Empire’s The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time

Posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 by Peter Sciretta

Back in October, Empire Magazine released their list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. /Film commenters were in disagreement over many of the rankings. I just noticed that Empire has released their list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. I’m not going to reprint the entire list, but here are the top 25:

1. Tyler Durden (Fight Club)
2. Darth Vader (Star Wars trilogy)
3. The Joker (The Dark Knight)
4. Han Solo (Star Wars trilogy)
5. Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
6. Indiana Jones
7. The Dude (The Big Lebowski)
8. Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Carribean Trilogy)
9. Ellen Ripley (Alien Quadrology)
10. Vito Corleone (The Godfather)
11. James Bond
12. John McClane (Die Hard)
13. Gollum (The Lord of the Rings)
14. The Terminator
15. Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
16. Neo (The Matrix trilogy)
17. Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
18. Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)
19. Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction)
20. Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)
21. Michael Corleone (The Godfather)
22. Ellis “Red” Redding (The Shawshank Redemption)
23. Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry)
24. Ash (Evil Dead)
25. Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)

You can head on over to Empire for the other 75. I love Fight Club but — Tyler Durdan over Indiana Jones? C’mon. There is a lot to disagree with, so lets have at it.

Discuss: Who shouldn’t be on this list? Who deserves to be higher? Who doesn’t deserve to be as high as they are?

via: MovieMoron

Comments

JonLiguori

now i never liked fight club so ill justify my dislike for the movie as to why i disagree with their number one, but Gollum before Ferris Bueller? WOW?!

brandon

love that Tyler Durden is afront Indie, way more interesting of a character.

would like to see 'El' or Agent Sands (Depp in 'once upon a time in mexico')
ooohhh and Marv (sin city)

Eric

i feel like sometimes empire just puts things out like this to piss everyone off

big_daddy

its too hard to number them. so many things to consider. i would think that beatrice kiddo would be in the top 25, but thats just me.

Justin

Durden and The Joker being in the Top 25 (much less the top 3) is pretty absurd. As is Hans Gruber being involved.

Water

Of the top 25: Created in '00s - 3, in the '90s - 6, in the '80s - 6, in the '70s - 7, in the '60s - 1. How is Charles Foster Kane not in the Top 25? Guess he's off the radar.

When is there going to be an "Empire's Worst Lists" list? I'd like to nominate their "Best TV Shows of All Time" list for #1. "24" as #6? "The Wire" as #8? I'm convinced Empire is written by a frathouse of drunken fanboys.

Martin

I love watching empire put out lists just to watch you people fucking whine and complain and rip on Empire. This was a reader poll. Empire is the best magazine around.

John

Empire has a hard on for Fight Club. This is the second list they've made where they put Fight Club ridiculously high on their list. What a joke.

Aqualeo

There is no reason for Tyler Durden to be on top. Plus, Yoda at 25? come on.

VegaBro

I dont know what Empire's criteria for picking the "greatest" characters of all time was exactly, but from what I see on the list, "interesting" was probably further in the back seats with "cool" or "in public's knowledge" taking the front rows.

I usually love Empire's lists, but this was complete shit

Bull

Tyler Durden doesn't belong in the Top 100, let alone number 1. Empire magazine fucking sucks; I'd rather get US Weekly's opinion on movies.

robN

Vader should be #1 and durden shouldn't even be top ten.

and neo in the top 20? hes not what made the matrix good

aNoble

Does anybody else find Ellen Ripley absolutely ridiculous at number 9. She wouldn't be in my top 100.

Angie

I'm disappointed that the list is skewed so intensely to male characters. Of course, most influential films focus on men. But why is Napolean Dynamite ranked higher than Scarlett O'Hara and Princess Leia?!?! Jason Bourne over Mary Poppins, Juno, and Amelie?

Not all good characters come from Science Fiction, Westerns, Action films, and psychological thrillers.

aNoble

You're right. I'd choose Agent Smith as a better character than Neo anyday.

cashlion

Jack Sparrow shouldn't be in the top 10.

ilves

these lists are just made to start contraversy and bring people to their site... if you don't like it don't visit their site

robN

smith, morpheus, hell even oracle was more interesting than neo

robN

id give her top 30

no way in hell would i giver her top ten

Nick H

this list was comprised based on user voting at the site. This isn't a list, or even a poll, its a crap-heap =D

Alan

Empire is shit. it's a magazine for idiots that like to pay for to be marketed iat.

FTW Sight and Sound.

MosesMonster

It figures they would put the Joker so high up. I wonder if he'll drop over time.

Tommy_Tricker_

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHhhhh

LETS ALL BITCH OVER THE LIST

Phil

Doc Brown should be top 10, for sure.

John R

Tyler Durden as #1 completely negates the validity of this list. Also, no Kaiser Souze = FAIL.

jason B

this sounds more like a MAXIM list. i won't go on for pages - like many of us could - so i'll just say that no one on that top 25 should be ahead of daniel plainview or william munny.

burnsideo7

How's about Davey Jones from POTC? I thought he would have trounced Gollum as best all-CG character, surely...

Antibodies

How is Val Kilmer's Doc Holiday not anywhere on that list?

Ozymandias

Most of you dont get it. IT IS A READER POLL, NOT THE OFFICIAL LIST OF THE MAGAZINE.

Emm

I do agree, it should be noted that Empire magazine seems to be more male oriented audience (all their in-magazine ad's are oriented in that way - look at what dvd's they put in their ads).

Dan

I personally think that Riddick is one of the best characters ever. Maybe not top 10, but I would list him above a lot of these other characters.

Wall•EPlaysPong

Hey! Where's HOWARD THE DUCK DAMMIT?!!!

Nish

I think I would agree with Tyler Durden as #1. Fight Club was the first film I saw that showed how good films could be to tell a story ( I think I was only 12 then). I guess there are better films and film characters out there but FC opened my eyes and Brad Pitts performance was amazing.

JFP2

Ash made the top 25. And that is all I care about!'

GROOVY!

relva

No Keyser Soze? No Juno? No Amelie? No Leon?(in the top 25) = FAIL!
Hans Gruber in the top 100? = GREATEST FAIL!

EssexBoy

I haven't seen the magazine yet, but I imagien the front page says "HEY EVERYBODY, COME READ THIS AND SEE US SHIT OVER EVERY DECENT MOVIE CHARACTER EVER MADE!!!"

I love Fight Club, it's a great film, but it is still just a single film. It's hardly as if the character has proven itself by being excellent for a trilogy of films like Vader or Han Solo. Fuck it, I'm going to follow the trend and call Right Said Fred the greatest band ever because of their release of the song "I'm too sexy".

I know this list was decided by the readers so I have decided to start my own poll called "WHICH MAGAZINE HAS THE THICKEST FUCKWIT READERS ON THE PLANET". I vote Empire readers.

If any of you vote against me it doesn't count.

/filmlovesbananas

suuch a crappy list. Rocky is in the freaking 30's i think. BLADE is in the top 50 while Reeve's Superman didn't even make the list. then of course the utter crap of Durden @ #1 when he should be in the 80's or something. i'd also put indy ahead of anybody but that's just me.

Martin

You're an idiot if you think Juno was a good character.

Mudassir

Keyser Souze isn't real.

But so is(n't?) Tyler Durden. Since this is the public poll, I would like to find all the @#$!ers who did not vote for Ash and shove a chainsaw up where the sun don't shine. Ash is the most bad-ass character of all time.

Just kidding people. And quit yer whining! Its a reader's poll and empire readers ahave a different opinion than yours and Indiana Jones sucks compared to Tyler Durden!

Gajonka

Tyler Durden should be 101, not 1. What a joke.

fluffyvw

I can't believe you guys take these things so seriously!! Lord its a readers poll. Get over it.

ibecowman

What I don't understand is why Daniel Plainview is ranked lower than Tony Montana and Ron Burgundy and why Jigsaw is even on the list? White Goodman, seriously? Doc Brown was ranked too low and so was Jack Torrance. I'm just glad Randall and Captain Malcolm Reynolds made the list. Also, why no Dr. Alan Grant?

egyptnation

to everyone here, this list is total bullshit anyway. most of these characters aren't even "movie creations". most of them are based on characters that first appeared in a medium other than movies. the joker? tyler durden? vito corleone, james bond?

the only ones that would count would be characters like yoda, the terminator, hell even jack sparrow. THOSE were movie characters!

IAmMcLovin

wow with this list I am suprised to not see Speed Racer in top 10. Let's add Borat too and LC from The Hills

SUNand3Stars

Darth Vader > everyone else

Jonny

Wheres Kurt Russel on this list FFS?

No Jack Burton? ( Big trouble little china)
No Snake Pliskin?( escape from new york)

Edward

Dr. Hannibal Lecter is and forever shall be #1.

if you disagree, then chances are you know nothing about film.

doubledumbassonyou

Where does Snake Plissken and Jack Burton fall?

OliveHill

Where is MARTY Mc FLY , DOC BROWN, GEORGE McFLY, BIFF, AND LOREEN McFLY?

This looks like it was writen by some 20 something fresh out the college who only listed the BADASSSS Charaters of the last 15 years.

Yes, I realize there is Star Wars characters on the list but its been re-re-re-released every 4 years for the last ten. With that said where the hell is Spock?

redandjonny

I can live with:

1Johnny:( The wild one)
2.Tyler Durden- (Fight Club)
3.Boba fett( Star wars)
4.Han Solo ( Star wars)
5.Snake Pliskin( Escape from New York)
6.Jack Burton ( big trouble little china)
7.The Dude ( The big Lubowski)
8.Daniel Plainview ( there will be blood)
9.Those 2 cowboy kids ( "Gummo.")
10.Michael Phillips ( This American Life)

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