I have to go with the latter.
From my POV:
Anakin/Vader is reckless, irrational and plain irritating in the PT era. As a Sith he seems inferior to Dooku, and Maul just serves to make Vader look painfully slow with his saber (as does nearly every other character, most notably the robotic General Grievous)
Another contributor to the irritating nature of the character is his extra-ordinary ability to go through body parts. Some surely see this in a positive light (resilience), but all of these injuries get old.
And last but not least, he does not seem to know what his purpose is. Jedi? Sith? Bit of both?
Bah.
At one point he might have interested me, but I do not find his character either likable or interesting.
Vader is a cool, complex character and one of the greatest 'fallen heroes' in fiction. His story is believable and powerful.
That being said, though, he sometimes fails to work as a full-fledged villain because he was, until the very end, a mere tool at the hands of Palpatine. So when he is labelled the 'greatest villain in movie history', I get that sense of 'huh'? He's a very powerful thug to Palpatine, nothing more.
Outside of that, Vader's awesome and the best-developed character in the mythos.
Vader's character/badassness has been somewhat ruined in the EU, in one comic he is nearly killed by a Tusken raider (wanted revenge for what Anakin did in AOTC), granted the staff was concealing a lightsabera and maybe it could have caught him off gaurd (dbl maybe?)but Vader's dieing apprentice Tao had to save him Vader could have taken the raider down easily with the force. That is what diminishes Vader, poor writing like that.
Originally posted by Darth SubjektHigh five!
Vader was the ultimate bad guy up until Heath Ledger's Joker (MY opinion). They are two completely different types of villains, but for the category that Vader falls into, he's sitting atop the heap.
And the PT films kinda cut Vader's legs out from under him (shut up). He was the ultimate badass in the OT, but Anakin is just so... meh. Frankly I don't blame Hayden Christiansen, just his character. The novels did a much better job.
almost every other sith in the movies is more impressive.
Sidiuos? nough said.
Dooku: The guy seriously thought he was doing the right thing serving the dark side. He's like a much more credible Caedus. His chivalry, his pomp, his flair for the dramatic, and his overall just plain amazing skill, more powerful than any jedi other than yoda, possibly mace, and obviously rampaging anakin makes him a truly compelling villian. The kind you hate to see die.
and Maul. The guy, compared to Vader WAS evil personified. Look at the guy. Couple that with his assassin ways (face it, assassins are just plain cool, i mean, there was a FOURTH Bourne book written, can you believe that?)
and vader, while still very cool, falls behind each and every one of those. Its not his fault. He is probably largely a victim of technology. Seeing his pathetic lightsaber abilites (onscreen) in comparison to the others is just too much. (OT vader, much much cooler than PT vader though, with Hayden being nothing but a whiny woman)
Sidious:
Sidious, well, I've read enough from wookieepedia.
Dooku:
Indeed. I can't believe Anakin beat Dooku in such a way. Dooku can grip Anakin and lightning him again like in AOTC, that's not so hard. I often place Dooku in the same tier with Mace and Yoda.
Maul:
He's the real BMF. Even SLJ is nowhere near Maul in term of coolness. Juyo+Teras Kasi+Dark Side+Tattoo+Evil Face+Double-bladed Lightsaber = True Badass. I agree with everything you say about Maul.
Vader:
Actually I like him when I'm 5 years old. Yep, I agree that his lightsaber abilities are pathetic. Even GL's son is cooler and more threathening than Vader in lightsaber combat. I only like him because he's feared by many people. But now I'm 15, and after buying many comics and novels, I have to say he's like Palpatine's slave, not an enforcer or an apprentice. Even I have to say that Starkiller is better than him, although his lightsaber style is a blasphemy. Hm... In term of coolness, yes, OT guy is better that the PT guy, Hayden doesn't look scary even when he's on a mad scene. Overall, the Chosen One is meh compared to other characters. And Vader is also the victim of overuse. Yep, he's the most expendable character for showing the greatness and coolness of other characters.
Other opinion, maybe Vader compared with EU characters?
Well he is obviously cool in the sense that he embodies the "fallen Jedi", he is a perfect example of what it means to fall to the darkside.
He is also cool in the sense that he makes a great foil for the good guys, he is a great antagonist. He is portrayed as being powerful yet he does have vulnerabilities both physical and emotional.
So all in all he is without doubt probably the most well rounded and compelling Sith Lord in Star Wars mythology. Most other Sith characters, aside from Darth Traya, Tyrannus, Sidious, Krayt and Sion don't come close to being as complete and multi faceted.
Honorable mention to Darth Wyrlokk as well whose dark side characteristics have been handled fairly well recently.
Originally posted by Ultimate Vader
do you read sidious bio in wookieepedia? I think the writer doesn't like Vader.
No, haven't read it.
But Pfft! People don't seem to get it. Vader was very powerful but also quite vulnerable because of his dependence on cybernetics. Ironically the injuries forced him to become even tougher mentally and made him have to be even more courageous. IMO he had a tremendously strong will stronger even than Sidious'.