villain / rascal
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villain
An evil, deceitful, or criminal male person; a villain or rogue, often as the opponent of a hero in stories.
In dem Film versucht der Held, die Pläne des größenwahnsinnigen Schurken zu durchkreuzen.
In the film, the hero tries to foil the plans of the megalomaniacal villain.
rascal
An affectionate or joking term for a boy or man who has played a prank or is naughty in a likeable way; a scamp or little rascal.
Na warte, du kleiner Schurke, dafür fange ich dich gleich!
Just you wait, you little rascal, I'll catch you in a moment!
'Schurke' is a noun of the N-declension. This means that it receives the ending '-n' in all cases except the nominative singular. So it is 'dem Schurken' or 'den Schurken'.
Der Held stellt sich dem Schurken in den Weg.
The hero stands in the villain's way.
The meaning of 'Schurke' depends strongly on the context. In stories about good and evil, it is the villain. When you say it affectionately to a child, it is a joking term for a little rascal.
Der Schurke im neuen James-Bond-Film will die Welt erobern.
The villain in the new James Bond film wants to conquer the world.
In the meaning 'villain', 'der Schurke' is often the 'Gegenspieler' (opponent) of the 'Held' (hero). Typical adjectives are 'böse' (evil), 'gemein' (mean), or 'hinterhältig' (deceitful).
Es ist die Aufgabe des Helden, den gemeinen Schurken zu besiegen.
It is the hero's task to defeat the mean villain.
As a term for a boy or man, 'Schurke' is meant affectionately and jokingly. It is often combined with the adjective 'klein' ('du kleiner Schurke' — you little rascal) and expresses affection, even though someone has done something naughty.
Der Opa lachte und nannte seinen Enkel einen kleinen Schurken, als dieser ihm einen Streich spielte.
The grandfather laughed and called his grandson a little rascal when he played a prank on him.
jack / boy
Bube and Schurke can both refer to a dishonorable or deceitful man. In this meaning, Bube sounds strongly outdated and derogatory, while Schurke is still understandable and commonly used. In a modern description, Schurke is therefore usually the better choice; Bube sounds deliberately old-fashioned.
In der heutigen Geschichte wird der hinterhältige Mann als Schurke bezeichnet.
In the modern story, the deceitful man is called a villain.
In der alten Geschichte wird der hinterhältige Mann als Bube bezeichnet.
In the old story, the deceitful man is called a scoundrel.
