# Favorite fictional villainesses **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2002, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076 "2002-04-28T07:37:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![simply\_cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@simply\_cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simply_cats)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/21 "2002-04-29T13:15:12Z")
I can barely remember anything of “The Return of the Native,” but I did dearly love Eustacia (I hope I got her name right). Never thought she was that bad, just misunderstood 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/22 "2002-04-29T13:23:28Z")
Salma Hayek, as a vampire in ‘From Dusk till Dawn’. 😃 As above, a close runner-up is Linda Fiorentino in ‘The Last Seduction’, because she had beauty and brains. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/23 "2002-04-29T13:25:33Z")
Nurse Ratched/Baroness Bomburst\*\* (tie) \*\* Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/24 "2002-04-29T13:33:50Z")
Well, Lorelei Lee (Anita Loos’ “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”) and Belle Poitrine (Patrick Dennis’ “LIttle Me”) could technically be considered either villainesses or heroines . . . I do love Phyllis Dietrichson of James M. Cain’s “Double Indemnity”—believe it or not, she’s even creepier in the book than in the movie! ---
**Author:** ![bifar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bifar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bifar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/25 "2002-04-29T13:53:00Z")
Madame Beck from Villette, another chilly character Christabel from Coleridge’s poem. Vivien from Merlin & Vivien. ---
**Author:** ![Yondan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/278dde/32.png) [@Yondan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yondan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/26 "2002-04-29T15:53:24Z")
How can people vote for Mrs. Danvers and not mention Rebecca herself? But really, the worst has to be the Marquise de Merteuil in [Dangerous Liaisons](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0094947) as played by Glenn Close. [sub]Hmm, Fatal Attraction, Cruella Deville, The Marquise…You know, Glenn may be the winner for playing the most, as well as the most evil villianesses.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/27 "2002-04-29T15:56:16Z")
I may get slapped for this, but one I loved when the goofy _Warriors of Virtue_ came out was the pretty and virginal princess from same. She turns around and hands over her friends and heroes of the world to their worst enemy for youth and power. Halle Berry’s character from _Swordfish_. Talk about manipulative! And yeah, Catwoman. ---
**Author:** ![Morgainelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Morgainelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgainelf)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/28 "2002-04-29T16:02:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by masonite \* > \*\* > > Morgan LaFey (sorry, Marion Zimmer Bradley-types) \*\* No offense taken. Sometimes it’s fun to be the baddy. 😃 I’ll throw in **Scarlett O’Hara**. Very few redeeming qualities as far as I can tell. Oh, and **Vivi** from _Little Altars Everywhere_. She was great in _Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood_, but I absolutely hated her in _Little Altars_. If you haven’t read it, don’t. It just wrecks the sequel. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/29 "2002-04-29T21:54:57Z")
Servalan. Hands down. Especially for her ability to outsmart the protagonists into doing her work for her. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2002, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/30 "2002-04-29T22:47:17Z")
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Drusilla yet from BTVS. I know I can’t be the only geek around here who thinks she’s the cat’s pajamas. Also the witch from Hansel and Gretel always seemed pretty freakin’ psycho, what with all that cooking and eating of small children. bella ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/31 "2002-04-30T00:15:26Z")
OK, I’ll say it if no one will: Callisto from _Xena: Warrior Princess._ ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/32 "2002-04-30T04:01:33Z")
Hmm. I would have to say the most evil villaness is **Martha Stewart** …oh wait. She’s not fictional? Darn. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/33 "2002-04-30T05:17:50Z")
The Emerald Empress from the Legion of Super-Heroes. She was nasty as a member of the Fatal Five, and even better on her own (this, of course, is prior to the Legion re-boot). Runner-up: Snow White’s evil stepmother. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/34 "2002-04-30T08:22:18Z")
Cersei Lannister from _A Game of Thrones_ and Beatrice Lacey seem like birds of a feather. How about Jean Grey when she’s possessed by the Phoenix entity? Shota from _Wizard’s First Rule_ and sequels is sometimes friend, sometimes foe, always bitchy. For Lady MacBeth, I prefer the “Throne of Blood” version by Akira Kurosawa. She’s extra vicious in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Nichol\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nichol\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nichol_storm)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/35 "2002-05-11T17:14:51Z")
Thought of a couple more ladies to add to my list: **The Borg Queen** from “Star Trek: First Contact”. Played by Alice Krige, who does slinky, utterly amoral villainesses well (I must also give Ms. Krige props for her role as Placidia in the “Attila” miniseries) one is reminded of Ebert’s comments about her in his review of “ST: FC”: “The Borg Queen, who looks like no notion of sexy I have ever heard of, but inspires me to keep an open mind.” **Demona** from “Gargoyles”. Angry, vengeful, self-righteous, manipulative, she’s lived a hundred life-times without letting go of her hatred. That’s a record, isn’t it? **Dark Phoenix** from Marvel’s “X-Men”. She has the power of a god, but the heart of a human. After being mind-controlled, going insane, whipping her teammates, going on a galactic crime spree, and eating a star, she goes out with a bang, so to speak. .:Nichol:. ---
**Author:** ![foxfiregrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3da27b/32.png) [@foxfiregrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxfiregrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/36 "2002-05-11T18:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by belladonna \* > \*\*I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Drusilla yet from BTVS. I know I can’t be the only geek around here who thinks she’s the cat’s pajamas. > \*\* Yay! Go Dru go! No one does the crazy evil better than her. I’m relatively new to BtVS, so I’ve only seen a few of her episodes, but she still rocks my world. Any version of EvilWillow gets a big thumbs up from me, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076/37 "2002-05-11T20:13:05Z")
Rebecca de Mornay in “the hand…” is pretty creepy… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-fictional-villainesses/106076.md?page=1)