[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Elmo

Even Nerwen wasn't evil in the beginning

Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

And now for some disagreement.

Originally Posted by Lord Halsar

I view Sauron as a better villain for this reason simply, I view corruption and loss of "humanity" as a worse than beginning as the darkness. This is the differance between Melkor and Sauron. Melkor started out loathing the works of his peers, doing as he would to quell all that they made and sought for. A lust for destruction that always exists is somewhat sad, for Melkor was always the hate-stricken thing that he was.

I think you are over-simplifying Melkor:

He had gone often alone into the void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within him to bring into Being things of his own, and it seemed to him that Ilúvatar took no thought for the Void, and he was impatient of its emptiness. Yet he found not the Fire, for it is with Ilúvatar. But being alone he had begun to conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren.

–Ainulindalë

He began with the desire of the Light, but when he could not possess it for himself alone, he descended through fire and wrath into a great burning, down into the Darkness.

–Valaquenta

So you are looking at a descent into "nihilistic madness". Not that I would go so far as to say that Melkor was ever good– he never, even before Arda began, seems to have cared about anything but power– but originally he wanted power to create, not destroy.

That said, I'm not keen on crazy villains, and I do find Melkor a bit too close to the Dark-God-of-Evil-Who-Wants-To-Destroy-Everything-Just-Because who features in so much second-rate fantasy. (Not exactly– I mean Tolkien at least takes the trouble to give him a personality.)

And... just to throw a spanner into the works... am I the only person who thinks the following makes Sauron seem rather pathetic? Pathetically unobservant, anyway:

Originally Posted by Ibrîniðilpathânezel

Tolkien said that Melkor could not stand the simple fact that the world existed, and would have eventually destroyed everything, even his allies, simply to try to achieve an impossible end (impossible because, while he could destroy what was in the world, he could not destroy the fact that the world existed).

From splendour he [Melkor] fell through arrogance to contempt for all things save himself.

–Valaquenta

That would include contempt for his sidekick, yes?