Thinking Villain
Those of you who read these long posts often will have seen that I, from time to time, enjoy watching classic cinema. I am by no means an expert, but something I have become very much a believer in is the Villain. the Antagonist that allows the Protagonist the ability to develop as a character, and ultimately the plot to move on as a whole.
My particular feeling towards this is that the antagonist must be someone whom the protagonist is the exact opposite of. For instance in Unbreakable, when the twist is revealed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmzbosye2-Y (Spoilers!) the villain is revealed to be someone who is the exact opposite of the protagonist.
Moving on from that, in my humble opinion, the best protagonist is thwarted at every turn by the ultimate antagonist; the thinker.
The thinker is not the strongest, and often does not use his own strength to complete their aims, but they are the worst foe the protagonist could ever encounter. They have out thought the protagonist, and as such truly are the most evil characters, which in turn creates the most lovable heroes.
Other examples in popular culture would be the Master and Moriarty.
Basic examples? yes, but I find that they are everything a truly good villain needs to be.
Good Villains are more than just cliche criminals
