees the best way to achieve this is to align himself with the Peacekeepers. I imagine if a more viable way to kill Scarrans came along he'd jump ship nice and quick.

But are the Scarrans not rather evil? And maybe I missed something but I think avenging his mother and STOPPING the Scarrans is a better descriptor of his motives.

I know you like farscape and all but... can we get back to topic please?

But are the Scarrans not rather evil? And maybe I missed something but I think avenging his mother and STOPPING the Scarrans is a better descriptor of his motives.

It's pretty much revenge, pure and simple. He's mad because the Scarrans basically tortured him when he was a child, and now he wants them to pay for that. The fact that the Scarrans are evil (and they most certainly are) doesn't really change that Scorpius' motives and actions are evil also.

I know you like farscape and all but... can we get back to topic please?

We're debating whether or not Scorpius is a good evil genius.

I know you like farscape and all but... can we get back to topic please?

Yes. Comment on my choices. :)

fic: Kerrigan, Zerg Queen of Blades... or maybe Auctures Mensk, who set her up to be remolded by the Zerg.

r/l: Dr. Michael Aquino, founder of the Temple of Set, U.S. Army Colonal.

WC3 spoilers:

Hmmm, Kerrigan was alright. Not really a genius since I had to do all the work :p. My problem with Blizzard is that they take Arthus, the most whiney, irritating charecter EVER to win my hate, and then make the cinimatic where he kills his dad. And for that cinimatic, he's fucking AWESOME. SO not fair. Irritating little craps should not become that cool :p.

End of spoilers.

Don't you kill my appreciation of him... he is totally evil. It's just the supreme geniusness that makes it seem like he isn't.

LOL I still can't see him as being particularly EVIL. He's not misunderstood either. And don't get me wrong, he's not GOOD. Just...a genius, really. One hell of a genius :p

I'm sticking with Head Alien. He was awesome, even to the end :p

Non-Fictional - Satan
Fictional - Satan (hear he was loosely baised off a real guy)

Hmm...

I guess a non-fictional guy could be the person that the myth of Dracula is based off of.

I guess a non-fictional guy could be the person that the myth of Dracula is based off of.

Vladimyr Tepisch. But was he a genius?

Vladimyr Tepisch. But was he a genius?

Could anyone else come up with the idea of ending homelessness by murdering all the homeless people? :D

SC3, not WC3.

Starcraft 3?

Starcraft 3?
I misunderstood, sorry.

Could anyone else come up with the idea of ending homelessness by murdering all the homeless people? :D

Yes. Anybody could.

Yes. Anybody could.

I don't think evil geniuses have to come up with plans that no one else could. I think they have to use totally innovative, and usually needlessly complex, evil methods to achieve goals.

Yes. Anybody could.

Ah, but would they carry it out? :D

AND, would they do it with such flair with a touch of obsession? :p

Ah, but would they carry it out? :D

AND, would they do it with such flair with a touch of obsession? :p

Proof of evil, not of genius.

Vladimyr Tepisch. But was he a genius?

He understood the use of terror tactics in a war, and was so successfull that they still shock us to this day, so yes.

On the other hand he could just have been one very sick puppy...

evil...oh...i know!....darth vader (breathing though a loud respirator)

real evil...um...vader...starwars is real...it happened in a far away galaxy in a time before we discovered starcraft or farscape

Duh! You people. The most evil badguys are *obviously* Count Olaf and Esmé Squalor! They are from: A Series of Unfortuante Events. I know they are made for children really but I love them! And better yet the character's names are from real people! This site explains it all: http://www.quidditch.com/lemony%20snicket.htm

The Count of Seseme Street.

Frankenberry (the doctor, not the monster).

Hank Scorpio.

Riff Raff.

Fictional: For sheer evil-seemingness Darth Vader gets points, but only when he has his song.

Real: God, half the world leaders of the twentieth century maybe? You pick which.

Fictional: I'm stuck between Vader and Scorpy...
Non-Fictional: Bananaman. That frickin' evil SOB needs to be stopped.

Fiction - Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' nemesis.
Bah I was depressed by how horribly non evil Moriarty was actually was

Only portrayed as this counter to homes (massively smart man running EVERYTHING) There was no personal hatred for the guy except when you THOUGHT he killed homes (Doyle later being talked into restarting the serried re introduced him)

Moriarty was a smart man for like a story (maybe two I forget) the conflict comes to a head quickly and with very little animosity until the supposed killing and once you find out that he is not …

Hounds of the Baskerville was way better

Tony Blair

Walt Disney.

Fictional: Moriarity, hands down! :)

Non-Fictional: Hitler, although the list is long and undistinguished. :)

Tony Blair

What? He's no genius! He's a moron!

Refused Party Program for both.

Refused Party Program for both.

I have seen no proof you are evil, but I admit you're a genius.

I have seen no proof you are evil, but I admit you're a genius.

I've seen no proof he's non-fictional.

I've seen no proof he's non-fictional.

too true.

I've seen no proof he's non-fictional.

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PROOF!

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PROOF!

Of course I can. I'm holding it right now. see?

*Shows RPP he's handleing the proof, then keeps it.*

Kerrigor and Orranis from Sabriel and Lirael+Abhorsen by Garth Nix, respectively.

Kerrigor and Orranis from Sabriel and Lirael+Abhorsen by Garth Nix, respectively.

Actually I think you meant to say "Refused Party Program".

Fictional: Commander Rau LeCreuset (Gundam SEED) - an awesome military strategist and pilot, if not totally unbalanced at times

Non-Fictional: Erwin Rommell

Fictional: Lord Vetinari, Artemis Fowl, Steerpike (from; the Discworld series, the Artemis Fowl series, and the Gormenghast trilogy, respectively)

Non-Fictional: Um... I really don't think I should say. It's probably becoming repetitive at any rate...


Since when was vetinari evil?

Of course I can. I'm holding it right now. see?

*Shows RPP he's handleing the proof, then keeps it.*
Smartass ;)

Non-Fiction: It's a dead heat between Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin.

Fiction: Sauron, the representation of ultimate evil in the Lord of the Rings.

Vetinari's not evil, but he is a genius. One of my fav Discworld characters.
Fiction: Dr. Evil of course!
Non-fiction: Me!

Actually I think you meant to say "Refused Party Program".
Of course. I'm amazed I didn't think of it before. :)

Fiction: Sauron, the representation of ultimate evil in the Lord of the Rings.Not really the ultimate evil - read the Silmarillion and you'll see that Morgoth was far, far worse than Sauron could ever be. [/geekspeech]

Of course. I'm amazed I didn't think of it before. :)

Not really the ultimate evil - read the Silmarillion and you'll see that Morgoth was far, far worse than Sauron could ever be. [/geekspeech]
Well ol' Morgoth hadn't exactly returned by the time of the War of the Ring though had he? :p

Well ol' Morgoth hadn't exactly returned by the time of the War of the Ring though had he? :pHe still existed at that time though - in the 'outer darkness', I believe it was called. [/ubergeekspeech] :D

Tell me, who is Morgoth exactly? Only having read the trilogy plus the Hobbit, and the appendix at the end of my edition of The Return of the King, I have a vague understanding of Sauron and his origins, but have read nothing about this "Morgoth" character. What is he, some kind of omnipresent, omnipotent evil presence from the First Age who created the Balrogs, corrupted some of the Elves into the Orcs, and was Sauron's mentor?

I am interested-please, tell me more.

Ok, I can give you a very, very condensed version of 'The Music of the Ainur' (In the Silmarillion). It's basically the creation myth of the Elves.

In the beginning, there was Illuvatar, The One, who was the creator of everything. He made other beings (called the Ainur or later the Valar) and they helped him to make the music of the creation of the universe. One of the most powerful of them, Melkor, was unhappy with the song that Illuvatar gave him to sing, and tried to make his own song without Illuvatar's aid. He convinced many other Ainur to sing his song as well. Basically, it fouled up Illuvartar's plan to create the perfect world - Melkor created the strife and suffering in Middle-earth. Later, some of the Ainur go down to the Ea (Middle-earth) to shape the earth to fit the vision of Illuvatar. Melkor also decided to go down as well, if just to make sure that none of the others would have more power than he. After that, basically he just makes war on and destroys everything he can get his hands on that the Valar and later the other races of ME (elves, dwarves, men, and various others) create. Eventually, the Valar decided to gang up on him and stop him for all time. They succeed, but in the war they have, the entire continent is reshaped - rivers' courses changed, mountains brought down, etc. They banish Melkor (renamed Morgoth, "The great enemy of the world", by the elves) to the Outer Dark. That is, he can no longer come into the world, but some of the powerful can still hear his whispers.

Sauron was one of Morgoth's chief lieutenants. Remember how Aragorn talks about the 'Lay of Luthien' at Weathertop? Sauron actually met the characters in that tale (while trying to kill them), a thousand years or more before, when Morgoth still ruled. Interesting, huh?

Anyways, if you're interested in hearing more about it, read the Silmarillion. The scope of the book is truly epic - covering about 3 thousand years at least, and it is a very interesting read. It makes reading LotR quite a different and more satisfying experience. :)

Anyways, if you're interested in hearing more about it, read the Silmarillion. The scope of the book is truly epic - covering about 3 thousand years at least, and it is a very interesting read. It makes reading LotR quite a different and more satisfying experience. :)
All of that is true, but anyone thinking of reading the "Silmarillion" should be warned that it reads a lot differently then "The Hobbit" or "The Lord of the Rings". Its definitely a must read if you want to gain a better prespective on Tolkien's Middle Earth, but it can be kind of a dry read at times since there are periods where you have a lot of information thrown at you in a short period of time. Still if you're into Tolkien, it is well worth the effort.

Mr Burns!!!

Bagpuss - the pink cat's up to something.

My favorite for fictional would have to be Scorpius from Farscape.

As for non-fictional, I don't think people like that actually exist.


Kudos fellow Farscape fan. Scorpy was an excellent evil genius (annoying, yes, but evil AND genius)...

And it's sweet of you to think non-fictional evil geniuses don't really exist, but how do you explain Dr. Mengele (nazi doctor dubbed "the Angel of Death"). 'Though I'd hate to call him my "favorite" anything.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/mengele/main.htm

Jack the Ripper - he never got caught, so he must have been pretty smart.

Dr Crippen was pretty nasty too.

Ooh, I love the Victorians

All of that is true, but anyone thinking of reading the "Silmarillion" should be warned that it reads a lot differently then "The Hobbit" or "The Lord of the Rings". Its definitely a must read if you want to gain a better prespective on Tolkien's Middle Earth, but it can be kind of a dry read at times since there are periods where you have a lot of information thrown at you in a short period of time. Still if you're into Tolkien, it is well worth the effort.

It reads like a history book... which is exactly what it is. Anyway, while I agree that Morgoth is, indeed, a great fictional representative of ultimate evil (particularly regarding his treatment of the folk that stumbled into his realm for one reason or another), he didn't really exhibit any characteristics of the literary device: evil genius. Evil, yes, but genius? His most genius move was in bargaining with Ungoliant (ew). Anyway, that didn't work out so well. Oh, and he mentored Sauron (which was a pretty slick move...), but Sauron was primarily a counter to Olorin anyway ("Olorin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten...").[/uberliterarygeekspeek]

EDIT: Another short warning about the history book in question... I loved it, but if you're one of those people who gets consumed in the book you're reading, it can give you some pretty fishy dreams.

Jack the Ripper - he never got caught, so he must have been pretty smart.

Dr Crippen was pretty nasty too.

Ooh, I love the Victorians

Aaaah, Jack. He was a genius, indeed, but not because he didn't get caught (he had a lot of help on that front). Mostly, I think, it was because of the brilliant precision with which he dismembered his victims. Several copycats have tried to emulate him, to no avail. As my kids would say, "He got mad skills, he don't know why."

Mr Burns!!!

Genius? He can't even remember people's names!

r/l: Ariel Sharon

fic: Frank "Grimey" Grimes, Jr.

"My dad liked whores! So?"

Fictional:
1) Mojo Jojo
2) Krang
3) Fortinbras
4) The Brain

Krang is an old-school, funny-sounding despot-brain with his own stone soldier army, banished from Dimension X. Mojo Jojo, though a recent character, is just as maniacal as any old-school villain (watch Powerpuff Girls sometime, honestly). Fortinbras is the character in Hamlet who WINS, his armies sweeping through Denmark to pick up the pieces and take over. And The Brain... why, I'd certainly serve him if he took over the world, in spite of Pinky.

Non-fictional:
1) Aaron Burr
2) Otto von Bismarck
3) Iosef Stalin

It should be noted that, unlike Hitler, Bismarck and Stalin actually WON their respective wars. And Hitler was no genius; he managed to create a coalition of the largest army, one of the most powerful navies, and the greatest economy against him. Bismarck would have NEVER started a two-front war; he had DIPLOMACY. He would have won the first war before moving on. In fact, that's precisely what he did.

And Aaron Burr is just fantastically diabolical.

Fictional:
1) Mojo Jojo
2) Krang
3) Fortinbras
4) The Brain

Krang is an old-school, funny-sounding despot-brain with his own stone soldier army, banished from Dimension X. Mojo Jojo, though a recent character, is just as maniacal as any old-school villain (watch Powerpuff Girls sometime, honestly). Fortinbras is the character in Hamlet who WINS, his armies sweeping through Denmark to pick up the pieces and take over. And The Brain... why, I'd certainly serve him if he took over the world, in spite of Pinky.

Non-fictional:
1) Aaron Burr
2) Otto von Bismarck
3) Iosef Stalin

It should be noted that, unlike Hitler, Bismarck and Stalin actually WON their respective wars. And Hitler was no genius; he managed to create a coalition of the largest army, one of the most powerful navies, and the greatest economy against him. Bismarck would have NEVER started a two-front war; he had DIPLOMACY. He would have won the first war before moving on. In fact, that's precisely what he did.

And Aaron Burr is just fantastically diabolical.

Do you really suggest that Fortinbras planned what happened?

It reads like a history book... which is exactly what it is. Anyway, while I agree that Morgoth is, indeed, a great fictional representative of ultimate evil (particularly regarding his treatment of the folk that stumbled into his realm for one reason or another), he didn't really exhibit any characteristics of the literary device: evil genius. Evil, yes, but genius? His most genius move was in bargaining with Ungoliant (ew). Anyway, that didn't work out so well. Oh, and he mentored Sauron (which was a pretty slick move...), but Sauron was primarily a counter to Olorin anyway ("Olorin I was in my youth in the West that is forgotten...").[/uberliterarygeekspeek]
There's something about that name...... You wouldn't happen to be a Tolkien fan would you? ;)

And thank you for the analogy. It was what I was trying to get at. It is the history, and you could argue the mythology depending how you look at it, behind all the events, happenings, and races in "The Lord of the Rings".

Also worth a read, if you want more background information is "Unfinished
Tales". It includes more information on the Plantir, an excellent, if not the definitive, essay Istari (or wizards if you prefer), and some other interesting things.

There's something about that name...... You wouldn't happen to be a Tolkien fan would you? ;)

And thank you for the analogy. It was what I was trying to get at. It is the history, and you could argue the mythology depending how you look at it, behind all the events, happenings, and races in "The Lord of the Rings".

Also worth a read, if you want more background information is "Unfinished
Tales". It includes more information on the Plantir, an excellent, if not the definitive, essay Istari (or wizards if you prefer), and some other interesting things.

How astute of you to notice. Actually, I'm a literature scholar (and high school English teacher), and I try to read Tolkien's works every summer (if I'm not teaching summer school or too busy rewriting the curriculum). I found "The Silmarillion" wonderful, particularly for examining and understanding the greater subtext of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I got through some of the "Unfinished Tales" but found that Christopher Tolkien's incessant editorial comments (within the text of the stories, even) made the work clumsy and unpleasant to read. Perhaps you can recommend an edition that does not contain said comments? Anyway, my cat's name is Olorin ;), so I'm a huge fan (have attended countless symposia on the subject of Tolkien and his works). I have a deep respect for the man's love of language and very much enjoy his comments regarding his work on the Oxford English Dictionary. (I contain a copy of the first edition to include the words "Ent" and "Orc".)

:) Is there a category for NONevil Geniuses? Because J.R.R. Tolkien definately qualifies.

Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Thanos from Marvel Comics.

He's so smart, he practically conquered the universe a few times. But his downfall is that he gets bored and let himself be defeated, so he can plan something new. oh, and he can't seem to make DEATH truly love him.

Have anybody mentioned Hannibal Lector yet?

Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Oh boy, now we're getting into the Star Wars extended universe. I don't think that Thrawn holds a candle to Sith Lords such as Palpatine, Exar Kun, Naga Sadow, etc.

I mean, Thrawn was only a normal person-if you're incredibly evil and have the capability to use the Force-which twists you and magnifies your malevolance if you tap into the dark side-then I'd say you're far worse (or have better capability to impliment your evil ides) than I or any regular person could.

Besides, Thrawn lost, though it can be argued that because it's Star Wars, the light will always triumph over the dark, though the dark may hold sway at times (take the Galactic Empire, for example).

Thanos is a bad-ass. Probably the biggest baddest ass in the MU. And as a Titan(?) he is pretty surely a genius. So in the MU I would agree.

Some more interesting MU villains:

Nitro - not a genius by far, but he did kill Captain Marr-Vell(sp?).

Dark Pheonix - what a BITCH!!!

The kree Supreme Intelligence - Imagine Hitler as the embodied universal consciousness of a galactic "master race".

Xemnu, the Living Titan - definitely an evil genius, but pretty foolish... he is a powerful telepath but he always seems to make Hulk mad.

...and of course, Dormammu, Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, the Leader and the Red Skull.

Do you really suggest that Fortinbras planned what happened?

He used the situation to his full advantage, as Machiavelli suggests. But notice he also had just conquered the Poles beforehand and just happened to be passing by Denmark at the time.

Fictional:
1) Mojo Jojo
...
Mojo Jojo, though a recent character, is just as maniacal as any old-school villain (watch Powerpuff Girls sometime, honestly).
A fellow PPG fan? Can I get a hell yeah?

As for mine:
Fictional: Dr. Evil, Ivo "Dr. Eggman" Robotnik, Mojo Jojo

F'real: Niccolo Machiavelli, the father of modern evil-genius-ry.

Damn, someone beat me to Thrawn. :(

I don't know a whole bunch of real life evil geniuses (save, perhaps, myself :D). As far as fiction goes though...hmm... There's plenty of evil geniuses out there, but to pick the best of them...

Well, beyond Thrawn, I'd have to say either the G-Man, Prince Xizor, or Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Prince Xizor, though dead, almost mangaged to orchestrate the downfall of the Empire and the Rebel Alliance, to his own personal gain. He was ruthless, strong, and had a massive crime syndicate to do his bidding. Ernst Blofeld may not seem like the sharpest tack in the box in the Bond movies, but if you read his books, he's absolutly brilliant, and obsessed with death and pain. And the G-Man...well, I think he speaks for himself.

I know I'm a big seething geek for it, but my greatest fictional genius would have to be Vecna - the mage/necromancer/god from D&D's Greyhawk and Planescape worlds. I hate stupid or predictable villians, or villians that live to taunt heros. Vecna conquered his kingdom, overcame death, vanquished his enemies, and became a god through sheer cunning. Depending on the way you play the adventure, he either succeeds or fails at his ultimate goal - completely reforming all of existance in his image.

Vecna was a two-bit chump who was stupid enough to create a weapon that killed him, get himself stuck into Ravenloft, and challenge the single most powerful entity in the multiverse (who managed to kill a greater god and every last one of his worshippers with little or no effort). Plus, DVD isn't part of Planescape. Or anything for that matter. It's not canon. It's just something that Cordell pulled out of his ass that totally fucked up existing Planescape, Greyhawk, and Ravenloft canon. Plus, Vecna only became a god because people started worshipping him.

Kas the Destroyer, on the other hand...

He used the situation to his full advantage, as Machiavelli suggests. But notice he also had just conquered the Poles beforehand and just happened to be passing by Denmark at the time.

Hell, who HASN'T conquered the Poles? ;)

So he took advantage of the tragedy... that doesn't indicate evil or genius. Should he have left Denmark headless? That would certainly not have been a good thing. And he had an army and royal lineage, didn't he? Hardly took genius then.

Duh! You people. The most evil badguys are *obviously* Count Olaf and Esmé Squalor! They are from: A Series of Unfortuante Events. I know they are made for children really but I love them! And better yet the character's names are from real people! This site explains it all: http://www.quidditch.com/lemony%20snicket.htm

OMG! I can't believe I forgot them! *hits head on desk*.

Since when was vetinari evil?

Well, anyone who can cause such terror through a threat of sarcasm (or *gasp* irony) has to have some capacity for evil.

He's just not insane, world-taking-over evil, that's all.

Fictitional: The demon Crowley from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's book Good Omens.

The proof: Many phenomena- wars, plagues, sudden audits- have been advanced as evidence for the hidden hand of Satan in the affairs of Man, but whenever students of demonlogy get together the M25 London orbital motorway is generally agreed to be among top contenders for Exhibit A...

... It was one of Crowley's better acheivments

Steerpike from the Gormenghast novels is pretty evil too.

Non-fictional: Karl Rove

How the heck was Bismarck evil? A genius, yes, but evil?

Ooh! Ooh! I need to add two more!

1.) Mephistopheles (I think that's spelt right)
2.) O'Brein, the Inner Party member from 1984

Mephisto is obviously an evil genius, because 1.) he's Satan, and 2.) he lures mortals into unbreakable contracts to steal their souls. Come on, you can't beat that. He's the original.

And O'Brein serves a corrupt, brain washing government, and personally serves up Winston's worst fear in a calm, eerily cool manner. That's the stuff evil geniuses are made of.

Fiction: doc strangelove
Non-fiction: I have no idea. Most of the evil scientists weren't geniuses.

Snowball in Animal Farm is the greatest evil genius in a novel.

Stalin in real life as he did what Snowball did in real life, and yet stayed in power, dying in his sleep and yet is still not regarded as the most evil man in history because he was on the winning side.

Too many people are over-looking Refused Party Program in both categories. :mad:

Fictional:
Transformers Beast Wars Megatron. So, he lost the Beast Wars. He did take over Cybertron anyway... He was kinda nuts, but oh well... He is probably the greatest Transformers Lead Villian ever!

Scorpius: What to say that hasn't been said? Farscape rocks!

Thrawn: Awesome military genius.

Prince Xixor: He smart too!

Darth Vader: huuuuh-huuuh. huuuh-huuu.

Senator/Emperor Palpatine: this guy's awesome. He only lost cause Vader betrayed him....

Infested Kerrigan: Managed to survive everything, Kerrigan rocks. As does StarCraft...

Bobvol: nevermind, he doesn't exist.

non-fictional:
nocluewhoisarealevilgenius

I remember a good one: Satan from For the Love of Evil, by Piers Anthony. That was interesting.

You can do either, or both. Pick your favoroute evil genius, in both Fictional and non-fictional prospectives.

Fiction: Dr Eggman! Not the original Dr Robotnik, I recently learned that Dr. Eggman is actually Dr. Robotniks son. I learned it after I played one of his games. Although usually he never wins (Like all fictional evil geniuses), but he does win WITH sonic in Sonic Adventure 2, helping to save the earth (Only to preserve his own life). Strange, a love of mechanics, an evil robot army, and desire for world domination. Evil Geniuses eat your heart out.

Non-Fiction: The man who created the Nuclear bomb. I forget his name. Although he started the space age, he created the greatest evil ever to exist. Nowadays, America uses them to deter attacks. Without Nukes a war between the Soviets and America would have certainly broke out however, so perhaps the Nukes are a mixed blessing... But did they really need to build so many?

Enter your own choices.

Now I havn't read the rest of the thread but:
1) Dr Robotnik/Kintobor was the coolest character in Sonic. (Not that I've played/read it in the last 12 years.
2) That'd be Albert Einstein as an evil geniuos then. Hmm.
3) Ok I've read some on the thread. Mojo Jojo, Darth Vader, Mephistopheles are all good.
4) My two are the Christian God and Devil.

I can't believe I forget this guy!

Durandal, from the Marathon series. Top notch, right there. Can't be beaten.

>_>

Yes he's evil >_>.

Fiction : Ronald McDonald

Non-Fiction : Bill Gates

Fictional: Young Nasty Man, archnemisis and rival to Wonderboy. Seriously though, I'd have to put in my vote with the Farscape crowd for Scorpious. Or Sephiroth, but he wasn't so much with the geniusness. I mean, he did have a plan to become a god and destroy the world, but he just doesn't strike one with the genius aspect. Did too much of his work himself, I guess. Oh, and Bob Page from the Deus Ex videogame... what's not fun about world crippling viruses, artificially intelligent minions, and the culmination of conspiracy theories?

Nonfictional: What a toughy... I mean, the true genius wouldn't even be known, and would operate entirely behind the scenes. Presumably.

Fiction : Ronald McDonald

Non-Fiction : Bill Gates

You got that right.

...

I just totally realized that almost nobody here will know who Durandal IS.

For shame. For shame indeed.

[QUOTE=Shaed]Fictional: Lord Vetinari, Artemis Fowl, Steerpike (from; the Discworld series)QUOTE]
He is NOT EVIL! I love that character! When I saw this forum, I thought of lord vetinari, but he's not really bad. He is exceptionally good (in his own way)

Fictitional: The demon Crowley from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's book Good Omens.

The proof: Many phenomena- wars, plagues, sudden audits- have been advanced as evidence for the hidden hand of Satan in the affairs of Man, but whenever students of demonlogy get together the M25 London orbital motorway is generally agreed to be among top contenders for Exhibit A...

... It was one of Crowley's better acheivments

I remember reading that... I haven't finished that book yet, but I just love Terry Pratchett

Fiction : Ronald McDonald

Non-Fiction : Bill Gates


RONALD MC DONALD IS NOT A GENIUS! He was just a kiddy fiddler.

I agree with the bill gates comment however.

Fictional...THE GOD EMPEROR!

Non-Fictional...Genghis Khan: Yeah lets invade and rape and pillage because WE CAN!!! :D