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From Evil Witches to Scurvy Pirates: 6 Fictional Villains We Love to Hate
Whether it’s a witch who causes it to be winter but never Christmas, or a bloodthirsty pirate who will do anything for treasure, a well-written bad guy is essential for any hero worth his salt to defeat. Let’s face it: we all love a good villain. After all, where would Harry be with no Voldemort? Or Jim Hawkins without Long John Silver? Imagine the four Pevensie kids wandering around a Narnia with nary a White Witch? Let’s take a minute to tip our hats to six fictional villains who enrich the stories we love, even if we don’t always want to admit it.
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Long John Silver (Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that you can’t have a sea adventure tale without a roaming and merciless band of pirates—and conniving and greedy Long John Silver well represents the worst type of bad guy. His love of treasure and talent for destroying anything in his way makes him a true (evil) pirate.
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Lord Voldemort and Snape (Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling)
The hideous and terrifying Lord Voldemort has set the bar high for all other villains, sadly ruining it for those meek and-not-quite-fully-threatening baddies. Who else can live up to his pure evilness? From trying to murder baby Harry in his crib, down to his creepy pet snake, it’s hard to touch how much readers dislike He Who Must Not Be Named. Granted, Snape gives him a run for his money with his pure detest for Harry, but you can’t help but feel sorry for Snape because of his all-consuming love for Harry’s mother, Lily, which balances out his cruel side.
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The Snow Queen (Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, by Karen Foxlee)
A boy locked away behind a small door in a great museum, a little girl named Ophelia trying to find the key, an evil (of course) Snow Queen, and a ticking clock counting down until the end of the world makes for an exciting tale. This well-written page turner by Karen Foxlee brings Ophelia, whose mother has recently died, face-to-face with spooky obstacles in her path of saving the boy, from wolves, to ghosts to eventually the evil Snow Queen. This one is very hard to put down.
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The Man Jack (The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman)
A truly scary story (which opens with a toddler escaping his house while the man Jack murders everyone else in it), The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaman includes a terrifying villain who will stop at nothing to find Nobody Owens, or Bod, as the child is now known. Luckily, Bod finds refuge, but it is in a graveyard, of all places, and much adventure ensues including ghosts, ghouls, and more in an attempt to foil Jack.
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The White Witch (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis)
The White Witch seals her villainous fate when she declares Santa Claus an outlaw in Narnia. Not to mention she likes to turn her foes, including cute little forest animals and kids, into stone, and you’ve got yourself the making of a perfect villain right there.
Who’s your favorite kid’s book baddie?