9 Charismatic Villains from Literature That Captivate Readers

The struggle against villains is a central theme in literature. Whether the story revolves around love, death, beauty, friendship, or fate, the hero inevitably encounters Evil in some form. In our lives, we’ve encountered enough villains to know that their true form doesn’t include horns and hooves. Evil often hides behind a charismatic person who holds the door for you and says what you want to hear. Even if we wish to avoid such painful encounters in reality, in the fictional world of books, we are drawn to these characters.

Mr. Hyde — “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Robert Louis Stevenson

Long before the term “Stockholm syndrome” was coined, Robert Louis Stevenson understood how evil finds its victims and what keeps people in dangerous relationships. Hyde’s changing face, flattery, and promises inspire dual feelings in us. “My life is a parody and a libel on myself. I have lived contrary to my nature. All men do so. Man is better than the mask he wears. Life drags us along like a hired assassin who seizes his victim and stifles her under a cloak. If only people could direct themselves, if only they could see their true faces, they would appear before the world as saints and heroes!”

Mrs. Danvers — “Rebecca,” Daphne du Maurier

Manderley feels like a haunted house, partly due to the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, whose talents include walking through walls like a ghost. She listens at every wall and peers through every keyhole. Scene by scene, she terrifies even the narrator. She is merely a puppet through whom the former mistress of the house speaks, and she is remembered with reverence and love. “I believe there is a theory that men and women emerge finer and stronger after suffering. To move forward in this world or the next, we must pass through fire.”

Cruella de Vil — “The Hundred and One Dalmatians,” Dodie Smith

Cruella dreams of a coat made from dalmatians that would match her outfit, car, and black-and-white hair. She is an example of how evil perceives accessories: Cruella evaluates every person and pet based on their value. She even claims she would drown her white Persian cat if it weren’t so valuable. However, her eccentric style, dark eyes, bright lips, and sharp nose are symbols of high fashion incomprehensible to ordinary people. “Alone, I can’t do much, as I only have two pairs of legs. But I’ve managed to scare all the servants: any cat can make a house seem haunted. I’ve raised an army of mice here and torn all the furniture. Oh, how I enjoyed scratching it! The only problem is that Cruella doesn’t notice any of it, as she’s a terrible mistress.”

Draco Malfoy — “Harry Potter,” J.K. Rowling

Although Tom Riddle, the young Dark Lord who charmed everyone he met, is considered the most beautiful villain in the Harry Potter world, Draco Malfoy steals the spotlight in the books. He is described as a tall, slender blonde with gray eyes, possessing a strict gait and confidence, which, unfortunately, Tom Felton couldn’t fully portray. His charisma won the hearts of the series’ fans so much that J.K. Rowling had to explain his character and questionable morality, warning against romanticizing him. “Seems I’ve touched a sore spot,” Malfoy sneered. “Watch yourself, Potter! I’ll be like a dog, sniffing out your every mistake.”

The White Witch — “The Chronicles of Narnia,” C.S. Lewis

The main antagonist of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is the epitome of beauty: a two-meter-tall goddess in furs who seems “ten times more alive than all the people in London.” Her face is white as snow or sugar icing, and her lips are scarlet. Her proud and cold face fascinates those around her, which seems very sexual if you like strong women. “Terrible are the battles in which women take part.”

Marquise de Merteuil — “Dangerous Liaisons,” Choderlos de Laclos

Beauty, harshness, and boredom drive the main heroine of the epistolary novel. The Marquise and her lover manipulate, seduce, and ruin the world around them. In the end, the Marquise is punished with exile, and her worst fear becomes reality. “Because you started arguing, you don’t want to concede. While looking for convincing arguments, you find them, and then you hold onto them not so much because they are good, but to avoid showing inconsistency.”

Irene Adler — “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” Arthur Conan Doyle

She is called an adventuress for her courage to live beyond Victorian ideals. She is astonishing, beautiful, and her actions are shocking, but she always remains true to her principles. In modern adaptations, Adler is often portrayed as a love interest for the famous detective, but in the books, she is always against him. And that is quite sexy.

Morgan le Fay — “Le Morte d’Arthur,” Thomas Malory

A beautiful and powerful sorceress who became the enemy of her half-brother Arthur and the opponent of all the Knights of the Round Table when Guinevere caught her betraying her husband. Attempting to condemn someone who possesses the strongest magic was not her best idea. “…for often it happens that envy among each other brings knights to their doom: in words they are all very good with each other, but in battle their only care is to distinguish themselves before others.”

Lestat — “Interview with the Vampire,” Anne Rice

Lestat is more of an antihero than a villain. And in later books, he becomes a quite friendly character. However, his past actions speak for themselves. A tall, blonde vampire with gray eyes who can play beautiful music on any instrument and loves literature is the best Renaissance vampire. “When I was reprimanded, which, I must say, didn’t happen very often, I felt an exhilarating sense that for the first time in my life, someone was really trying to make a good person out of me and believed in my abilities.”

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