Evil nerds are a dime a dozen. In fact, it’s too much of a stereotype to be a limited category. Just about every Bond villain, for example, is pretty much an Evil Nerd Genius. Cartoon villians, are quite the same. I mean, any bad buy from the original Johnny Quest is a nerd genius. So how can I narrow down the list?

Dr. Morbius

Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Morbius from Forbidden Planet (1956).

You might think that Dr. Morbius was an unintentional evil nerd genius. Not so! The problem with Morbius, and what makes him evil, is not that he used use his Krell knowledge for evil, but rather that he kept that genius to himself. That’s evil, and its consequences were evident in the film.

Zachary Smith

Jonathan Harris as Dr. Zachary Smith on TV’s Lost In Space (1965).

I’m not exactly sure what motivated Dr. Smith to be a bad guy. His role in the first few episodes of Lost in Space was to sabotage the Jupiter II mission. That subplot is further explained in the 1998 Lost in Space film, but it’s still weak. Apparently he gets stuck on the ship, which thwarts his plans. Then Dr. Smith turns all goofy, which made him a great character, but not such a great evil nerd genius.

Stewie Griffin

Stewie Griffin of TV’s Family Guy.

Despite being a cartoon character, Stewie is a perfect evil nerd. He’s brilliant, misunderstood, socially awkward, and intent upon no good. His character has mollified over the years. Since living out his fantasy of killing his mother Lois, he doesn’t come across as malevolent as he was originally. Still, he remains an admirable example of the evil nerd genius.

Buddy Pine/Syndrome

Buddy Pine as Syndrome from the 2004 film, The Incredibles.

To me, Buddy Pine of the film The Incredibles is a classic example of the comic book arch-villain. Yes, I accept that they’re evil and bent on wrecking havoc for one reason or another. But with all that genius or all the money to fund their plans and devices, why don’t they just do something traditionally acceptable as evil like invent Facebook or work for the NSA?

Luther

Gene Simmons as Luther in the 1984 film Runaway.

I adore the 1984 film Runaway. It was written by famed science-possible author Michael Crichton, yet it remains underrated. The film is about a cop (played by Tom Selleck) who tracks down and destroys run amok robots. It’s entirely plausible, yet the villain (played by KISS frontman Gene Simmons) is decidedly evil. I won’t get into the fact that robots will one day destroy humanity, but Luther is a real badass intent on making that event happen sooner rather than later.

Any other suggestions? Who did I miss?