Top Ten Movie Villains of All Time
What villains in cinema have given you the feeling of them actualy being evil?
The thing that made Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker so brilliant, so masterful, was the fact that, instead of simply 'acting' out the character of the Joker, he immersed himself within the role and 'became' the Joker.
Many people claim that his 'becoming the Joker' drove him insane/made him go crazy, resulting in him ODing which, in itself, though sad, is a testament to just how amazing and immersed he was in the character Joker.
When I came to this page of TheTopTens, I was so glad to see that so many people agree that Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight was indeed the best villain portrayal in movie history.
"Nope, I do keep my promises. I'm only burning my half." Holy crap this line blew me away. I mean the dude is a psychopath who has no heart and likes burning money and his favorite things are guns, gunpowder and dynamite because they are 'fun and cheap'. According to Alfred, Joker just "wants to see the world burn...". Bane is nothing compared to him. Bane was a nice helpful guy who wanted to help his friend 'liberate Gotham.' Bane is a dominator. But Joker is a destructor. I especially like the bit where the bat comes alongside Joker's van in his batmobile and Joker shoots him whit a pistol. When that doesn't work Joker tries a double - barreled shotgun. when that doesn't work, Joker gets annoyed and uses a bazooka! This was a hell of a movie and Joker was a hell of a villiain. Heath Ledger is a amazing actor.
Stated in quora, "The Joker Understands the Batman on an Emotional and Personal level. He gets into his mind and toys around with Batman's darkest secrets. On the whole Joker doesn't mind getting killed in the process. In fact, he WANTS to be killed by the Batman. He's a villain who has placed his Mission before his Life, swearing to test the Hero to the very limits and beyond and that's what truly makes the Joker the most Kickass Villain of them all."
Heath ledger just absolutely nailed the joker 100%, and no I don't just say that to give respects for his tragic death, but for the Role it's self like let's be honest, it was fantastic. The joker was the most evil villain ever as he tried to make normal, everyday people fall and become something mad like himself, and he did so to the strong Harvey dent. He accomplished his goal and caused absolute chaos through out Gotham and that is why he is the best villain in movie history
Darth Vader is a Star Wars character and the main antagonist of the first three original Star Wars films and the main protagonist of the Star Wars prequel trilogy under his original name Anakin Skywalker. He had been trained as a Jedi but defected to the Sith lord and Galactic Chancellor Palpatine. He adopted the name Darth Vader, and was placed in a suit after his legs were cut off and his body was burned after a fight with his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet of Mustafar. He returned to the light side upon feeling conflict when finding his son Luke and turned stopped the now emperor Palpatine from killing him. In the original trilogy, Vader was physically portrayed by David Prowse ...read more. He is way better than the joker like come on the joker isn't even on the same level as Darth Vader! Has he blown up a planet? Can he use the force to kill his enemies? Listen lets look into Greek culture Darth Vader is like Achilles, he strikes fear in his enemies possibly even make them retreat because just the sight of Darth Vader would make his enemies paranoid. He is highly intimidating like Achilles in the iliad when the trojans were driving the greek soldiers back his friend dressed up like achilles because Achilles refused to fight, but when his friend died Achilles was enraged and when Achilles entered the battlefield the trojans started to fall back but to no use he slaughtered many of them. Personally I think Darth Vader was, is and always will be the best villain EVER
Heath Ledgers Joker, above Vader?!?!? Hell no. In fact, Jack Nickelson was better than Heath in my opinion due to his comic book reminiscent interpretation. Vader is by far and away the best. Whether you are a Star wars fan or not, anyone can recognize the conflict between the Rebels vs Empire, good vs evil, disloyalty vs loyalty, others vs yourself. The hard choices this villain makes is what makes him amazing. I would rant for much longer, but most people should get the point.
Darth Vader will forever be remembered as the man/machine that created villains, starring in an epic series of movies that revaluationised the blockbuster universe eternally. Heath Ledger did an amazing job, and was creepy maniac and disturbing, but Darth Vader doesn't need it. All he has to do is walk into anything and the enemies will back away. He doesn't need to tell you what he's gonna do to you and kill people at random to scare, because people already know. He is just perfection
I mean... Lord Vader is the embodiment of evil and intimidation; He literally chokes the life out of people with just a wave of his hand for the slightest mistake, is no mercy for his enemies, and played a part in ruling the galaxy for like 20 years... what's now to love?
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. Heath Ledger's Joker may be at the top of this list, but he wouldn't be there without the inspiration from Sir Anthony Hopkins' character from 'The Silence of the Lambs'. Hopkins/Thomas Harris invented a new breed of psychopath in the genius-level intellect and charming personality of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. In my opinion, as far as villains go... Lecter has never been equaled, and never will.
Hannibal lecter is not only murderous but highly intelligent as well. If it wasn't for him, Clarice Starling probably would have never caught Buffalo Bill. He also has an eerie way of speaking. And nobody fits the part better than Anthony Hopkins. Dr. Hannibal Lecter IS the best movie villain of all time.
I must say that Dr. Hannibal Lecter is the greatest villain in movies, because he is sadistic and incredibly smart. He's the one who helped Clarice Starling bring down Buffalo Bill. And he seems very good at toying with people's mind.
Dr hanibal lecter is the most evil psychopath in amearica no history for good. If you have seen silence of the lambs, hanibal and red dragon you don't know how sinister he really is. First off he doesn't just kill people he eats them!. And he also kidnappes children. How evil is that?
Lord Voldemort is a fictional character and the central main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of Harry Potter novels. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997. If someone is a villain that everybody fears to speak his/her name, he/she will definitely be at the top of the list. Lord Voldemort achieved that. He deserves to be first
Voldemort makes harry potter possible. Without him there would be no harry potter. He is by far the most threatning villain on this list. And how is this 71?!
I will bring Voldemort back to life! He is so hot and sexy. That cape...M. when he comes back to life me and him are gonna have a baby
Yee Voldemort is good... Best villain ever! People are even afraid to say his name. They call him "The Dark Lord" or "You-know-who" or "He who must not be named"
Thanos is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and has been portrayed by actors Damion Poitier and Josh Brolin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was the most interesting part of infinity war. Such a complex guy, evil enough that you cheer on the good guys but good enough to make you wonder whether the world would be better off if his plan succeeded. I personally found him to be a much more complex and interesting character than the Joker.
He is the definition of pure evil, but he has still good reasons for the evil he has comitted. He will kill his own daughter, just for genocide. He also has regrets for the evil he commits. Truly one of the best cinema villains next to the Joker.
You feared Thanos within the first 5 minutes of infinity war. A villain that committed a horrible act of evil, but somehow, you still like him.. and almost find his actions merited. Amazing villain that belongs in the top 10.
Thanos is a masterpiece villain. Despite his evil doings, he is so well spoken and confident that I always find myself begrudgingly agreeing with what he says. Endgame only enhances his villainous personality
Loki Laufeyson, or Loki Odinson, is a fictional character appearing in the American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of Thor, and is known as the "God of Mischief". In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character has been portrayed by Tom Hiddleston. Besides Joker being my favorite character, Loki is my second choice. He's funny and charming. He's one of the best movie villains easily and my favorite marvel character.
He's one of the best movie villains AND without him, Thor(1&2) would've been SO boring! The only reason Thor was quite successful us because of Loki!
Marvel needs to make him more powerful. He should win for once. He should overthrow Thanos maybe.
Loki and Tom Hiddleston make everything better Long live the Frost Giant King!
Darth Vader may have a tragic backstory. But people come on! This is terms of villainy and how awesome they are, not how sad and good of a character they are! The emperor litterly succeeded in ruling the galaxy sometimes in the comics and movies, and even blows up planets if people don't listen to him. He was also a rare twist villain, but was insanely calm at the same time. What did Vader do interesting ad a villain? Say "Luke I am your father" and that scene in rouge one? There are some, but palpatine has far more.
He should be number one, actually. He caused the fall of the Jedi, manipulated the most powerful force user in the galaxy to be his minion, became the ultimate leader of the galaxy, and is extremely powerful force-wise.
He was designed after Hitler/Satan, manipulated galaxies created Darth Vader, formed the Galactic Empire and was responsible for billions of deaths, not to mention a creepy evil look as well
The true villain of Star Wars, Darth Vader is really his henchman.
Anton Chigurh is a fictional character in the 2007 film No Country for Old Men. He is portrayed by Javier Bardem. Chigurh is a perfect incarnation of the fear that comes with the ambiguous and unknown regarding anything at all. His unpredictable and sociopathic behavior makes him absolutely terrifying and Jaiver Bardem's performance took it to another level. Bravo.
Never was afraid of a character before watching this movie, surprised how likable the actor actually is.
Anton chigurh is the best villain I have ever seen. Javier bardem was outstanding in this character.
Crazy guy. Comes with his shotgun. Bang bang (silently). Human version of terminator.
Agent Smith is a fictional character and the main antagonist of The Matrix trilogy. He was portrayed by Hugo Weaving in the films and voiced by Christopher Corey Smith in The Matrix: Path of Neo. However, due to scheduling conflicts, Weaving was not able to portray the role in The Matrix 4. What makes him a good one? No its not his speed, building jumps, and more. No its none of that. It's the fact that he was a servent, who would overthrow their master. He became the big one, stronger in each movie, until he gained the power of the oracle. He is a reasonable guy who doesn't talks with people politely before doing anything. These type of villains are rare, but he increases it.
Smith deserves a top ten spot. The idea behind him is so original. He can leap buildings, dodge every bullet fired at him, and deliver his cryptic, "matrixy" lives so beautifully! 100% of the quotes I cite regularly from this movie come from him in his silky articulate style. (Do you hear that, Mr. Anderson? That iss the shound of inevitability. Goodbye...) Hugo Weaving's best role. Ever.
Says everything so...spine chillingly (if that's even a word). Deserves to be AT LEAST #3.
Although he isn't THE best villain, he still deserves to be at at LEAST #5
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. Morgoth was later defeated and Sauron fled. He later came back to Middle Earth and took over as the new Dark Lord by using a Ring of Power. He was later ...read more. This villain is agreeably the most dangerous of all time. Not only did he take down millions in the form of a giant in armor, but he really presented danger as both a mouth and an eye separately. He created a ring that drives the bearer mad over it. He proved that only his eye could take down millions. He is also part of the most famous fantasy trilogy of all time, and that he can control other people through his eye alone. And, this villain helped Rowling create Voldemort. J.R.R. Tolkien really knows what he is doing, and Sauron is the most dangerous as villains come!
He should be at least 4th, he is powerful enough to take over the world's most powerful wizard in his bodiless form and the only way to destroy him is to somehow get hold of the Ring, sneak past 100,000 orcs and through his all-seeing eye into Morgoth, climb up a volcano (through the den of a massive spider and through the Ring into the volcano. Don't forget that the Ring maddens you and Gollum will probably be stalking you.
Literally, the reason for the entire Lord of the Rings/ Hobbit trilogies. Without him they wouldn't even exist. No Sauron= No Ring= No Movie/Book. Also, if you think about it he's the main character of both trilogies.
I really don't think people like the Joker could possibly be above Lord Sauron. I mean, the Witch king of Angmar is easily above the Joker!
The Newcomers
Bane is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. I don't know what it was, but Bane was just so intimidating. Of course, he gets overshadowed by the Joker in the previous film, but to be honest, the Joker didn't have as much fire power as Bane, Bane could actually go one on one with Batman, his plans were interesting, and I felt like he stole the show every single time.
I personally didn't like Tom Hardys Bane. He didn't live up to my expectations for the character. Heath Ledgers Joker is still king of the Nolans Batman series for me.
A pretty good bad guy when it comes down to remembering him. Probably batman's second best villain by far
Greatest villain ever
It (sometimes capitalized as IT), more commonly known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, is the titular main antagonist of the novel, its 2017 film adaptation and the 1990 TV adaptation. It was portrayed to be a shapeshifting and malevolent entity millions (possibly billions) of years old, and with no exact gender or solid identity; thus why it is called "IT". ...read more. He could be the reason that many people are afraid of clowns.
Tim Curry is the perfect Pennywise.
Jason Voorhees is a character from the Friday the 13th series. He first appeared in Friday the 13th as the young son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees. There is even more people who know about Jason than any of the above. Serioulsy. He is one of the most iconic characters of all time and also the most powerful serial killer of this list.
He is invincible to magic, because he is connected to the Necronomicon, one of the most powerful objects there ever was, not even the force come close.
He can't be killed, not even a explosion, grenades or earth's atmosphere can stop him.
Compared to most of people here, he is a GOD.
The scariest serial killer out of them all and fun to watch!
I got a machete, what have you got?
Why is jason #1? Because he's jason.
Magneto is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. While the psycopath can often be appealing Magneto is a great villain because of he is a goal-driven one, which is more appealing to me because if you ask me the is more appealing and interesting than some crazy guy (you know they are already going to do something insane). Instead of being crazy he is interesting because of his respect for Charles and rivalry with the X-men. He isn't as a Iconic as say the joker would but I would say he has a lot more influence every time he appears. He has tremendous power that beats out every villain listed above him. He's very charismatic and in every portrayal he is an easy favorite because he invokes power through his dialogue and mutant ability. When one is able to threaten squads of police with their own bullet with one hand you know that's a powerful ass villain. Not to mention he always looks bad ass as hell. The Master of Magnetism never fails to impress
"Are you sure you saw what you saw? " -Best comeback EVER by mah boi Magneto in the first film
Magneto is one of the best villains in the marvel universe.
The best kinds of villains are the ones who are convinced they're doing the right thing, and magneto is the epitome of that
Fred "Freddy" Krueger is the main antagonist of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He first appeared in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Freddy actually wore a red and green sweater and invades your dreams. He has a glove with knives on the tips and he is indeed a great fighter. Freddy forever.
Has never shown even the slightest of sympathy to his victims. Nobody on this list is as heartless and ruthless as the Freddy. He should be #1.
Nightmare on elm street was a hell of a movie for it's time... But freddy was a hell of a character too then.
Freddy is red and black jacket, Kruger is master ilusion and big knife, s to hand. Freddy good fighter, and werry strongli sorcerer, his is loke a soul.
Anne Marie Wilkes Dugan, usually known as Annie Wilkes, is a character in the 1987 novel Misery, by Stephen King.
Maleficent is the main antagonist of Disney's 1959 animated feature film Sleeping Beauty. An evil fairy, Maleficent is an incarnation of pure evil, and is responsible for all misfortune in King Stefan's kingdom. Not my favorite villain but my favorite Disney villain. She was much better than Scar and cursed a baby because she didn't get invited to a party, that's cruel. I think she should at least be at 11,12, or 9. But I do agree that the Joker from the Dark Knight should be number. He was scary as hell. But Maleficent is truly the mistress of all evil in the Disney and the movie world. I think she claimed that title pretty with her pet Raven diablo and her dragon.
Norman Bates is a character created by writer Robert Bloch as the main character in his novel Psycho, and portrayed by Anthony Perkins as the primary antagonist of the 1960 film of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock and its sequels. Even if you haven't watched the movie just look at the pic here. He looks terryfying!
Everyone goes a little mad sometimes.
Nobody can say Hannibal sucked, Darth Vader is awesome, Anton was amazing and don't even get me started on the Joker, but I am dissapointed Norman isn't higher
On the list
I know Heath Ledger died and all and suddenly The Dark Night the greatest movie ever, and that there are a lot of Star Wars nerds out there, but if we're getting serious about this list then as far a villains go it is definitely John Kramer from Saw.
John Kramer was definitely the most intelligent, the most methodical, most creative, most manipulative (and at times convincing) villain by far. It was very entertaining just to watch him talk! It was incredible how he convinced so many of his "projects" to side with him, and how every single person even remotely connected to him he ended up trapping. He finds a bad guy, he traps him, bad guys friends find him and they get trapped, people want revenge for friends they get trapped, cops come after John they get trapped, Feds come after cops they get trapped... And the whole time he was growing his army using them. But what is sick is he could argue convincingly that he never killed anyone. That they kill themselves. He even boldly ...more
Jigsaw (John Kramer) is downright brilliant! Watch the second saw and you will see, he messes with you by asking yourself if he is a good guy or a killer. He is a very twisted architect and tricks his victims, he puts things right under their nose but in ways that you can't figure them out, The saw franchise is my favorite franchise of all time! Vote and get jigsaw to the #1spot!
I actually thought Kramer was a very good villain for a movie franchise with an iffy reputation. He's got a really interesting and relatively deep story. A dying cancer patient toying with others lives to see how much they value their own. He's pretty interesting.
I really like Joker but... Jigsaw is so psycho like making the victims psychopath and learn a big lesson
HAL 9000 is a fictional character in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series. First appearing in 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is a sentient computer that controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft and interacts with the ship's astronaut crew. HAL-9000, the smartest and most reliable computer there is. But, what happens when that AI of extraordinary intelligence and power goes paranoid. He loses chess matches, no big deal. He doesn't open the pod bay doors, that's concerning, but nothing too terrifying. Killing all of the crew members except one? Hmm...
I'm sorry Dave, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that.
Unlike Heath Ledger:
-Joker had a good backstory.
-He was played by a much better and menacing actor.
-Heath was serious, this one was funny and intimidating.
-He inspired Mark Hamill. Mark Hamill said that Heath was better than him, he wasn't being honest.
-Bob Kane, creator of Batman actually wanted Jack to portray Joker.
-"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? "
This quotes means: Have you ever found yourself in a horrifying situation when no one is around to assist?
-Permanent smile. Heath's wounds would disappear by time.
-Trustful to the comic book version.
-He sounds much more evil, rather than crazy, that's already in its personality.
-The only thing that stands up for Ledger are his fans. And SERIOUSLY do they think Heath was a better villain than Darth Vader? That's insane and down-right stupid.
I 've always enjoyed this version more than Heath Ledger's. Heath Ledger is an excellent actor in that movie, but Nicholson portrayed the Joker that everyone knows and loves while Ledger played more of a horror movie villain.
The Joker is part to Jack Nicholson, Joker is werry dangerous clown, of purple costeem fire deform to face and body Joker his opponent to Batman.
Was a tough decision between Hans Gruber and Norman Stansfield, but lets face it Stansfield is so evil he would kill a 12 year old and her family and he's supposed to be a cop! Also he has the BEST quotes ever "I haven't got TIME for this mickey mouse bulls***" "Everyone EVERRYONNEE" And his love for Mozart is so sinister, love it!
Gary Oldman is a phenomenal actor and was an outstanding villain in The Professional. Without him, the movie wouldn't have been so brilliant
Fantastic, Gary Oldman should have won oscar and been knighted for this roll alone.
I like this take on a machine infiltrating human society and emulating us. Not to mention the constant threat...
He feels no pain, nor remorse, nor fear, and he's ' unstoppable!
John Daniel Edward "Jack" Torrance is the main antagonist of Stephen King's horror novel The Shining. He wasn't a bad guy, but he was tormented by unknown hallucinations which drove him mad and made him want to kill his wife and son.
Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in. Not by the hairs of your chinny-chin-chin? Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in. Here's Johnny!
Him and Hannibal Lector should be 1 and2.
Better than the joker