Malevolent March: Day 6

For the month of March, I'm going to try something new for the blog, so every day I am going to spotlight a different villain from comic books, movies, TV, etc. It's mostly going to be my all-time favorite villains, with some crazy random ones thrown in there for good measure, so check back every day to see the newest villain in Malevolent March!


Once again, today we've got a villain from film who earned the actor portraying them an Academy Award. Today's villain is considered one of the best in history, even beating out Darth Vader to be #1 on the AFI's Top 50 villains list. Here's Anthony Hopkins' award winning turn as Hannibal Lecter. Hit the jump for the villain.



Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Background: Lecter is a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, who takes a sick pleasure from tormenting law enforcement officers with riddles and games. While imprisoned for his crimes, Lecter has helped the FBI track down two serial killers, Buffalo Bill and The Tooth Fairy, but he primarily agreed to help so he could manipulate and mess with Clarice Starling and Will Graham, the latter of which was the man resposible for arresting Lecter in the first place. Lecter falls in love with Clarice during Silence of the Lambs, after helping her in exchange for her telling him about her childhood nightmares and fears. Lecter is different from some of the other villains this month in that he is incredibly charming and sophisticated, yet completely ruthless and bloodthristy. He's been shown cooking pieces of someone's brain while they are still alive and watching him eat it.

Great Quotes of Hannibal Lecter:

-"You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste. Good nutrition's given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling? And that accent you've tried so desperately to shed: pure West Virginia. What is your father, dear? Is he a coal miner? Does he stink of the lamp? You know how quickly the boys found you... all those tedious sticky fumblings in the back seats of cars... while you could only dream of getting out... getting anywhere... getting all the way to the FBI."



-"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."



-Hannibal Lecter: "Why do you think he removes their skins, Agent Starling? [sarcastically] Enthrall me with your acumen."
Clarice Starling: "It excites him. Most serial killers keep some sort of trophies from their victims."
Hannibal Lecter: "I didn't."
Clarice Starling: "No. No, you ate yours."

-"We have to stop meeting like this. People will say we're in love."

-"All good things to those who wait."

 
-"Look for severe childhood disturbances associated with violence. Our Billy wasn't born a criminal, Clarice. He was made one through years of systematic abuse. Billy hates his own identity, you see, and he thinks that makes him a transsexual. But his pathology is a thousand times more savage and more terrifying."
 
-Clarice Starling: "Where are you, Dr. Lecter?"

Hannibal Lecter: "I've no plans to call on you, Clarice. The world is more interesting with you in it."