Most Evil Fantasy/Sci-Fi Dark Lord

[Victarion]

Yep. There are no "human" redeeming qualities to Sauron. There arent any redeeming qualities of any kind. He is evil incarnate. Its too bad more of his history didnt get put on screen because in the Second Age of Middle Earth he put the place through a blender. He is barely represented in Jackson's trilogy. It doesnt even scratch the surface of the thing that Sauron is.

I would have liked Jackson to take some liberties with the trilogy and show a weakened Sauron directing Balrogs etc from Barad-Dur. As it stands, I think killing Theoden's son was the worst he did in the film. That was indirectly, of course, which fits with Sauron as a master manipulator.

 

[Tony Stark]

Don't get me wrong, because I love the Harry Potter films, but to me Voldemort is one of the weakest villains in all lore. I just never felt frightened of him, he's basically a bully and that's about it.

Palpatine is a close second for me, because of Ian McDairmid's masterful performance. Playing the roll of puppet master, and just being the devil incarnate. He was one of the few things I enjoyed about the prequels.

Thanos, it's just too early. I know him from the comics, but I'm going by the movies and Thanos just has a 2 second cameo, at best.

The one that takes the cake for me is Sauron. I think it shows the masterful film making of Jackson to make a flaming eyeball seems like the most intimidating thing ever. It's one thing for Tolkein to write about it, but I always thought it would be difficult to make him seem a threat.

 

[Sawyer]

Aerys Targaryen. I don't care if he's a TV character, nor do I care that he hasn't even been seen on said TV series. He owns this ****.

 

[Marvolo]

Don't get me wrong, because I love the Harry Potter films, but to me Voldemort is one of the weakest villains in all lore. I just never felt frightened of him, he's basically a bully and that's about it.

Palpatine is a close second for me, because of Ian McDairmid's masterful performance. Playing the roll of puppet master, and just being the devil incarnate. He was one of the few things I enjoyed about the prequels.

Thanos, it's just too early. I know him from the comics, but I'm going by the movies and Thanos just has a 2 second cameo, at best.

The one that takes the cake for me is Sauron. I think it shows the masterful film making of Jackson to make a flaming eyeball seems like the most intimidating thing ever. It's one thing for Tolkein to write about it, but I always thought it would be difficult to make him seem a threat.

Just curious have you read the Harry Potter books? Voldemort is more evil in the books than he is in the films. More child death and torture and general *****ebaggery. I still agree Voldemort isnt Sauron by a long shot but if you're wanting a more evil voldemort the books might interest you. Tho I like Fiennes's performance the Voldemort in the films isnt all that. He's just a brat with a god complex.

 

[Doc Ock]

Voldy is definitely presented as being more evil in the books, I don't care what anybody says. Voldermort is definitely a classic villain worth being besides the likes of Darth Vader and Sauron.

 

[DaveMoral]

Sauron

Maia spirit of a just god.
Former lieutenant of a corrupt god. Taught his evil ways by the god Morgoth.
Tricked various elves to create artifacts allowing him to control and enslave the natural world.
Life withers and rots at his presence.
He brought about the destruction and near genocide of Numenor and its people. Not to mention nearly wiping out creation.
He can alter the substance of the world around him by just his will.
His influence, manipulation, and destruction happened over thousands of years and effected an entire creation.
Can change forms and is a master illusionist.
Can truly raise the dead.
Commands Balrogs (Maiar spirits)
Has commanded and controlled every nasty vile thing that could crawl from the darkest pits of hell.
And it goes on.

I mean if we are talking true evil, and effectiveness of the character it doesnt get more evil and effective than Sauron.

Basically, Sauron is the right hand man of Satan. I agree.

Palpatine is a close second, for me. Especially taking the EU into consideration. Dark Empire unveils that horrors of Palpatine's mind and plans for not just the galaxy, but the universe. With him reigning as the Dark Side Incarnate.

 

[Marvolo]

Voldy is definitely presented as being more evil in the books, I don't care what anybody says. Voldermort is definitely a classic villain worth being besides the likes of Darth Vader and Sauron.

Definitely a classic, and unlike Vader there isnt a "cool" thing about him. He is slimy and vile and I have the general urge to stomp a mudhole in his ass.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Pakpatine by a mile, I'm guessing Vader has been left off to actually make the poll a contest.

 

[Doc Ock]

Definitely a classic, and unlike Vader there isnt a "cool" thing about him. He is slimy and vile and I have the general urge to stomp a mudhole in his ass.

Exactly, thats what I call a good villain!

 

[Aztec]

Pakpatine by a mile, I'm guessing Vader has been left off to actually make the poll a contest.

Actually, as much as I love Vader (legendary villain for sure), in the long run he's just Palpatine's top Lt. Just like Bellatrix for Voldy, Witch King for Sauron, and Loki for Thanos. He's not truly a Dark LORD on his own IMHO. Legendary screen villain/bad-ass/icon/etc? Absolutely. Lord? No.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

Vader was a Sith Lord. Or to give the full title Dark Lord of the Sith. The only reasons he should be discounted should be:

A) There'd be no contest.
B) He wasn't truly evil.

Out of those listed on the poll:
Sauron
Palpatine
Voldemort
Thanos

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Yeah... people even call him Lord Vader.

 

[Roose Bolton]

Aerys Targaryen. I don't care if he's a TV character, nor do I care that he hasn't even been seen on said TV series. He owns this ****.

I actually think he's got some really sympathetic aspects, certainly more so than say Palpatine for example.

 

[Marvolo]

I actually think he's got some really sympathetic aspects, certainly more so than say Palpatine for example.

Like being a mentally challenged anger spawn due to his family's sister boning?

 

[Doctor Jones]

Teh Joker! TEH JOKERRR!

Er... sorry.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Sauron

PS : you can drop Thanos for Darkness ( from Legend ).

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Take it easy PW. No reason to get your panties in a bunch.

I may have been slightly drunk when I posted that.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Actually, as much as I love Vader (legendary villain for sure), in the long run he's just Palpatine's top Lt. Just like Bellatrix for Voldy, Witch King for Sauron, and Loki for Thanos. He's not truly a Dark LORD on his own IMHO. Legendary screen villain/bad-ass/icon/etc? Absolutely. Lord? No.

He was called Lord Vader and had the potential to wipe Palpatine out if he chose too, that was the nature of the Sith rule of two. My main point though was just that if you put him on the poll he'd win by a landslide as he is far and away more popular than the ones listed.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

Yep. There are no "human" redeeming qualities to Sauron. There arent any redeeming qualities of any kind. He is evil incarnate. Its too bad more of his history didnt get put on screen because in the Second Age of Middle Earth he put the place through a blender. He is barely represented in Jackson's trilogy. It doesnt even scratch the surface of the thing that Sauron is.

You're making me wanna read the books, and i'd sort of given up on the idea of enjoying them because I loved the movies so much when I was younger but sort of over watched them (was seriously bad with FOTR, watching it three times a day).

 

[Marvolo]

You're making me wanna read the books, and i'd sort of given up on the idea of enjoying them because I loved the movies so much when I was younger but sort of over watched them (was seriously bad with FOTR, watching it three times a day).

Wooo thats a lot! I used to watch them a lot too tho. I love the books. The writing is a bit stiff by today's standards and Tolkien is one to get hung up on details but the world is just staggering.

 

[Airwings]

Is this poll about the most powerful one, or the most evil one?

 

[Marvolo]

Is this poll about the most powerful one, or the most evil one?

Either way I'd still go with Sauron.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

Based on the choices, I'm gonna go with Palpatine, because he wasn't physically imposing but he had the plans in order to achieve success. Only his arrogance was his undoing, and that can be said for most of these Lords (except Thanos for obvious reasons.)

That said, i'd vote Vader if he was here. For everyone who claims "Oh, the prequels neutered Vader, blah blah blah", no, they really didn't. It was always established Anakin was Obi-wan's padawan who fell to the dark side. While I admit, reasoning on his fall could be better, once Anakin turned he wasn't who he used to be, and even barring him being a bit whiney until he was burned, he had 19 years to develop into the Sith we all know and love (and the chrarcters of the films feared.) I think Anakin being immature works with who he is. Anakin always was that little boy from Tatooine, who fell in love with someone off world, and he wanted to do anything to protect that love. Only after he believed he lost everything, did he grow up and realize how horrible the galaxy was, and took responsibility for his actions and twisted it and himself into a cold, unfeeling warrior. Only Luke was able to reach out to this grown Anakin, who eventually acted as an adult and as the good person he once was to defeat the Emperor.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Yeah, Vader's a dark lord. He'll, he's even call Lord Vader and is still considered a dark lord by name.

 

[kedrell]

I'm with Aztec on this. You can't be a true Dark Lord if you've got a boss who's around that you have to answer to. So no to Vader. Technically Sauron has a boss as well(Morgoth) but he's been tossed into the void until the ending of the world way back at the end of the first age. So Sauron's pretty well running his own show in LOTR. Although Marvolo, you forgot to mention he also got the Numenorean's to start worshipping Morgoth with human sacrifices. To me that puts to shame anything Voldemort or Palpatine did. But I voted for Thanos because he needs the love.