I thought it would be fun with the discussion around all of these Superhero movies to list your top 5 movie villians and why
1) The Icon Darth Vader - He was menacing from the time that he walked through the door of the Rebel Ship and stepped over the bodies of dead rebel soldiers and Storm Troopers alike. He didn't dissapoint throughout that first movie, he willingly tortured a young girl, didn't raise a finger when a whole world was slaughtered and later handed out throat closing punishment without a thought. Tho he would redeem himself later and soften up. He was the best villian for me
2) The Joker (Heath Ledger) - Full of menace and Glee, he claimed that he was an anarchist a dog chasing a car with no plan, but he was the best planner in the whole movie. Your just dying to know the backstory of someone that is so smart and so twisted, but he even lies about that.
3) Hannibal Lectar - So urban and civilized, yet he was diabolical, brilliant and menacing. His interaction with Jodie Foster was chilling. And his emotionless blank faced slaughter of his guards has to be one of the scariest things ever seen. too bad they completely ruined him in later movies.
4) Khan - Star Trek 2 - You would completly hate him if you didn't feel for him deep down. A man created to lead, exiled and consumed by not only his nature, but his need to avenge the death of his wife caused by an uncaring Admiral Kirk. Driven and Completely ruthless he was the modern day version of Ahab chasing the Great White Whale, and willing to throw everything including himself away in the process.
5) Mr Blonde - Reservoir Dogs - A brutal sadistic man. His glee while he danced around and tortured a police officer was one of the most frightening things ever.
6) The Terminator - The Terminator - Not the soft heroic terminator from the sequels but the bad a$$ unstoppable killing machine that wanted to rid the world of all Sarah Conners as long as he killed his Sarah Conners. Played with emotionless viger by Arnold, how can you not grown and scream in frustration when the exo skeleton steps out of the burning truck.
7) Hans Gruber - Die Hard - Oily, ruthless and brilliant. He tied the FBI in complete nots and chewed up scenary like a hungry fat kid, incredible based on the fact that it was Rickman's first Hollywood role
8) Magneto - Xmen series - More a tragic figure then a villian, he had been through the hell of the concentration camps and saw the same situation evolving again and made the step that they were superior to modern man. Was willing to kill his own kind to make the world better for his people.
9) Payton Flanders - The hand that rocks the cradle - Revenge drove her to incredible heights. Seductive but homicidal.
10) Col Jessup (sp?) A Few Good Men - a exceptional soldier, a complete Psycho path with a massive ego and unbelievable leadership skills. He didn't see himself as a villian, and completely justified his actions. That's what made him scary.
HM Cardinel Richelius Three Musketeers (Tim Currey), Pennywise the Clown (Tim Currey) Senator Palpatine/Darth Sideous (Ian McDarmid), General Hummel (Ed Harris), Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington)
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Alex Forrest (Fatal Attraction): Every guys nightmare.
Biff Tannen (Back to the Future): Just someone you have to hate.
Voldemort (Harry Potter): Great performance, makeup and evil character.
William Atherton (Actor): Played Walter Peck in Ghostbusters, Richard Thornburg in Die Hard and the Professor in Real Genius. I hate that guy for the villain characters he plays.
Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the ####oos Nest): A cold and cruel villain.
Pretty good list. Hard to disagree with any of your choices.
Some other worthy candidates:
Michael Corleone (The Godfather Part II) -- in the first film he was more of a heroic figure who didn't want to get involved in the family business but was forced into it by circumstance. Only in the very last moments, when he orchestrates the death of the other mafia bosses and even his brother-in-law (on the same day as his son's baptism!) do we realize that he's no longer begrudgingly accepting the role of head of his mob family but actively embracing it. In Part II, he lost any remaining sympathy the audience might have had for him when he ordered the death of Fredo and showed no emotion at all.
Xenomorph (Alien series) -- is there a more iconic monster in sci-fi?
HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey) -- "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." The plot of machines turning on their creators has been done countless times, but rarely better than this.
Gordon Gekko (Wall Street) -- Michael Douglas claims that he's frequently approached by investment bankers who say they were inspired to take up that career because of this character, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Gekko was shown to be a criminal and not at all someone who should be considered a role model. It helps put the 2008 global economic crisis in perspective when you know that the amoral parasites who run the world of high finance mistake this villian for a hero.
6) The Terminator - The Terminator - Not the soft heroic terminator from the sequels but the bad a$$ unstoppable killing machine that wanted to rid the world of all Sarah Conners as long as he killed his Sarah Conners. Played with emotionless viger by Arnold, how can you not grown and scream in frustration when the exo skeleton steps out of the burning truck.
Just to add to this, the T-1000 is a close second to Arnold's t-800. Flipping Arnold and having him be the hero in T2 and having this smaller sleeker and then revealed to be liquid antagonist was great.
I saw T2 for the first time when it aired on TV, I was 9 when it was in theaters and wasn't allowed to see it so I had to wait. I taped it off TV and watched it so much after that. I distinctly remember wondering how the heck they were going to destroy this thing.
John Kreese & Johnny Lawrence (Original Karate Kid) - Kreese' uses his positition of authority to unleash his ruthlessness and to win at all costs, and Johnny (the more than willing accomplice), executes it happily. A bit of redemption at the end for Johnny as he pays respect to Daniel by handing him the trophy, and the next movie where Kreese gets his butt kicked, but a chilling tale of the crazy influence coaches can have on kids and the potential to exploit that trusted relationship.
I wanted to add a huge honorable mention. Major Toht in Raiders of the lost ark. He was the SS agent who eventually got his face melted that made everyone in the threatre cheer. He was slimy, you could sense that he was unapologetic, and the scene with the folding coat hanger was brilliant and later ripped off by Putin in Family guy
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Best Movie Villians in your mind
