I’ve made no secret that I love a good bad guy, someone to really make our good guys work with their nefarious, sometimes elaborate, plots. I make a distinction between villains and antagonists. Antagonists are the every day assholes that make a protagonist’s life more difficult. Villains do that, too, but typically less often and with a lot more razzle dazzle.

Here are five of my favorite villains in no particular order. Yes, I realize there are no women on this list. Maybe next time. Like I said, I do enjoy my villains.

Wo Fat (Hawaii Five-O)- I think it’s no surprise that this Chinese operative makes the list. He vexed Steve McGarrett for 12 seasons, always managing to elude justice until the very last episode of the series. Khigh Dhiegh plays the character with a sophistication and refined ruthlessness that plays well with Jack Lord’s upright lawman in the scenes they share, but makes for a believable, formidable foe even when they don’t cross paths. Wo Fat is a smart, cultured man with high expectations who isn’t afraid to make long-term plans, like investing YEARS into a plot to frame Steve. That’s the kind of job dedication you don’t get from your average criminal. He’s got an endless supply of henchmen, his own little submarine, and at least two doubles that we know about. He’s also got that drama kid drive for the theatrical. His plans never fail to be grand, even when they don’t need to be. He’s willing to go that extra mile to make it worth all of our whiles.

Dr. Miguelito Loveless (The Wild Wild West)- My favorite 19th century evil genius. I’ve written about Dr. Loveless in the past, so of course he’s going to end up on my list. Michael Dunn brought a charm to the character that elevated him to arch rival status. He took a certain joy and pride in pursuing his goals, and of course his goals involved becoming ruler of his own kingdom. Whether he was after California, the United States, or the world, Dr. Loveless’s scheme was sure to be as diabolical as it was eccentric. And he’s not going to spare any expense when trying to get rid of Jim West and Artemus Gordon. Hell, he tried to give West a premature burial at sea once. He also faked his own death. Dr. Loveless had a flair for the dramatic that even the biggest men couldn’t best.

Memmo Fierro (CSI: Miami)- A show as bonkers as CSI: Miami could get needed a recurring villain with some pizzazz. Enter Memmo Fierro. A member of the Mala Noche gang, he was first introduced in the fourth season as Marisol Delko Caine’s killer. He could have easily been a one-off character, but Memmo had style. And a lot of tattoos. He’s inked from the chin down and I’m sure that he somehow had more every time he appeared onscreen. Anyway, despite being put in prison, Memmo continued to be a thorn in Horatio Caine’s side thanks to his ability to escape prison for reasons ranging from finding out his daughter was being mistreated in foster care to exacting some Mala Noche revenge. And if that meant disguising himself as an old white man, then baby, he was all in. The interesting thing about Memmo is that he started as a ruthless killer, but every subsequent appearance reveals him to be more than that. Robert LaSardo gave dimension to what could have been a one-dimensional character, a bit of humanity to the cold blood killer. He’s never really redeemed, but when Horatio declines to take the opportunity to get rid of him once in for all, you understand why. And just because there’s a sort of…truce?…between the two men, doesn’t diminish Memmo in the least. He’s still bad ass. And probably scheming.

Michael (Stargate: Atlantis)- One of my favorite things about Stargate: Atlantis is how often the peril our heroes face is their own damned fault. The living embodiment of just because you can doesn’t mean you should is Michael, a Wraith the Atlantis crew captured and then turned into a human. It probably would have worked out fine if they could have kept up the “Oh, you’re just a soldier with amnesia” routine, except Michael found out who he really was and saw footage of his torture and transformation. It should come as no surprise that he didn’t take it well. Connor Trineer does an amazing job at portraying the pain of the betrayal that pushed Michael over the edge. Michael’s escape led to him reverting to something of a Wraith/Human hybrid that wasn’t accepted by anyone, so he decided to just fuck shit up. His grandest plan was to create his own race of Wraith/Human hybrids, but he did also manage to take over Atlantis once. Then again, who didn’t? We might not agree with what Michael does, but we all understand exactly why he’s doing it. And even though he was presumed dead before the series came to an end, you have to think that maybe…just maybe…we’d see him again.

King Tut (Batman)- Like I could make this list without naming a Batman villain. It might not be the popular choice with Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and Riddler around, but King Tut is my guy. First of all, he’s not actually a villain. He’s an Egyptology professor who gets hit on the head and becomes one of Batman’s most theatrical foes, which given the Gotham City bad guys, is no easy feat. It’s Batman, so of course the plots have to be over the top, bordering on ridiculous, but when executed by a big man who thinks he’s a long dead Egyptian ruler with a penchant for one-liners and tantrums, well, they’re just that much more over the top. In the hands of Victor Buono, this baddie chewed scenery like he was at an all you can eat buffet and the dining was too good. King Tut could never best the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder, but he will always be the royal ruler of camp.

As always, if you don’t like my list, feel free to make your own.