Some great villains outshine the heroes, and they deserve better than the mediocre movies they are a part of. A good villain should test the protagonist in interesting ways, and they should be just as complex. However, there are a few cases where the scales tip too far in the villain’s favor, and they become far more compelling than their on-screen counterparts. This can damage a movie, since audiences don’t connect with the hero as much.
There are a few villains who are so compelling that they become extremely memorable even when their movies are easy to forget. This often happens in long-running franchises that come up with new villains every few years, likeJames BondorStar Wars.A great actor can help make their villain characters stand out, even if the plot, the hero and the dialogue is distinctly below average.
10Francisco Scaramanga
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
The Man With the Golden Gunusually falls toward the lower end ofJames Bondmovie rankings. This is a little unfair, since it certainly has a lot more going for it than some of the franchise’s weakest efforts. A lot of the criticism focuses on Roger Moore’s performance as Bond, the cheeky dialogue and the return of Louisiana lawman J.W. Pepper. Critics often praise Christopher Lee and the character of Scaramanga, however.
What makes the eccentric assassin so interesting is that he reflects the darkest parts of Bond’s soul.
Christopher Lee is famous for his villain roles, having played Count Dooku inStar Wars,Saruman inThe Lord of the Rings, and Dracula many times. He’s just as compelling as Scaramanga, one of thebestBondvillainsof all. What makes the eccentric assassin so interesting is that he reflects the darkest parts of Bond’s soul. Both men are trained killers who have turned the passion into their profession. The difference is that Scaramanga can admit this to himself.
9Rodney Alcala
Woman Of The Hour (2023)
Anna Kendrick’s directorial debutWoman of the Hourhas an impressive 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes, butaudiences have been overall less enthusiastic than critics. The Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter - which measures audience reaction - sits at 68% forWoman of the Hour,with some people criticizing the movie’s uneven pacing. One thing that critics and audiences have generally been able to agree upon is Daniel Zovatto’s performance as Rodney Alcala.
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Movies based on real-life serial killers offer unique insight into criminal psychology, and they can be far more frightening than pure fiction.
Woman of the Houris based on the true storyof serial killer Rodney Alcala, who claims to have murdered 130 women and children. Daniel Zavotta makes him into a terrifying villain, even for people who might not know the full weight of his real-life crimes. Zavotta’s Alcala often puts on a smile to lure in his victims, but this just creates an excruciating dramatic irony, in which the audience pleads with the women to get as far from Alcala as possible.
8Owen Davian
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
TheMission: Impossiblefranchise has generally been getting better and better. This trajectory isn’t necessarily a straight line, but the big turning point for the franchise came withMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,the fourth entry.Mission: Impossible IIIis a little muddled, and its action sequences generally lack the explosive impact that has become customary in later entries. One positive is that it arguably has thebestMission: Impossiblevillainof all, Owen Davian.
The cold-blooded arms dealer has an unshakable temperament that runs counter to the violence and manipulative chaos of his actions.
It should come as no surprise that Philip Seymour Hoffman is the most fascinating part ofMission: Impossible III.His cold-blooded arms dealer has an unshakable temperament that runs counter to the violence and manipulative chaos of his actions. While nobody really knows what the mysterious “Rabbit’s Foot” is, Owen is compelling enough for it not to matter. He would be just as fun to watch chasing after any MacGuffin, whether it’s a biological super-weapon or a bag of rocks.
7Darth Maul
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
TheStar Warsprequel trilogy is generally considered to be a let-down when compared to the original trilogy. The problems start inThe Phantom Menace,which shows a young Obi-Wan Kenobi meeting Anakin Skywalker for the first time.The Phantom Menacehas been criticized for its heavy focus on galactic politics and trade disputes, as well as the introduction of the divisive Jar Jar Binks. What makesThe Phantom Menace’s shortcomings so frustrating is that it could have been a greatStar Warsmovie if it had given Darth Maul a bigger role.
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There are numerous fascinating facts about Darth Maul that one would only know if they looked far beyond the Star Wars movies and TV shows.
Darth Maul doesn’t have an awful lot to do inThe Phantom Menace,but he makes his mark. It helps thathe has a striking character design, complete with his iconic double-ended lightsaber.He makes good use of this in the so-called “Duel of the Fates” against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, which ranks among the best lightsaber fights that theStar Warsfranchise has ever produced. Darth Maul is a mysterious character, even though the extended universe has revealed a lot more of his story.
6Dante
Fast X (2023)
TheFast and Furiousfranchise has had many ups and downs, but it has generally been getting bigger and louder for the last two decades.Fast Xsuggests that the franchise is finally running out of road. Dom and his crew have been through so much that there doesn’t seem to be any new and exciting ground to cover. BeforeFast and Furious11wraps up the franchise,fans can at least look forward to another appearance by Jason Momoa’s flamboyant villain Dante Reyes.
Momoa offers a surprising performance as an eccentric, energetic character who can make the audience laugh.
With Momoa’s muscular frame and action movie pedigree, it would have been easy for him to play another one of theFast and Furiousfranchise’s macho villains. Instead, he offers up a more surprising performance as an eccentric, energetic character who can make the audience laugh. This makes Dante seem much more volatile, and it’s hard to predict his next move. Whatever happens next, Dante is one of the most exciting aspects of the franchise.
5David
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Prometheuskicked off theAlienprequel trilogy with a lot of promise, butAlien: Covenanttook a big step down in quality. One major criticism of the sequel is that it failed to provide answers to the intriguing mysteries set up byPrometheus.Ultimately, it made things even harder to understand, and it failed to innovate within the framework of the franchise. Michael Fassbender’s performance as David is one ofAlien: Covenant’s saving graces.
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There had been villainous androids before in theAlienfranchise, with Ian Holm’s Ash in the first movie being the prime example. Fassbender does a lot to distinguish David from Ash.David isn’t just an emotionless android following company orders.He’s struggling with his nascent human-like feelings, and he’s motivated by rage, jealousy and bitterness. This tension between the artificial and the organic makes David fascinating, butAlien: Covenantotherwise misses the mark.
4John Milton
The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
Al Pacino brings his A-game toThe Devil’s Advocate,although the rest of the movie doesn’t meet his usual standards.The Devil’s Standardsstars Keanu Reeves as a lawyer who discovers that his boss is Satan himself, walking the Earth in human form.The Devil’s Advocateis always entertaining, but reviews at the time criticized the movie’s confused philosophy and the way its lofty ambitions are hampered by a silly tone.
Pacino is definitely overacting, but he makes overacting into an art.
Retrospective evaluations ofThe Devil’s Advocatehave singled out Pacino’s performance.He’s definitely overacting, but he makes overacting into an art. A movie about the fate of all mankind with allusions toParadise Lost,Faustand Dante should be a little melodramatic. While other characters appear to be in an ordinary legal thriller, John Milton has the bluster of an opera star.
3Jürgen Voller
Indiana Jones & The Dial Of Destiny (2023)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyseems content to replay the franchise’s greatest hits for its encore. This is why Indy is once again fighting the Nazis for a powerful ancient artifact, despiteThe Dial of Destinytaking place over 20 years after the conclusion of World War II. TheIndiana Jonesfranchiserefuses to embrace the possibilities of an older Indy in a new era. One reasonThe Dial of Destinyalmost gets away with it is that Mads Mikkelsen is so compelling as the villain.
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Mads Mikkelsen’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s villain Voller is heavily inspired by a real-life Nazi scientist who later worked for NASA.
The Dial of Destinycould have been more interesting if it had focused more on the relationship between Indy and Jürgen Voller. Although they have clear differences, both men are trying to return to their glory days by any means necessary, even if that means destroying the life they have in the present. Voller is an intriguing villain, andMikkelsen is always captivating when he gets to play the bad guy, butThe Dial of Destinydoesn’t make the most of him.
2Rumpelstiltskin
Shrek Forever After (2010)
After the critical acclaim of the first two movies, theShrekfranchise swiftly fell off a cliff. WithShrek 5now confirmed, the franchise might want to salvage the best parts ofShrek the ThirdandShrek Forever After, starting with Rumpelstiltskin, the duplicitous villain in the franchise’s fourth entry.Shrek Forever Afterwas an unnecessary sequel that sought to plunder the earlierShrekmovies, but Rumpelstiltskin is an interesting and original villain.
Shrek Forever Afterwas an unnecessary sequel that sought to plunder the earlierShrekmovies, but Rumpelstiltskin is an interesting and original villain.
TheShrekfranchise often finds inventive ways to reinterpret classic fairy tale characters. Just as it does with Prince Charming, the Big Bad Wolf, the Magic Mirror and more,Shrekputs a spin on Rumpelstiltskin that makes him funnier than ever, but he’s also a powerful trickster who can bend reality to his will. This makes him the most powerfulShrekvillain, but he has enough personal flaws to keep him grounded.
1Rasputin
The King’s Man (2021)
The King’s Manis a bit of a mess, ripping up a history textbook and gluing it back together with some pages from an adventure comic thrown in for good measure.The King’s Man’s warped version of World War I history takes in the major players and the key events of the era, but it lacks coherence and, more importantly, a compelling human story that ties global politics to the espionage plot.
The mythical aura surrounding Rasputin gives him an impervious sheen, as if he’s a creature from beyond the grave sent to wreak havoc on Earth.
The King’s Manis at its best when it slows down for a moment to focus on some key characters, with Rasputin being the most compelling of the many antagonists. The portrayal of the dark monk seems to have been lifted directly from anti-Tsarist propaganda of the era, but this makes him a great villain. The mythical aura surrounding Rasputin gives him an impervious sheen, as if he’s a creature from beyond the grave sent to wreak havoc on Earth. His balletic fight scene is the highlight of a movie that otherwise doesn’t hit the heights thattheKingsmanfranchisepreviously showed.
