The best kind of Villan

I think the best kind of villain is one who can actually succeed. We have all seen TV shows where the bad guy either doesn't get close to his goal or has it within his grasp when the hero defeats them. If they have the skills and intelligence to come out on top, that makes them all the more terrifying. Bonus points if they can manipulate the good guys into completing his goals for him. Generally it's best if they can stay around as the main antagonist for some time, without using the, "What? He escaped form prison yet again?!?" routine.

A fine example would be the Sith from the Clone Wars portion of the Star Wars universe. They manipulated the Jedi, Senate, and Trade Federation to achieve their goals and ended up the victors, controlling the Galaxy. All while still having epic battles and grand betrayal.

For me a good villian cannot merely crash in through a wall like the frikin kool aid man, they must be slow calculating and good at deception. Another key asset for any villian in my book is a good evil laugh. MWUHAHAHAHA!!

I think the best villains are the intelligent ones. The ones that make careful plans, than backup plans, and then just in case plans. They carefully examine the possibilities and make sure that if by some chance they don't win, they still come out ahead some way and can continue. The scariest villains are the ones that think they are right, and can convince others of their viewpoint, and not just the stupid people. They are the ones that you really need to watch out for.