Poll: Which is scarier?

[yanipheonu]

Someone who knows they're evil.

Almost everyone does something thinking they're doing the right thing. You could be the nicest person in the world, commiting crime, because you think you're doing something right.

Someone who is REALLY fucked up will KNOW they're doing somethign wrong, and do it anyways. That kind of logic is beyond me, and there's something delightfully messed up about it. I wouldn't say "scarier" but it's the most fun to watch and/or create a character like that.

 

[higgs20]

I think it's really more about the portrayal of the character a lot of the time. They can both make for a good villain, but in general. if someone is spewing zeal all over the place to justify their actions I'm less scared and more dumbfounded, but someone truly has a disregard for life and all that other good stuff then that's pretty freaky.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

The one who believes he is doing the right thing will be incredibly more intent on seeing it through. If someone doesn't care about their actions, they can be easily swayed to cease.

The misguided zealot is much harder to deal with than the chaotic miscreant.

 

[Ultraman950]

The second, he who knowingly does evil.

If the evil man thinks he's really doing the right thing, perhaps he could be dissuaded from doing the evil things he's doing. I see this evil-doer as more tragic than evil.
For example, Loghain from Dragon Age: Origins. He thought he was doing the right thing. He wanted to protect his people, he just went about it the wrong way, and at the end, he apologizes for it and wants to redeem himself.

The apathetic evil-doer, however, is unlikely to listen to anyone about anything, because he doesn't fucking care. And odds are he killed all the people that wanted to talk to him. This is what TV Tropes would call a "Complete Monster", and with good reason.

 

[bak00777]

One who is convinced they are doing the right thing imo.

Currently im working on a story invovling a villian like that. So convinced that they are doing the right thing that they dont care if it seems evil.