With the long-awaited ending of Game of Thrones, the release of Avengers: Endgame and the never- dying support for Harry Potter, one question remains. Which villain was the best: Thanos, Voldemort or the Night King? Each with their own powers, their own armies, their own evil backstories and their own motives… but who was really the ultimate bad guy? Let’s take a look:
Thanos
Who is he: Originating from the Marvel comic book universe, Thanos is your typical supervillain. He’s a mad titan with a chip on his shoulder, a taste for death and of course- super strength and manipulation abilities. He’s got armies, warriors and assassins on his side and his main goal is to collect and wield the power of the six infinity stones.
Death by: Thor cuts his head off (death #1), and then in some big time warp intergalactic battle, Iron Man erases him from existence (death #2)
Strengths: Superhuman strength, matter and energy manipulation, telepathy, invulnerability, magic
Weaknesses: Arrogance, emotional, selfish
Final thoughts: He erased half of the universe, destroyed powerful Avengers, and had understandable motives. He’s relatable in his goals, but his methods are evil which makes him a compelling and multi-faceted character.
Voldemort:
Who is he: Born under the name of Tom Riddle, Voldemort is the Dark Lord, or He Who Shall Not Be Named: ruler of the death eaters with the goal of becoming the most powerful wizard in the world. He has an obsession with blood purity and aims to get rid of all Muggles (the non-magical) and have control over both worlds.
Death by: Harry Potter, as the prophecy states
Strengths: Can read minds and project into others’ thoughts while protecting his own, can silently apparate, can fly unsupported, has trained for years to become the most powerful dark wizard
Weaknesses: Harry Potter, has no nose, scared of Dumbledore
Final thoughts: his name literally translates to “Flying Death” and people are afraid to utter his name… isn’t that enough to prove his effect on people? Voldemort had a phenomenal character development throughout the series and a real Hitler-like vibe. Hats off to JK Rowling.
The Night King:
Who he is: The Night King, leader of the Night walkers, wants to erase the world and its memory, bringing endless winter. He controls the dead, and plays with the barrier between death and life. Nobody really knows what his motives are, but he is one scary looking guy.
Death by: Arya Stark, sneak attack
Strengths: Javelin throwing, control over the dead, fire resistant, magic
Weaknesses: Valyrian steel, dragonglass
Final thoughts: While the Night King was intimidating to many people of Winterfell, in the end he wasn’t even the real threat. Sure he killed a few couple of armies, but that was nothing compared to what Dani and her dragon accomplished. He would’ve been much more compelling with a good back story, aside from a little narrative about the children of the forest creating him for protection from humans. Nice try GoT. The end result?
They all lost. Are any of them really the ultimate bad guy if they don’t succeed in the end?
Full disclosure: I haven’t watched Endgame, nor have I seen any more than Season 8 of GoT. So any more thoughts from you guys, drop them down below in the comments!