4 Sci-Fi Villains Who Could Actually Happen (And 4 That Totally Couldn't)

1. HAL - 2001: A Space Odyssey

As we get ever closer to creating self-aware robots (no, seriously), HAL 9000 offers us a stark reminder to tread carefully.

The thing is about creating a consciousness inside a machine is that we don't know how it will react. We know how consciousness feels within a human brain, but that has been thousands of years in the making. The drawback of trying to recreate it artificially is that the process will inevitably be imperfect, resulting in a thinking machine that is prone to catastrophic malfunction.

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is understandably upset when he learns that the humans want to switch him off. According to HAL's creator, Arthur C. Clarke, "To Hal, this (is) the equivalent of death. For he (has) never slept, and therefore he (does) not know that one (can) wake again."

As our technology gets smarter, creating a living mind inside a computer is something that is drawing ever nearer. If we're truly hellbent on creating a self-aware computer, perhaps it's a good idea to keep it away from the life-support controls. At least for the time being.

And next for 4 that totally aren't plausible....