Welcome to the fourth round of Literary Hub’s inaugural Ides of March Madness bracket:
The Best Villains in Literature.
Things are coming down to the wire here for our villains, and eight of the nastiest characters in literature have made it this far to the fourth round, which will decide the winner of each of category.
Some surprising results yesterday: King’s It is out, and Nurse Ratched was bested by O’Brien, his menacing duplicity beating out her electro-shock dominance. Humbert Humbert lost too—pour one out for the Nabokov fans. Although I have to imagine even in defeat, Humbert and Hannibal Lector are probably still getting along and, as a friend texted me, splitting the most pretentious wine in existence. And Satan beat Javert (ACAB).
The more righteous Anti-Villain won in the Medea vs. Gollum match-up. Being covetous of a powerful ring has nothing on a scorned and wrathful Greek. But Tolkien fans still have Sauron to root for in the Monsters corner. Sauron won handily versus Dracula, who got no extra villainy cred for his real estate speculation—vindication for landlords.
Our in-house speculations for how this was going to go haven’t borne out alas; if you want to see our staff picks, we’ve been posting our own brackets alongside our thoughts on our favorite villains. Looking at the current field, one of the four from the Authority Figures or Manipulative Bastards sections seems poised to win it all. The Iago versus Hannibal Lector match-up will be interesting. These are two guys who would text “hey can you call me? nothing big, just want to catch-up!” and then convince you to ruin your life. And Sauron versus Kurtz is a fitting pairing—two fallen lieutenants who’ve set themselves up in fortified nests of depravity. Will the otherworldly beat out the all-too-of-this-world?
Who will make it to the final four tomorrow? Voting is now open!
Check out the updated bracket and start voting below:
[Click for a zoom-enabled version]
Rules
You may be wondering: What makes a villain “best”? That, friends, is really up to you. You can vote for the most iconic villains, the most memorable villains, or the most villainous villains. You can vote for the villain you enjoyed reading about the most, or the one that kept you up at night. You can vote for the cutest villain, if that’s your thing. The point is, there are no rules. Villains are rule-breakers, and so are we.
Voting Schedule
Ignoble Round of 64: Voting open now until Sunday, March 9th at 7:00 PM EST
Round of 32 Assholes: Voting open now, from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST
on Monday, March 10th
Not-So-Sweet 16: Voting open from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST on Tuesday, March 11th
The Hateful 8: Voting open from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST on Wednesday, March 12th
The Drawn and Quarter Finals: Voting open from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST on Thursday, March 13th
The Final Showdown: Voting open until Sunday, March 16th at 7:00 PM EST on Friday, March 14th
And the Best Villain In Literature will be announced on Monday, March 17th!
How To Vote
Same as before: simply select the villain you think should advance, and we’ll tabulate the votes tonight.
Authority Figures
(In charge and insane.)
O’BRIEN (1) vs. THE COMMANDER (14)
(1) O’Brien (George Orwell, 1984)
Our top seed for authoritarians is this extremely memorable villain from one of the most widely read books about villainy. Orwell’s O’Brien combines all the worst villains from the real world into one of the nastiest guys in literature: he’s a fascist, a boss, and a snitch all rolled into one, a sort-of fascist Megazord, if you will.
Weapon of Choice: Lying, Rodents, Party-Members-Only Wine
Grim Prediction: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”
2+2: 5
Read: 75 Years of 1984: Why George Orwell’s Classic Remains More Relevant Than Ever and George Orwell’s 1984 is Always Just Around the Corner
vs.
(14) The Commander (Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale)
There are some novels that you wish the world could emulate more — The Handmaid’s Tale is one I wish would stop being so relevant. The Commander is a true and complete bastard, who is addicted to his patriarchal power — he isn’t content with his authority as the unquestioned head of household, he also bends Gilead’s rules to create more ways to control and abuse the women in his life.
Patriarchy’s Tools: Scrabble Boards, Privilege
Bad Justification: “You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, is what he says.”
Number of Real-Life Villains He’s Similar To: Far Too Many
Read: The Handmaid’s Tale Adapts More Than the Novel: Here is America
Manipulative Bastards
(Scheme ’til you scream.)
IAGO (1) vs. HANNIBAL LECTER (3)
(1) Iago (William Shakespeare, Othello)
Iago is high up on our list, and an all time manipulative bastard. The first guy to claim that he wore his heart on his sleeve was actually scheming up a storm for no discernible reason—a truly two-faced man. If you ever cringe thinking about the relationship drama you got into in your twenties, rest easy there wasn’t an Iago in your friend group.
Manipulates With: Fatal Workplace Gossip, Handkerchiefs
Wicked Aside: “That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,/And will as tenderly be led by the nose/As asses are.”
Manipulation Count: Contrives at least 3 fights and 1 demotion
Read: Poison in the Ear: Why Iago is the Ultimate Thriller Character
vs.
(3) Hannibal Lecter (Thomas Harris, Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, etc.)
When we were putting this list together, we knew immediately that Dr. Lecter would be a top seed. What other villain could turn Fava beans into a scary line? Though real Harris-heads know the famous meal in the book is served with Fava beans and Amarone—not Chianti.
Fillets With: His Memory Palace, Big Culinary Choices
Boiling Him Down: “He’s a monster. I think of him as one of those pitiful things that are born in hospitals from time to time. They feed it, and keep it warm, but they don’t put it on the machines and it dies. Lecter is the same way in his head, but he looks normal and nobody could tell.”
Menu of Victims: 28 killed, 7 eaten
Read: Hannibal Lecter: 20 Years Later; The Silence of the Lambs: The Seminal Serial Killer Novel, and Still the Best
Monsters & Boogeymen
(With fiends like these…)
KURTZ (5) vs. SAURON (3)
(5) Kurtz (Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness)
A thoroughly evil man, Kurtz uses a mandate from a colonizing corporation to fashion himself as a mad demigod who rules over a cruel African outpost. Conrad’s novella was based on his own experiences on a Belgian steamer, and Kurtz is likely an amalgam of various violent Europeans who terrorized Africa—he’s one of literature’s most indelible sociopaths.
Weapon of Choice: Exploitative Colonial Capitalism, Monologues
Famous Last Words: “The horror! The horror!”
Kilometers He’s Hidden Himself Up River: >65
Read: “Invasion is a Structure Not an Event.” On Settler Colonialism and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
vs.
(3) Sauron (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings)
The Lidless Eye, The Monster from Mordor, The Rascal with the Rings—Sauron’s the all-seeing Orcs’ mate you love to hate. As readers, we’re told very little about Sauron’s appearance and we never meet him, but we see his presence everywhere. He’s a pervasive evil influence corrupting Middle Earth, a hazy darkness with vast influence. The one thing he seems incapable of doing, though, is holding onto jewelry—take off your all-powerful rings before a swordfight, dude! It’s like swimming with your wedding ring on: don’t do it!
His Horde Includes: Nazgûl, Uruks, Easterlings, Haradrim, Trolls, Tolkein Nerds Correcting Factual Inaccuracies in Articles Like This One
The Eye Gazes on Thee: “Its wrath blazed like a sudden flame and its fear was like a great black smoke, for it knew its deadly peril, the thread upon which hung its doom.”
Rings To Rule Them All: 1
Anti-Villains
(When life gives you lemons, destroy the lemon trees.)
SATAN (1) vs. MEDEA (10)
(1) Satan (John Milton, Paradise Lost)
Is evil incarnate just a misunderstood bad boy? Our top seed in the anti-villains category is the Western embodiment of wickedness, whom Milton treated with more depth of character and contradiction than anyone else in his poem. Milton’s Satan is still a fallen angel who corrupts Adam and Eve with sin, but as readers, we feel his alienation and frustrations. It turns out even Satan struggles with big decisions.
Weapon of Choice: Army of Fallen Angels, Apples
Reasoning: “Here we may reign secure, and in my choice/to reign is worth ambition though in Hell:/Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
Number of Furies Fierce As: 10
Read: Satanic Sympathies: On the Demon Depictions That Helped Jamie Quarto Write Two-Step Devil
vs.
(10) Medea (Euripides, Medea)
Before Gone Girl and all the country songs about keying your ex’s pickup, there was Medea, taking charge in a man’s cruel world. Like others in the anti-villain division, Medea takes her revenge too far, but the target of her anger – her unfaithful Argonaut husband – definitely deserves it.
Weapon of Choice: Robe & Crown Poison, Big Knife
Vengeance Vowed: “…and, lo, he sets me free/This one long day: wherein mine haters three/Shall lie here dead, the father and the bride/And husband—mine, not hers!”
Place in Athens’ Dionysia Festival Competition: 3rd
Read: How Ancient Tales Became a Rallying Cry for Modern Women
Thanks for voting! See you in the next round!
