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twistedtummies2 · 1 month ago

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Top 20 Portrayals of Frankenstein's Monster

I talk about Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” a lot on this page. There’s a good reason for that: it’s one of my favorite horror novels, as well as one of the most classically renowned. However, there is one other famous horror classic, arguably even more celebrated, that I don’t discuss as often, with a title and characters just as infamous in the world of Gothic literature as the undead Count. I speak, of course, of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus.”

It’s fairly obvious where I stand on the “Dracula vs. Frankenstein” competition, so I won’t go into that mess. However, while I do prefer Bram Stoker’s novel between the two, I do still have great respect for Shelley’s work. “Frankenstein” is essentially the first example of sci-fi horror ever created. First of all, while Victor Frankenstein’s exact methods of bringing his creation to life are left somewhat ambiguous in the novel (I believe it was Universal’s 1931 movie that first came up with electricity being the device), it is made clear that science, not magic, is the process used. Second of all, the ethical and moral questions of the novel are the kinds we find more commonly in science fiction than supernatural horror (like “Dracula”). I’ll get into those dilemnas in the future, with another list, however; for now, let’s focus on the most iconic figure from this story: Frankenstein’s Monster, also called “The Creature.”

The Monster is a great character who has been reimagined and referenced almost as much as his rival in Gothic literature, the aforementioned Count. There are essentially three things that make the character so approachable and interesting to reinterpret. First, the visual elements: in the book, Shelley states that even though Frankenstein chooses the most “beautiful” items of assembly for his home-made man, the end result is still somewhat grotesque and ghoulish. This gives artists of all sorts ample room to pick and choose elements of both appealing humanity and monstrous morbidity and find their own ways to balance them out. Second, there’s the moral ambiguity of the Creature: in the book, the monster does do terrible things, but they’re essentially all acts of retaliation. Different versions make the monster more or less culpable for his actions, thus changing his alignment on the good-evil scale according to each interpretation. However, perhaps the most noteworthy point of variation is the Monster’s intelligence. In Shelley’s novel, the Monster does start off as a shambling, childlike brute, but this is only at the start, when he’s freshly made. It soon becomes clear that the Monster is not only intelligent, but capable of being articulate, eloquent, and intellectual; arguably even more academic in personality than his creator. However, things changed when the story was adapted in later interpretations: most blame the Universal films, again, for making the Monster more of a naive innocent or dumb animal, but in truth, this was something that predated those films by at least twenty years. It’s understandable why: while seeing the Creature become more of a man is certainly symbolic and fascinating, it is equally interesting - and arguably even more tragic - when the Monster is essentially a big puppy that doesn’t really understand the danger he can pose to others. With so many ways to interpret the character, in so many varied directions, it was EXTREMELY hard to cherry pick my favorite versions, and even harder to organize them into a solid ranking. However, I think I finally achieved an at least acceptable listing of my favorite renditions of this arguably most empathetic of horror icons. Also, QUICK DISCLAIMER: I decided not to include Rocky from “Rocky Horror (Picture) Show” or Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” While other Frankenstein-Monster-analogous characters WILL appear here, I felt they were a little too much their own thing for me to include them, if that makes sense. So, without further ado (I’ve rambled quite enough), here are My Top 20 Favorite Portrayals of Frankenstein’s Monster!

20. Chad Michael Collins, from Once Upon a Time.

Yep. “Once Upon a Time” handled Frankenstein. And yes, it was as bizarre as it sounds, and the series kind of makes it clear that’s the point. How DO you take a Gothic story of science-gone-wrong and reinterpret it in a world of fairy-tales and fantasy, where love is the central theme? Well, they found a way, and I’ve always had mixed feelings about the result. Enter Chad Michael Collins as Gerhardt Frankenstein: the elder brother of Victor Frankenstein. Gerhardt is supportive of Victor’s passion and vision as a scientist (at least until the whole “grave robbing thing” pops up), and often defends him from their pompous father. When Gerhardt ends up accidentally getting killed, Victor decides to put his theories to the test not simply to create life, but to try and bring back his brother. However, when Frankenstein brings his Creation to life, what he gets isn’t the brother he once knew: instead, he gives life to a dumb, aggressive, childlike brute, who ends up murdering their father in a misguided attempt to help his brother. Now, all this is a REALLY cool start to a new version of the story…but unfortunately, that’s also sort of where Gerhardt’s story ends. Victor considers destroying his Creature, but finds he just can’t do it. Vowing to one day find a way to “fix” his brother, Victor thus abandons his creation in his castle to go and seek a “cure”...and that’s it. We sadly never saw Gerhardt again. Victor was a recurring character throughout the show’s run, but his brother/monster never really had any closure. As a result, I don’t think I can give Collins’ Creature any higher placement…but this is such a unique interpretation, and I love the show itself so much, I couldn’t neglect it.

19. Dogga (a.k.a. Riki), from Kamen Rider Kiva.

“Kamen Rider Kiva” is the first Kamen Rider show I ever saw, and it remains one of my top three favorites. (Its chief competitors are “Drive” and “Gaim,” so far.) For those who don’t know, “Kamen Rider” is a Japanese franchise that focuses on the exploits of various motorbike-riding superheroes doing…exactly what you would imagine Japanese superheroes riding motorbikes would do. Facing giant monsters, defeating them with terrible CGI effects and a ton of martial arts, that sort of stuff. (For those of you who are KR fans, I am only generalizing this briefly for the sake of expedience; the franchise is awesome, and I love it as much as you do, trust me.) “Kiva” focuses on the titular hero of the hour - whose real name is Wataru - facing characters themed around classic Universal Monsters. These include Dracula, the Wolfman, the Creature From the Black Lagoon…and, of course, Frankenstein’s Monster. The analogous character to the Monster is Dogga (also called “Riki,” in his human form): the last survivor of a race of electricity-manipulating beings called…what else? Frankens. Dogga is a sort of gentle giant; once a savage creature, he was “tamed” by Wataru’s father, Otoya, and now is one of the great monsters living in Castle Doran, helping Wataru on his journey. While a bit cynical and stoic, he nevertheless does his best to make sure Otoya’s son has all the power he needs to defeat the vampiric Fangires threatening humanity. The character’s human form was played by Eiji Takigawa, who also provided the voicework for his true form. (The Monster costume was worn by famous Japanese stunt artist, Eitoku.)

18. Glenn Strange, from Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Boris Karloff was not the only actor to play the Frankenstein Monster for the classic “Universal Monsters” film universe. His followers included Bela Lugosi (who had actually been originally slated to play the character back in 1931), Lon Chaney Jr. (who handled pretty much all of the great monsters at some point or another, with varying degrees of success), and this fellow, the more unknown Glenn Strange. Of the three, I would argue that Strange was the most successful. At the very least, he had the longest lifespan: he first played the Monster in the “monster mash” movie “House of Frankenstein,” then reprised the role (albeit for little more than a cameo appearance) in the sequel, “House of Dracula.” While Strange certainly carried off the costume and makeup well, however, neither movie really gave him a chance to stretch his legs in the part properly. Thankfully, the actor got a better shot in the vaudevillian riff “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein,” in which the famous comedy duo - playing the role of a pair of bumbling baggage handlers - had to cross swords with multiple monsters at once. In the film, the Monster is once again an innocent, dumb child, tricked into serving Count Dracula. The vampire lord, however, fears the Monster’s power, and decides to transplant the brain of one of the comedy pair with the Creature’s, in the hopes this will make the Monster more obedient. Strange would play the monster a couple more times later on, but his was by far his best outing in the role.

17. The Version from “Disney’s Frankenstein, Starring Donald Duck.”

A.K.A. "Duckenstein." In the past, I’ve mentioned that Disney made their own graphic novel adaptation of “Dracula” - starring Mickey Mouse as Jonathan Harker - which I admired not only for its daring and general oddness, but also because it was clear the people who made the comic also were really big fans of the original novel, sticking true to the source and providing a lot of in-jokes that only readers of the book would really get. Well, at the same time Disney made their Dracula comic, they also made one of “Frankenstein,” featuring characters from the Donald Duck universe. (The Monster in the story, however, appears to be an original character.) As well as making various in-jokes to the novel, the comic also serves as a sort of twisted homage to Disney’s primary medium: animation. Donald Duck as the mad doctor starts off not interested in science, but in art, and and wishes to find a way to bring inanimate art to animated life. This inspires him to create a monster not out of used (body) parts, but out of painted cardboard. The Creature in this comic is a lot of fun, and - because this is a Disney story - the comic actually ends by giving the Monster a happy ending, though one that still has a slightly bittersweet side to it, all without ever ruining the ideas present in Shelley’s novel. While I personally liked Disney’s Dracula more, this was still a fun reimagining, and the nods to animation itself definitely helped give it more credit.

16. Victor Von Gerdenheim, from Darkstalkers.

Yet another Monster-analogous character, and arguably the most tragic of such examples. In the universe of Darkstalkers, Victor is the creation and “son” of Professor Von Gerdenheim. Unlike in the novel or the Universal movie (the latter of which is the main source of Victor’s inspiration), Von Gerdenheim does not betray or abandon his creation purposefully. Instead, due to a small miscalculation, the Professor was tragically killed by the same lightning storm that gave his creation life. Victor - “born” with no real concept of life or death - mistakenly believed his father’s unresponsive state was due to him ignoring him, and vowed to grow stronger and more powerful in the hopes he could get his father to care. In later games, Victor finds out he has a sister: Emily, a sort of “prototype” Von Gerdenheim created. Unlike Victor, she is a beautiful young lady, and the two care for each other very much…so, when Victor’s sister malfunctions and she suddenly shuts down (not exactly “dying” so much as falling into an almost fairy-tale like sleeping state), her brother changes tactics from seeking his deceased father’s approval to trying to save his sister’s life…an attempt that, by all accounts, could be just as fruitless. Truly, a hopeless creature whose story is one of the most disturbing and sorrowful of any Darkstalkers character…and yet he literally uses his fat butt to clench his enemies to death as one of his special moves in combat. No, that is not a joke. This is why video games were made, folks, clearly.

15. Gabriel Dell, from “Famous Monsters Speak!”

Here’s an obscure one that a lot of you probably don’t know about. “Famous Monsters Speak!” was a two-part audio production, ostensibly aimed at children, in which performer Gabriel Dell - a noted impressionist - played both the Frankenstein Monster and Count Dracula. Originally released on record, the first part of the production is Frankenstein themed. The premise is that a team of researchers have discovered a mysterious bunch of recording cylinders, on which it’s revealed the thoughts of the Frankenstein Monster - starting from the moment of his birth - have somehow been put down. We thus hear the voice of the Monster, getting the Creature’s perspective on things as he wanders through the world, seeking vengeance against his creator. In a change of pace, this version of the Monster is actually depicted as an inherently evil being: it’s indicated that, having been made from the bodies of seven dead criminals, their evil nature has infected the Monster from birth. Later in the story, the Monster DOES start to develop more humanity, as he falls in love with a beautiful woman - despite her fear of him - but when he accidentally kills her, and the Doctor refuses to save her life, the Monster returns to his dastardly ways. While this is far, FAR from the pathos-infused, tragic being so many other versions - including the novel - depict, I will give it this: this version still scares the bejeezus out of me. I heard it as a kid, and let me tell you, it’s AMAZING something this genuinely scary was marketed to children. It may not be the most sympathetic or accurate version, but it’s arguably the most frightening I’ve ever encountered. On a side note, Dell’s Dracula half of the production is also pretty good; I very nearly included him in the Honorable Mentions the last time I did a “Re-Count” of the character, but…well, frankly, I had to stop somewhere. :P

14. Sparky, from Frankenweenie.

If there’s one surefire way to make the Frankenstein Monster sympathetic, it’s to make him into an adorable little puppy dog. Tim Burton attempted this very early in his career with the 1984 live-action short subject, “Frankenweenie.” In 2012, following contract negotiations with his old employers at Disney, Burton released a feature-length remake of his old short project, this time produced via stop-motion animation, with a style similar to “Corpse Bride.” In both versions, the “Monster” starts life as a bull terrier named Sparky, owned by a young boy named Victor Frankenstein. When Sparky is tragically killed, Victor decides to bring his pet back to life. What’s great about both versions of this story is that, after being repaired and reanimated…Sparky is still Sparky. He’s still the loving, playful, frankly cute-as-a-button pup that Victor always loved, he just…looks a little different now. More than any other version, this one really isn’t a monster at all, which makes the tragedy and horror caused by the misunderstandings of others all the more sorrowful. Seriously, how could anybody be scared of a sweetheart like this? Proof that the love between a boy and his dog can transcend life itself, Sparky is the most precious Frankenstein Monster you could ever give treats and belly rubs to.

13. Fran, from the Fate Series.

For those unaware, the “Fate” series is a Japanese-created franchise in which various Mages, or “Masters,” summon Heroic Spirits, or “Servants,” in a recurring quest to capture the Holy Grail. These Spirits/Servants take the forms of various famous figures from history, literature, and mythology. (There’s a LOT of convoluted lore beyond that, but that’s the basics of things.) A common running gag (if you want to call it that) throughout the series is the interpretation of traditionally male characters as female ones: sometimes the explanation is that history mucked things up, sometimes it’s because they masqueraded as men in their lifetime, and sometimes it’s something much, MUCH more complicated. Examples of this trend include King Arthur (and Mordred), Leonardo DaVinci, Sir Francis Drake, Emperor Nero…and, of course, the Frankenstein Monster - also referred to as simply “Frankenstein.” She, however, prefers the name “Fran.” This version of the character essentially mingles elements of past versions together: her backstory is fairly close to the Shelley novel, but the way she’s depicted in terms of personality is typically more akin to that of the Universal creature: a childlike innocent with limited speech ability and an almost puppy-like demeanor. (This is specifically in her common Berserker form…it’s complicated. XD ) I really love this version of the character, and the explanation for why Fran is female to begin with actually makes a lot of sense, although it still doesn’t quite explain why the story we know today ended up the way it did. Still, the Fate series is nothing if not thoroughly insane. In Japan, Fran is voiced by Ai Nonaka; in English language releases, she’s voiced by Sarah Anne Williams.

12. Christopher Lee, from The Curse of Frankenstein.

Before he played Dracula (or the Mummy), Christopher Lee’s first great monster role was also his big break in movies. Lee had performed in several things before he was cast as the Creature in Hammer’s loose adaptation of “Frankenstein” - entitled, most likely for the sake of unique variation, “The Curse of Frankenstein” - but it was his performance in this feature that really put him on the map. With a visual design apparently inspired by Cesare from “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” Lee played an even more grotesque and dangerous version of the Monster than perhaps any seen on the screen before. In the film, the Creature isn’t quite the childlike innocent of the Universal films, nor is he a mindless killing machine: it’s indicated that (much like in the Universal film) the brain that was put into this monster was damaged, and as a result, the Creature has come out wrong. The Creature has an extremely violent temper, and seems ready to kill at the slightest provocation, but there’s a touch of pathos as you get the sensation the reason the monster lashes out so violently is because it doesn’t really know how else to process things. Later Hammer films would show Frankenstein creating new Monsters, some more grotesque and nasty, others more sympathetic and even pleasing to the eye…but, since this was the first film of the Hammer Frankenstein series, and the only one more or less based on the novel proper, I felt Lee’s was the version of the Monster most worth crediting. He set the trend for a whole new wave of man-made men, and it was the success of this movie, and it’s Monster, that first put both Lee and Hammer in the annals of horror fame.

11. Shuler Hensley, from Van Helsing.

Stephen Sommers’ 2004 schlockbuster, “Van Helsing,” was a tribute to classic “Monster Mash” movies of the past, like the aforementioned “House of Frankenstein.” It starred Hugh Jackman as the titular monster hunter, and was intended to start a whole new reboot for the Universal Monster lineup. Ultimately, however, it ended up failing both critically and at the box office. (2017’s Mummy looks on in sympathy.) While the movie is admittedly very, VERY flawed (and absurdly over-the-top), I actually enjoyed it a lot growing up, and I still have a soft spot for it. It’s a guilty pleasure, if nothing else. One of my favorite aspects of the film is Shuler Hensley as the Frankenstein Monster. (Incidentally, Hensley had performed onstage with Hugh Jackman in the past, most notably as the sinister Jud Fry in “Oklahoma.”) While the design of the Creature - referred to as both “the Frankenstein Monster” and simply “Frankenstein” throughout the picture - owes much to the classic Universal movies, the actual portrayal is slightly closer to the original novel, as the Monster is a well-read, eloquent creature, despite his immense strength and bad temper. In the film, Dracula actually funds Dr. Frankenstein’s experiments, leading to the creation of his “son;” it’s revealed that the Count plans to use the Monster as a sort of “battery,” allowing him to give life to his undead vampire children. With them and the Monster, Dracula can then - of course - take over the world. It’s thus up to Van Helsing and his allies to try and keep the Monster out of Dracula’s grasp. Most people probably wouldn’t rate this version so highly, but again, I just have a soft spot for this film, as well as this Creature design.

10. Bo Svenson, from Dan Curtis’ Frankenstein.

Dan Curtis was the creative mastermind behind the famous soap opera, “Dark Shadows”...which I’ve never really seen. (I did see the Tim Burton film based on it, for the record, but a.) I don’t think it’s very good, and b.) to my understanding, it follows the show about as well as Universal’s Frankenstein follows the book.) Needless to say, the man was a major fan of Gothic literature and old-school horror stories, and during his time he put his spin on several of them. One of them was an early 1970s TV miniseries adaptation of “Frankenstein”: at the time, it was - I think - the most accurate interpretation of the story put to screen. (Later versions followed the story even more closely.) Svenson’s Creature, appropriately, is a bit closer to the book; not a dumb animal, but instead a tortured soul who is capable of understanding the world and intellectualizing all he takes in, but cannot symbiotically exist with other human beings. The ending is where things really take a different turn from the novel, but I won’t spoil it here. This version can be hard to track down nowadays in good copy, at least from what I’ve found, but if you’re able to do so, definitely give it a watch.

9. Tom Noonan, from Monster Squad.

A common trope I’ve seen with the Frankenstein Monster is what might be termed “the friendly monster.” Basically, the Monster starts off as an antagonistic presence, but then befriends the main heroes of the day and becomes a hero by the end of the story, usually with much adorableness and silliness abounding over the course of this development. While I can’t be sure of where this idea really started, I think my favorite example of this, and one of the first I’m aware of, was in the 1987 film “Monster Squad.” This was yet another Monster Mash movie, accurately described as a combination of “The Goonies” and “Ghostbusters,” focusing on a bunch of child heroes having to save their town from Dracula and his monster minions. Once again, the Frankenstein Monster is depicted early on as a pawn of Dracula’s, and seems to be the fellow Monster the Count is most close to…which makes things all the more interesting when, instead of killing the heroes for the vampire king, he ends up befriending them, and eventually helps them defeat the Count at the climax of the picture. Tom Noonan had played the much-less-savory role of Francis Dolarhyde in the horror/crime film “Manhunter” the year before; he was offered the role of the Monster as a result of his performance. I find this sort of ironic, since the two characters really couldn’t be any more different. Noonan evidently had a couple of projects to choose from, and went with Monster Squad because he wanted to play something lighter and more sympathetic, to contrast the darkness of Dolarhyde. He delivers excellently: of all the Karloffian Monsters on this countdown, few have quite as successfully followed in the original’s footsteps with the same level of sweetness and sensitivity. Plus, seeing the Monster boom “Bogus!” right into Dracula’s face before IMPALING him, is…something I’m SO glad exists in the same universe I live in.

8. Benedict Cumberbatch & Jonny Lee Miller, from the National Theatre Production.

Ever wanted to see two Sherlocks for the price of one? In something that is not even Sherlock-related? Well, first of all, you’re a very weird person. (So am I, this is a good thing.) Second of all, then perhaps you’ll enjoy the 2011 production of Frankenstein, adapted by Nick Dear and directed by Danny Boyle. Produced at England’s National Theatre, two performances of this show were filmed…which is good, because the big gimmick of the play was the double-casting of its two lead actors. Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller both played the Monster and Dr. Frankenstein…but not at the same time. The actors would alternate performances, with Cumberbatch playing the Creature and Miller playing Frankenstein one night, then the two swapping roles the next, and so on and so forth. The story in this version is told mostly from the Monster’s point of view, as the play starts right off the bat with the birth of the Creature, and - like in the book - leaves it ambiguous how it was brought to life. There’s a lot of things to admire in this play, frankly, but I think it’s the gimmick of the two actors, and who those actors are, that gives it the most draw to see it. Both Cumberbatch and Miller handle their twin roles slightly differently, but there’s still some obvious similarities, for obvious reasons. If I had to choose which of them I like most as the Creature, I’d probably say I like Cumberbatch in the role more. His voice is a bit clearer, and he puts a LOT more movement into his body motions and actions, compared to Miller’s work. Both, however, do an amazing job in each role. Definitely look this production up and watch both versions, if you can.

7. Robert DeNiro, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994).

Released in answer to Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” two years before, this film tried to achieve the same success using similar methods; following the book more closely than any film before that, while also still making some significant changes, and also going much more wild with the gore and sensuality than any version prior. While the resulting film wasn’t bad, most people agree that it isn’t and wasn’t QUITE as successful as the Coppola feature…but this doesn’t mean it’s without merits. DeNiro’s Monster is definitely one of those merits: DeNiro is really very surprising in the role. I would never have pegged him to be a perfect piece of casting for ANY version of the Monster, but he really does pull it off, and at times it’s hard to remember who it is behind the scarfaced makeup. The way he handles his body, his voice, his expressions, and everything else for the role really is magnificent. I honestly feel bad for not placing him higher in the ranks. While not a great success in its time, the film does seem to have grown a cult following over the years, and I think it’s mostly well-deserved: this is probably one of my favorite DeNiro performances, alongside “The Godfather Part II” and “Taxi Driver.” If nothing else, his work here has earned more praise and attention than it likely gets.

6. Ian Holm, from “Mystery & Imagination: Frankenstein.”

Earlier, we spoke of a production where the actors for Victor Frankenstein and his Monster were played by the same two alternating actors. All very well and good…but what about a production where both are played by the same single actor? This was the case with “Mystery & Imagination,” a 1960s UK television program that adapted many famous, dark stories. I sadly have not been able to find and view most of these, but my favorite of those I HAVE seen was their adaptation of Frankenstein, mostly because of the gimmick of having both the Monster and the scientist played by the same performer. Editing and camera trickery allowed the production to work beautifully, in an age and on a budget where most common special effects that would allow such a thing easily now were not readily available. While Ian Holm is largely best known today for his work as Bilbo Baggins in the Peter Jackson “Lord of the Rings” films, he was a performer with a long and varied career. Even knowing this, I never expected to see him play the Frankenstein Monster, and he does a brilliant job, bringing a sort of nervous softness and steely fury to the role in equal measure. I actually am highly tempted to place him higher, but there’s only room for so many in the top five.

5. Peter Boyle, from Young Frankenstein.

Alongside the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” I’m fairly certain this movie was my introduction to Peter Boyle. And for as great an actor as Boyle might have been, I sometimes feel like his actual performance as the Monster in this satirical classic often gets overlooked. I tend to find more people talk about Gene Wilder’s work in the title role. And while, yes, Wilder’s Frankenstein - actually a descendant of the original, but I’m still counting things here - is truly fantastic, Boyle’s work as the Karloff-inspired Creature is just as great. What I love about Boyle’s work is, in fact, what I love about Karloff’s most of the time, but now with a totally different sense of mood and style: both are able to do so much with so little, as their eyes, facial expressions, and body movements are largely where the delivery of their performance shines through. But while Karloff plays things for sincerity and danger in the original…Boyle’s Monster is just flipping HILARIOUS. Honestly, that sums up what makes “Young Frankenstein” so great, in general: it keeps the general themes and ideas of both the novel and especially the Universal pictures, but twists them from tragedy and horror to farce and wit. Great movie, great monster, an all around great choice for my top five.

4. Herman Munster, from The Munsters.

“The Munsters” was a 1960s sitcom, supposedly inspired by the success of “The Addams Family,” which focused on the darkly humorous shenanigans in a household made up of characters inspired by the Universal Monsters. The main protagonist of the series was the family patriarch: the Frankenstein Monster himself, Herman Munster, played by Fred Gwynne. In the early days of the show, Herman was a fairly normal “sitcom father” type, but as the show went on, Gwynne and the creators developed the character more. Herman became a loving father, a doting husband, a hard worker who always tried to do his best…and also a complete, bumbling clod. Essentially, the idea of the overgrown child inherent in the Universal films was given a voice and a more contemporary spin, as Herman was often more kid-like than his own son in his attitudes and antics. Herman always meant well, but his dimwitted nature and overblown clumsiness constantly got not only himself, but most of the family, into trouble. Still, he’d always try hard to pull things back from the brink of disaster, and owned up to his mistakes and tried to learn from them in the end. Frankly, he was arguably the most loveable character in the series. (Interestingly, Gwynne also got to play a more “traditional” version of the character in the episode “A Visit From Johann,” where it’s revealed Herman’s creator made a twin brother for him, who lacked even Herman’s meager levels of intelligence.) Unlike the Addams Family - who have successfully been reimagined more than once - it seems like every attempt to bring the Munsters back to life has been a dismal failure. I think this is largely because of the fact so much of what made this particular series work came from the actors: Fred Gwynne’s Herman has been imitated multiple times, but there was a lightning-in-a-bottle quality to his work and to the series that has never been duplicated. The role dogged Gwynne to the end of his days: perhaps most notably, in a production of the play “Arsenic and Old Lace,” where he played the role Boris Karloff had originated. This was by no means a coincidence, especially not when one of the most famous lines in the show has the character claiming, “They said I looked like Boris Karloff!”

3. Luke Goss, from Frankenstein (2004 Miniseries).

This is quite possibly the single most Shelley-accurate adaptation of the story put to the screen so far. At a hardy length of three hours, split into a two-part television miniseries, it was able to not only take everything from the original novel, but also expand on a couple of things in interesting ways. Appropriately, Luke Goss is probably among the most screen-accurate interpretations of the Creature we’ve ever gotten. This version was made for the Hallmark Channel. Interestingly, throughout the late nineties and early 2000s, in particular, Hallmark made a bunch of film and miniseries adaptations of popular works of fiction; virtually all of them became noteworthy largely because of their faithfulness to the source material. However, most people agree that a lot of these interpretations were a bit stiff. While this miniseries has gotten some similar criticism, I actually think it does an extremely worthy job with the work; most of the weaknesses it has I would offer are really due to the weaknesses of the material. Goss as the creature turns in a delightfully sensitive, tender performance, while still able to deliver on the darker, more dangerous parts of the story, where the Monster’s bitter and cruel side has to come out. This version of the story and the character often gets overlooked in favor of more popular renditions, but it’s one I highly recommend checking out.

2. Rory Kinnear, from Penny Dreadful.

Of all the more or less Shelley-faithful versions of the character on this countdown, Rory Kinnear’s is by far my favorite. “Penny Dreadful” was a series that combined elements and characters from various pieces of Gothic literature, with multiple sub-plots sort of crashing together throughout the course of the show. Kinnear’s Creature was usually a fairly peripheral figure, his story largely separate from the main plot of the program; however, this meant that the moments where his story and those of the other main characters DID collide became more special by default, and his own side story was arguably the most emotionally intense part of the entire show to begin with. The Creature goes by two “proper” names during the show: in season one, he was referred to as “Caliban,” taking his name from the Shakespearean character. Later seasons had him take on the name “John Clare,” after the famous poet. (I personally preferred Caliban, for various reasons.) Kinnear’s portrayal of the Creature is hauntingly touching and tragic, as he constantly seeks some form of family and acceptance, and it always gets robbed from him, slipping through his fingers. The Frankenstein characters were my favorites from the series, and Caliban/Clare’s tragic tale gave much of the heart to this dark and fright-filled melodrama. Keeping true to the source of the character, only really changing the story he was in, Kinnear’s Creature was ironically perhaps closer to the novel than almost any other.

1. Boris Karloff, from the Universal Monsters Franchise.

From two of the most accurate-to-the-book versions of the Creature, to the one who made inaccuracy to the source VERY popular. I know a lot of fans of the original book are going to be swarming me like an angry mob for this choice, but I’m sorry: as much as I love the work in the original novel, Boris Karloff’s star-making portrayal of the Monster is still beloved and popular for a darn good reason. If the Universal film did one thing right, it was take the tragic and sympathetic qualities of the Creature in the book, and bring them to their absolute xenith: Karloff’s Monster is not even remotely villainous, when you really look at things. While he does do some terrible things, it’s always either in justified retaliation, or because he’s being manipulated by a more terrible power, or even because he genuinely doesn’t realize what he’s doing is wrong. In the first film, the Creature is done with almost pure pantomime, and Karloff brings so much gentle life to this shambling, undead puppet, who just wants to be loved and understand the world around him, only to find misfortune at every turn. In “Bride of Frankenstein,” the Monster starts to go through more of the beats of the original book - learning to speak (albeit nowhere near as eloquently as in the novel), seeking a mate, and so on - but remains just as sorrowful a figure. While the third film, “Son of Frankenstein” - Karloff’s final turn as the Monster - sidelined the character in favor of focusing on the conflict between the title character and the malevolent Ygor, Karloff still gets several great moments of pathos, despite regressing once more to a mute beast. While the Creature has become an icon of horror, he is perhaps the most unlikely of such candidates, as you really do feel sorry for him more than you feel scared of him: he really is like an enormous pet animal, you just want to take care of him and help him, and you wish others would see he really isn’t so bad and would do the same. While only barely resembling the figure conjured up in the book, Karloff’s original monster remains iconic not only because of the eye-catching makeup and costume, nor even simply because the films are so long-lasting, but because his performance and the direction of the story made us truly feel for the monster, both literally and figuratively. He has more than earned my personal seal of approval and my number one pick. Case dismissed.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Grant Moninger, from TMNT (2012).

This one very nearly made the cut. This version of the Monster appears in a four-part story arc where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles face the Universal Monsters. Moninger voices not only the Monster, but also Dr. Frankenstein. (He also provides the voice of the Mummy, but that’s another story.) Very fun stuff, but I just don’t have a lot to say about this one.

David Warner, from Frankenstein (1984).

This rather obscure TV movie outing has a great cast (alongside Warner as the monster, you also have such names as Carrie Fisher, Sir John Gielgud, and Robert Powell), but is sadly brought down by it’s shoestring budget and heavy truncation of the story. Warner’s performance is great, but the script and his, in my opinion, visually lacking makeup job keep him from making the cut.

Charles Stanton Ogle, from Frankenstein (1910).

The first screen version of Frankenstein ever known. A very interesting piece of history, and the look of the creature is kind of cool, but I feel the story misses the point of the story in some ways (the creature is depicted as more of a supernatural construct than a scientific one), and the film is only about 15 minutes long.

Kamran Nikhad (as Adam the Firstborn), from V Rising.

A somewhat more evil pastiche of the Monster, Adam is one of the toughest and most iconic bosses in this game, alongside Dracula himself. Interestingly, Nikhad voices both Adam AND the Count in this version. Lucky guy.

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punster-2319 · 11 months ago

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Top 20 Favorite Cartoons (because of boredom again)

1. Looney Tunes

2. Tom and Jerry

3. Animaniacs

4. Gargoyles

5. Batman the Animated Series

6. Bojack Horseman

7. Jackie Chan Adventures

8. Phineas and Ferb

9. Redwall

10. Dexter’s Laboratory

11. Ed, Edd n Eddy

12. Disney’s Hercules the Animated Series

13 Aladdin: The Series

14. Mickey Mouse Works/House of Mouse

15. Freakazoid!

16. Milo Murphy’s Law

17. Archer

18. King of the Hill

19. Rocko’s Modern Life

20. Daria

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 20 FAVORITE CARTOONS?

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geeky92 · 2 days ago

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Top 20 WORST Sailor Moon Episodes

Anyone who follows me knows that I LOVE Sailor Moon, and after rewatching all 5 seasons of the 90s anime, I can honestly say that it holds up…mostly well. However, with a 200-episode long anime like this, there’s bound to be a few stinkers in there, and here are my Top 20 picks for the worst episodes.

“Dishonorable” Mentions:

Usagi’s Confusion/Usagi’s Bizarre Training/The Snow, the Mountains, Friendship and Monsters/Mako, the Ice Skating Queen (Episodes 36-39)

These four filler episodes, which take place after the Princess Reveal, all essentially have the same plot, with Kunzite coming up with a lame scheme to expose the Moon Princess through some convoluted scam or contest. Even more baffling is how Usagi and her friends all manage to fall for the same trick four times in a row! And yet…I still find them genuinely enjoyable. They’re all objectively stupid episodes, but they’re so much fun at the same time! There’s a so-bad-it’s-good kind of charm to them. 20. Become a Prima: Usagi’s Ballet (Episode 145)

Honestly, I have no idea what kind of message this episode was going for. Its conflict was so forced because of a ballet instructor’s unprofessional nepotism! Seriously though, Fish Eye had every right to be angry at that ballet instructor because the latter basically used him, and yet we’re somehow supposed to feel bad for the ginger ballerina, just because she has a crush on the instructor (even when Fish Eye was objectively the better dancer)? Oh, and Mamoru fatshaming Usagi at the end was totally unnecessary!

19. Learn How to be Skinny From Usagi (Episode 04)

Kind of an obvious choice, because almost everyone hates this episode, and rightfully so. It’s got a very harmful and misleading message about how women should exercise to stay “beautiful” rather than to stay healthy, and it has a mean-spirited undercurrent of everyone deciding to body shame Usagi for no reason (including her own family)! The only reason I have this one at #19 is because it was only the 4th episode of the very first season, and the writers were still trying to find their footing. So yes, this episode is awful, but I can at least understand why it turned out so awful.

18. A Guardian’s Realization: Strength Lies Within a Pure Heart (Episode 127)

It’s no secret that S is my favorite season of the 90s anime, but even I can admit that it isn’t perfect. Case in point: this episode right here! Now, I know episode 126 has a very polarized reputation amongst fans, but I felt it was a perfectly serviceable way to wrap up the anime’s Infinity Arc. This however, feels like a tumor that got added on at the last second! Sure, the Sailor Team throwing a farewell party for Chibi-Usa was really sweet, but it proved to be pointless in the end, considering that the very next season would heavily focus on her! Seriously, if you skip this episode entirely, you wouldn’t miss a thing! That’s how pointless it is.

17. Making New Friends: Chibi Moon’s Adventure (Episode 104)

Yeah, unfortunately we’ve got another S episode on the list, except this one’s probably even more irritating than the last one. Usagi and Chibi-Usa both get invited to a tea ceremony, where they make complete asses of themselves and spend most of the episode screaming and yelling at each other. This episode’s also notable for having a scene of a random little boy sexually harassing Chibi-Usa. Look, Toei, if you wanted to show us how gross and immature little boys can be, there’s much better ways to do that! Also, you really shouldn’t be playing up sexual harassment as comedy, especially if the sexual harassment is aimed at a 9-year old child!

16. Umino’s Resolve: I’ll Protect Naru (Episode 32)

Umino might just as well be one of the most polarizing characters in the entire 90s anime, and…well, with episodes like this, you can see why. His entire behavior in this episode is toxic and downright creepy, from following Naru home from school to waiting outside her apartment past midnight! It doesn’t help that Usagi actively encourages Umino to pursue Naru, after Naru made it very clear that she only likes him as a friend. What’s even worse, is that Umino never gets punished for his behavior! Yeah, despite everything he does in this episode, Umino gets rewarded by becoming Naru’s boyfriend. Personally, I thought the ending of episode 26 was good enough confirmation of UmiNaru, because this one just makes it really hard for me to ship them.

15. Awaken the Sleeping Beauty: Mamoru’s Distress (Episode 69)

Now, I’m not as bothered by the “breakup arc” in R as so many other fans are, since most of the episodes in that arc either don’t dwell on it too much, or are just inoffensive at best. This one, however, infuriates me because it has Mamoru using poor Unazuki to get Usagi to hate him! I know that he was haunted by terrifying visions of Usagi’s death, but that’s still no excuse to toy with another girl’s feelings in order to get your ex to stop pursuing you. That’s just skeevy and cruel! The thing is, I don’t even hate the 90s anime version of Mamoru, but this is by far one of his worst episodes.

14. Magic of Darkness: Esmeraude’s Invasion (Episode 76)

With a foreboding and sinister-sounding title like Magic of Darkness, you’d think this would be a more mature and serious kind of episode (like episodes 70-75 all were). Well, sorry to be that person, but this title is a lie! It’s okay to have a more comedic and lighthearted episode as levity from the more serious stuff once in a while, but using a character like Esmeraude for that type of episode feels incredibly jarring. Especially since Esmeraude in the 90s anime was first introduced to us as a darker, more sinister version of the Specter Sisters. Worst of all, is that the Monster-of-the-Day in this episode has both powers and a design that can only be described as: The Writers’ Poorly Disguised Fetish.

13. Artemis’ Adventure: The Monster Animal Kingdom (Episode 79)

Ever wondered what Luna’s Worst Day Ever would be like if it were less funny and more mean-spirited? That’s this episode in a nutshell. Moving on!

12. Luna’s Discovery: The True Face of Yaten (Episode 178)

Whew, boy! This one was bad. I think this post sums it up best.

11. Usagi and the Girls’ Resolve: Prelude to a New Battle (Episode 89)

Many Sailor Moon fans seem to forget this episode even exists, and you wanna know what the plot of this one is? Well, I can’t exactly say, because the truth is, it has no plot. It’s literally just a 20-minute clip show and a glorified preview of Sailor Moon S. Though, the good thing about this episode is that it comes at the very tail end of R (right after the real season finale). So you could easily skip this one, and move right ahead into S.

10. I Want a Boyfriend: The Luxury Cruise Ship is a Trap/Dream of a White Dress: Usagi Becomes a Bride (Episodes 12 and 16)

Now, the reason why I have these 2 share the #10 spot is unfortunately because of one single character: Rei Hino.

A lot of people already give Anime Rei unnecessary amounts of hate for dating Mamoru between episodes 15-35, when 1.) It didn’t even get that much focus, and 2.) Usagi and Mamoru weren’t even a couple yet at that point! These episodes however, don’t do her character any favors, because they exaggerate her negative traits to an absurd degree. This is especially painful for me, because Rei happens to be my favorite character in both the manga and the 90s anime. So yeah, fuck these episodes for making my fave look bad.

9. Aim for an Idol: Minako’s Ambition (Episode 175)

So, according to this episode, it’s perfectly okay for a toxic fan to stalk and harass their favorite celebrity as long as they have the excuse of being very passionate about photography. Great message, am I right?

8. Artemis is Cheating? Enter the Mysterious Kitten (Episode 133)

Oh, boy, this one. Where to even begin? This episode just sucks because it feels like a long, ongoing joke where everyone is unrealistically stupid for the sake of the plot! Not only that, but it has one of the worst lines ever in the entire show.

Artemis: I can’t believe Luna’s acting this way!

Mamoru: Well, if you’re gonna stare at other women, don’t do it in front of the one you’re in love with.

MAMORU WOULD NEVER FUCKING SAY THAT! I mean, I know he has his flaws in the 90s anime, but even there he would never encourage that kind of behavior behind Usagi’s back! Again, this is wildly out of character for him even in the 90s anime, especially after everything he and Usagi have been through together. Also, why did you have to introduce Diana so late into the show, Toei? We could’ve avoided so many bad sitcom cliches if you had just introduced her in the Black Moon arc, like the manga did!

7. Protect Mamoru: Ninja Usagi’s Jealousy/The Secret Mansion: A Menu of Love for You (Episodes 136 and 142)

Alright, so I’ve already mentioned episodes that show Mamoru at his worst, and I’ve mentioned episodes that show Rei at her worst. Ever wondered what Usagi’s like at her worst? Well, look no further than these two duds! These episodes take Usagi’s jealousy to very toxic extremes, from slutshaming her friend for letting Mamo stay at her grandfather’s shrine, to trying to pick a fight with an old lady! Who even thought these episodes were a good idea anyway?!

6. Clash of Dreams: Minako and Makoto’s Broken Friendship (Episode 154)

What a lazy and ill-conceived episode this was! It was already bad enough that these Inner Senshi power-up episodes happened way too late during the Amazoness Quartet portion of SuperS, instead of the Amazon Trio portion like they should have! However, unlike Ami and Rei, who both ended up with really good SuperS power-up episodes (despite their poor timing), Mako and Minako were not so lucky. They don’t even go through an arc where they awaken their new powers on their own, Artemis just flat out tells them to awaken them! Worst of all, is that so much chaos could’ve been avoided if Chibi-Usa had just told them that the hot preschool teacher they’ve been fighting over was already married!

5. Pegasus Disappears: Wavering Friendship (Episode 157)

This episode had SO much potential to be interesting, and yet it falls completely flat, mostly because of the way Pegasus and Chibi-Usa’s relationship is written in SuperS. See, in the manga, Pegasus doesn’t spend most of the Dream arc hiding his soul away in the confines of Chibi-Usa’s bedroom. He was trapped and needed the Senshis’ help right away; but because Sailor Moon had its manga chapters released monthly (at the time the 90s anime was airing in Japan), Toei of course had to write in a bunch of fillers for the anime to kill time. However, this resulted in a major problem for the SuperS season as a whole: The fact that Pegasus would constantly keep his life a secret from Chibi-Usa to the point where it got ridiculous! Again, this post really sums it up best.

4. Aiming for the Top: The Pretty Swordswoman’s Dilemma/Believe in Pegasus: The Four Guardians’ Super Transformation (Episodes 139 and 143)

I promise you all, these are going to be the last SuperS episodes on this list, so bear with me. Now, these 2 episodes share the #4 spot for both different and similar reasons. The different reasons are that one’s about excusing child abuse, and the other one pretty much highlights how helpless the Inner Senshi in this season are without Pegasus. The similar reasons? Well, because the former involves Tiger’s Eye trying to seduce a little girl, and the latter involves Fish Eye trying to seduce a 10-year old boy. Worst of all, those moments are actually played for laughs, which is…a really big yikes, especially for an anime primarily aimed at children! I mean, I like Fish Eye, but his actions in episode 143 can make it very difficult to sympathize with him afterwards.

3. Seiya and Usagi’s Heart-Pounding Date/Invitation to Terror: Usagi’s Night Flight (Episodes 181 and 188)

For me, these two episodes really show how much the 90s anime dropped the ball with the Shadow Galactica villains. In the manga, they were serious threats to our heroes and didn’t mess around when it came to taking the star seed of every Sailor Senshi they could find. The 90s anime however, had them bumble around for 98% of the 5th season, taking star seeds from random human victims instead of just focusing on taking star seeds from actual sailor senshi!

Worst of all, is that despite coming close to achieving their goal, Iron Mouse and Aluminum Siren never seize the opportunity to actually extract the star seeds of all the senshi they’ve successfully trapped! Instead, they use all that time to gloat and taunt the senshi until it’s too late. Worse still, is that in episode 181, Galaxia can apparently appear in the human realm at any time, but it takes her until the last 7 episodes of the season for her to actually do anything!

2. Chibi-Chibi’s Mystery: The Big Noisy Chase (Episode 186)

Much like Esmeraude’s Invasion, the title of this episode is a deceptively interesting one. Obviously, a title like Chibi-Chibi’s Mystery would have you think that the episode might add something to the lore and reveal something important about Chibi-Chibi, but alas, that is not the case. Again, I don’t mind it when an anime uses light-hearted fillers as levity from the more serious stuff, but the problem is, NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS EPISODE! I mean, episode 89 didn’t have a lot going on either, but at least that one got fans excited for Sailor Moon S. This one just has no reason to exist at all! In fact, I think Big Noisy Chase is a very appropriate subtitle, because this whole episode’s nothing but pointless noise!

The Shining Power of a Star: Chibi-Chibi’s Transformation (Episode 187)

So, when I think of “bad episodes” from a TV show, I usually think of episodes that are: badly written, poorly paced, too mean-spirited, or just really annoying in general. This episode ticks off ALL those boxes for me! Seiya basically forces Usagi to join the annual softball tournament at her school, her friends act like major jerks to her, the Holy Moon Chalice being introduced to us this late in the series made no sense, and Chibi-Chibi’s big reveal as a Sailor Senshi was very underwhelming compared to how the manga did it. How this episode even managed to be the 2nd Top-Rated Sailor Moon episode on IMDb is way beyond me!

#top 20 #ranking list #sailor moon #sailor moon classic #sailor moon r #sailor moon s #sailor moon super s #sailor stars #sailor moon sailor stars #worst episodes

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gerec · 2 years ago

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TOP 10 CHERIK FICS GO!

Also Xaverine would do too! >:'D

Well I'm finally caught up with these fic rec asks (just one more to go after this one woo hoo!) and this is going to be a LONNNNNGGGG post. I tried very, VERY hard to come up with a top 10 list of my favorite Cherik fics and it was utterly impossible; even top 20 was hard as hell but that's what you're getting here Anon lol. (I've also included a top 10 Xavierine list for you too!)

I have read every single one of the stories on this list a dozen times or more - I can't thank the authors enough for the absolute joy they've given me with their amazing hard work :D :D :D (And not just these particular authors but all of you who've written wonderful stories I've loved!)

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Top 10 20 Cherik Fics

(Not listed in any particular order.)

1. Timeline by Unforgotten (series)

After Magneto of an X2-ish future succeeds in the unthinkable, Charles sends his consciousness back to 1962 to guide Erik away from the path that will lead to the genocide of the human race forty years hence.

Charles knows that Erik has always loved him, and intends to use this knowledge + sex to seduce Erik away from his ideals in his youth.

There's no way this well-thought-out, sensible, debugged and 100% bulletproof plan can possibly go wrong.

2. Your Heart Just Couldn't Wait by Pookaseraph

Charles and his BFF Tony Stark have the life - they're co-valedictorians at the most prestigious high school in the city, they have their own condo in Manhattan, and they get to go to all the awesome parties. Charles just wished he understood relationships and sex as well as Tony does. His theoretical bisexuality starts to feel a lot less theoretical when he and Tony end up in Professor Lehnsherr's Physics III course at Columbia University, but Charles' decision to take their relationship further leaves both student and professor with more than they bargained for.

Features an enthusiastically-consenting!16-year-old!Charles

3. Erik Lehnsherr's Guide to Parenting by keire_ke (series)

Alex disapproves of school car washes, despite the abundance of wet bikinis on pretty girls. Erik doesn’t approve of his son shirking money-making duties.

4. When We Two Parted by nekosmuse

At the end of X3, a still depowered Erik travels back in time to meet 1962 Charles. Cue angst, desperate kissing and happy endings for all. Written for the x-men kink meme.

5. Age Difference AU by grim_lupine (series)

Raven is six years older than Charles; Charles has never really considered this age difference vitally important in one way or another, except to decide that even if Raven were six years younger than Charles, she would probably boss him around in the exact same way. He doesn’t really think much of the difference between fifteen and twenty-one, until Raven comes home from college for a study weekend with her new best friend in tow, introduces him cheerfully as Erik Lehnsherr, and Charles finds himself falling head-over-heels into a train wreck of doomed lust.

6. never too late to be who you might have been by acetamide

Erik wakes suddenly and takes a deep breath, and realises that there is nothing.

7. Curve Fitting by kianspo

The weird thing is, Charles always introduces Raven as his sister, but he never calls Erik his brother. Erik would be bothered, except he prefers not to think of Charles as his brother, either. He can’t figure it out for four years, and then suddenly he can.

8. Space Oddity by maimo, MonstrousRegiment, Pangea, Yaegaki (series)

Prince Charles Xavier is Deputy Commander of the TEF Heartsteel and the newest mission they've been assigned starts out less than desirable and quickly goes downhill from there. It's alright, though, he'll cope.

It doesn't help, though, that he's in unrequited love with his best friend and Commander of the Heartsteel, War-Prince Erik Lehnsherr.

9. Humane Society by smilebackwards (series)

Once Erik finally allows himself to decide that Charles is pretty much the best thing since sliced bread, he spends the next week being incredibly bitter that he's Charles' cat and not his boyfriend.

10. and these, from atoms by kay_cricketed (unfinished)

Five years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Charles and Erik find themselves in a situation where they must rely on each other for survival. Trapped in a coal mine deep beneath the earth's surface, and having lost his wheelchair to a disaster, Charles fights the nature of his physical limitations while Erik struggles to remain distant. Ironically, in the dark, it is impossible to hide your heart.

11. Confetti In My Mouth by paperclipbitch

AU. “I’ve slept with all your models except for the one I’m related to,” Charles responds carelessly. “And so have you, before you make that face at me.”

12. Math Reasons by pearl_o, pocky_slash (series)

"Mom says Erik always knows what he wants, it just sometimes takes him a little while to actually realize it," Ruth said.

Charles fell in love with Erik the first night they met, the first week of freshman year. Two years of friendship, adventures, arguments, hijinks, secrets, and summer visits later, Erik is starting to catch up.

13. One Summer's End by furius, motleystitches (furius)

Erik Lehnsherr, successful businessman, has been the muse to the artist Charles Xavier for the last twenty years. They'll readily confess to loving each other through art, but at the last show Charles Xavier is holding in New York before he heads over to England, everyone else around them realises that it's not enough.

A tale of friends, lovers, and busybodies.

14. Other Life Challenges by professor (series)

“Why am I here again?” Erik groans.

“I need you to lift things and glower at people over my shoulder when I tell people that it’s not ‘politically correct’ or a ‘war on Christmas’ to have a non-denominational winter holiday festival,” says Theresa Pryde.

Well, at least those are two things he’s good at.

15. Quiet Like a Fire by kianspo

Charles has been in love with his best friend for years without realizing it. When he finally figures it out, Erik is married to a wonderful woman and has an adorable daughter, who thinks the world of Charles. Erik has the perfect life that Charles helped him build, so there is only one thing for it - get over his feelings. So what if his methods are unhealthy or if Erik has an opinion on the matter? Charles is determined to do the right thing.

16. All We Are We Are by kianspo

Charles's boyfriend breaks up with him days before the holidays. Not willing to ruin anyone else's festive mood, Charles hides this fact from his sister and his friends, and retreats into the family mansion, letting the world move on without him. He's flirting with depression when a one-time ex and a long-term friend surprises him. Long-kept secrets are revealed, and it turns out, Charles hasn't been paying attention to the right things.

17. soul of my soul by ikeracity

You can imprint on your soulmate anywhere — school, work, on the street, in a restaurant, on the subway.

Charles and Erik imprint on each other just in time for the holidays.

18. One big family by ximeria

There is a house in New York (no, only Charles calls it a house, and his perception of such is a little warped, so let's try that again)...

... There's a building in New York, owned by XavierMedCorp that caters to mutant tenants, their families and a handful of humans. You need to know someone who knows someone who knows someone to get an apartment there. Or maybe just be very lucky. Or have a mutant son who has the tenacity of a pit bull. Anyway, Edie Lehnsherr has moved in and she is slowly getting to know the other tenants, the superintendent and the owner.

19. Wednesday by Red

Getting confined to a nursing facility for a six-week course of iv antibiotics would have been dreadfully dull, had Charles not found a way to "occupy his time."

In which Erik Lehnsherr, retired nazi hunter, becomes the latest victim of Charles Xavier's charms.

20. A Nice Boy (The Family Matters Edition) by pocky_slash for pearl_o

Erik's not sure whether the problem is that he doesn't want his parents to meet Charles or that he doesn't want Charles to meet his parents. Either way, he never invites Charles to brunch. Why should he? It's not like they're dating.

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Top 10 Xavierine Fics

1. South of the Border by sneakertime

Post-Divorce AU. Charles Xavier saves Logan from Emma Frost in Mexico. They have a lot of sex, and things get progressively more complicated.

2. Alone, With You by lachatblanche

Logan encounters a stranger while out in the cold and somehow ends up taking him home with him.

3. Secrets And Meetings by dictionarywrites

Logan comes to visit, and Charles gives into temptation as he too often does these days.

4. Insomnia by Rellanka

Charles had never made that confession to anyone before. People already regarded his telepathy with distaste and suspicion; if he was lucky, they were willing to trust him to use it only when necessary. He had never let anyone else know how invasive their own mind was.

Or: Charles's telepathy is more difficult to deal with than you think. He just wants to sleep.

5. Keep On Walking by Nevcolleil

"I want this while I can still have it," Charles says, sounding clear-headed enough.

Something in his voice stops Logan's breath. Logan swallows. "You can't have-"

"I am capable of having sex without the serum," Charles tells him and doesn't look away. "But I'm not talking about my paralysis."

6. Life, As It Happens by kianspo

When Charles first meets Logan he's scared of him. He's not proud of that. But Logan needs help with Laura, and there is no shorter way to Charles's heart.

7. The B Team by lachatblanche

In which Charles and Logan are SHIELD agents who are present at the Battle of New York.

8. Brick by Brick by Ponderosa (ponderosa121)

At his family's yearly retreat in the mountains, Charles takes an interest in the new groundskeeper.

9. How All Hell Breaks Loose by Mixk

Logan and Charles' relationship status is revealed one morning over a wardrobe mishap, during their sixth year. Erik is furious, Logan is ecstatic, and Charles is exasperated.

10. Love Won't Save You by TurtleTotem

Guarding Charles has been Logan's purpose for over half his life. Now, with the twins to protect, an Empire to fight, and the love of Charles's life turned to the Dark Side, they have only each other to lean on. Can Logan ever be enough?

#gerec rambles #fic rec #gerec's fic rec #top 20 #top 10 #cherik #xavierine #i could easily come up with a top 50 #even top 100 #favorite fics for this fandom #the quality and quantity of amazing stories blows me away

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scottsstuck · 2 years ago

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My favorite films of 2022

Aftersun

The Banshees Of Inishirin

Please Baby Please

Bones And All

After Yang

Everything Everywhere All At once

Nope

Decision To Leave

Top Gun Maverick

RRR

Cha Cha Real Smooth

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio

Ambulance

Barbarian

Good Luck To You Leo Grande

Official Competition

Crimes Of The Future

Jackass Forever

Pearl

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sexaycelebs · 2 years ago

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Top Sexy Adult Star Countdown.

#6. Kendra Lust

Kendra Lust is a milf legend and had to be in my Top 6! Everything about her screams SEXY!!! She so damn curvy and gorgeous! My favorite Kendra scenes are her with Brad Knight and when she did scenes with Bruce Venture. I never last long watching Kendra. Where does Kendra Lust rank on your list?

Age: 44 Born September 18th 1978

Sign: Virgo ♍️

Ethnicity: White

Eye Color: Brown

Height: 5'4

Weight: 118 lbs

Measurements: 34-25-38

Bra Size: 34D

#kendra lust #hot #sexy #top 20 countdown #top 20 #measurements

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lady0lunamoon · 1 month ago

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Just me venting about some haters on Youtube

Okay seriously, I can't even write a joke on a "Top 20 Strongest Genshin Impact Characters" video without people attacking me now?

I literally just made a joke that the Wanderer would be MAD to know people don't consider him that strong and suddenly people throw all sorts of crap at me! I had to try clearing up that it was just a freaking joke and it's not my fault MY Wanderer is very strong (and that's why I was suprised he wasn't on that list, hence WHY I made that joke in the first place) while those of other people aren't for some reason!

And one person just threw my words in my face saying I phrased the joke wrong and that I should also accept other people's opinions!? Like....this whole drama started in the first place because people couldn't accept MY opinion! Can you GET any more hypocritical!!? And it's not my fault people can't recognize a dumb joke when they see one!

I ended up deleting my comment, NOT because I think I'm in the wrong, but because I was THIS 🤏 close to deciding "Screw politeness" and tell them some VERY unfriendly stuff, that they could probably report me for!

In short, I deleted the comment cause I didn't want to get into trouble just because a bunch of haters can't take a freaking joke OR an explanation of said joke!

And now I gotta vent out my anger about the entire situation somewhere else, or I will never be able to get over this!

#genshin impact #character options #genshin wanderer #top 20 #strongest #genshin characters #vent #You can't even crack a small joke these days without people getting upset

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natasharoldanpress · 3 months ago

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Ya No Estoy Aquí en La Radio Nacional de Colombia • Estrenos

Ya No Estoy Aquí oficialmente entra en rotación en La Radio Nacional de Colombia.

#singer songwriter #cantautora #music #indie folk #latin american artist #new music #release #colombia #radio nacional #TOP 20 #ya no estoy aqui #radio nacional de colombia

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nineteenthmay · 2 years ago

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My top 20 Gossip Girl episodes: 20. “Hi, Society”, Season 1 Episode 10

Spotted. Chuck Bass losing something no one knew he had to begin with - his heart.

#Gossip Girl #Chuck Bass #Blair Waldorf #Chuck/Blair #chair #chuck x blair #Hi Society #Nate Archibald #starting new series of gifs #top 20

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twistedtummies2 · 2 months ago

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Top 20 Wicked Witches

Halloween isn’t here yet, but I’m still on my run of October-themed lists for 2024! So, let’s talk about one of Halloween’s most famous archetypes: the Wicked Witch. Disregarding the long and rather controversial history of real-life witchcraft, fictional witches have been a staple in mythology, fairy-tales, and popular media as a whole for a very long time. From gnarled old crones and nasty hags, to darkly beautiful enchantresses who are as glamorous as they are grotesque, these mistresses of black magic are a mainstay in fantasy and horror alike. Of course, not all witches are evil: some, like Hermione Granger from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, are generally very good and heroic characters. Even some witches who have a dark side, like Grandmama Addams from “The Addams Family,” aren’t really evil, they just have a sort of ghoulish sense of style. But no matter how much time passes, there will always be bad witches as well as good ones: figures of female power for both darkness and light. I decided to look specifically at some bad witches for this list. Some of them are hideous, some of them are radiant, but all of them match the basic description of “evil feminine magic-user.” There are a LOT of witch characters from various forms of media, so forgive me if any noteworthy ones YOU favor get left out of the running. With that said…here are My Top 20 Favorite Wicked Witches!

20. The Witch, from Into the Woods.

I wasn’t 100% sure how much this character REALLY counted as “wicked” witch, but by her own admission, “she’s not good, she’s not nice,” and she does do some things that are…morally questionable, to say the least. Plus, I absolutely LOVE “Into the Woods,” and I frankly don’t get to talk about it enough, so I’m giving her a spot here. For those who don’t know, this musical is the creation of the late, great Stephen Sondheim, whom many consider one of the greatest musical theatre masters of all time. The show is a mash-up of several fairy-tales together: in the first act, the stories intertwine and, by the end of the act, all of the characters involved have seemingly found their happy endings. This is all well and good, but the REAL kicker comes in Act II, when the characters learn that their actions (and inactions) from the first half now have far-reaching consequences, and that sometimes “happily ever after” isn’t so easy. The Witch is a central character in the story, who effectively jumpstarts the plot, as most of the major plot threads tie back to her twin goals of regaining her youth and beauty, and protecting her adoptive daughter, Rapunzel. While not necessarily EVIL, in the strictest sense, the Witch is a very self-centered character, and her self-serving nature repeatedly bites her in the rear throughout the story, with increasingly unfortunate results. At the same time, however, she’s one of the most rational characters in the story, often stepping in to halt the other characters as they bicker and fuss…though even then, it’s usually only for her own purposes. The character is typically treated as the “star attraction” in the play, as whenever there’s a really big name cast in the show, it usually goes to the Witch. Given how much meat there is to the role, it’s not a surprise that such names as Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Donna Murphy, and Phylicia Rashad have all tackled the part with aplomb.

19. Gruntilda, from Banjo-Kazooie.

This silly sorceress is the main antagonist of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, which focuses on the adventures of a bear and a bird trying to outdo the nasty crone in her many schemes. Gruntilda Winkybunion is a classic, cartoony witch, inspired by the Queen from Snow White. Determined to be the fairest in the land, she kidnaps Banjo’s sister in the first game, planning to rob her of her youth and beauty, thus turning the girl bear into a monster and transforming the gnarled witch herself into a smokin’ green bombshell. In later installments, the evil witch returns to seek revenge on those who took away her chance at glamor. While Grunty is not necessarily an idiot, she’s still a generally more humorous sort of character. Her ironic vanity and overconfidence constantly lead to her downfall, to say nothing of her faith in her many bungling minions. Though funny, she nevertheless poses a threat to the world she inhabits, and has many ways of coming back from her numerous defeats, even from beyond the grave! She may not be the scariest witch on the countdown, but she’s certainly one of the most entertaining.

18. Yubaba, from Spirited Away.

“Spirited Away” is many people’s choice for their favorite film from the popular Japanese movie company, Studio Ghibli, as well as the debated masterwork of internationally famed animator Hayao Miyazaki. Influenced by various fairy-tales and pieces of folklore, the story tells of the adventures of a young girl named Chihiro, who ends up lost - along with her parents - in the spirit world. After her parents are turned into pigs (it happens), she goes to a bathhouse run by the wicked hag Yubaba, to try and find a way to get home. Yubaba tricks Chihiro into signing a work contract with her, and steals Chihiro’s name away, giving her the new name “Sen.” As time goes on, Sen begins to forget her name and her true identity: if she completely forgets her true self, she’ll be Yubaba’s servant for the rest of time. Sen must thus find a way to regain ownership of her name and escape the spirit world and Yubaba’s influence. Yubaba is one of the few proper villains to appear in a Studio Ghibli film, and she’s a very fun character. While absolutely the villain of the story, she does have some standards: she considers herself a businesswoman, and genuinely respects hard work and determination. She even starts to form a sort of affection towards Sen, despite everything. The old witch also genuinely loves her son, Boh, spoiling him absolutely as rotten as herself. Boh later learns his lesson, but Yubaba…well, the jury is still out on that one.

17. Circe.

It’s difficult to say who the first witch character in fiction is/was, but I think a fair argument could be made that Circe - a figure of Greek Mythology - could certainly be considered AMONG the first, at the very least. This enchantress was the ruler of the mystical isle of Aeaea. The daughter of the Sun God, Helios, and a water nymph named Perse, Circe was closer to a deity than a human being, and had the power to match it. Circe was prone to jealousy, and seemed to enjoy toying with mortals either out of spite, or for sport, or for both. With her magic wand, she could turn other people into all sorts of beasts. In the famous legend of “The Odyssey,” she transformed most of Odysseus’ crew into pigs, until he agreed to live with her for a year. In another legend, she transformed a nymph named Scylla into the legendary man-eating sea monster of myth, in a plot of revenge. In still another, she punished King Picus for rejecting her advances by turning him into a woodpecker. The character still survives through various modern interpretations (my personal favorite is the one from DC, where she’s a frequent enemy of Wonder Woman). Depictions of the sorceress range from her being a mischievous trickster who is more chaotic than truly evil, to her being an outright evil entity. As one of the longest-lasting examples of an antagonistic witch, she definitely deserves mention here.

16. The Other Mother, from Coraline.

While I count the Other Mother as a witch, since she has been classified as such in other sources, this character is sort of an iffy case. It’s not really clear what or who the Other Mother actually is. Alternatively referred to as “The Beldam,” she is a mysterious and otherworldly being who lives in a parallel world, where she lures unhappy children by pretending to be a nicer, more indulgent version of their actual mothers. The Other Mother creates a universe where the child will have everything they ever wanted, be able to go on all the whimsical adventures they could ask for, and where every person they know is now a much more interesting version of their real life selves. Once the child is “fattened up” with all this joy, the Other Mother convinces them to sew a pair of black buttons onto their face in place of their eyes. It’s not clear exactly what happens then, but once they obey, the Child’s soul belongs to the Other Mother, and she devours their bodies. In both the original novel, as well as the more famous animated movie adaptation (which, to its credit, stays largely true to the book), as time goes on throughout the story, the Other Mother’s appearance changes steadily, from looking identical to Coraline’s real Mom, to resembling some twisted, warped, disgusting monster that hardly resembles the real woman at all. Her origins, the nature of her powers, and even her EXACT motivations cloaked in mystery, the Other Mother is one of the creepiest characters on this list.

15. Witch Hazel, from Looney Tunes.

In contrast to the mind-numbing horrors of the previous choice, Witch Hazel is one of the most lighthearted contenders, and by far the most LITERALLY cartoony. First appearing in a parody of “Hansel and Gretel,” this hyperactive hag didn’t appear in a ton of cartoons, but she’s nevertheless fondly remembered. Most of the time, Hazel is looking for some hapless animal to cook into her stew for supper, or else seeking some sort of special ingredient for one of her many poisonous potions. While not especially bright, her powers and her tenacity make her a dangerous character. Hazel is largely entertaining because of just how EXCITED she always is: she’s almost always bouncing around from scene to scene, and clearly having a blast doing whatever she wants to do. Like many great cartoon villains, and especially those from the Looney Tunes library - similar to Wile E. Coyote or Sylvester the Cat - she never wins, but you almost want her to, simply because she’s so much fun to watch.

14. Mommy Fortuna, from The Last Unicorn.

While this haggard old hag (see what I did there, folks who know?) is a relatively small character in the story, her role is still important, and she’s easily one of the most memorable antagonists in the tale. “The Last Unicorn” was a fantasy novel written by Peter S. Beagle; it was later adapted into an animated feature film, produced by Rankin/Bass, with Beagle acting as the chief screenwriter and having a major role in helping to cast the picture. The plot of both the novel and the film is basically the same: a Unicorn, who believes she may be the last of her kind, leaves the secluded safety of her woodland retreat to try and find out what has happened to the rest of her species. Early on, she is captured by the wicked Mommy Fortuna: a witch who runs a traveling show called “The Midnight Carnival,” where she puts on displays of mythical beasts she has apparently captured with the help of her fellow showmen. It’s ultimately revealed that nearly all of Fortuna’s legendary creatures are mere illusions, as she uses her magic to make ordinary, rather shabby animals appear to be fantastic beasts. The Unicorn is one of only two actual, immortal beings she has successfully managed to ensnare. The other is the vengeful harpy, Celaeno. Fortuna has become obsessed with her capture of the harpy, and though she knows the Celaeno will literally be the death of her, she takes not only comfort but PRIDE in the fact that the creature will never forget the years she spent as the prisoner of the witch. The character was voiced in the film by Angela Lansbury, of all people; if you ever wanted to know what Mrs. Potts would sound like if she just completely lost her mind…well, first watch “Sweeney Todd,” then maybe take a look at this picture.

13. Jadis the White Witch, from The Chronicles of Narnia.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” the White Witch - a.k.a. Jadis, a.a.k.a. The White Queen - is the primary antagonist of two of the Narnia novels: the original story “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and a later prequel tale, “The Magician’s Apprentice.” Though beautiful, she is thoroughly and horribly wicked: a vain sorceress whose heart is as cold as the icy winter she plunges Narnia into during her reign. Jadis is not only a highly gifted sorceress, but also incredibly strong physically, making her a particularly dangerous force to be reckoned with. Any who stand in her way are tortured, killed, or turned to stone; sometimes all of the above. She is capable of appearing kind and helpful at first, but only when it suits her needs to manipulate people to her side. While the White Witch is a very iconic villain (arguably more iconic than her inspiration, since most versions of the Snow Queen actually bear more resemblance to Jadis than anything from Hans Christian Andersen), I don’t necessarily automatically think of her when I think of the phrase “wicked witch,” so I’m ranking her somewhat lower. Make no mistake, however, she is a marvelous character, and worthy of placement.

12. The Grand High Witch, from The Witches.

Arguably one of Roald Dahl’s darkest children’s books (and that is saying a LOT, believe me), “The Witches” is a book all about…well…witches. In this universe, witches are not just treated as spellcasting crones, but rather almost as another species…a species of pure evil, who LOATHE children. Why do they loathe children? Because kids stink…literally. Witches find the scent of children so repellent, they will do ANYTHING to eradicate as many little boys and girls as they can from the planet. The most notable of the evil ladies in the story is their leader: a mysterious and diabolical figure known simply as the Grand High Witch. In both the book and each of the two feature film adaptations that have been released (one starring Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch, the other starring Anne Hathaway), the Grand High Witch presents herself at first as a beautiful, glamorous woman…but this is quite literally a mask. Underneath her disguise, she is a nightmarish beast, almost too repulsive to describe, with a voice that’s described as sounding like something crackling over a fire. Easily the most feared and powerful of all witches, she will quite literally fry those who dare question her authority, courtesy of white-hot beams of energy she can shoot from her eyes. She’s easily one of the most unsettling and frightening witches on the list, no matter which interpretation you look at.

11. Morgan le Fay.

One of the original dark sorceresses of literature and myth, Morgan le Fay ranks low because how wicked she is, and what kind of person she is, tends to vary depending on the adaptation or reimagining of Arthurian lore you actually look at. In some cases, Morgan is not really evil at all. In others, she is a cruel but elegant sorceress who will stop at nothing to achieve her evil ends. In still others, she is a more sympathetic villainess, whose dark deeds are fueled by tragedy, or who shows a noble side to her character beyond her diabolical actions. Even her name has changed: she’s been Morgan le Fay, Morgaine, Morgaine le Fay, Morgana, the list goes on. It’s the constant reinventions of Morgan that keep her out of the top ten, but they also showcase her single greatest strength: she is, almost without a doubt, the most famous villain in Arthurian legend (in the ones where she IS a villain), the only other possible exception to this rule being her son, the universally black-hearted Mordred. Arch-nemesis to both King Arthur and Merlin, as long as their stories are told and retold, Morgan will be following close behind in some fashion or another.

10. Witchiepoo, from H.R. Pufnstuf.

Another more lighthearted enchantress. A lot of you probably don’t know much about this character, if anything at all, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the (hilariously named) Witchiepoo, the main antagonist of the classic children’s series, “H.R. Pufnstuf.” The series focuses on the adventures of a young boy named Jimmy, who ends up stranded on the shores of a peculiar fantasyscape called Living Island. He works with the town’s mayor, the titular Pufnstuf, to keep peace across the isle, and foil the machinations of the villainous Witchiepoo, who forever schemes to - you guessed it - take over the world. Witchiepoo is about as cartoonish a witch you can get without being an ACTUAL cartoon; think Witch Hazel and then make her a live-action character, and you’ll have a rough idea. I got to see reruns of this series a lot growing up, and even owned a Witchiepoo plush toy as a child (sadly, I no longer have it), so this character has always had a soft spot for me. Much of the credit for her power as a character goes to her performer, the late Billie Hayes. She reprised the role in “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special,” where she was revealed to be the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West…which…I guess means Witchiepoo is the Wicked Witch of the East? (Wonder how she came back from having a falling house crush her spirit…AND her body.) Interestingly, Hayes also played a very similar character in the film “The Black Cauldron,” in the form of Orgoch, one of the Witches of Morva. I guess she just had a very specific and delightfully wicked type.

9. Bellatrix Lestrange, from Harry Potter.

While there are many witches, both good and bad, in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, arguably none are as delightfully wicked as Bellatrix Lestrange. (Please don’t bring Umbridge into this mess, I said DELIGHTFULLY wicked.) Bellatrix is one of the most notable antagonists of the series, both in the films and the books…which is funny, since she actually doesn’t appear till the last three novels, and, by extension, the last four films of the original Harry Potter movie series. Rotten to the core, this mad witch is arguably the single most devoted of Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters - an army of dark wizards who wish to conquer the entire world. Some do it for love of carnage. Some do it because they believe they are superior beings. Bellatrix does it for both reasons. She is sadistic and ruthless, gleefully tormenting and killing anybody who crosses her. Her personality flips from a zany, childish madwoman to a vicious, psychotic killer at the drop of a hat. In a way, Bellatrix feels like a sort of crossroads between the archetypal nasty crone many Wicked Witches seem to be, and the more glamorous dark sorceress type you’ll find in characters like Morgan le Fay or Jadis. She’s not necessarily bad-looking, but she’s not all there…I would say that perfectly describes her mental state, but that would imply there was ever a good soul there to begin with. Unfortunately for Harry and his team, that’s not the case.

8. The Sanderson Sisters, from Hocus Pocus.

Well, you can’t have a list of great wicked witches without these three, in my opinion. This Halloweentime cult classic is largely remembered JUST for these characters; I don’t think too many people care that much about about Max, Dani, or…(thinks)...okay, maybe SOME people care about Thackery Binx, but certainly not as many as those who care about the Sanderson Sisters! These three evil spinsters were executed during the infamous Salem Witch Trials (apparently, not ALL of the victims were innocent). They were caught in the middle of a plot to consume the life force of every single child in the village. However, before they were hanged, they cast a spell that would summon them back someday from beyond the grave…and three hundred years later, in 1993, they get their chance. Winnifred, played by Bette Midler, is the leader of the group, being the smartest and most cunning. Mary (Kathy Najimy) is arguably the silliest of the trio (which is saying a lot), but has the best nose, being able to sniff out kiddy-winks like the Child Catcher. Sarah (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) is a childish airhead, with a salacious edge to her personality. All three have the power to mesmerize people with their voices, siren-style. The actresses find a great balance between being entertainingly goofy and actually quite creepy and dangerous when necessary. The film’s popularity has only continued to grow over the years, with it now having a Halloweentime show at Disney World, and a sequel film, where the Witches return a second time almost thirty years after their initial resurrection. This film delivered much of the same from the trio, but also gave them a more sympathetic side, showing that these sisters didn’t come from the best background, and, beneath all their bickering and pantomime antics, they truly did and still do love each other. Always fun to see that in villains.

7. Ursula, from The Little Mermaid.

Consistently voiced by the late, great Pat Carroll, this cecaelian Sea Witch is certainly a unique choice on the list. In the original story of “The Little Mermaid,” the Sea Witch is a mysterious but not necessarily malicious character. She’s not someone you want to cross, but she’s not truly evil. In Disney’s treatment of the story, however, Ursula is depicted as an almost Mephistophelean character: a wily witch who makes almost Faustian bargains with merfolk, offering them the things they want most…but always for a price. With the help of her pet eels - Flotsam and Jetsam - she then sets about rigging the stakes to her advantage. Ultimately, these deals typically result in her taking her client’s souls, as she transforms them into withered, sentient, eternally-tormented polyps in her undersea garden. Ursula’s plans seem largely based around her desire for power, as well as her yearning for vengeance against King Triton. (In some continuities, Triton is her brother…Scar approves.) However, she also clearly takes gleeful delight in simply causing trouble, making other merpeople miserable and relishing every moment of their despair. She’s widely considered one of Disney’s greatest villains, and for good reason; placing her in my Top 10 here is a no-brainer.

6. The Witch from Hansel & Gretel.

Much like Morgan le Fay, there have been many incarnations of this witch throughout history. However, unlike Morgan, whose levels of evil tend to fluctuate…pretty much EVERY version of this Witch is pure evil, and it’s not surprising why. In this classic fairy-tale, a pair of small children - typically abandoned in the woods by their cruel stepmother - stumble across a giant gingerbread house in a secluded part of the forest. There they meet a kindly old woman, living alone, who takes them in and offers the starving babes some food. Unfortunately, it’s quickly made clear this is a sham: the “nice old lady” is really a cannibalistic witch, who uses her tempting home as a way of luring in her favorite meals: silly children. Arguably her greatest weakness is her poor eyesight, but her other senses are so heightened it almost doesn’t matter. The brother and sister must then find a way to escape the evil crone, before they end up as her dinner. The story is one of the most well-known fairy-tales of all time, and has been adapted to film and television on numerous occasions. There’s even a rather popular children’s opera rendition of the tale, along with other theatrical productions. Some of my favorite people to play the Witch include Cloris Leachman, Rosie Perez, Joan Collins…and our old pal Billie Hayes. Yeah, Witchiepoo strikes again…like I said, Hayes must have had a VERY specific type. XD

5. The Weird Sisters, from The Scottish Play.

No, I’m not saying the title, because I’m not taking any chances. But if you know your Shakespeare, you’ll know which play I’m talking about. If you don’t, however, here’s a brief little summary: a Scottish nobleman, whom we shall call “MacB,” learns from a trio of witches - referred to commonly as “The Weird Sisters” - that he will become king. Urged on by his ambitious and dangerous wife, he decides to kill the current king and orchestrate things in such a way as to seize the crown for himself, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Still unsure of his security and power, however, MacB later visits the witches again…and it isn’t long till history repeats itself, this time much to MacB’s detriment. These witches are some of the most iconic in history; their famed chanting of “Double, Double, Toil and Trouble” has arguably become more well-known than the play itself, or their role in the story. While the Witches are evil in the story, their exact motives are unclear: they seem to be bringers of chaos, simply relishing in the chance to stir up trouble with their prophecies and teasing words, leading MacB and others on then sitting back and watching the madness unfold. Some versions give them a slightly softer veneer, making them seem more like strange wise women than malicious monsters. In some versions, in fact, there are more than three Witches, instead revealing a whole coven of cackling crones, concocting vile potions and practicing scary spells in the wilds of the world. Given that this is my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, it stands to reason these famous enchantresses would rank highly for me, but there are still a few characters I like more.

4. Baba Yaga.

If there is a quintessential fairy-tale witch, I would argue the Russian crone known as Baba Yaga fits that bill. Predating even the witch from “Hansel & Gretel” (whom she may or may not have inspired), Baba Yaga is a figure of Slavic folklore, who has appeared in many stories over the years. She is described as an ancient hag with iron teeth, who lives in a hut that is able to move around on giant chicken legs. She flies around in an oversized mortar, with a crooked broom in one hand that she uses to sweep away her tracks. In many stories, Baba Yaga is depicted as an eater of children; sometimes she lures gullible ones into her lair, other times she kidnaps naughty children and whisks them away for her supper. Of course, she doesn’t restrain her appetite to JUST kids; those who displease the Baba Yaga run the risk of being her dinner regardless. However, she is not wholly unreasonable: in some stories, she’s depicted as being somewhat like the Sea Witch - making hard but not impossible deals with mortals for her own ends. There have been many depictions of this character over the years: from animated films like “Bartok the Magnificent,” to video games like “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow" and “Rock of Ages II,” to unrelated forms of literature like “Babushka Baba Yaga.” Some of these make the witch out to be a more sympathetic character who is merely misunderstood, while others stick to her as a purely evil villainess. Arguably the greatest bogey-story of witchcraft on this whole countdown, Baba Yaga has more than earned her place in my top five.

3. The Evil Queen, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

While I’m specifically talking about the Disney version here, one could easily give this placement to ANY version of the Evil Queen. In the original fairy-tale, it’s not clear if the Queen’s disguises are the work of magic or not, but considering all the other magical things around her - from the Poison Apple to the Magic Mirror to lesser-known elements - it’s not surprising many adaptations go the full monty, so to speak, and have her physically transform into a crooked old crone. Disney’s version was probably the first to take this approach, and remains the most famous. With this take on the character, you kind of get the best of both worlds with the spectrum of evil feminine spellcasters: as the Queen, she is cold, elegant, and darkly beautiful. As the Witch, she is a half-crazed, gnarled hag, complete with a cackling laugh. Both of her guises are iconic, and the scene where the Queen changes her shape for the first time is one of the most famous in the film. Like many of the other Disney Villains that would follow her, she is delightfully quotable, and set the bar many famous antagonists - including other witches - would later follow.

2. Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty.

DON’T START YELLING AT ME YET. I am very well-aware that Maleficent isn’t TECHNICALLY a witch, in the strictest sense of the word. She is a dark fairy; a member of the fae. HOWEVER, I’m still going to count her because a.) she still fits the basic bill of “humanoid enchantress of the diabolical sort,” and b.) she actually HAS been referred to as a witch, in Disney-made materials no less, on more than one occasion. When you combine that with the fact she’s one of my favorite villains of all time, I think I’m justified in giving her some inclusion. While Morgan le Fay is arguably the archetypal “wretched yet beautiful sorceress” figure (and Morgan, herself, has some fairy-based origins, I should add, at least in some versions), Maleficent is the character I most quickly think about when I consider the same character type. She is regal, grandiose, and refined, yet has monstrous power and an even more monstrous temperament. As an apparent entity of evil, she seems unable to find real joy in life except when she’s causing trouble for other people, and she takes her work VERY seriously. Since her debut, she has become one of Disney’s most noteworthy villains; in many spin-off materials, such as “Kingdom Keepers” and “Kingdom Hearts,” she is depicted as a leading member of the Disney Villains, and she is consistently treated as one of the most powerful and dangerous even in her most silly reinventions. How much she really counts as a “witch” can be debated till the dragons come home, but in my books, I feel she’s worthy enough to not only make the cut, but place VERY highly.

1. The Wicked Witch of the West, from The Wizard of Oz.

While Maleficent may be one of my favorite villains of all time, let’s face it: when you think of the phrase “Wicked Witch” - or, heck, probably even if you just think of the word “Witch” on its own terms - chances are high the first image that comes to your mind is this character. In the original L. Frank Baum “Oz” books, however, the Wicked Witch of the West is a relatively minor villainess: she’s just one of the many obstacles on Dorothy’s journey in the original story, and while she is arguably the most dangerous and iconic, she’s not the antagonist of the entire novel. In fact, after her infamous melting, she kind of just disappears from the series: she was an evildoer who came and went, nothing more. It was the advent of the 1939 Technicolor movie, which starred Margaret Hamilton in the role of the Wicked Witch, that made the character so popular. Much like Bela Lugosi’s Dracula or Boris Karloff’s Frankestein Monster, I feel that Hamilton’s Witch is sometimes overlooked for how EXCELLENT the performance really is; while not at all subtle, she isn’t treated like a joke in the original movie, she’s treated as a legitimate threat, and Hamilton does a great job at making her one. The popularity of the musical “Wicked” - loosely based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name - I think has both bolstered and yet overshadowed Hamilton’s superb spellbinder: as much as I love Elphaba, I think people often forget or underestimate the true power of the original, TRUE Witch from the movie as a result. Other versions of the character have come and gone since, as well, but it’s this version that has remained immortal and the most influential. I see no reason not to name Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West as my favorite - and the definitive - Wicked Witch.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Mother Gothel, from Tangled. (Full disclosure, ALL of the HMs are related to Disney. Weird.)

Magica DeSpell, from DuckTales. (Both versions of her are great; very nearly made the cut.)

Mad Madam Mim, from The Sword in the Stone. (Relatively small role, but very fun.)

The Witches of Morva, from The Chronicles of Prydain. (They’re less wicked in the books than in the Disney film, “The Black Cauldron,” but I think they still fit.)

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