15 Best Villains of All Times

The summer is here, so is the season for binge watches. I mean what else can one do when everything down to human beings are melting outside? But to mix things up a bit instead of choosing films on the basis of superheroes, let’s look at some of the greatest villains of all times.

1.Jim Moriarty

 

The antihero to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and his arch enemy. This character makes being villainous synonymous to being sexy. He is so witty, he manages to fool Sherlock Holmes ( almost), even though he is probably psychotic.

Movie (s): Sherlock Holmes series

Actor: Played by various actors in different adaptations.

2. Loki

 

The God of Mischief, he had an aura and way with his words which earned him the title of Silvertongue. He had his eyes set on the throne of Asgard and kept scheming against Thor using his astounding wit.

Movie(s): Thor and Avenger

Actor: Tom Hiddleston

3. Joker

 

This iconic character played to perfection by Heath Ledger gave the world one of its most enigmatic dialogue of “Why so serious”. This villain was claimed to psychotic, has the capacity to manipulate the most righteous policeman into a terrorist( even though for a brief time). He can creep out even the most sane-minded.

Movie (s): The Dark Knight.

Actor: Heath Ledger

4. Darth Vader

 

He was among the good guys, but then he gave in to the Dark forces and became a Sith Lord. The weapon of his choice is his lightsaber. Before becoming a disciple of the dark forces he was Anakin Skywalker, a good-hearted Jedi and a hero of the Clone Wars.

Movie(s): Star War Series

Actor (s): Played by various actors in different movies

5. Voldemort

 

This villain which managed to maintain his wrath for seven films, he instilled such fears in the hearts of others that people were afraid of even taking his name. His tactics to kill Harry in every movie have never failed to shock us. The most fascinating thing about him apart from the lack of his nose is that his soul has been divided into several parts.

Movie (s): Harry Potter series

Actor(s): Ralph Fiennes and Christian Coulson.

6. Magneto

 

He started out as a good guy but his troubled past finally overtook him. His main aim is to create mutant domination over the humans, and if not for Professor X he would succeed as well.

Movie (s): X-Men series

Actor (s): Ian McKellen, Michael Fassbender, Bill Milner and Brett Morris

7. Sauron

 

The titular character of the Lord of the Rings, he can curdle anyone’s blood. He was the Dark Lord and the protector of the One Ring. It is the destruction of this in the final War of the Ring.

Movie (s): Lord of the Rings series.

Actor(s): Benedict Cumberbatch and Sala Baker

8. Hannibal Lecter

 

If there is any villain which played the psychotic character to perfection then it was Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal Lecter adds the twist of cannibalism to your typical serial killer and takes the whole villain act to another level.

Movie(s): Manhunter, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Hannibal Rising.

Actor (s): Played by various actors in different movies

9. Pennywise the Dancing Clown

 

Pennywise is the titular character in the horror movie series ‘It’, based on the novels of Stephen King. He brings to the silver screen why are kids so scared of clowns. To make matters worse the villainous It preys only on children and their fears. This leaves the children with no other option but to come together and fight It or Pennywise.

Movie (s): It and It Chapter Two

Actor: Bill Skarsgård

10. Hans Gruber

 

This person single-handedly managed an NYPD detective, FBI, the LAPD force and SWAT. A textbook villain which puts the hero to shame (almost) but ends up falling to his death.

Movie (s): Die Hard

Actor: Alan Rickman

11. Scar

 

The villainous uncle in The Lion King made every heart go out to the young Simba. His scheming and treacherous methods make him a real villain, I mean who would actually kill his own brother and put the blame of that on his son.

Movie(s): The Lion King 1994

Actor: Jeremy Irons

12. Thanos

 

He was the penultimate villain who scared each and every superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bent upon killing half the Universe, he almost succeeds but not really. Whether he loses or wins the mere sight of this well-skilled fighter managed to even scare the Hulk.

Movie(s): Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame.

Actor: Josh Brolin

13. Jack Torrance

 

He is the protagonist/antagonist to Stephen King’s novel The Shining. A horror movie has been made of the same name. He is a teacher turned writer who is trying to become sober after being an alcoholic. If the story of the movie is not enough to scare you to death then the portrayal of this character by Jack Nicholson is enough to get you screaming even in broad daylight. This movie is surely not one for faint hearted people.

Movie: The Shining

Actor: Jack. Nicholson

14. Freddy Krueger

 

Freddy Krueger is a ghost and serial killer with metal claws instead of hands. He is the main antagonist in the various movies of the A Nightmare on Elm Street. Does this character really need any more introduction to scare you to death?

Movie (s): A Nightmare on Elm Street series

Actor: Robert Englund, Michael Bailey Smith, Tobe Sexton, and Jackie Earle Haley

15. HAL 9000

 

He is the main antagonist of one of the first space-based movie. At a time when artificial intelligence was still being discussed this movie had created a villain out of it laying the path for many future movies who work on the same theme. This sly computer is bent on fulfilling his own agenda.

Movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Actor: Douglas Rain

 

In the end, all I have to say is what makes all these villains so great is that they are fleshed out characters with their own stories and tragedies. It is because we know them and we know their struggles, that makes them even more memorable.