E is for Evil Overlord

Intricate plots for world domination. Secret lairs. Minions. Evil Overlords are the mother of all villains. And often comedic gold. There's nothing I love better than watching an Overlord at work. Especially when they make the classic mistakes documented in Peter's Evil Overlord List and inevitable foil their own schemes. 

*** Note to readers: If you've never heard of the aforementioned list, check it out here. Immediately.

E is for Evil Overlord 

Dr. Horrible (Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog) – He sings, he wants to take over the world in order to enact social change, he creates weapons of mass destruc - well, they try. And his life's ambition is to make it into the Evil League of Evil. Dr. Horrible is the brilliant creation of Joss Whedon, brought to life on a three-part webisode during the 2007 Writer's Strike. He's endearing and love-sick, and like those of us participating in this challenge, he's a blogger. I hope and pray for the day Dr. Horrible finally gets a sequel. 

Dr. Evil (Austin Powers series) – A somewhat less altruistic Overlord than the previous "doctor" (which reminds me, I'd like to see some documentation on these supposed doctorates), Dr. Evil is the antagonist of International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers. He even went as far as to create a "Mini-Me", a villainous clone exactly one-eighth his size. And yet between his devotion to laser-wearing sharks and count-downs, Dr. Evil is incapable of actually carrying off a scheme. It's bumbling overlords like him that gave birth to the highly entertaining Evil Overlord List. 

Buddy Pine aka. Syndrome (The Incredibles) – Though he was once famous superhero Mr. Incredible's #1 fan, Buddy Pine's anger at being rebuffed as a sidekick and subsequent bitterness morphed him from an idealistic kid into Mr. Incredible's nemesis, Syndrome. Wholly bent on exacting his revenge, Syndrome uses his talents to create a myriad of gadgets and sinister inventions with the sole purpose of making his childhood hero pay. 

Brain (Pinky and the Brain) – Ah, Brain. Who can forget the lab mouse with grand schemes. "What are we going to do tonight, Brain?" "The same thing we do every night Pinky . . . try and take over the world." Again and again he comes up with plots for world domination, and again and again they backfire. But this determined rodent never gives up, marking him as a true evil overlord. With the moronic Pinky by his side, this megalomaniac mouse will spend the rest of his life attempting to rule the world. 

Palpatine aka. The Emperor aka. Darth Sidious (Star Wars) – Though he's more specifically a Sith Lord, the in-sidious, power-hungry emperor of my childhood definitely makes my list of evil overlords. He uses deception and betrayal to gain political mobility, climbing from Senator to Chancellor, and eventually abolishing the Imperial Senate and naming himself Emperor. A cunning politician and tyrannical ruler, Darth Sidious is so evil he is, for all intensive purposes, inhuman.

And there you have it, my Top 5 favorite Evil Overlords. What are some of your favorites? 

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This post is part of the Blogging A through Z Challenge 2013. My theme (in case you didn't already guess) is character types and tropes. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you’d like to check in on the other participants, simply click here.