The 7 Greatest Movie Villains Of All Time

The Greatest Movie Villains. We love to despise them for constantly threatening our heroes and putting the world/galaxy/universe in mortal danger (how did Loki escape the Avengers so many times?). It’s been said that movie protagonists are only as good as their antagonists, and it’s difficult to imagine James Bond without Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

While bad guys are entertaining to watch on screen, in dramatic storytelling, the hero must overcome obstacles in order to grow, change, and, eventually, save the day. There are numerous stories about heroes battling their inner demons, but it’s not the same as when he or she is up against a truly vile, evil malefactor.

Here we’ve ranked the 7 Greatest Movie Villains Of All Time. 

7. The Shark (“Jaws”)

The mechanical shark Steven Spielberg dubbed “Bruce” — after his lawyer at the time — famously refused to cooperate on the watery New England set of this seminal horror film, but when it does appear on screen, the beast wreaks havoc on its human adversaries. (When the shark wasn’t working, Spielberg used the yellow barrels as a stand-in.)

“Jaws” is still one of the best thrillers ever made, thanks in no small part to Bruce’s, uh, “performance.”

READ NEXT: Keanu Reeves 7 Greatest Performances Ranked

6. Michael Myers (Halloween franchise)

Its shape. Killer in the shadows. There are some serious family issues with the psychopath. In the original Halloween, John Carpenter turned an old William Shatner mask and some non-threatening clothing into one of the most iconic killer characters in cinema history. For Michael to be effective as a threat, he doesn’t need a lot of personalities or a long backstory – we’re looking at you, Rob Zombie. It’s true that his impact has been diminished over the years, but he is still capable of striking terror into the hardest of hearts in his original form.

READ NEXT: Leonardo DiCaprio’s 7 Greatest Movies Ranked

5. Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter franchise)

There is a theory that Voldemort’s name was inspired by the decaying Edgar Allan Poe character M. Valdemar. As a matter of fact, J.K. Rowling’s love of French led to her moniker, which means “flight of death”. In 2009, she stated, “I needed a name that evoked both power and exoticism.”

The Death Eater Supreme can be summed up in two words. He’s exotic because he’s slit-nosed, cold-blooded, and a chilling cross between man and snake. His command of dark magic is so complete that he can fly without a broomstick. There is a sense of his presence in every shadow on the screen. Whatever his name means, there’s a reason everyone is terrified when it’s mentioned.

READ NEXT: The 7 Highest Grossing Movies Of All Time

4. Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)

Both Brian Cox and Mads Mikkelsen have given memorable performances to Robert Harris’ murderous gastronome, but Anthony Hopkins elevated Hannibal to legendary status. The actions of most great villains define them, but Hopkins’ stillness is unsettling. Through toughened glass, he peels away the layers of Jodie Foster’s Starling with softly spoken words. Lecter’s atrocities are implied rather than shown, but his tongue is as lethal as a blade or bullet. Despite being somewhat diluted by Ridley Scott’s Hannibal and Brett Ratner’s Red Dragon, Lecter remains a compelling foe.

READ NEXT: The 7 Greatest Book-To-Movie Adaptations

3. Sauron (LOTR trilogy)

This description of the Dark Lord of Mordor is great on paper, but how do you make a massive fiery peeper remotely sinister on screen? Peter Jackson and the Lord Of The Rings team managed to pull it off somehow. We were shown Sauron as a mace-wielding maniac capable of swatting entire battalions with a single blow in the prologue. Even when he loses his corporeal form, he is still horrifying, flashing into Frodo’s mind whenever he touches the Ring and searching the land around him as if he were looking for a contact lens.

READ NEXT: The Greatest Irish Movies Of All Time And Where To Watch Them

2. The Joker (The Dark Knight)

From his origins as a maniac in comic books to the campy incarnation brought to movie and TV screens by Cesar Romero, The Joker has always been a figure of fun (h/t Mark Hamill’s cartoon take). Tim Burton and Jack Nicholson found some darker shades in the 1989 big-screen re-invention, but it’s hard to argue that Chris Nolan and Heath Ledger found the perfect form for the character in The Dark Knight in 2008. To paraphrase Michael Caine’s Alfred, Ledger’s Joker is an ugly beauty, a man who will do anything to achieve his goals and simply wants to watch the world burn. Then, in Todd Phillips’ Joker, he was given the opportunity to shine on his own, sans the Bat, and was played to Oscar-winning effect by Joaquin Phoenix.

READ NEXT: The 7 Most Disappointing Movies Of 2021

1. Darth Vader (Star Wars trilogy)

Greatest Movie Villains Of All Time

So we get to the villain you voted the best of all time. Darth Vader frequently appears at the top of these lists, as the character has had a far greater impact than the blast that destroyed Alderaan. Sure, the revelations from his younger years didn’t help the mythos, but they also didn’t hurt it. Vader’s story, a mix of a tragic figure and evil presence, takes all the great twists and turns, even ending in redemption with the help of Mark Hamill’s Luke. The big V stalks across the screen, inspiring awe in every scene, with the looming presence of David Prowse and the booming voice of James Earl Jones. He also sports a mean cape, which few men can pull off.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook & Instagram for more movie news and content.

The 7 Greatest Movie Speeches Of All Time