Though to be honest I tend to like antagonists that aren't so much villains as simply characters who want something incompatible with what the protagonist wants.

Yes, very much so. Despite my love for things like Doctor Who and even (on another level entirely) The Lord of the Rings, most of the time I find Villains (yes, with a capital-V) to be a tedious bore. Life just isn't usually like that (or so I tell myself. People like Dick Cheney or even Stephen Harper do make me question that belief a little).