Fenxy

Wow, somebody liked unbreakable...

Does Peter Wiggin count?
Also, do comic books count as literature?

I keep thinking about Darth Vader because he's just so cool. No amount of satire has changed that.

Still, I also like Fagin from Oliver Twist because his situation is so sad and dire, really, and somehow you still admire him for how he survives (in 19th C London — which has to be taken into account).

1) Wow, somebody liked unbreakable... One of my favorite movies, actually.

2) Yes, comic books DEFINITELY count as literature. My thing against video games is because of the interactive aspect, which changes the dynamic of the story/audience relationship (observer vs. participant) and because Choose Your Own Adventure books aren't popular enough to bridge the gap.

Excellent question Gnorb — I'm gonna give it some thought.

@Vidar
I liked Unbreakable as well. It was brilliant.

Btw, to prove my point:

Still cool ;-)

I saw that pic a few days ago on Fark. Still haven't stopped giggling to myself every time I see it.

As for Darth Vader the character, here's what interests me about him: For a long time, he was seen as the utmost evil. Competent, powerful and passionate. His interaction with the heroes was that he was their polar opposite: they were good, he was evil, and that was that. As far as the audience was concerned, he was feared by them because of not only his disciplinarian brutality, but also because of the mask: he was emotionless, even while his actions were those of a driven and passionate person. (This is emphasized in later movies, since it's his passion that gets him to the point of becoming Vader in the first place.

In the end of the story, however, he does one act of redemption in the end when his love as a father outweighs his allegiance to the emperor. (In the remastered versions this puts him alongside Obi Wan and Yoda in the end, something I found pretty... corny. Happy, but corny)

In the more recent films, the role of fallen hero is fleshed out more thoroughly, and while we get a better picture of the man behind the mask, it almost takes away from the mythos surrounding him. While we remember the bad guy Darth Vader, we hardly think of the good that might have been in Anakin. Would you classify Vader as a "tragic hero" or is he better at being a converted villain? In addition, how do you rank the character of Vader in light of the knowledge of Anakin? Is the loss in grandeur simply a matter of format (three movies that really should not have been six) or is the story fundamentally flawed?

One thing's for sure: the latest trilogy did nothing -- and I mean NOTHING -- to make Vader into anything less than what he already was in evil. Maybe it's just conditioning, but I still can't sympathize with him, not even after those movies. At the end of "Return of the Jedi" -- yes, there the redemption of the fallen hero comes out, but not because of what I know of Anakin, but what I learned of Vader when he WAS Vader.

My favorite villain has to be Captain Jack Sparrow.

Just kidding (had you going for a moment!).

I had a pretty hard time settling on anyone special. But I'd say Alex DeLarge, from Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange.

The main reason is the simplicity of the character. He's not a villain for a particular cause or reason; his behavior is a side-effect of his lack of compassion combined with fervent personality. He's not trying to take over the world, he's not angry at anyone, he's not bitter over a childhood gone awry — he simply knows what he enjoys and does it. Alex's honest character and resolution to do what he felt right is enough to leave you awestruck.

Moreover, the final chapter (which wasn't included in the movie) tells of Alex growing away from violence and onto new things. It underlines my point: he wasn't behaving violently for a particular reason. But rather, he didn't see a reason to behave any other way, and had the resolution to act it out despite all opposition.

[Technically, Alex would be categorized as an anti-hero. But as I want to contribute to this discussion and still haven't found anyone else I'd like to share my thoughts on, I thought I'd let it slide anyway.]

Hannibal Lecter, cannibalistic serial killer and brilliant psychiologist in the Thomas Harris novels Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lamds, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising.

I'm not into comics so I'd have to say Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey

wow, I'd have to say Elijah as well. You really felt for him, he really thought he had no choice in the matter. That movie just rocked though, it was the first M. Night movie I saw, and it got me hooked.

@DavidBB: What about Hannibal piques your interest? (I haven't read/watched any of the "Silence of the Lambs" series.)

I tend to like the villians (not scary ones though) over the good guys for some reason. Right now my favorite is Wolf from The Kill Point.

I know, I know, he's not the typical villian, but oh well.

His ability to gain an intimacy within the human mind and soul that no one has ever reached before, including the person he's piercing.

Good writing there Norbert. Due to a barely nurseable hangover I am still considering further input. Let me just say, though, that you're right on the mark: three was good, six never did anything for me either.