Top 10 Most Evil Movie Villains of All Time

Those villains are the scariest because there are probably people out there who are just like them.

The Top Ten

The Joker - The Dark Knight

The Joker is a nihilist and anarchist, condemning life as a harsh, meaningless joke. Living such a life, to him, is "crazy," while the sane ones are really the normal people.
In Batman #663, the Joker says, "The real joke is your stubborn, bone-deep conviction that somehow, somewhere, all of this makes sense! That's what cracks me up each time!" And during The Killing Joke, he goes as far as to call everyone's ideals and struggles in life a "monstrous, demented gag."

For his performance as The Joker, Heath Ledger encompassed every previous Joker that had existed before. The Joker in Batman #1, the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, and Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's Batman. There's even a little bit of Cesar Romero in his Joker laugh. But while combining all the other Jokers, he still manages to bring something new, paying homage to the original renditions but still giving his own take as well. He's even based his portrayal of the Joker on Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange.
Darth Vader - Star Wars

Darth Vader is a Star Wars character who serves as the main antagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy and as the central figure in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, where he is known by his original name, Anakin Skywalker. Initially trained as a Jedi Knight, Anakin defects to the Sith under the influence... read more

Lord Vader is the ultimate villain of Star Wars to me, and my all-time favorite character! Vader was a master of all seven forms of lightsaber combat, a master Force-wielder, a brilliant strategist, a very wise, terrifying, evil, cold-hearted, bone-chilling Sith Lord. If Lucas's idea was never to make Anakin lose to Obi-Wan on Mustafar, he would've become the most powerful and feared Sith Lord in history! Sidious would be nothing to him, and Vader would've killed him and then taken the galaxy for himself. But if that happened, Vader's story never would've been such a tragedy, and he wouldn't have worn the iconic badass armor suit and helmet that we love still today, and we would've never heard the iconic bone-chilling breathing.
The Emperor - Star Wars

Let's see here.
The Emperor possesses godlike powers of the dark side. He murdered his own master and engineered a civil war where billions were killed. Additionally, he turned a 25,000-year-old democratic republic into a brutal fascist dictatorship.
He butchered the entire Jedi Order, which was founded to preserve peace, including children, in cold blood. The Emperor slaughtered entire planets, eradicating cultures, religions, and billions of lives. He killed everyone who even had a second thought about him.
He appointed one man (who, by the way, is also a sadistic monster) to govern the entire Outer Rim. The Emperor betrayed everyone he knew just so he could come to power. He doesn't give a damn about his citizens and leaves them to wallow in poverty. Additionally, he cooperates with criminal organizations such as the Hutts.
He's evil. He's just evil.
Hannibal Lecter - Silence of the Lambs

Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a character in a series of suspense novels by Thomas Harris. Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a forensic psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. He became more widely known after Anthony Hopkins's iconic portrayal in the 1991 film The Silence... read more

Dr. Hannibal Lecter is the greatest villain of all time. He should also be at the top of this list because there are real sociopaths out there who blend into society by being charming, intelligent, and charismatic while secretly being sick, sadistic serial killers. You never know whether someone might be one of those people.
Hannibal is the scariest villain. You just never know if that polite gentleman you met at the store might be a cannibal.

Hannibal Lecter was a very gross man, but I don't think he's as gross as Davy Jones. He did kill people. He didn't just kill people. He also ate other people. He ate everything you can ever think of on humans, and he did that to at least 20 people or more. He was a doctor who helped someone with their blood, but then he thought it smelled good and tasted good, so he decided to go around killing and eating other people because he liked the taste of their blood. He ate people's lungs, privates, hearts, brains... Ah, he was a pretty damn gross dude.
Lord Voldemort - Harry Potter

Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series. He first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published in 1997. Born as Tom Marvolo Riddle, he becomes the dark wizard known as Voldemort and is characterized by his obsession... read more

When I think of the worst and most evil movie villains, I'd choose between Darth Vader, Sauron, or Voldemort. Why didn't I choose the Joker? Because it was Heath Ledger who portrayed a villain, but he was not "evil." He said, "I'm a dog that chases cars. I don't know what to do if I caught one" (or something like that). He was crazy and a villain, but to say evil like pure evil... Um, not in my perception.
Darth Vader was very close, and so was Emperor Palpatine, but Darth Vader turned out to be good in the end. He was forgiven and saved by his son.
Sauron fits the evil part easily, but he is kind of abstract, always having others fight for him.
I forgot... Amon Goeth from Schindler's List was both a villain and evil, plus he was real. But it was the movie that portrayed him like that. When you think this character was real, you find it incredible that a person could be that evil. It was a close call with Voldemort (curiously portrayed by the same actor), but I choose Voldemort because he was evil, the villain, stopped at nothing to gain power and conquer all, and worst of all, he couldn't love.
Anton Chigurh - No Country for Old Men

Anton Chigurh is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel No Country for Old Men.
In the 2007 film adaptation of the same name, he is portrayed by Javier Bardem, whose performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

I think he should be number 1 because, unlike the Joker who wants anarchy and chaos, Anton feels that he has to be anarchy and chaos. It's like there's no other choice for him. He thinks that if he doesn't do bad things, the world will never be thrown out of alignment.
Kinda depressing for a character, huh?

There is no comparing Chigurh's ferocity and utter detachment from humanity to anyone else on this list. He should be number one because his "evil," unlike everyone else on this list, isn't contingent upon motives. It's simply his nature.
Amon Goeth - Schindler's List

Amon Göeth is most notorious for his portrayal by Ralph Fiennes in the movie Schindler's List. The film focuses on Nazi Germany and specifically the role of Oskar Schindler, played by Liam Neeson, who helped thousands of Jews escape certain torture and death. Göeth was the commandant of the Krakow-Płaszów... read more

Every terrible trait a human being can have is incarnated into one person. Vader, Voldemort, and Freddy Krueger are evil, but Amon Goeth is just downright reprehensible. His final words of "Heil Hitler" show how deluded and uncaring this guy was about anything.

How can he actually keep a straight face when he is murdering hundreds of thousands of people, each worth a thousand times more than he is? He doesn't even care. I wish I could launch a nuclear bomb through my TV screen whenever I see him.

Amon Goeth is the greatest villain of all time. He is cruel, sadistic, crazy, and was a real person. Every evil deed, every act of pure cruelty he does in the movie, he did in real life. That is what makes him the best villain ever.
Frieza - Dragon Ball Z

Frieza is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball series created by Akira Toriyama. He is the main antagonist of the Frieza Saga and is known as a tyrannical ruler of the Frieza Force.
Feared across the universe for his power and cruelty, Frieza plays a major role in the series' events. He is... read more

The sinister Frieza. The most diabolical planet conqueror the universe has ever known. His reputation precedes him and is paralleled only by the fear that resonates from the mention of his very name.

He killed the entire population of hundreds of planets because he wanted to sell the planets. He also kills his soldiers just for fun, or not even for that. Frieza enjoys torturing people. He is a true monster.

The battle between Goku and Frieza was the longest fight ever measured in history. I could not even wait for the defeat of Frieza, but Goku was defeated too easily in some rounds. Finally, Frieza's disk that killed Goku totally backfired, slicing Frieza in half and leading to the destruction of Piccolo's home planet.
And Goku is gone.
Sauron - The Lord of the Rings

Sauron is the title character and main antagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Originally a servant of the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, Sauron rose to power after Morgoth's defeat. He forged the One Ring to dominate Middle-earth but was defeated when the Ring was cut from his finger.... read more

Really? Really?! This guy is the ultimate evil! If Vader met him, he would just erase the Sith Lord from existence. If Voldemort met him, Voldemort would be crying like a little baby. He's almost conquered Middle-Earth (which, in my idea, is possibly a dimension, since you pretty much require magic to cross to other parts) twice! He's created the Witch King of Angmar (who also would whoop Vader's butt, by the way), corrupted Saruman, and held his ground against Galadriel, one of the three most powerful elves of all time, while at such a weakened state he cannot even fight! Just repeating his words twists your mind and cracks your lips! How is he not number one?
Freddy Krueger - A Nightmare on Elm Street

Fred "Freddy" Krueger is the primary antagonist in the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He first appeared in the original film, directed by Wes Craven, in 1984. Freddy is known for his burned face, red-and-green striped sweater, and glove with razor-sharp blades.

Freddy Krueger was a creepy and evil man, deadly and far too horrible to exist on Earth. He is born and comes to life from people's nightmares. Some people died from their deadly nightmares.
He didn't just kill people through deadly nightmares. In general, killing people became his favorite activity. He particularly enjoyed killing children. Krueger was smart and possessed evil magic, using it to inflict nightmare deaths.
He was terrifying, and Freddy Krueger was a creepily smart individual.

Even though Freddy Krueger may be regarded as one of the most terrifying characters in cinema history, Robert Englund (the actor who played Freddy) is considered extremely friendly in real life. He is very appreciative of his fans, many of whom admit that his portrayal of Krueger legitimately frightened them as children.

The Newcomers

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Mr. Reed - Heretic
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Mola Ram - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Mola Ram is a fictional character from the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, released in 1984. He serves as the villainous high priest of the Thuggee cult in the movie. The character is remembered for his intense presence and dramatic rituals.

The Contenders

Hans Gruber - Die Hard

Hans Gruber is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1988 action film Die Hard, portrayed by Alan Rickman. Gruber is depicted as a sophisticated and ruthless German criminal mastermind who poses as a terrorist while carrying out a robbery. The character is widely regarded as one of cinema's... read more
The Duke - Salò

Even though every other bad guy on this list is way cooler than the Duke, I still think he's the most evil. The Duke is sick in ways I can't begin to describe. The film Salò is number one on a lot of disturbing film lists.
Arguably, the Duke is the most disgusting one in the movie. I'm not saying that the other villains on this list aren't sick, but this guy is just over the top gross.

What would you expect from the main villain of the most disturbing movie in existence? Not only this, but he isn't insane. He can control what he is doing and knows perfectly well that what he is doing is wrong, and he still does it.
Thanos - Avengers: Infinity War

Lord Voldemort: Killed off a bunch of wizards.
Darth Vader: Killed a lot of people but had a history of doing good when he was a Jedi.
Thanos: Kills half of an entire planet and sacrifices his own daughter.

Many villains don't succeed, but this guy is an exception. He killed half of the universe. Despicable.

Killing half of all life will certainly place a villain very high on the list.
Scar - The Lion King

Scar is the main antagonist of Disney's 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. He is the younger brother of Mufasa and the paternal uncle of Simba. Scar serves as Simba's arch-nemesis and is also Mufasa's rival, having once led the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed.

I know that a Disney character isn't supposed to bring fear, but if this were a person, you'd have second thoughts. He wanted power so badly that he killed his brother and blamed his nephew. He had some psycho hyenas trying to kill some kids, and in the end, he nearly achieved victory.
Only Disney wrote this so that couldn't happen. Also, I wanted to vote for Count Olaf and It. Stephen King, you messed up, guy.

Scar is just pure evil. I voted because he would do anything for a crown.

I know there's just no competing with Voldemort and the others up there, but why is Scar so low on this list?!
Jigsaw - Saw

Jigsaw is the alias of John Kramer, a character who first appears in the Saw film series. After losing his unborn child, being diagnosed with terminal cancer, and surviving a suicide attempt, he begins designing elaborate traps to test his victims' will to live. He believes these ordeals help people... read more

Honestly, how does Jigsaw not have a higher rank? He masterfully plans out all his traps and uses amazing strategy to plan out every single death of his victims. He is a psychopath that could double as a psychologist, given his extraordinary mind. He was an evil, villainous mastermind from when he survived a suicide car crash until he died. However, his legacy didn't die there. He pulled in a victim of his traps and convinced even her to make people "redeem themselves" the same way he made them do it. Brilliant, psychopathic, and truly evil, this villain is definitely the best.

Should be #1, in my humble opinion. His traps were brilliantly thought out, inflicting the maximum amount of pain on his victims. The most evil thing about him, though, was the way he convinced his victims that he was doing the right thing, and got them to bring in even more victims. This guy might have been a psychopath, but he was good at it.
The Joker - Batman

The Joker was a bad guy who did so many illegal things. He killed quite a lot of people for no reason. He killed his own father and his girlfriend, totally without reason. He just didn't care what he did or who he killed.
He was a very evil man. All he liked to do was to watch the whole Earth burn and bully the planet with his evil laughs. He mostly tried to kill Batman, but he also killed quite a lot of others. He wasn't a nice guy at all.

Joker never tried to kill Batman, not once. He always just toyed with the guy. The only way he would have wanted to kill Batman is if he were to die too, making it seem like an epic battle of good and evil.
But for some reason, he didn't take his revenge against Batman for what he did to him. Rather, he continuously toyed with him. And he is the best villain in any movie, fairytale, anything. Even Lucifer doesn't compete.
Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

This is truly one of the worst characters of all time. I saw both the movie and the play, and after both, I wanted to strangle her. It brought me to tears.

Name any other villain who can truly make you feel physically sick to your stomach.
Captain Vidal - Pan's Labyrinth

Without a doubt, the most soulless, evil, contemptible movie character of all time. I'm disappointed that The Joker is number 1 here. He might be the most entertaining and memorable movie villain, but he's certainly not the most evil. Not even close.
Captain Vidal takes the cake, followed by Anton Chigurh (No Country for Old Men) and Amon Goeth (Schindler's List).

Captain Vidal is not only evil. He is easily one of the most sadistic men seen on screen. He brutally murders countless people without even flinching.
Loki - The Avengers

He has the power of triple awesomeness that could defeat all the Avengers' awesomeness in like two seconds, or maybe one? Anyway, I don't know why he isn't on the first page. And another point: Tom Hiddleston plays him. That should definitely count for something, right?

I can't believe no one put Loki on the list! What's wrong with you people?! He's the most powerful villain, I think. And so cruel! I love it!

I love this villain and I love his new TV series. He is the GOAT when it comes to villains.
Commodus - Gladiator

Commodus might be my least favorite character of all time, in a good way. He's sick, sadistic, and cares for nothing more than power, going so far as to crucify an eight-year-old boy and his mother just to get revenge on Maximus, who was loved more by Commodus's own father.
Despite only being on a screen, his cruelty made me clench my fist in anger. Seeing this pathetic excuse for a human being killed was a very satisfying moment.

One of the most evil, conniving, treacherous, and downright creepy characters to ever hit the screen.
John Doe - Se7en

John Doe sets up a true masterpiece in his sermons on each of the seven deadly sins, completing the sequence with his own death.

He was a psychotic psychopath who won. He totally owned Brad Pitt's character in the end.

One of the most collected, chillingly calm serial killers ever.
Pennywise - Stephen King's It

He could be the reason many people hate clowns. Honestly, he's creepy and murderous.

Pennywise takes the form of your greatest fear, and he's a clown from outer space.
That's some scary stuff.

They float. They all float down here. And when you're down here, you float too.
Kylo Ren - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He commands the First Order with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber. Kylo Ren first appeared in the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Ben Solo, the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia... read more

Why is he so low? He is more evil than Vader.
Pennywise - It

It (sometimes capitalized as IT), more commonly known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the main antagonist of Stephen King's novel It, as well as its 1990 television miniseries and the 2017 film adaptation. It is a shapeshifting and ancient malevolent entity that is millions, possibly billions, of... read more

This guy is definitely one of my favorite horror villains.
Vukmir - A Serbian Film

Vukmir is an "art" film director. His films primarily include snuff and sexual torture. The most disgusting aspect is that much of it is aimed at children and babies. He is by far one of the most evil villains in cinema.
The character is also one of the most realistically portrayed villains. The only other character who might even compare to his grotesque nature is the Duke in Salo.
SPOILER ALERT: When one of his victims gets the better of him, bashing his head against the ground and killing his entire crew, Vukmir's dying words were that the man's actions were truly worthy of film.

Words cannot describe how despicable this man (well, character really) was. It's retch-inducing to think that such monsters exist.