Keyser Soze owes his name to Keyser Sume, a lawyer at the firm McQuarrie was working at while conceiving the movie. Allegedly, McQuarrie told him that:

You’ve got a great name. You’re going to be the villain in a script some day

“Söze” is Turkish for “talk too much”. This was a sly hint from the moment that Roger “Verbal” Kint explained he got his nickname for talking too much that he was Soze all along.

This famous line is repeated in the iconic closing scene, when we realize that (SPOILER) Verbal was Keyser Soze all along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYXXhn9fMYs&t=4m40s

Of these three villains, Iago might have the most in common with Frank. After Othello promoted Michael Cassio (even sounds a little like Michael Kern) to lieutenant instead of Iago, Iago vows to take down Othello in revenge – much like what Frank plans to do to Garrett Walker.

Iago is also described as a Machiavellian schemer, much like Richard III and Frank.

Richard III was a king of England that cunningly snuck his way up to the throne before being killed in a rebellion 2 years later. Comparing him to Frank lets us know he is smart and willing to do what is necessary to achieve power, but it also puts an expiration date on any type of power he will achieve.

Richard’s rise to the top is considered Machiavellian by many, which is a word often used to describe Frank.

Kevin Spacey had just finished playing Richard III at the Old Vic, and was unable to turn down the role of Underwood after spotting the similarities between the characters.

Spacey’s previous work as unassuming but terrifying villains Kayser Soze and John Doe must have played a large role in his being casted as a “normal” man that is deep down much like the #1 villain of all time – the elegant cannibal Hannibal Lecter.

This is reflected in Frank’s tendency to (metaphorically) devour people on his way to the top, and use them as his pawns.

Sodom and Gomorrah are the two cities God exacts divine judgement upon in Genesis 19 by sending down fire and brimstone. These cities have come to represent impenitent sin, which is exactly what John Doe has been targeting in his movie.

Part of what makes John Doe detestable, but impossible to fully dismiss, is that his world view is based at least partially in logic.

Lawyer jokes wouldn’t be so popular, and TV characters like The Wire’s Maurice Levy wouldn’t be so hated if there wasn’t a common perception that they were immoral and greedy people.

“John Doe” is a generic name normally given to unidentified dead males, or men whose name is being withheld for legal reasons. It’s the male equivalent of Jane Doe.

Fun Fact: Doe is played by Kevin Spacey, but members of the audience had no idea who was playing the character until he turned himself in. Spacey’s name was intentionally left out of the opening credits so as to make John Doe even more of a mysterious and terrifying character.