The Rat King's appeal as a villian
 

What is it? I like the character but I just don't see him as being a villian. I see him as being someone who would be neutral to everyone but Splinter.

In the OT, didn't he use rats as his little tiny minions to carry out his nefarious deeds like stealing an entire building? He was like a bad Pied Piper.

I didn't see too much of the 4Kids! series to see how he was handled in that particular iteration.

The comic version of Rat King was the most ambiguous. Sure, he seemed evil, but he was far more mysterious and enigmatic. This is my favorite version (aside from the pantheon of gods origin) because he came across as some weird ass guy without a past who liked to mindf*** Splinter, but didn't his psychological taunts end up giving Splinter a modicum of hope to fight for his life?

Honestly, it's been a minute since I read the comics featuring him so I can't directly access them to verify.

So back to my original question: what is it about teh Rat King that compels many to feel he is a great "villain"?

Edited hoping for feedback -___-

Well, in the OT ...
 

His appeal was in his mysterious motivations and altering alliances ... plus he had a pretty cool voice.

Rat King's really rather "deep and complex", actually. (At least by OT standards, anyways.)

But no, not a "great" villain (in the traditional sense), imo.


P.S. Oh, and not to nitpick ... but the actual Pied Piper was a "bad guy", as well.

I guess he just plays off most people's fears of rats. Most people hate rats, and anyone that can control an entire legion of them is kinda creepy. Of course, that really only speaks of his appeal, as far as him being a great villain is concerned, that actually is a tough question. Other than the OT (wanting a bigger, better kingdom for his servants), I don't know.