who doesn't love a good bad guy welcome
to watchmojo.com and ranking them based
on a combination of their popularity
complexity and overall contribution to
film history
we will not be including animated
villains on this list as they could
warrant their own list votes who say
they vote how the archbishop tells them
and who tells the archbishop they are
king in the pointy hat what sits on his
throne in Rome number 20
Bane the Dark Knight Rises no one cared
who I was till I put on the mouse it was
incredibly hard to follow up Heath
Ledger's Joker but Tom Hardy managed to
do it with his brilliant portrayal of
Bane hardy gained 30 pounds of muscle
for the role crafting a certifiable and
physically imposing brute of a villain
it also helps that his physique in
costume stayed within the realm of
realism as it allowed us to see Bane as
a threatening revolutionary rather than
a goofy comic-book villain looking at
you Batman and Robin this bomb is mobile
and the identity of the triggerman is a
mystery and let's be honest that mask
and voice are now iconic who amongst us
hasn't done the bane voice at least once
since 2012 you merely adopted the dark I
was born in it too bad about his crappy
anti-climactic death though number 19
Terence Fletcher whiplash while our
previous entry is a larger-than-life
character Terence Fletcher is not he's
just a music teacher and conductor he
doesn't leave any diabolical plots or
have ambitions of world domination and
that's part of what makes him such a
standout villain he's the sort of
antagonist that any one of us could
encounter in our own academic or
professional careers rushing or dragging
rushing so you do know the difference as
Fletcher JK Simmons plays a master
emotional manipulator preying on the
vulnerability and ambitions of his
students on his quest for musical
perfection
he's cruel and violent and yet he's
fundamentally human and not without
sentiment or honor
like so many real-world villains he
doesn't see himself as well
I earned that part you never earned
anything god you are a self-righteous
prick
number 18 Patrick Bateman American
Psycho we love a great villain
protagonist and Patrick Bateman is among
the best of the best there is an idea of
a Patrick Bateman some kind of
abstraction but there is no real me many
academics and literary critics view
Bateman as a social critique of consumer
culture and capitalism
he's shallow rooted in physical
appearances and surface level
observations and flaunts his
materialistic wealth that subtle of way
coloring a tasteful thickness on that oh
my god
it even has a watermark oh and he's also
an insatiable serial killer a rather
bloody but apt metaphor for the
unquenchable hunger of consumerism it
works well on paper and Christian Bale
brings Bateman to the terrifying life
for the movie while other a-list actors
like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt
were considered for the role we think
Bale was a truly inspired a bit of
casting he's just got that creepy look
about him I killed Paul Allen with an
axe in the face his body is dissolving
in a bathtub in Hell's Kitchen
number 17 kill monger Black Panther nah
I'll make you it's not the first time
we've said it but the MCU for all its
strengths has really struggled to bring
compelling villains to the big screen
with kill monger however they absolutely
hit it out of the park Black Panther was
the first comic book superhero movie to
be nominated for Best Picture at the
Academy Awards and while there were many
contributing factors kil monger felt
like a key part of the equation I'll
live my entire life waiting for this
more played expertly by Michael B Jordan
kill monger is a fully fleshed out
villain who despite his lethal methods
has relatable and sympathetic
motivations you'll destroy the world
record I included the world's everything
away from me
everything I have a lump he's a
character with real emotional depth and
a powerful backstory and when you add
that to his physicality you've got a
villain worthy of our hero in every
regard just burn me in the ocean
well my ancestors that jump from the
ships because they know death was better
than bondage number 16 Saruman the Lord
of the Rings trilogy Sauron is certainly
an imposing and terrifying figure but
you can't go wrong with Christopher Lee
j.r.r tolkien often pointed to Saruman
to defend the criticism that the Lord of
the Rings is too black and white in its
characterizations he did not seriously
how they could contend with the will of
Saladin and we have to agree Saruman is
a wonderful villain and a brilliant
example of a tragic fall from heroism
into villainy he's the Gandalf that fell
in with Sauron the pure good who was
swayed by the lore and promises of power
and the casting of Christopher Lee was
genius we couldn't imagine another actor
better suited for the role and we saw
one of modern literature's most popular
villains brought to vivid life through
his genius save your pity and your mercy
I have no use fighter number 15 the
Armitage family get out
picture this you meet the girl of your
dreams and everything seems to be going
great after a few months she asks you to
meet her parents and you go along with
it the next thing you know they're
trying to sell your body to the highest
bidder the Armitage family is deeply
racist take the term manipulative -
sickening new heights
and can only be described as evil
through and through you can't stop the
inevitable
and who knows
maybe one day you'll enjoy being members
of the family theatres saw no shortage
of memorable villains over the last
decade but what really makes the ARMA 2
just stand out is that for all intents
and purposes they're just your average
family next door they pose as
open-minded and progressive but behind
closed doors the indulge in humanity's
darkest cruelest and most selfish of
impulses fire it's a reflection of our
own mortality born we breathe and we die
number fourteen Koba the Planet of the
Apes trilogy Koba is arguably one of the
most sympathetic movie villains of the
century and his character arc has been
widely lauded by critics and fans alike
Koba serves as the perfect foil to
Caesar
whereas Caesar is thoughtful and
diplomatic Koba is bloodthirsty and
hell-bent on revenge his character
development is fluid and natural and we
understand how and why Koba became such
a ruthless tyrant it's easy to make a
character like that one-dimensional but
the writing direction and Toby Kebbell
wonderful mocap performance provides
Koba a surprising amount of depth he is
a villain but a tragic villain and those
always make for fascinating characters
season
week Cobra week huh number 13 Calvin
Candie Django Unchained well got a fight
going on that's a good bit of fun like
Joaquin Phoenix Leonardo DiCaprio is
considered among the most talented
actors of his generation who else could
take a role like Jordan Belfort and
simultaneously make him both
reprehensible and so magnetically
charming as DiCaprio had already proved
it in your earlier however he's every
bit as capable of turning off that charm
if you lift those palms off that turtle
shell tabletop both barrels that start
off playing against type as 19th century
slave owner Calvin Candie DiCaprio
wholly commits to the sadistic
hate-filled and thoroughly repulsive
villain his bigotry and racism know no
bounds but as detestable as candy is the
manner swagger and quirks with which
DiCaprio and Bews the character makes
him the sort of villain we love to hate
you do not have anything to drink can I
get you a tasty refreshment yes
Oh have a beer wunderbar number 12 Loki
the Marvel Cinematic Universe the MCU
was the biggest movie event of the 2010s
and Loki was at the heart of it well for
a while anyway I am Loki of Asgard and I
am burdened with glorious purpose
Loki was first introduced in 2011's Thor
before transitioning to the series main
antagonist in the Avengers luckily he's
not just relegated to basic comic-book
villainy as he goes through an
interesting character arc and takes on
more anti heroic traits as the series
progresses actor Tom Hiddleston has
described Loki as a delusional autocrat
and compares him to Edmund from King
Lear an apt description concerning his
family lineage and immoral plots for
power maybe we'll still be talking about
Loki in 400 years time touch button
until I make him kill you slowly
intimately
in every way he knows you fear and then
he'll wake just long enough to see his
good work and when he screams I'll split
his skull number 11
Alonzo Harris training day police dramas
and corrupt cop characters are a dime a
dozen but no movie has managed to do it
quite like training day
alonzo Harrison habits many of the
corrupt police officer traits including
a preference for violence and a
willingness to ignore standard and
lawful procedures you get the picture
but he also takes his immoral dealings
further than any other which includes
robbing and murdering suspects
blackmailing his rookie partner with PCP
laced marijuana and paying to have him
killed he is a horrible hateful person
and Denzel Washington brings him to
thrilling life earning himself an
Academy Award for his efforts
he's the corrupt cop to end all corrupt
cops and watching him scheme makes for
tantalizing drama King Kong number 10
penny wise it and in Chapter two it is a
terrifying cosmic being who most
commonly takes the form of a sinister
clown need we say more
okay it is a shapeshifter and a reality
manipulator who knows how to appeal to
the good-natured sympathies of children
so that he can eat them but only after
seasoning their meat with fear well so
dowdy we never dreamed that someone
could hold a candle to Tim Curry's take
on the titular terror but bill skarsgård
has turned in the performance of a
lifetime to make a whole new generation
of cinema goers terrified of this
monstrous villain the horror genre isn't
short on horrific creatures but with his
unique quirks and the clear joy he takes
in his work Pennywise is cut from a
different cloth
number nine Amy gone girl there are so
many ways in which this film could have
gone wrong the manipulative crazy woman
is a tired trope and often serves as a
lazy stand-in for actual character
development amy checks a lot of the
boxes traditionally associated with this
archetype but she's anything but
two-dimensional I've killed for you who
else can say that despite all the
mystery initially surrounding Amy's
disappearance this film takes us deep
inside her mind inviting us to
understand what makes this character
tick the fact that she's an unreliable
narrator only adds to her appeal start
with the fairy tale early days those are
true and they're crucial you want Nick
and Amy to be likable
after that you invent conniving
unflinching and brilliant Amy is a
villain worthy of a greater hero than
she ever faces and so in the end she
wins this is undeniably Rosamund Pike's
career defining role when two people
love each other and can't make that work
that's the real tragedy
number 8 kylo Ren the Star Wars sequel
trilogy no one will ever top Darth Vader
in terms of iconic Star Wars villains
but since he only made a brief albeit
badass cameo in rogue one it would feel
like cheating to include him on this
list in kylo Ren however Vader has a
worthy heir and successor was too much
Vader Ben solo feels like Vader's
internal struggle between the dark and
light sides of the force personified
he's a slave to his emotions both
positive and negative in many ways he
feels like the sort of complex tortured
character that George Lucas was trying
to craft with Anakin Skywalker in the
prequels know
a powerful force user played with nuance
by Adam driver kylo Ren does the
franchise proud without feeling like a
retread of old ground this is the Jedi
the rebels let it all die
number seven bill the butcher gangs of
new york we didn't think daniel
day-lewis could be scary but gangs of
new york proved us wrong somebody steals
from me I cut off his hands he offends
me I cut off his tongue he rises against
me I cut off his head stick it on a pike
this movie was considered a
disappointment by some but even its most
ardent critics agreed that bill the
butcher made for an intriguing and
relentlessly terrifying villain bill is
the leader of the natives an
aggressively patriotic New York gang
opposed to immigration and willing to
kill for their true American values to
defeat my enemy I extinguish his life
and consume him as I consume these
flames the story takes place in the mid
19th century but is proving eerily
topical especially in today's turbulent
and tribalist political atmosphere bill
is a brilliantly written and brilliantly
performed character who transcends his
story to say something larger about
America and democracy now you tasted my
mutton how do you like it huh number six
Arthur Fleck the Joker Joker when you
bring me out can you introduce me as
Joker the Joker is one of the most
iconic villains of any medium with this
film he proved that he doesn't need
Batman to maintain that status though
2019 s Joker had its detractors few
critics could find fault with Joaquin
Phoenix's brilliant performance
you don't listen dear now a mental
illness is a tough subject to tackle
especially when the character in
question is supposed to be a villain
there's always a fear of demonizing
mental illness when I was a little boy
and told people I was going to be a
comedian everyone laughed at me but
Phoenix and director Todd Phillips did a
solid job of making this character at
once sympathetic and someone who lives
up to his villainous legacy when Arthur
Fleck gives in to his worst inclinations
and embraces his Joker persona he
becomes an agent of chaos and evil and
an unforgettable one at that number five
the Mort the Harry Potter franchise
[Music]
before he was brought to the big screen
Voldemort had already been established
as one of the greatest villains in
modern literature as such the risk of
the live-action interpretation of the
character falling short of fan
expectations was incredibly high but ray
Fiennes pulls it off magnificently from
this day for you put your faith for many
fans It was as if the Dark Lord had
stepped right off of the page and onto
the screen in the final installment of
this epic series Fiennes holds nothing
back fully inhabiting the role as Volta
Mort is cruel and imposing there's
danger behind every word he delivers an
inherent volatility that's terrifying to
behold you've been a good and faithful
servant Severus but only I and yet he's
also charismatic in a way that makes you
understand how he seduced so many to his
side number four
Anton Chigurh No Country for Old Men
Cormac McCarthy plus Coen brothers
equals glorious movie magic there's an
assistant of yours where I'm from
friendo on the surface Shigure is a hit
man who was hired to retrieve a suitcase
full of cash but this being Cormac
McCarthy there is far more to sugar than
these surface level observations
speculation abounds regarding sugars
thematic relevance and his relation to
concepts of fate death morality and
justice of course he's also super
entertaining if the rule you followed
brought you to this of what use was the
rule he carries some bizarre weapons has
a really goofy haircut and has the
skills of an unstoppable terminator it's
very difficult to bring a McCarthy
villain to life but the Coen brothers
and javier bardem managed to pull it off
with a plum we're still shuttering over
that gas station scene I can't call it
for you wouldn't be fair
yes you're dead you've been putting it
up your whole life it just didn't know
number three Hans Landa inglorious
basterds Quentin Tarantino has crafted
some captivating characters throughout
his career but Hans Landa might be one
of the greatest of them all shushanna
he's the very personification of evil
itself
unrelenting unstoppable but worst of all
alluring and personable it's this
mesmerizing dichotomy between pure inner
evil and faux friendly exterior that
makes lend us such a tantalizing villain
and actor Christoph Waltz pulls off the
impossible by making land a terrifying
and charismatic effortlessly interesting
yet unspeakably cruel the first farm
scene alone is a masterclass in both
acting and writing and we truly believe
that Lando will go down in history as
one of films most memorable villains
would you aware of what they call me
Landis forehead swats to come maybe
Aldo's masterpiece but Landa is
Tarantino's is that the way you say
that's a bingo
number two Santos Avengers infinity war
like many of history's greatest villains
he firmly believes that his devastating
methods are entirely justifiable from a
utilitarian standpoint he's the hero of
his own story because you have to plant
a small price to pay for salvation
Thanos is a formidable physical threat
but his greatest strength is his
unflinching resolve a complex and
charismatic villain Samus raised the bar
in multiple ways the MCU is the most
ambitious world building ever seen in
film and after looming over it for years
Thanos shook this universe to its core I
will
shred this universe down to its last
Adam he's a villain without precedent
whose status is further elevated by the
magnitude of the cinematic event in
which he appeared before we unveil the
most dastardly villain of the century
here are a few honorable or are they
dishonorable mentions
[Music]
[Applause]
you kill no bullets in the fall kill
them before we continue be sure to
subscribe to our Channel and ring the
bell to get notified about our latest
videos you'll have the option to be
notified for occasional videos or all of
them if you're on your phone make sure
you go into your settings and switch on
notifications number one society Joker
we truly do live in a society okay but
seriously number one the Joker The Dark
Knight and while society created the
Joker nothing can top the Joker himself
I believe whatever doesn't kill you
simply makes
stranger while Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur
Fleck is fantastic we don't think
anything can top Heath Ledger's timeless
performance in The Dark Knight I'm gonna
make this pencil Ledger's casting cause
some initial controversy and doubt but
he silenced the haters with an
enthralling performance unlike anything
seen in comic book movies at the time
[Music]
Ledger's astounding performance the
complex writing and the Joker's
embodiment of anarchy and disorder
helped elevate the dark night above
traditional superhero fare all Joker's
will forever be measured against
Ledger's and we don't think any will top
it some men just want to watch the world
bad it's a legendary performance of a
legendary character in a legendary movie
you look nervous
is it the scars do you agree with our
picks check out this other recent clip
from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe
and ring the bell to be notified about
our latest videos