American comic book artist Cliff Chiang once said, "A hero is only as good as his villain." Imagine 'The Dark Knight' without the Joker, or 'Star Wars' without Darth Vader, they just would not be the same movie!
There have been some unforgettable cinematic villains over the years, and with Hayden Christensen's recent return as Darth Vader in Disney+'s 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' series, we thought now would be the perfect time to look back at the best villains in movie history.
Let's begin!
10. Gollum (LOTR Trilogy)
Originally named Sméagol, Andy Serkis first appeared briefly as Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings: The fellowship of the Ring,' before appearing in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' and 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.'
Gollum is a wretched hobbit-like creature whose mind was poisoned by the Ring after bearing it for centuries. In 'The Two Towers' he joins Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Samwise (Sean Austin) on their quest, but eventually betrays them in 'The Return of the King.'
9. Michael Corleone (The Godfather trilogy)
Al Pacino's performance as Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' is still one of the greatest cinematic performances of all time!
Michael Corleone begins the film as a quiet, timid young ex-soldier and transforms over the course of the movie into a cold-blooded killer and the head of the Corleone crime family.
Michael would go on to show just how ruthless he truly was in 'The Godfather Part II,' when he had his own brother Fredo (John Cazale) murdered for his betrayal of the family.
8. Anne Wilkes (Misery)
Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her terrifying performance as Annie Wilkes in 'Misery.'
When novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) has a car accident during a blizzard, he is saved by Wilkes and taken to her remote cabin where she attempts to nurse him back to health. Annie claims to be Paul's "number one fan" but becomes violent when she discovers he is planning to kill off her favorite character in his next book.
7. T-1000 (Terminator: Judgment Day)
After director James Cameron chose to make Arnold Schwarzenegger's character the hero in 'Terminator: Judgment Day,' he needed to find an actor that could be a threat to Arnold's good-guy Terminator.
Enter actor Robert Patrick, who does not look like he could toe-to-toe with the former California Governor, but thanks to Cameron's upgrade of groundbreaking visual effects, the T-1000 is one of the scariest movie villains of all-time.
With the ability to morph into liquid metal, you're left watching the movie wondering, "How will our heroes ever be able to defeat this guy," which is the mark of a great villain.
6. Alonzo Harris (Training Day)
"King Kong ain't got s**t on me."
Those are the immortal lines spoken by Denzel Washington as Detective Alonzo Harris in 'Training Day,' for which he won an Academy Award.
Harris is a troubled cop with a price on his head who is assigned to train Office Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), but has other plans for his new partner.
Washington is on fire in this movie, playing against type as a ruthless and dangerous criminal cop.
5. Hans Lando (Inglorious Basterds)
When Quentin Tarantino was casting 'Inglorious Basterds,' he feared that the role of Hans Landa was "unplayable" and credited actor Christoph Waltz as "giving him his movie."
Known as "The Hunter," Landa is a ruthless SS officer who's presence looms over the entire movie. The performance kick-started Waltz's American acting career and earned him the first of two Oscars he would win for playing Tarantino characters, the second being for 'Django Unchained.'
4. Hannibal Lector (The Silence of the Lambs trilogy)
Winning an Oscar for playing Dr. Hannibal Lecter in 'Silence of the Lambs,' Anthony Hopkins would go on to reprise the role in 'Hannibal' and 'Red Dragon.'
Created by the novelist Thomas Harris, Lecter is a former-respected forensic psychiatrist turned serial killer who eats his victims. After being captured, he consults with the FBI, first with agent Will Graham (Ed Norton), and eventually with agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster).
3. Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
In the 80s, the villains in the James Bond movies had become downright laughable, which is what gave birth to Mike Myer's Dr. Evil character in 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.'
But in 1988, English actor Alan Rickman gave an unforgettable performance as Hans Gruber, a thief pretending to be a terrorist in 'Die Hard.' Rickman played the role with intelligence and charm, and was a challenging foe for Bruce Willis' iconic cop, John McClane.
The performance was celebrated as ushering in a new era of believable screen villains, and was better than anything the Bond franchise had offered in decades.
2. Joker (The Dark Knight)
While Jack Nicolson gave a legendary performance in 'Batman,' and Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for 'Joker,' the best performance ever as the Clown Prince of Crime was delivered by the late Heath Ledger in Christopher Nolan's masterpiece 'The Dark Knight.'
Ledger, who also won an Academy Award for his role, gave a frighteningly realistic performance making the character a dangerous psychopath more interested in watching the world burn rather than obtaining money or power. Ledger's Joker is easily the best big screen version of the iconic comic book character, and unfortunately would also be one of the actor's final roles.
1. Darth Vader (original Star Wars trilogy)
If Disney+'s 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' series did anything ... it reminded us how much we love Darth Vader!
When he was first introduced in 1977's 'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope,' the character was mysterious, dark, and terrifying. While most fans now know Vader's backstory thanks to the prequels, when the character first said, "Luke, I am your father" in 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' it was truly shocking and disturbing to audiences.
Long before Hayden Christensen was cast as Anakin Skywalker in 'Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,' Darth Vader was played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones. Actor Sebastian Shaw played Anakin in 'Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi' when Vader takes off his helmet and as a force ghost at the end, although recent editions of the movie have replaced Shaw's force ghost with an image of Christensen.
While the character has been humanized over the years within the 'Star Wars' cannon because of the prequels, animated series, and live-action shows like 'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' Darth Vader is still the greatest movie villain of all-time!
