Playing Favorites

I know I shouldn't play favorites among my children, but sometimes I just can't help it.  I do have favorites.  (For me, it's easy with real children, because I have only one, so she's always my favorite.) 

I was reminded of this just now as I retyped my manuscript.  I just reached the scene where my favorite character in this novel is introduced.  Not that I don't love my main character.  I do.  It's just that this secondary character - who may or may not end up as the love interest of the piece - is so damn much fun, I can't help but love him better than anyone else.  He's got style, humor, and something special I can't put my finger on.  It's not that he's someone I can relate to.  I mean, he's a centuries old Djinn.  He may have once lived along the Nile or at least in the cradle of humanity.  But he's... well, he's someone I'd want watching my back in a fight or someone I'd want as my companion in a nightclub.  (You know, if I were young and went to nightclubs.)

Thinking back over my various manuscripts, I can point to my favorite characters.  Sometimes it's the MC or the love interest, but just as often it's a secondary character.  For instance, my favorite person in Spectacle is Tom - the heroine's gritty self-made millionaire boss.  But in Caldera, the heroine is my favorite.  In RTL, the hero takes the prize - even though the story centers on the heroine.

On the other hand, I think the character in Manhunter that I loved best to write was the villain. She was hoot to write, and even though I didn't want her to succeed, she was the best character of the book.

What about you?  Do you play favorites with your characters?  Is there one role (i.e. villain, hero, sidekick) you like to write more than the others?