Five Villains Who Should Have Their Own Books
August 14th, 2016 by Nancy
Villains, by definition, are literally the worst. We hate them. Sometimes we love to hate them. And sometimes, because we know how they became a baddie and might even sympathize with their story, we hate to hate them. I think those are the most interesting villains because we know what led them to the path of darkness, and sometimes there’s even a possibility of redemption. After all, people aren’t just born evil (hopefully).
A couple weeks ago, Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch by Serena Valentino was released: It tells the story of The Little Mermaid movie from the perspective of Ursula, the sea witch. Along with singing “POOR un-fortunate sooooulllllll” whenever I see the book cover, it got me thinking: What other villains would I like to read about?
Warning: This is going to be a very spoiler-y blog post. Keep reading at your own peril! (You know you want to.)
1. Voldemort — a.k.a. Tom Riddle, You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the Dark Lord, or Baldy Voldy
From the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
We find out a lot about Tom Riddle throughout the Harry Potter series, but he’s definitely the bad guy I can’t get enough of. Even years after his demise in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he’s still an ominous presence in the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child — and I can’t wait to see if he plays a role in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie (even if he is just a baby).
2. The White Witch, a.k.a. the Northern Witch Jadis
From The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
I start reading the series with The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe, in which the White Witch was quite a terrifying enigma — so it was a (horrifying) delight to find out more about her in The Magician’s Nephew. Since C.S. Lewis isn’t around to tell the tale, perhaps someone else could take a stab at depicting what’s inside the icy queen’s heart?
3. Luke Castellan, demigod son of Hermes
From the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Luke is definitely one of those villains I hate to hate. His issues are so relatable (who wouldn’t be super annoyed by a neglectful dad?), and based on fellow demigod eyewitness accounts, he’s quite a dreamboat. While his actions are unforgivable, I wouldn’t mind reading a few chapters (or books) chronicling Luke’s childhood at Camp Half-Blood, his time on the run with Thalia and Annabeth, and his unfortunate dealings with Kronos.
4. Miss Agatha Trunchbull, a.k.a. the Trunchbull
From Matilda by Roald Dahl
Miss Trunchbull is ruthless, remorseless, and a riddle. If she hates children so much that she denies ever being a child, how (and for heaven’s sake, why) did she become the headmistress of a school? I mean, I really hate mosquitos; I’m not going to surround myself with them all day, even if I can swat a bunch. It’s just weird to me. You’re weird, Miss Trunchbull. I want to know more about you.
5. The Warden
From Holes by Louis Sachar
The Warden of Camp Green Lake is cruel, and her painted nails send shivers down my spine. Even though Stanley Yelnats’ story is fantastical, it’s set in the real world, unlike the rest of the books on this list… which means someone as cruel as The Warden could exist in the real world. 🙁 We don’t know much about her backstory, except this one little tidbit from the book:
“Do you know how long…” Her voice trailed off, then started up again. “When I was little I’d watch my parents dig holes, every weekend and holiday. When I got bigger, I had to dig, too. Even on Christmas.”
Well, you’ve piqued my interest, Warden Louis Sachar! Please tell us more about The Warden. Please?
This is by no means a comprehensive list, so leave a comment below on which villains you’d (even if begrudgingly) like to know more about!
— Nancy
One villain Nancy will never want to know more about is Dolores Umbridge. She is the worst. THE WORST!
Various villain images taken from the Interwebs.