Top 10 Best Star Wars Villains

Darth Vader is the only villain who has anchored a trilogy of films, each as the antagonist and as the protagonist. His primary rivals are his former master and his son. And it can be argued that even when he did horrific, terrible things as Darth Vader, it was just Anakin Skywalker following the Will of the Force. He's a case study on destiny versus choice, on good versus evil (and the nature of each).

Not only is he the best Star Wars villain, but he is also one of the greatest villains of all time! He is dark, sinister, unpredictable, intimidating, dangerous, ruthless, and evil. He's a father! His scene in Rogue One was so epic. He seemed like a horror villain.

Yeah, he has some good left in him, but Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are two separate entities. Darth Vader is Anakin's darkest personality come to life. He even plots to overthrow the Emperor. His voice is so creepy, and he murdered thirty children. Seriously, no Star Wars villain can top Darth Vader. He may not have been skilled with the lightsaber in the original trilogy, but he is one of the most powerful Siths in Star Wars!

Palpatine is the definition of evil. Vader is amazing too, but Palpatine is an evil genius. He made most of the beloved villains turn to the Dark Side. He disguised himself as a kind chancellor while at the same time being Darth Sidious. He was able to bring down the Jedi Order and get Anakin to join him and become Darth Vader. While Vader is easily more iconic, Palpatine is the most villainous character in all of Star Wars.

In my opinion, Emperor Palpatine is the best Star Wars villain simply due to being a representation of pure evil. While he may not have a tragic backstory or a deep character, he is always fun to watch. His purpose is to serve as a devil-like figure in the Skywalker saga who tries to tempt our heroes with promises of power. He also serves as a representation of an evil ruler, similar to real-world fascist dictators.

Vader is the best Star Wars villain and, overall, one of the best villains, but Palpatine is the Puppet Master. He manipulates Jedi and uses them for his own bidding, only to backstab them when he finds a better fighter. He is sinister, unpredictable, and also a powerful Sith. He won't just let a Jedi strike him without a fight.

Darth Maul has the three scariest things that a good Star Wars villain needs: horns, face paint, and a double-bladed lightsaber. The only problem was that he died so early in the prequels that we never got to know anything about him. But at the first look at him, you can tell he means business.

He controls Mandalore and did what Death Watch failed to do under Pre Vizsla's power. Though Maul won't ever beat Darth Vader on this list, he is still the baddest, most powerful character included in some of the best story arcs in Star Wars.

He was a silent badass in Episode I. His appearance there alone would guarantee him top three. However, they also brought him back for Clone Wars and Rebels, and made him one of the most developed villains of the entire franchise!

Although I think Boba is awesome, he isn't necessarily a villain. He's just someone who is doing their job. I mean, if the rebels were smart enough to hire him, he would be good. It just so happens that Vader hired him.

Dude, the jetpack, the awesome gun - everything makes up for him being bad. Hey, but I personally LOVE Jango Fett, and I think he's the best! I just forgot to vote for him, that's all.

Cool armor, flame thrower, epic and missile launchers on arms - what else could you want? Darth Vader is just - I don't like him much.

It takes the Empire half a movie to commit genocide. He does it in the first five minutes. Then he blows up not one, but FIVE planets. Additionally, he kills his own father. In my opinion, Kylo Ren is one of the nastiest villains in Star Wars history.

Also, his lightsaber looks like a fiery cross. I'm betting that a future Sith will have a four-bladed saber, following the one-blade (Vader), two-blade (Maul), three-blade (Kylo Ren) pattern. I can't wait to see what they do with him in the future.

Adam Driver gives him some of the coolest lightsaber moves in the franchise. I would've preferred if he had stayed evil, because I really liked how he was portrayed in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. He was an insecure Vader wannabe, and after taking over the First Order, he got a chance to try to be even more like his idol. However, that was kind of wasted in The Rise of Skywalker.

Honestly, I'm only voting for him so that he can climb higher on this list. Compared to the ones above him (minus Vader and Palpatine), he is much better developed. His backstory is good, he has some really cool and unique moments, his design is badass and intimidating, and Adam Driver - that man can act.

One phrase: "Jedi Scum."

Need I say more? Well, as far as we know, he is the only droid (though he is actually a cyborg) to murder not one, not two, but FOUR Jedi. Where do you think he got those lightsabers? He is easily one of the best characters in the entire franchise, hands down.

I like General Grievous. It would have been badass if he could have been voiced by Gary Oldman. I think they lost an opportunity with this character. He is part alien and machine. He could have been a resurrected Darth Maul.

He's the prototype for Vader and was able to defeat Jedi without using the Force by outsmarting them. The dude's awesome.

Count Dooku should be in 3rd place. He's better than Darth Maul. Dooku is the most underrated villain of all time, and his backstory is pretty tragic. But just like Darth Vader, I feel there is still some good in him and a chance for redemption.

He easily beat both Anakin and Obi-Wan. Darth Maul had a tough time killing Qui-Gon and got killed by YOUNG Obi-Wan, while Dooku easily took out Obi-Wan in his prime.

Dooku should be #3. He's like Vader and Palpatine combined.

After I watched Attack of the Clones, I watched theories, read books, searched online, and looked deeper into video games to learn more about Jango Fett and his past. I wish the movie had shown him more, but if you like Jango as much as I do, I recommend reading about him and looking at the comics.

Jango Fett had the skills, smarts, looks, determination, strength, power, bravery, ruthlessness, and fighting ability. He is definitely the best bounty hunter in the whole galaxy!

I would have picked Boba too, but Jango Fett had been doing it all way before Boba and with the same attitude that Boba would have picked up from him. In that case, I should really be picking Mandalorians because ultimately they were bred that way. Fearless, strong, proud warriors who do not let the mighty powers (powers beyond their own) of a lightsaber wielder (good or bad) deter them from battling it out with them.

His philosophy became central to Imperial policy and earned him the position of the first Grand Moff in the Empire. Tarkin's character has been well-received, and he has been called "one of the most formidable villains in Star Wars history."

Tarkin's most vile moment has to be when he tried to trick Princess Leia into giving up the location of a rebel base, only to blow up her home planet of Alderaan in A New Hope.

He and Thrawn wield so much power, and along with Vader and Palpatine, they were the biggest threat to the galaxy for a long time.

The main character in Knights of the Old Republic, Darth Revan is one of the more fascinating villains in any Star Wars medium. Revan was a former Jedi who turned to the dark side during the Mandalorian War. He was one of the most powerful and evil villains ever. Revan ruthlessly betrayed and killed his allies, ultimately becoming the Dark Sith Lord.

He was such a great villain that even after his turn to the light, most Sith still respected him. Later, he founded the Star Forge, which allowed him to create a new Sith Empire. Ultimately, Revan would have conquered the galaxy if he hadn't been betrayed by his apprentice.

He's a very interesting character, even outside of the realms of the KOTOR games. Learning his history about the Mandalorian wars, how he lied and abandoned the Jedi Order to do what he thought was right, only to get seduced by the dark side, is fascinating. Plus, he's a badass!

He's a villain with no powers, but every time he is on the screen, he exudes power. He's written to be so intimidating without showing off his massive combat skills and to be a very formidable opponent. Additionally, every time he's on screen, a special theme plays that enhances the experience. He demonstrated his talent as a master strategist by analyzing the art of his enemy to understand how that particular species thinks and approaches battle. By understanding the culture of the species, he was able to understand his enemy and predict their moves with frightening accuracy.

Thrawn is dangerous because he is arguably the smartest character in the entire storyline. He is incredible at predicting the movements of his enemies and can put himself in his opponents' shoes to understand what they are thinking and planning. This allows him to stay steps ahead of his enemies. Thrawn is extremely cold and calculating when it comes to the way he handles his post as a commander. As such, he can use pure logic and objective knowledge to develop some of the best strategies we've seen in Star Wars.

All the Asajj fanboys are stupid, as is anyone who likes Asajj as a character. If you remove Phasma from Star Wars, it might make a difference, unlike Asajj. Plus, more people would rather see Phasma's true feelings about Kylo and her plan to get rid of him than see Asajj's past.

She's so badass! I hope to see an epic showdown between Captain Phasma and Finn!

Phasma isn't the best and is a bit overrated, in my opinion, but she isn't as stupid as people say she is.

The weakest female villain ever, nobody was scared of her and she's not even hot. Plus, her voice makes me cringe every time I hear this garbage speak.

She was an interesting one. She is an enemy of Obi-Wan but then helps him escape from Maul and Savage Opress. I also love her fighting movements and the kiss and kill move she does.

Asajj was introduced as a one-dimensional character who was kind of boring to me. But over time, she grew into someone who I actually really appreciate. She became more of a neutral character who was used by the Sith and then cast aside, left with nothing. I think if she had met Maul under different circumstances, they could have gotten along really well.

General Hux is the former commander of Starkiller Base, and he's in charge of the First Order military. Hux, like Tarkin before him, is a cutthroat commander who will kill millions of people if his mission demands it. There's little doubt that Hux's most heinous act has to be using Starkiller Base as the weapon to destroy Hosnian Prime, the Republic's capital world.

General Hux is an evil tyrant who rules with an iron fist. He will attempt to kill anyone to get what he wants: power and control. Egotistical as he is, his methods for the First Order to rule the galaxy and destroy any goodness are his main priorities, and he has no remorse for his actions. However, in later periods, Hux is shown as a tragic sociopath.

He was probably one of the most respected figures in the First Order. The stormtroopers hated Kylo and Snoke with a passion and only respected them out of fear. In the book Phasma, it was stated that Phasma thought of Kylo as a little child and she always called him a freak. She wasn't scared of him. As for Hux, she appreciated his ambition even though she thought he was annoying. She also tolerated him and respected his rank.

I love him so much. He was once a Jedi Temple Guard who knew all the secrets of the Jedi before turning to the Dark Side. In time, his job would be to hunt down and end the Jedi who survived the Clone Wars.

He was a badass, and I loved him. Too bad he only lasted for one season.

He's so cool and has the best weapons!

Cad Bane needs more love.

"I cannot be betrayed... I cannot be beaten." *Gets betrayed and beaten.*

Marek forgot his past and even his birth name, having been taken from his home as a child by the Dark Lord. Though trained in the ways of the Sith, the Rule of Two dictated that there could only be two Sith at a time. Therefore, Starkiller could not consider himself a true Sith. As such, Vader kept his existence a secret, bestowing upon him the call sign "Starkiller." He was utilized as a hidden agent of the Empire, dispatched to deal with problematic individuals while he trained.

For years, Starkiller aspired to truly become a Dark Lord of the Sith, believing it was his destiny to help Vader overthrow Sidious and usurp his throne as Galactic Emperor. As his training neared completion, Starkiller was formally acknowledged as an apprentice by Vader after surviving his trials. He was ordered by Vader to kill the few remaining members of the fallen Jedi Order - specifically the Jedi Masters Rahm Kota, Kazdan Paratus, and Shaak Ti.

Savage Opress, being Maul's brother, saved him and helped him from turning crazy.

About equal to Darth Maul in strength.

Savage is a legend.

His fall to the dark side was sad, but it was amazing. He and Vader had similar goals: to protect the galaxy and fight evil. However, they became the very things they swore to destroy.

Additionally, Caedus is not one of those villains who regret their actions. He remained committed to his dark path until the end. Although some good did come from him a few times, he's not one of those villains who die as a hero.

It's particularly annoying in the Marvel universe when villains are redeemed just before death. Aside from Vader and Loki, to some extent, everyone else has just pissed me off. It was acceptable when Revan turned to the light side in the middle of his life, rather than at the last second like Kylo Ren.

People argue whether or not he was pure evil. He did use his last moment to save his wife and daughter, whom he values more than anything else, even above power. He was trying to stop the Nano killers, but the main reason was that it would endanger his daughter. Even after all these years, Anakin's death impacted him. He also stated that he did NOT regret his actions, but he also noted that nobody seemed to care about him anymore and they never tried to bring him back.

Bane is a Sith Lord who lived 1,000 years before the rise of the Empire. He is known for creating the Rule of Two and reviving the old Sith ways after the teachings of ancient Sith, such as Revan, were forgotten.

The Bane Trilogy was amazing. I'm a huge fan of it. If Zannah were an option, I would've voted for her as well.

The Sith Lord who survived the Force battle.

Bossk is just a BADASS! His fighting skills were fantastic, and I love how protective he was over young Boba. Plus, he is a threat, unlike Aurra and Castas.

Bossk was a WAY better villain than Snoke! Like, what did Snoke even do? But if you're talking about the comics, Snoke was way better, and he was scary and threatening.

Agreed! Aurra left Bossk to rot in prison and just used and bullied Boba, then acted like a weak coward and left Boba caught. Castas just acted like a jerk to both of them and he didn't care what Bossk had to say, giving him zero respect.