Top 5: Evil Henchmen 5. Nappa – The Disposable Weapon Nappa is all swagger, maniacal and tenacious in his desire for carnage, just like his partner and master Vegeta. When Radditz is defeated and warns the Z-fighters of two stronger warriors coming to collect the dragonballs – Earth’s mightiest heroes (besides the Avengers) train for a year to raise their power level. And it’s not enough. Nappa fights everyone by himself and kills off Tien, Chiaotzu and Piccolo. He would have finished of Krillin and Gohan but the plot; I mean Goku, wouldn’t allow him. When Goku finally defeats Nappa, the weakened Sayain makes a ploy to Vegeta to spare his life and up to the moment when Vegeta grabs his hand and sends him to another dimension he foolishly believes he found salvation. Nappa’s life served two purposes: 1) show how powerful Goku had become in comparison to his friends 2) demonstrate Vegeta’s cruelty and set him up as a rival to Goku’s pure heart. Nappa accomplished both these goals perfectly. 4. Starscream – The Conniving Crony In his metallic heart, Starscream believes he is destined to lead the Decepticons…as long as he can remove that pesky Megatron from the equation. Starscream attempts to use guile and speed over brute force to convince the other Decepticons to follow his lead but is always overshadowed by Megatron. The leader of the Decepticons must always be on edge and ready to fight in order to keep his authority because Starscream is always looking for a weakness. Throughout the many shows, movies and comic books Starscream is always the number two Decepticon and begrudgingly serves Megatron who probably keeps the transforming jet around to remind the others that there is no one powerful enough to defeat Megatron…unless you are Optimus Prime. 3. Darth Vader – The Errand Boy Anakin Skywalker might be synonymous with evil, the face of The Empire and the most feared warrior in a galaxy far, far away but no one should forget that he is actually serving a higher power. The Emperor sends Darth Vader as his proxy on The Death Star (which Vader doesn’t prevent from being blown up), capture Luke Skywalker (umm….he got a small piece of him) and then turn Luke evil (….another disappointment). Why does everyone fear Darth Vader agin? Oh yeah…brilliant, spot on, menacing costume design and voice acting. But in the Expanded Universe he really does kick ass and take names…but none of that is cannon anymore. Darth Vader ultimately betrays The Emperor and manages to find redemption from a single act of good (by killing a man he was always planning on killing anyway…) making him one of the few henchmen to successfully get the upper hand on his master. 2. Legato – The True Villain While Knives is healing, he entrusts the Gung-Ho Guns to Legato Bluesummers a man who despises all humans and tortures Vash constantly just because his master ordered him to. Throughout most of Trigun, Legato is Vash’s adversary – he leads him on a chase across the desert planet, sends enemy after enemy his way and manages to play with Vash’s emotions by endangering those he loves most. In many ways, Legato actually deals Vash his greatest defeat by forcing Vash to kill Legato…an act which Vash swore he would never do, that he would always find a way to save both the butterfly and the spider. Forcing Vash to compromise on his ideals was never a victory Knives himself was able to secure despite hundreds of years of trying. 1. Harley Quinn – The Breakout Star Harley made her debut in Batman The Animated Series as the Joker’s female lacky, but she quickly outgrew this role and became one of Batman’s regular villains. Harley was once an Arkham psychiatrist, who fell madly in love for the Joker to the point where she threw away her life as an upstanding citizen in favor of Joker’s wacky antics and penchant for crime. Harely remains the Robin/Alfred in for the Joker – offering advice, acting as a decoy and oftentimes resolving the problem before her boss understands. In one episode of Batman TAS, Harley manages to capture Batman, tie him up and is moments away from feeding him to the sharks…Batman’s only opportunity for escape is to convince Harley to call Joker and brag about her victory; Joker’s ego gets in his way and he releases Batman. Batman fully admits that she would have succeeded in her plan… Since her humble beginnings Harley has been integrated into the comic book universe, stars in her own monthly comic (plus regular spinoffs), is the front man for the Suicide Squad film, a playable character in The Arkham Trilogy and is no longer identified as just Joker’s girl. She manages to be her own independent character when necessary and still the Joker’s ever obedient evil-sidekick when the story calls for it. Level Up, Friends!
