Everyone Loves a Villain!

Or in Alicia's case, everyone loves a bad boy (as we learned from her favorite cliches)!

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday.

Today's Topic--Who are your favorite literary villains/antagonists, and why?

While Alicia is still taking a small blogging break, I (Miranda) am back to help out with today's YA Highway topic! Alicia may be back, so she can add on to my picks or push me aside. But I'm pretty excited because I LOVE villains. I've always sympathized with the bad guy in books in movies. Now would be a good time to once again bring up my thesis topic... but that may bore you all. So here goes! My favorite literary villains/antagonists!

1. Professor Severus Snape- Perhaps I have Harry Potter on the brain from recently seeing part 2, but he is a great antagonist. While I do love the movies (and he was expertly and accurately portrayed by Alan Rickman), this is about books. And the Harry Potter novels will always trump the films. Snape is just an awesome and ambiguous character. Harry is so certain that Snape hates him, and we've all had that one teacher that we knew was out to get us!

2. Count Olaf- I love the Lemony Snicket stories! Count Olaf is an amazing villain because he has absolutely no redeeming qualities. He's a villain to the end! He never has a change of heart, no regrets, no remorse. Plus, he's a bit goofy and sometimes clueless which makes for a good read.

3. Boo Radley- (from To Kill a Mockingbird) Although not really a villain, he is the neighborhood monster. A mythical scary person to the children who live nearby. As kid's, we've all had that one house on the block or town that is "haunted," or where a misunderstood person lives that the neighborhood kids have demonized. Boo is definitely that character to Scout, but in the end, he saves the day!

4. Erik- (of Phantom of the Opera fame) One of my all time favorite literary characters in all forms-- films, books, plays, music, etc. Just look at all the different version out there that exist (and believe me, there are way more than you probably realize)! There's obviously something intriguing about the character that keeps drawing people to a murderous, kidnapping "bad guy." Misunderstood (as most villains are), but still no less dangerous... a perfect mix of angel and demon!

So there are Miranda's picks! What are some of yours?