Villainous Motivations

What do sf villains want? It is not always power for its own sake and even that cliche takes different forms. HG Wells' Martians needed a food source. Dan Dare's Mekon wanted to experiment on entire species. EE Smith's Eddorians each wanted to exercise individual power over many inhabited planets so they cooperated with each other, under an absolute dictator, to achieve that goal.

Poul Anderson's Merseians, valuing the species over the individual and recognizing that the galaxy cannot be ruled from a single point, aim at a number of autonomous Merseian realms. They do not want to rule by the continual application of force. Domesticable species will serve willingly. Others will be exterminated. Sean Brooks compared the Merseians with SM Stirling's Draka. (See "WAS THE DOMINATION INSPIRED BY MERSEIA," dated Friday, 28 November 2018, on the Poul Anderson: Contributor Articles blog, which is here. For the article itself, see here. The article was originally published here, where it has received more comments.) Merseians will value human courage, ingenuity etc as long as it is subordinate to them. Stirling's Count Ignatieff devoutly worships a demon.

Julian May's mental monster, Fury, hating aliens and despising altruists, aims to replace the Galactic Milieu with a "Second Milieu," presumably ruled by him through his depraved human agents.

Daleks want power.

Addendum: Should I have mentioned Isaac Asimov's Mule, an alienated mutant hitting back at humanity with his hypnotic telepathy but fortunately not leaving an heir?

Addendum II: I also forgot Larry Niven's kzinti who want to enslave and eat other species which makes them comparable to Wells' Martians except that the feline kzinti stalk, chase and kill whereas the physically debilitated Martians extract blood and inject it into themselves. They are more like the Daleks since they travel in protective machines and conquer London.