# Best fictional examples of spiteful evil
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 30, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287 "2008-07-30T22:13:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/1 "2008-07-30T22:13:19Z")
Evil characters do evil things, of course. Otherwise they wouldn’t be evil. But sometimes it’s evil for a broader purpose (e.g., “You have violated our sovereign territory, Jack Bauer, so we are going to kidnap and torture you to discourage any other do-gooders from following suite”) and sometimes it’s evil for a the sake of being evil.
Want an example of the latter category? Try the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Selfless,” in which
the episode’s villain of the week, a demon lord named D’Hoffryn, is vexed because one of his minions–series regular Anya–wants to tread the straight and narrow path and undo a murderous action she committed earlier in the episode. He expresses his vexation by murdering another of his minions–Anya’s only friend–in front of Anya.
But that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure my fellow Dopers can come up with better ones.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/2 "2008-07-30T22:16:28Z")
Star Wars
Grand Moff Tarkin
Alderaan
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### Author:  [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/3 "2008-07-30T22:18:38Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds]
Star Wars
Grand Moff Tarkin
Alderaan
[/QUOTE]
I think that may have served a larger strategic purpose, though; Alderaan was a major supporter of the Rebel Alliance, and blowing it up was intended to terrorize the rest of the Empire into submission.
Wouldn’t Iago in _Othello_ be pretty much the classic example of pure, spiteful evil?
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### Author:  [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/4 "2008-07-30T22:23:14Z")
[QUOTE=MEBuckner]
I think that may have served a larger strategic purpose, though; Alderaan was a major supporter of the Rebel Alliance, and blowing it up was intended to terrorize the rest of the Empire into submission.
Wouldn’t Iago in _Othello_ be pretty much the classic example of pure, spiteful evil?
[/QUOTE]
I think you’re dead on with your assessment of the Alderan sitch. Tarkin wasn’t just being a dick; he had a rational (if hugely evil) purpose.
Iago–now HE’s just a dick. His stated reasons are just window-dressing for the fact that he enjoys fucking with people.
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### Author:  [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/5 "2008-07-30T22:29:10Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer]
Evil characters do evil things, of course. Otherwise they wouldn’t be evil. But sometimes it’s evil for a broader purpose (e.g., “You have violated our sovereign territory, Jack Bauer, so we are going to kidnap and torture you to discourage any other do-gooders from following suite”) and sometimes it’s evil for a the sake of being evil.
Want an example of the latter category? Try the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode “Selfless,” in which
But that’s just off the top of my head. I’m sure my fellow Dopers can come up with better ones.
[/QUOTE]
Buffy gives us plenty of evil for the sake of being a dick examples.
Spike. He’s just a dick for most of the series. He kills slayers for the sport of it.
Drucilla. Chick is just nuts. She loves inflicting pain for the sheer joy of it.
Plenty of others as well.
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### Author:  [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/6 "2008-07-30T22:31:04Z")
I suppose you could make a case for it being part of his master plan to mentally tear down Buffy, but I thought:
Angelus snapping Jenny’s neck in _Passion_ and then placing her in Gile’s bed with flowers and wine leading to her dead body
was incredibly spiteful. Plus, so not expected at the time, what with it being our first inkling into how evil Whedon can be.
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/7 "2008-07-30T22:55:43Z")
[QUOTE=SkipMagic]
…it being our first inkling into how evil Whedon can be.
[/QUOTE]
No kidding. I’m slowing working through _Buffy_ and just saw that episode. Impressively evil.
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### Author:  [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/8 "2008-07-30T22:56:32Z")
The scene in Kings Row from which Ronald Reagan gets the title of his autobiography Where’s the Rest of Me?
The Doctor (Claude Rains) never approved of (Reagan’s) romance with his daughter and was even more upset when (Reagan) decided to break up with her (for Ann Sheridan which is kinda understandable) – so in retaliation the non-invisible Doctor amputates Reagan’s legs, even though it was totally not necessary his condition in no way justified it.
That stayed with me a long time. It was major-league ugly & everyone’s performance was worthy of the pics 3 Oscar nominations.
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### Author:  [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-fictional-examples-of-spiteful-evil/458287/9 "2008-07-30T23:19:16Z")
Mr. Blonde in Resevoir Dogs: “I don’t give a sh\*t what you know, I’m gonna toture you anyway”
Though of course you then have the whole “mad vs bad” debate, was Mr Blonde insane or just evil, or both ?