10 Best Movie Villains

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I decided to a 10 Best movie villain list. I think we have never done it and I want to give it a try. Okay here are my ten infamous characters

10 Biff Tannen, seen in the BTTF Trilogy, played by Thomas Wilson, Biff is really a funny bad guy, and he barely makes this list but because his evil schemes are so important to the BTTF trilogy I figure he should take 10th

9 Cardinal Richelieu, seen in countless renditions of the Three Musketeers, best played by Charlton Heston. Richelieu has been a villain in over a dozen movies potrayed by many actors from Vincent Price to Stephen Rea (eek to that perfomance) but Heston played him best and more closer to Dumas' s version.

8 Fu Manchu, appeared in countless films, best played by Christopher Lee. This was difficult I wanted Lee on this list, I didn't want to chose him for Dooku or Saurman because both performances (while excellent) were too recent and neither character is finished. Still he is one of the greatest villain actors and he has to be on this list. Also Fu Manchu, is one of the most famous villians in screen history, and it is fitting that both make this list.

7 Hans Gruber, seen in Die Hard, played by Alan Rickman, Gruber is the best of all the terrorist/hostage villains we have seen in the action genre. Rickman is also a great actor and at times he stole the movie.

6 Kaiser Soze, seen in The Usual Suspects, played by Kevin Spacey, Who is Kaiser Soze? Well, if you haven't seen the movie than I spoiled it for you but if you haven't where have you been? Soze is such an interesting villain because we know almost nothing about him, plus Spacey did a masterful performance one of the best of his career (earned him an oscar) and that alone should get him on the list.

5 Frankenstein, seen in a 100 versions of Mary Shelley's book, best played by Boris Karloff, I figure he has to be here, though you might not consider him a villain in the traditional sense. Still Karloff was a great actor and this is his role, no other actor played the role as good as he did and he should be in the top 5, IMO.

4 Professor Henry Jarrord, seen in House of Wax, played by Vincent Price. Now most of you probably have never heard of this guy, but this one is here because Vincent Price is the best villain actor ever period and this his best role and one of his best films.

3 Count Dracula, seen in oh 100 versions of the Bram Stroker novel, best played by Bela Lugosi. Some now might be screaming Lee's name here but Lugosi made that part and I don't think any other actor has portrayed the character of Dracula as well as he did.

2 Hannible Lector, seen in Silence of the Lambs, Hannible and the upcoming Red Dragon, played by Anthony Hopkins, now I debated over this I almost but Lector #1, the character is pure evil and Hopkins has played the role brilliantly twice (hopefull for the third time) and he is one character that will never be forgotten.

Finally

1 Darth Vader, seen in the SW trilogy, played by James Earl Jones and David Powres. I have to admit I am biais but the minute he walked on the screen in ANH he became the greatest villain ever, even though he isn't as evil as Lector or Dracula he is more powerfull and also more complex which is really the why he is #1 IMO.

Okay go ahead make your own list, you don't have to make as much argument as I did, just character name will do.

[Daiquiri Van-Derveld]

Im not too sure that I can come up with 10 villians. I usually end up rooting for them, lol. I'll give it a go but theyre not in any particular order, except for the first :)

1. DARTH VADER nuff said :-D

2. Hannible Lecter

3. Kevin Spacey's character in the movie "Seven"

4. Scar from Disney's "Lion King"

5. I dont have a #5. I think thats it although Im quite sure that some of our good people will come up with several that will cause me to slap my forehead and say "Why didnt I think of that?!"

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am sure there are several that I didn't even think about.

[Threepio]

I believe that IG-88 is the greatest villian of all time. *metal shudder* The way he goes out and exterminates living beings? I cannot imagine any other droid bringing so much fear to all sentient beings.

[JediBoricua]

1. Vader

2. Joker

3. Scar

4. Mr Burns.

[Tianje Xhu]

who is mr. burns? :huh

[Wei Wu Wei]

Green Goblin. That glider doo-dad was cool

Darth Vader-He had the voice

Darth Maul-He had a very dynamic fighting style. I liked it.

Ursula-She gave me nightmares when I was little

Team Rocket's Jessie and James- Ok, they never did anything, but they are funny.and that rhyme was too cool.

Garlic Jr. (Deadzone)-He is two feet tall and has immortality. Need I say more?

Dr. Evil-He was funny.

Professor Zondyke (Blue Submarine No6) "The world will not be destroyed. It will merely...change."

Jafar- He had that cool suit and that parrot.

Hyper Metal Sonic- Sonic the Hedgehog Anime. He was just too freaky in that anime. Much cooler than he was in the video games.

Ok, I know that 5 of these movies were animes, but they were all good anime. And these were just 10 villains that stuck out in my mind. They are not in this order for anyparticular reason.

[BUFFJEDI]

I think he mean Mr.burns from the Simpsons.

Darth Vader : Period end of story.IMHO

Dracula: yea Bela was best

Michael myers:awesome figure

Darth maul: would be higher on list had he been around longer.


Frankinstien: I was scared of him for years.


now those are off the top of me head so there may be adjustments other than 1and 2.

[Quadinaros]

To me a great villain is a villain you either love to hate, or hate to love. That said, here is my list

10. Eric Qualen(Cliffhanger, John Lithgow) He kills more of his friends than foes during the movie. Can't beat that.

9. Gaston(Beauty And The Beast) I just love the "Gaston" song. Cracks me up whenever I think of it.

8. Count Dooku(AOTC) Gotta love that voice and the glare.

7. Chucky(Child's Play movies) I'm partial to CP3. I just loving watching Chucky in action.

6. Ordell Robbie(Jackie Brown, Samuel Jackson) If he hadn't killed DeNiro, he'd be higher up on this list.

5. The Evil Dead(Evil Dead I, II and Army Of Darkness) I don't know exactly what the Evil Dead is, but it sure kicks major butt. Just ask Ash!

4. William Stranix and Commander Krill(Under Siege, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey) If I ever get hijacked, I hope these guys are behind it.

3. Norman Bates(Psycho, Anthony Hopkins) We all go a little crazy sometimes.

2. Mitch Leary(In The Line Of Fire, John Malkovich) Here's the perfect villain. Vicious, yet outspoken.

1. Michael Myers(Halloween) He's silent, he wears a mask, and he walks slow. He also starred in the horror film that had the greatest influence on me as I was growing up. And his character was mostly developed by the cheesy lines of one Dr. Loomis.

Of course, Darth Vader beats them all, but that goes without saying...

[Oriadin]

Jedi Master Carr, I suggest you use the spoiler tags on your Usual suspects bad guy. Thats out of order if people havent seen the film.

[ReaperFett]

Done :)

[Daiquiri Van-Derveld]

*tags Fett* :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

How is that out of order? The movie is ten years old (about) and if you hadn't seen it by now well I am sure somebody has at least told you, it be like putting spoilers around Darth Vader is Luke's father.

[JMK]

I tend to agree. The Usual Suspects came out before spoiler tags were even invented. I think it came out in 1995, and that should be plenty of time to have seen it. If that's the case, then we should have to spoiler tag EVERY movie ALL THE TIME. We set a one month guideline for AotC spoilers because we figured that was enough time to get out and see it. I think 7 years is enough to have seen The Usual Suspects.

[ReaperFett]

I didnt know until I saw the film. And it is the big plot twist. If you want others to enjoy the film, then you should give it the benefit of the doubt.

[Admiral Lebron]

I haven't seen the usual suspects...strange though..

[Quadinaros]

I haven't actually seen Usual Suspects, although it's on my must see list. When I saw Carr's mention of Usual Suspects, I instinctively skipped the rest of his post since I've heard the the movie has a huge plot twist. But I'll say it's one of those movies I have to slap myself for not seeing yet, since I've heard mostly raves about it.

[Jedi Master Carr]

You have to see it, it is one of my favorite movies, the twist at the end it great.

[JediBoricua]

Yeah Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, I know they were movie villains, and I just couldn't think of any more. Sorry...

Aniway, some more.

M. Bison from Streetfighter. Did not like the movie that much, but Raul Julia's perfomance was excellent.

Hannibal Lecter. If Darth Vader met Hannibal on a dark alley...

Tony Montana. "You need people like me..."

[Oriadin]

I only watched the film for the first time about a year ago and if someone had told me I would have shot them. Just because its been out since about 95 doesnt mean everyone knows. We should respect that.

[ReaperFett]

You have to see it, it is one of my favorite movies, the twist at the end it great.
Not a twist if you tell them :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well when I revealed it I figured just about everybody on this board had seen it or at least heard about the end. Still the movie is more than just the twist, I like watching it now to see if I catch the little clues, plus the acting is terrific.

[Jinn Fizz]

Darth Vader is Numero Uno, of course.

The rest, in no particular order:

Khan, "Star Trek II"
Agent Smith, "The Matrix"
Scar, "The Lion King"
Ming the Merciless, the 1980 version of "Flash Gordon"
Norman Bates, "Psycho"
Damien, "The Omen"
Antonio Salieri, "Amadeus"
Magneto, "X-Men"
Hans Gruber, "Die Hard"

[Diego Van Derveld]

1. Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars)
2. Gene Hackman (Quick and the Dead, forgot the chr name)
3. Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
4. Keyzer Soze (The Usual Suspects)
5. Commodus :) (Gladiator)
6. Khan (Star Trek 2)
7. Brick Top (Snatch)
8. Edward the Longshanks (Braveheart)
9. Ike Clanton (Tombstone)
10. Amon Goeth (Schindler's List)

[Morgan Evanar]

Wow.

Here's one you all forgot

Jack Nicholson - The Joker

[Gav Mortis]

The Joker has already been mentioned I believe and that would undoubtedly be in my top five, Jack Nicholson being one of my favourite actors and that being one of his most different and entertaining roles.

Hannibal Lecter definately get's the "Best Villain" award from me. That much is undoubted in my mind. I'll ponder on others and add, hopefully reaching ten sometime.

[Tomak Ohara]

10. Catwoman....Sexy!
9. Ivan Ooze... BAD!
8. Jack Nicholson as Joker.
7. Sephiroth.....AHHHH! Badass!
6. Kuja....Wears a man thong but diabolical.
5. Seymor... NEVER DIES!!!!!
4. Voldemort......Bad Wizard!
3. Jack the Ripper in from hell.
2. Saurron from LOTR.
1. My fav........ MATHEMATICS TEACHERS!!!!!!!

There ya go. The true evils in the world.

[Jedieb]

I'm going to pick 5 great villians that haven't gotten many, if any, mentions.

Ramon (Gian Maria Volonte) from A Fistfull of Dollars
Frank (Henry Fonda) from Once Upon a Time in the West
Szell (Laurence Olivier) from The Marathon Man (Is it safe?)
Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from It's a Wonderful Life
Dean Wormer (John Vernon) from Animal House (Double Secret Probation!!!)

[Nupraptor]

Tumak: Most of your's aren't from movies. :p

Just a couple, off the top of my head:

Darth Vader: Yes, it's been said. But I can't emphasize him enough.

Hannibal Lecter: Anthony Hopkins is the absolute perfect choice for everyone's favorite psychopath.

Emperor Commodus: Joaquin Pheonix perfectly portrayed this deplorable villan in Gladiator.

Lestat: As played by Tom Cruise in Interview With the Vampire. While it could be argued that he wasn't truly a villan, he was certainly an antoganist from Louis' point of view, and a damned good one.

Jareth, the Goblin King: David Bowie is a man of many talents, and he did a really great job in the cult classic, Labyrinth.

Magneto: Ian McKellen is one of my favorite actors, and his portrayel of this comic book character was absolutely superb in X-Men.

The Joker: Jack Nicholson redefines "insane madman" in what was perhaps his best role ever.

The Lord of Darkness, as played by Tim Curry in Legend. Whenever I think of a big, horned demon, I think of this movie.

Also, I didn't think Christopher Lee's role as Sauruman was particularly notable in Fellowship of the Ring. But this was no fault of the actor - simply a lack of things for him to do. There are some really good scenes with this character in TTT, and I think Lee will really bring them to life.

[Sanis Prent]

I can't believe I didn't think of Mr. Potter. I hate that guy!!!

[Taro Idol]

Not in order by any means!

1: The Joker (Batman)
2: Ash (Alien)
3: Lestat (Interview With The Vampire - not really a villain as such, but I still think he's one great nasty bugger)
4: Brick Top (Snatch)
5: Hades (Disneys' Hercules)
6: Simon Gruber (Die Hard 3)
7: Dr Evil (Austin Powers)
8: Dr Robotnik (Not a movie villain, but still a great, larger-than-life villain!)
9: Agent Smith (The Matrix)
10: I've yet to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey this weekend. Hopefully after that I'll be able to say HAL as my tenth choice.

[Nupraptor]

HAL is but a plaything compared to SHODAN. >D

[Dutchy]

1. Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, hands down, no questions asked.

[Geist Laich]

Mine.....

Frankenfuter from Rocky Horror picture show, Tim Curry.
Any Darths gwad dangit!
the Bad guy from Hunchback of Notre Dame *Disney Cartoon one*

uhh...That's all I can think of.

[Jinn Fizz]

Hey, Carr, did you know the Online Film Critics Society was making a similar list, or were you just psychic? ;)

Here's a link to the results, and it was interesting to see that a lot of the villains we named in this thread are in the list of the top 100. I was especially surprised to see one of my picks, Max Von Sydow's Ming the Merciless, somewhere in the 90's! :D

Oh, and btw, Number 1 Villain is....

Darth Vader. :) :) :)

http://ofcs.rottentomatoes.com/pages/pr/top100villains

[Gurney Devries]

I'd have to disagree with some of the entries on that list. Alex from A Clockwork Orange, for example, is not a villan: He's the protagonist of the movie. Maybe not a heroic protagonist, but a protagonist nonetheless.

[JediBoricua]

Maleficient from Sleeping Beauty, the incarnation of evil in a woman!

[Peter McCoy]

Perhaps to you. But actually seeing SHODAN spoilt the illusion for me - she wasn't as intimidating once it she revealed herself. Maybe you do "see" HAL - I don't know, I haven't seen it yet. I started watching it, but Dru showed up and we went out.

AMAZING - Rigsby from Rising Damp is in it! :) (Oh, Miss Jones! :lol )

[Ishiva Ruell]

In no particular order...

Keyser Soze - two words... CONNIVINGLY WICKED!

Darth Vader - hunted and wiped out Jedi, also assisted in putting the galaxy under imperial rule

Leatherface - raised by sociopathic ex-slaughterhouse employees, hobbies include carpentry and cannibalism.

Hannibal Lector - brilliant mind with an unrelenting passion for murder and cannibalism.

Saruman - Seen little of him in FOTR but more is to come. Hope the movies are faithful to the books in TTT and ROTK. The white wizard representing perfect pureness and benevolence has turned corrupt and wicked. Heart as black as his garb is white.

Sgt. Barnes - The absolute baddest mofo ever portrayed in a war movie. A killing machine whom will use any achievable means to kill the enemy who left his body and soul scarred.

Agent Smith - Bleeds with coolness. Sardonic, sarcastic, and unrelenting.

Colonel Tavington - All in her majesty's service. Even places children before the firing squad.

Dillinger/Bonnie and Clyde - Most infamous bank robbers in America's history. Yes they are true life figures of history. Makes it all the more frightening.

Al Capone - Another example of life overshadowing art. Bloody gangster who ruled chicago. Never was hung for murder (too slick). But he did fall on a tax evasion charge. This tough guy later died of syphilis because he too scared of needles.

[Sene Unty]

I just read that list from the Online film Critics society....good list

I would have to say that the wicked witch of the West in 8th place pissed me off though. Now dont get me wrong in the movie she is great. Very evil. However I recently read a book titled WICKED....it tells the tale of the wicked witch from birth to death from her point of view. Great book. I suggest everyone read it

[Ishiva Ruell]

I just looked at the Online Film critics list and found many villians I had forgotten. Other mentionables is definitely John Doe of Se7en, Michael Myers of Halloween, Tommy Devito of Good Fellas, and Max Cady of Cape Fear. Evil is not measured in shear body count tho.

I seen Little Bill Daggett on the list too. I love this character but felt he didn't exemplify a top ten villian.

[JMK]

I don't know if he's been added, but T-1000 from Terminator 2.
Talk about merciless, cruel and unapologetic!

[Jedi Master Carr]

I just read that it is interesting list, though I can't believe they could include the 3 greatest villain actors, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee or Boris Karloff. Sure they got Lugosi (if they hadn't they would have been insane) and Peter Lorre, but why no Price? The man was brilliant in many of his horror films and period movies from the 40's to the 60's from playing Cardinal Richelieu in another version of the Three Musketeers, to an evil scribe in the Ten Commandments to an evil doctor in House of Wax, and not to mention his several evil roles in Edgar Allen Poe movies (The House of Usher, the Pit and the Pendulme, etc), to me Price is the greatest villain actor ever.