Top 10 Worst Villain Cliches
Villains are often the spice of any story, bringing the drama, tension, and stakes that keep you hooked. But let's face it, some villain tropes are so overused or poorly executed that they leave you rolling your eyes instead of gripping your seat.
Maybe it's a villain whose grand plan doesn't make any sense, or one who spends more time monologuing than actually being threatening. Or it could be something as simple as their ridiculous costume or the predictable way they meet their end.
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Wanting to rule over something
Even the villains in real life are doing it.
"I want to rule... THE WORLD!"
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Having an evil laugh
I absolutely hated this cliché as a kid, and it definitely hasn't changed with age. The only time I've ever really enjoyed an evil laugh was when it was presented in an ironic way with a solid joke or punchline to back it up, like the self-aware, semi-absurdist humor of Emperor's New Groove.
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Falling to their death
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Having an extremely deep voice
Remember Falsetto Jones from Kim Possible?
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Being crazy
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Having a bad childhood
Naruto ruined this cliché. Does almost every single antagonist, main or minor, need a tragic past?
This honestly is a pretty good cliché and it provides a more three-dimensional personality and motive for a villain. But when it's overdone, as in the case of Naruto, then there's a problem.
This one is way too common. Especially the whole thing about the villain being bullied as a kid and wanting revenge on humanity for treating them that way. Even as a kid, I noticed this and hated it.
I feel like this is commonly overused in a lot of stories I read and isn't used in a sensible way.
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Having henchmen with low intelligence
Can't the villain hire better ones? Or are they like the antagonist's cousins or something?
If they want to succeed then they need good help. It's just common sense.
Stormtroopers in a nutshell.
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Giving the heroes enough time to survive
I mean, movies like Saw, that's the point of it. But yes, it is kind of stupid when the villain purposely lets the protagonist get away for whatever reason.
As a kid, I always hated this cliche because I wondered why they wouldn't annihilate the protagonist quickly if they had tried so hard to get them.
This was perhaps the worst thing about Despicable Me 3. When Bratt is about to laser Gru to death, they change scenes with Dru and Bratt, and every time they change to Bratt, the laser is like three meters further away than it was the previous scene. I was like "WHY!" when I saw it.
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Being thought dead but actually surviving
Cough... Baby Driver...
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Believing they are doing the right thing
Judge Claude Frollo is probably the best example of this cliche. He's a noble, he holds a lot of social power, and he's a Christian. So, of course, he thinks he's the good guy. Coupled with the fact that Frollo's actions are downright inhumane, even murderous, that makes his death all the more satisfying.
UPDATE: Frollo is not symbolic of all Christian peoples. His morals are the exact opposite. A true Christian should never harm anyone else because of their religion, sexuality, racial background, but should embrace it and treat them like real people. Frollo is so vile and deluded that you just cannot call him anything but a monster.
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Calling people 'fools'
All the time.
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Giving a scary speech during the climax
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Having an easy-to-escape death trap
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Wearing dark clothing
Makes things too obvious.
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Saying 'You will die' to the hero
On par with the CD-i Zelda games' dialogue, this is what happens when you're campy enough for a one-liner but not creative enough to come up with anything else.
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Being naturally evil
I'm gonna take over the world because I'm EVIL! Then Imma rob Legoland because I'm EVIL!
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Killing their own henchmen
This is ridiculous.
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Being an animal commonly stereotyped as a villain
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Wanting to kill everyone or destroy the world
If they're in a universe that doesn't have other inhabitable planets, that just leaves the villain with nothing. They're probably more likely to exploit its resources and people and enslave them.
I never really understood this one. In realistic terms, nobody would ever try to destroy the world. Another cliché that's similar to this one is the villain wanting to rule over the world. That is also an unrealistic goal and anyone with a brain can understand that.
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Talking instead of killing
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Hating the protagonist more than anyone else
Even cartoon villains must learn the hardest way possible.
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Looking more effeminate or androgynous than the hero
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Watching the protagonists through a magic orb
This is almost exclusively for fantasy stories, so it's not too common overall.
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Smoking
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Being a family member of the hero
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Being associated with darkness
Nights help nature.
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Wearing a longer coat than the hero