Villains for Valentine's Day?

I have to write about villains on the most romantic day EVER? (Whine.)  Reviewing the topic as assigned: development of positive traits builds better villains. Hmm. Somewhat tongue in cheek, I offer:

In my novels to date the "villains" have been:

Isis, Queen of the Egyptian Great Ones, who doesn't think a god and a mortal should fall in love...

Nephthys, her sister, who doesn't think humans count for much and doesn't care about two mortals in love...

A Hyksos commander who's been ordered to retrieve a certain Egyptian dancer...

A practitioner of black magic (can't say who or we'll have spoilers happening)...

Various assorted demons...

Or, if you prefer science fiction romance, I've had:

The penny pinching and evil corporation behind the Wreck of the Nebula Dream...plus pirates and very scary aliens...

The person masterminding a planetwide rebellion in Escape From Zulaire...(again, no spoilers)...

And, last but not least, a barbarian warlord who's determined to keep the unwiilling bride sent to him in an arranged marriage....

Well, ok  each of my villains has their reasons for doing what they do, even the demons, who have to report back to their scary master (and who might be hungry as well...). Isis and Nephthys certainly have their attention on the greater good of all Egypt in 1550 BCE, and it's up to the human heroes and heroines in the Gods of Egypt books to figure out a way to survive while still accomplishing the mission....

I just tend to focus more on my protagonists and take the villain at face value. He's got his motivations but he (or she) is the Big Bad and we're in the middle of the story when I start Chapter One and so let's just get ON with it. Can I make a tiny confession? There's a series I used to read (not written by a fellow Word Whore) where I skipped PAGES of internal monologuing from the villain in every book. Ok, don't be shocked! I'm sure it was all very well written but I...just...wasn't...that ...interested. Give me the stuff about the hero and the heroine.

Perhaps it's because I was imprinted young by Ming the Merciless. The one in the 1930's serials actually, because our local TV station ran them every day in the late afternoon. Do we know Ming's back story? Do we know what motivates him, other than a craving to conquer the universe and quite understandable desire to marry Dale Arden? Do we enjoy the adventure and know who to root for? NO! I rest my case.

Now I will say there's one villain I always was fascinated by, and

Richelieu & Milady deWinter

that was Cardinal Richelieu. I did get that - as portrayed in The Three Musketeers -  he was motivated quite a bit by his desire to do the right thing for France, and a little bit by his um 'admiration' for the Queen. So he could be flexible, and not all evil all the time.

Perhaps at some point in my writing life I'll have a villain who compels me to delve deeply into his/her backstory and have sympathetic aspects. I do have a couple of characters in mind, both in ancient Egypt and for my SFR's who might start out as less-than-white-hat people and evolve. We'll see.  

Musketeerly goodness for you: