What movie is complete without a suitably malicious villain to challenge the hero? A complex antagonist to present a differing set of views to that of the protagonist? The correct answer is that only a lackluster film would skimp out on including a memorable antagonist. Here are ten of my favorites!
10) Gwen Grayson “Royal Pain” ~ Sky High
There was no way that I could pass up the opportunity to talk about Sky High, a veritable classic that is often forgotten about when talking about great Disney films (this could be because it actually ISN’T that great, but surely not).
Gwen is the twist villain of the film, and though her inevitable betrayal is only partially surprising (she’s pretty clearly manipulative for most of the film), her actress is just having such an incredible time hamming it up. Her costume design is pretty memorable, her evil scheme to turn all superheroes into babies is creatively silly, and the final showdown with her (complete with the floating school almost plummeting to the ground) is a lot of fun. She’s the sort of goofy but also genuinely threatening comic book-esque villain we simply don’t get much of these days.
9) Lord Cutler Beckett ~ Pirates of the Caribbean
A villain with deep, complex motivations and an intricately plotted character arc is always great to see. Then, on the flip side, you have the villains who are just evil for the sake of it, and the mere sight of them is enough for you to want to reach into the screen and punch the smirk off of their face.
Beckett, played to perfection by Tom Hollander, is an exceptionally smarmy bureaucratic leader of the East India Trading Company, which is looking to conquer the all of the world’s oceans. He almost manages it too, as he successfully manipulates friends and foes alike across two whole movies, maneuvering his schemes and building an insurmountable armada of loyal soldiers. His quiet and calculating attitude is enjoyable to watch, and his overly dramatic and profoundly orchestrated death scene is legendary.
8) Adrian Toomes “Vulture” ~ Spider Man: Homecoming
For a long time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was derided for having lackluster villains. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what people wanted out of a comic book movie (the Riddler is a guy who likes riddles, the Rhino is a guy who looks like a rhino, this isn’t super deep stuff). However, the film makers and creators behind the MCU took notice of these complaints, and quickly began to drastically increase the quality of their villains.
Toomes is one such villain, and man, he’s awesome! Michael Keaton gets to flex his incredible acting skills and crafts an unforgettable villain (who else still vividly remembers the reveal of him being Liz’s father, or that excellent scene during the car ride to the dance?). At the same time, Toomes is just a guy who’s been shafted by the system, and is trying his hardest to make ends meet to support his family. He’s really not such a bad guy at his core, reflected by him refusing to rat out Peter Parker after the latter saves his life on the beach.
7) Ava Starr “Ghost” ~ Ant Man and the Wasp
Coming right off the back of one MCU villain, we immediately bump into another one. I didn’t know a single thing about this character before going to see this film, but I was thoroughly impressed after my first viewing. I genuinely enjoy her character more and more on repeated viewings (and I still desperately want to see her show up again in future installments).
See, like Toomes before her, Ava is a far-cry from the typical malicious supervillain type. She’s a girl stricken by a horrific curse that is eating away at her life, and she’s desperate to save herself. She’s also a girl with years of built up aggression and torment, as a result of being manipulated and abused by the people who took her in after the deaths of her parents. She’s angry, unstable, and deeply hurting. In fact, by the film’s end, it is an act of genuine compassion that both saves her from her curse, and also sets her on the path of redemption.
6) Zemo ~ Captain America: Civil War
And to close out an unexpected trio of MCU villains, we have the man, myth, and legend himself: Zemo. I mentioned months ago on my “Top 10 Favorite Films” article that Civil War is my favorite MCU flick. I’ve also talked at length on various occasional about how much I love well-written and solid antagonists. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that I love Zemo a lot.
Most villains in the MCU up to this point were super-powered individuals or monstrous forces of nature. Not Zemo. For all intents and purposes, he is an unassuming man, but also an intensely bitter one consumed with the desire to avenge his family. With only his intellect, Zemo manages to systematically dismantle the entire Avengers Initiative, turning friends and family against each other by the power of manipulation. Even still, he isn’t blind to the devastation left in the wake of his machinations, and he seeks death by the film’s end, only to be denied it and told that living with his choices is the only way to move forward.
5) Agent Smith ~ The Matrix
If you haven’t seen The Matrix, you probably wouldn’t guess that a simple man in a suit with sunglasses could be so intimidating. However, curtesy of the inimitable Hugo Weaving, you’d be proven absolutely incorrect in this assumption.
Smith’s no-nonsense demeanor and calm and collected attitude glue the viewer’s eyes to the screen every time he’s in a scene, and his unique speaking cadence will be stuck in your head for years (Mister Anderson!). He’s also given a lot of time to shine, appearing in quite a few scenes across the movie’s runtime, and his hidden depths coming to light the more the film progresses. His extended and over-the-top climactic showdown with Neo is also a fantastic display of fighting choreography, and his death is supremely satisfying.
4) Hans Landa ~ Inglorious Basterds
The opening scene of Inglorious Basterds is all one needs to be convinced of both Landa’s supremely vile character, and also Christoph Waltz’s frightening acting abilities. From the very moment that Landa walks into this film, he is in complete control over every situation, and he has all the other characters dancing around him. Despite being the main villain, he may very well be the most interesting character.
He’s a cold, remorseless, merciless, and downright sadistic mass murderer, but he is also a consumate gentleman, fluent in multiple languages, and capable of knowing when he’s been beat. He plays every side of the conflict so that he is always able to come out on top, and he is so self-assured in his superiority that the only reason he loses is because he never expected someone to be capable of outsmarting him.
3) Indominus Rex ~ Jurassic World
Who would have ever expected to see a giant dinosaur on a list of favorite film antagonists? I mean, I have talked about how much I love this movie, but surely it must be an exaggeration to suggest putting a dinosaur this high on the list, right? Well, if you haven’t seen the film, let me try to explain to you just how unforgettable the Indominus Rex is.
The Indominus is the very first thing the viewer sees as soon as the movie opens, and its incredible theme song slowly builds up in the background. From there, the Indominus is a constant antagonistic presence in the film, being responsible for every single death and tragedy that unfolds on the island. It’s a cold and calculating, intelligent beast that hunts purely for aggressive sadism, and survives multiple attempts to defeat it. The final crazy dinosaur brawl that ends the beast is a crazy awesome set piece.
2) Supreme Chancellor Palpatine ~ Star Wars
Before I even get into this, I need to preface that Ian McDiarmid is a national treasure. This man has played this character for literal decades, across three entire trilogies, and yet he’s still having such a blast. It’s practically impossible to hate this character (no matter the quality of the film he appears in). He might very well be the most theatrical and deliciously hammy villain of all time.
Palpatine, from his very first chronological appearance, is weaving an intricate and unstoppable web of lies and deceit. Using the people around him as unwitting pawns, he pushes himself into a position of unlimited power and authority over the entire galaxy. Not only is his rise to power extremely entertaining, but it’s also soul-crushing from the perspective of the heroes (not to mention a bit frightening with regards to some real-world implications). He’s an extremely effective villain, and one that you so-very-much love to hate.
1) Lord Shen ~ Kung Fu Panda 2
And finally, we come to my favorite villain in all of cinema. A villain so great that I will undoubtedly be writing an entire article exclusively about him one of these days. For now, this will have to do.
Shen is many, many things. A fearsomely acrobatic and unpredictable fighter. A sympathetic figure with relatable (though very twisted) motivations. A cruel monster who delights in causing destruction and seeing his enemies fall. An introspective evildoer pushing his trauma aside and refusing to let go of the past. A villain with a bombastic and fittingly epic musical motif. A lonely man trying to fill a cup of ambition with no bottom, looking for an end to it all.
Shen is the perfect foil to Po, the hero, and he is as much a main character of the film as our protagonist. Through a generous amount of screen time, and multiple thought-provoking conversations with Po and Shen’s own advisor, the Soothsayer, Shen’s depths are unearthed, and his hard emotional shell is picked apart. It gets to the point that the viewer both wants to see his violent reign end, but also wants him to finally find the peace he has craved (another parallel to Po). In his final moments, I actually think Shen does find some peace in death.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 