WICKED HEARTS

10 Iconic Fictional Villains We Love To Hate

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Every good story needs a villain. From classic literature to modern blockbusters, these nefarious characters play an important role in storytelling and are sometimes as important as the main characters. Often, villains can even be the protagonists of a story, and they captivate audiences with their complexity, charisma, and cunning schemes.

Let’s delve together into the twisted minds of 10 fictional villains that have become a memorable part of pop culture.

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Probably the most iconic villain of the twentieth century, Darth Vader is the epitome of cinematic evil, clad in an ominous black armor and spitting orders in a distorted voice. A secondary antagonist in the original Star Wars trilogy, his tragic backstory was further explained with the release of the prequel trilogy. From Jedi Knight to Sith Lord, his gripping tale of power and redemption made him a fan favorite despite being a villain.

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A character reinvented many times in the history of DC Comics, the Joker embodies pure chaos and unpredictability. With his maniacal laughter and sadistic sense of humor, he serves as the perfect nemesis to Batman, a hero who embodies moral correctness and order. Though his origin story keeps changing with each iteration, the Joker is the perfect villain - hard to understand, but easy to hate.

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Dr. Hannibal Lecter is the quintessential embodiment of the cultured psychopath, someone with as much taste as lack of empathy. His chilling intellect and incredible memory, however, should not be taken as compensatory for a physical weakness. Lecter is capable of terrifying feats of strength, as he demonstrates on many occasions in both the films and the original novels. A villain beloved for his wits, he also seems to have a certain code of honor, as he spares those who respect him.

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Lord Voldemort, also known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, strikes fear into the hearts of wizards and Muggles alike in J.K. Rowling's most popular novels. His lust for power and obsession with immortality drive him to commit unspeakable acts of cruelty, eventually setting himself up for his own downfall at the hands of the Boy Who Lived. The cinematic portrayal of the feared villain solidified the character's reputation, elevating Voldemort to the realm of pop culture icons.

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As the Dark Lord of Mordor, Sauron seeks dominion over Middle-earth through the One Ring. His malevolent influence corrupts all who come into contact with it, including the once-noble Saruman. Sauron's relentless pursuit of power and destruction serves as the ultimate test of courage and fellowship for the heroes of Tolkien's epic saga.

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Bram Stoker's iconic vampire is the archetype of the seductive yet monstrous villain. Inspired by the 15th-century Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler, Count Dracula's aristocratic charm and supernatural abilities make him a timeless symbol of fear and desire. Just as immortal as in the realm of fiction, the countless adaptations of the character attest to Dracula's enduring charm.

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With her extravagant fur coats and icy demeanor, Cruella de Vil is Disney's most glamorous villain. Her obsession with fur drives her to villainous lengths as she plots to make a coat out of a family of adorable Dalmatian puppies. Even her name is a pun on the words cruel and devil, but despite her caricaturesque villainy, Cruella's flamboyant personality has made her a beloved antagonist for generations of Disney fans.

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As the main antagonist in Marvel’s popular X-Men comics, Magneto is a mutant with the power to control and create magnetic fields. He views all non-mutants with contempt and seeks to establish mutant supremacy. However, he is more than just a villain; he has a tragic backstory as a Holocaust survivor and a twisted sense of morality, adding depth and complexity to his character.

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Feared by generations of children captivated by the fantastical world of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West embodies the darkest depths of fantasy evil. With her green skin and cackling laughter, the Wicked Witch of the West is the iconic antagonist of L. Frank Baum's fantasy classic. Despite her wickedness, the Witch's vulnerability to water adds a touch of humor and tragic irony to her villainy.

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The Terminator, also known as the T-800, is a relentless and iconic villain from the science fiction franchise of the same name created by James Cameron. This robotic antagonist is programmed with only one mission: terminating its target, which, in the movies, is either Sarah Connor or her son. The memorable performance of the character by Arnold Schwarzenegger makes the Terminator both terrifying and believable as an unstoppable force willing to go to any lengths to achieve its objectives.

ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS

Discover 10 Traditions From Around The World To Help You Welcome The New Year!

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A new year is almost upon us, and with it comes the promise of resolutions, wishes, and good times with friends and family. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a lovely new year, and we can’t think of a better way to do that than to explore ten different and exciting New Year’s Eve traditions from all over the world. Looking for a fun, new way of celebrating this year? Keep on reading and enjoy our list!

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Want to make sure the twelve months of the next year meet your expectations? Spanish people might be able to help: they have a hundred-year-old tradition to make sure the upcoming year is filled with good fortune. And what’s that method, I hear you ask? Grapes, of course!

The Twelve Grapes is a tradition that dates back to at least the end of the 19th century, and it consists of eating a grape for each of the midnight bell strikes on December 31st. Most people make twelve wishes, one for each grape eaten. This tradition has expanded to several other Spanish-speaking countries and communities.

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This one is only for those not afraid of the cold. A rather recent Russian tradition (that goes back approximately 25 years) involves two divers planting an underwater New Year’s tree below the icy waters of the frozen Lake Baikal. These two adventurers dive for more than 100 meters in waters with a temperature of 24.8 F, after which they are aptly nicknamed "Father Frost" and "The Ice Maiden".

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As anyone who has ever sung Auld Lang Syne can testify, Scotland is synonymous with New Year’s Eve celebrations. Hogmanay is a Scots word that means "last day of the old year", and it has become the name for celebrating the New Year in a Scottish manner. Celebrations usually include the morning of January 1st, and sometimes even January 2nd, which is a Scottish bank holiday.

Customs vary throughout the Scottish regions, although they usually involve celebrating and exchanging gifts with friends and family. Some regions, like Aberdeenshire, participate in a rather extreme local custom. Residents take part in a ceremony down the main street, swinging fireballs made of barbed wire and flammable materials atop their heads. This is a way to ensure that any bad spirit might be burned before the start of the new year.

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If you think back on your last New Year’s Eve celebration (or maybe even your past five), you might remember a night of enjoyable excess: it’s a loud, festive affair, filled with fireworks, laughter, and perhaps a little too much eating and drinking. Which is perfectly fine—a bit of overindulgence is a lovely way to welcome the new year. However, should you want to experience a completely opposite way of celebrating, you can always take a trip to Bali, Indonesia.

Held in March, the Balinese New Year is called Nyepi and it is a day dedicated to silence and meditation. Nyepi is held for 24 hours from 6 a.m., during which Balinese people deeply commit to self-reflection and fasting: most shops don’t open, no people are allowed onto the beaches and streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the day. The only ones exempt from these restrictions are emergency services responding to life-threatening situations.

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If you happen to travel to a Southeast Asian nation like Cambodia or Thailand during their New Year’s celebrations, a stranger on the street might douse you with water. This might sound rude, but in reality, that well-intended passerby might actually be wishing you good luck and blessings for the upcoming year.

These New Year celebrations, known by Westerners as the Water Festival, traditionally involve sprinkling water as a sign of respect. However, since the new year falls on the hottest month in Southeast Asia, everyone ends up involved in a boisterous and welcomed splashing.

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Shortly after Christmas, many department stores in Italy begin to sell a rather specific item: red underwear. According to Italian tradition, wearing red underwear (whichever type you prefer) during New Year’s Eve awards the wearer with good luck and a successful year. Many Italians also believe that, for this tradition to work, the underwear must be new and only worn on New Year’s Eve before being thrown out.

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On New Year’s Day, many Greek families hang a few onions on their doors, in a tradition that dates back at least several centuries: In ancient Greece, onions were considered a sign of renewal and a way to increase fertility. Nowadays, Greeks usually hang an onion after attending the New Year’s Day church service as a way to ensure a year filled with the promise of renewal, good luck, and personal growth.

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Tourists arriving in Colombia on New Year’s Eve might be surprised to see that they are not the only ones carrying around luggage. Theirs might be heavier, though, as many people in Colombia carry empty suitcases up and down the street to celebrate the new year. This tradition is followed to ensure travel and leisure and as a happy reminder of the many adventures the new year might bring.

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Trust us, this one is better than it sounds. Another Russian tradition makes it to this list, and this one involves toasting with a weird component added to your glass. During New Year’s Eve, many Russians write down a wish for the next year on a piece of paper, which they then burn down and mix the ashes onto a champagne glass. Those living in Moscow also toast their glasses when the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower rings at midnight, and drink their slightly ashy champagne while thinking of their New Year’s wish.

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While not completely restricted to New Year’s celebrations, Chinese people traditionally give out a red envelope as a gift during important celebrations. Since the color red symbolizes happiness and good luck in Chinese culture, these gifts are a way to send your best wishes of fortune to someone. The envelopes (known as hongbao in Mandarin, lai see in Cantonese, and ang pow in Hokkien) are usually filled with money, and decorated with ornate and beautiful Chinese calligraphy.