The 15 Best Movie Villains Of All Time, Ranked

A hero is cool and all, but a great villain that makes a movie even more special. If a rogue is blander than nonfat yogurt, forget about having a good time, because let's face it, it's all about the chaos — and the more, the merrier, baby!

In cinema, we have been blessed by Hades with some of the greatest villains of all time. From Thanos snapping away half of the universe to Hannibal Lecter snacking on friends and foes, there's no shortage of rapscallions to see and relish on the big screen. The question is, how do you pick the best of the best here?

It's about looking at their legacy and all-round influence on the medium of film. Most importantly, how did they make the audience feel? Not every baddie needs to have the viewer trembling in their boots, but they should stir complex emotions in everyone. So, let's get to it, shall we? Honorable mentions go out to Norman Bates ("Psycho"), Anton Chigurh "No Country for Old Men"), Jack Torrance ("The Shining"), and Cruella de Vil ("101 Dalmatians"), who narrowly missed out on this list.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson." Whenever those words ring, everyone knows that it's about to get real with Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith stepping into the picture in "The Matrix." And yes, let's solely focus on Weaving's version of the character, because everyone should be allowed to forget about "The Matrix Resurrections." 

Easily one of the best sci-fi movie villains ever, this ruthless AI construct lives only to protect the simulated reality, battling those who dare to oppose the Matrix. Smith possesses a wide range of powers, including enhanced strength and speed, but his most outstanding ability is how he can hop from body to body like some kind of digital Pazuzu.

How fitting is it that in a story about enlightenment it's a literal and figurative suit who is the greatest menace? He's the embodiment of corporate maintaining the status quo and stamping out the dissenting voices demanding for change. Smith is the ultimate slave to the system — the number one bootlicker — and what's more dangerous than squaring off against that?

Get in, losers, because Regina George from "Mean Girls" rules the roost in the most dangerous place of them all: high school. While Chris Hargensen from "Carrie" established this archetype and proved exceptionally cruel to those around her, Regina ran with it to become the queen bee of passive aggression and master of whisper campaigns in North Shore High School. Seriously, she keeps a book — like her own mini Death Note — where she writes mean and hurtful things about other people and refers back to it for ideas.

Regina is like Palpatine and Darth Vader all rolled into an evil blonde teenage girl package, since she gathers her acolytes known as the Plastics and manipulates them into doing her bidding but also isn't afraid to get her hands dirty in the process. The role of Regina is so powerful that it even had /Film's Jeremy Smith oncee declaring Rachel McAdams is the best actor ever, and it's tough to argue that. Regina George isn't just a character; she's an institution of villainy.

In a post-apocalyptic world, the last thing anyone needs is a crazed, megalomaniac warlord trying to convince young men that he'll lead them to Valhalla. That's what Immortan Joe does in the "Mad Max" franchise, as he builds an army known as the War Boys, who'll do anything for him. He becomes a feared king of the Wasteland and the ruler of the Citadel, as his troops run amok and without recourse in this doomed society.

What's even more disturbing about Joe is how he enslaves women and forces them to become breeding machines, as he attempts to find a worthy heir to carry on this freakish legacy. Yes, Joe is slowly dying, and the Wasteland will be a better place when this Temu Darth Vader meets his maker, but that doesn't stop him from causing as much damage as he can until that fateful day arrives. Maybe Joe isn't as physically imposing as some of the other villains on this list, but his cult of personality ensures that his reign of terror remains both frightening, memorable, and certainly not mediocre.

For many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, Thanos stands supreme as the final boss of the franchise. Unquestionably, he's the movie villain who changes everything. In "Avengers: Infinity War," as Thanos gathers all the colorful cosmic stones he requires, puts them in a heavy duty gauntlet, and then snaps away half of the universe. The Mad Titan's reasoning is he wants to bring stability to the world through one swift genocide, because according to him, there are too many creatures around.

It takes five long years to reverse the Thanos effect, because Earth's Mightiest Heroes couldn't get it done the first time around. Although, that's mostly Peter Quill's fault, because he behaved like a moron when the fate of the world was at stake and jeopardized the entire mission. The only way that the Avengers could defeat Thanos was by going back in time and ganging up on him, because one-on-one, he tapped them out like jobbers in a wrestling ring. Funnily enough, Thanos wasn't supposed to be the big bad of the MCU, but fortunately, Marvel Studios saw some common sense and gave him the arc he duly deserved.

Look, the entire "Halloween" timeline gets iffy in places, but then again, which horror franchise doesn't like to treat its canon like it's taffy? What remains constant here is that Michael Myers is a killing machine. While the likes of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees have their reasons for hunting teenagers, Michael doesn't. Instead, he is the personification of evil and kills anyone who stands in his way. If someone asked him why he does what he does — and if he actually spoke instead of stabbing all the time — his only response would be, "Because I can."

Michael is also seemingly unstoppable. No matter what anyone throws at him, he survives it all. Maybe he has a mutant healing factor like Wolverine, or perhaps the William Shatner-molded mask over his face releases pain inhibitors into his bloodstream. Whichever way, this dude doesn't die. Turn a corner and he's right there — like a micromanager taking note of how much time you took for lunch. In this case, though, Michael will stab you to death instead of writing up a warning.

In the wrong hands, Hans Gruber could turn into a mustache-twirling bad guy straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon, but with the late Alan Rickman guiding this portrayal and providing notes about the "Die Hard" script, he established the character as one of the best movie villains of all time. Needless to say, Gruber uses deceit like a pro. Announcing himself as a terrorist, he takes Nakatomi Plaza hostage and demands $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds. Gruber manipulates the situation and authorities into unlocking the secure vaults, and he almost gets away with it too if it weren't for the meddling John McClane.

Gruber oozes both charisma and competence, stealing every scene he's in. Unlike other antagonists of the genre at the time, Gruber actually demonstrates an astute and cunning nature, outfoxing even McClane at one point. In fact, he's so good at being bad that he spoiled the audience in the "Die Hard" franchise, because no other villain has ever reached the same heights as Gruber — not even his brother, Simon, in "Die Hard with a Vengeance."

Look, to be the Wizarding World's worst nightmare, you have to be a little bit special. Voldemort is so feared that wizards and witches don't even want to say his name out loud, almost like he's a boogeyman who appears when you mention him. You can't blame anyone for concerning themselves about him, since he's an almighty wizard and his Machiavellian plan is to purify bloodlines, much like a certain real-world villain circa World War II.

Voldemort commits the most despicable acts, such as killing Harry Potter's parents and trying to murder Harry as an infant immediately after. Although, murder seems to be quite the theme for him, as he goes after anyone and everyone, including his own family. The wizard formerly known as Tom Riddle has no moral compass, and his disciples are expendable to him, making him an unpredictable foe for anyone who faces him. Also, has anyone forgotten about how he lived at the back of Professor Quirrell's head as if that's totally normal? Yeah, that's disturbing to say the least, but hey, that whole arc has likely got one fan in Gabriel from James Wan's "Malignant."

Imagine a Terminator made out of liquid metal who's capable of transforming his body parts into weapons and shapeshifting into other people. Worst part? Bullets can't stop him, since his form makes him practically invincible. So, what do you do here? Well, you can run in the other direction, but judging by the T-1000's sprinting form, he might catch up with you sooner rather than later.

As a premier villain of the '90s, Robert Patrick's T-1000 still lingers in the mind as one of the biggest threats in cinema history, purely because of how relentless he is. He refuses to take a breather, remaining laser-focused on his mission to find John Connor and leaving a ridiculously impressive body count in his wake. What's most impressive is how he makes his counterpart T-800 look like a pussycat by comparison, since he's an upgrade in every sense of the word. Unsurprisingly, the T-1000's presence in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" helped to confirm the sequel as the best "Terminator" movie.

Regardless of how much "Mufasa: The Lion King" tries to make us understand Scar's journey to villainy, there's no denying that this lion with a wonderful mane of hair single handedly destroyed countless childhoods in "The Lion King." Not only did he kill his own brother, Mufasa, but he also gaslights his nephew, Simba, into believing he's responsible for this tragic event. To make matters worse, he proves he's the absolute worst king by turning the Pride Lands into a wasteland where everything dies and there's not enough food to go around. Even the hyenas aren't his biggest fans by the end.

Scar is a scumbag who has zero redeemable qualities, but I'd be lion lying if I said he's not one of the most entertaining villains of all time. Sure, everyone loves the "Circle of Life" song from the movie, but "Be Prepared" is a certified banger. He's like the animal kingdom's version of Elton John, elevating even the hyenas' parts in the track with his unmatched charisma and musical gift.

Most people fear movie villains because they might blow up things or take someone hostage, but viewers dread Hannibal Lecter for another reason: He might just eat you. He also loves to play with his food, so this cerebral rogue lures you into his trap and plays mind games before he eventually enjoys sweet human flesh with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Now, the average person might think, "Well, if I'm dead, I wouldn't know I'm being eaten." Oh, no, Hannibal has proven to be deliciously macabre by actually feeding a person's own flesh to them, such as what he did to Ray Liotta's Paul Krendler in "Hannibal." In one of the most gruesome scenes committed to film, Hannibal pops Krendler's head open and starts cooking parts of his brain for him.

The scariest thing about Hannibal is how he's one step ahead of everyone else. He's more than capable of escaping any prison that people make for him. The only reason he ever finds himself locked up is if he wants to be and for ulterior and conniving motives.

There's this now-debunked myth that people swallow up to eight spiders per year while they sleep. Naturally, our brains think about the next logical conclusions: What if the spider lays eggs in me? What if the baby spiders somehow mutate with my DNA and turn into arachno-humanoid species? The Xenomorph in the "Alien" franchise is pretty much this fear come to life, as these intergalactic creatures make themselves cozy inside your skin before bursting out for the bloodcurdling finale.

The acid-dripping and ever-evolving Xenomorphs are obsessed with killing humans, and they breed like flies too, so the numbers game is always in their favor. This isn't the only concern, though, since tech bro-led corporations — such as Weyland-Yutani — try to figure out ways to make money off these creatures and put the human race in jeopardy because of their insatiable greed. Okay, no one can blame the Xenomorph for that, but combine their lethal nature with corporate shenanigans, and you can never be too sure if human beings are one space trip away from becoming extinct.

Cinema loves homicidal clowns. From Pennywise to Art the Clown, these beaming fiends are almost solely responsible for generations developing coulrophobia. Yet, none of them are fit to operate the electrocuting joy buzzer of the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime remains the Dark Knight's greatest adversary, and one heck of an all-time great movie villain. If DC is the house that Batman built, then Mr. J is the spray paint on the wall, because he's been part and parcel of the hero's greatest stories on screen. Like Frank Sinatra mused about love and marriage, "You can't have one without the other."

In the movie world, the Joker has done a litany of awful things — from being the person responsible for Thomas and Martha Wayne's murders to corrupting and convincing Harvey Dent to join the rogues' gallery. He seems to always top himself, though, finding new and innovative ways to taunt and torment Gotham City. At the same time, the role of the Joker has become one of the most coveted gigs in Hollywood, as every actor dreams of playing the iconic villain and leaving their mark on his colorful legacy. Of course, not all Joker's are created equal, but both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger solidify a high spot for Batman's nemesis.

There are tyrants, then there is Sauron. Discontent with just ruling Mordor, he wants dominion of the whole of Middle-earth. To do so, he needs to regain the One Ring, which everyone seems to misplace in "The Lord of the Rings" for some odd reason. Sauron, though, isn't just a bad guy — he's the closest thing to pure evil that exists. Cruelty, death, and enslavement are merely weekend hobbies for this entity who's able to take many forms and seemingly sees all like Big Brother or the tracking cookies on social media.

It doesn't take just one lone hero to defeat Sauron, but an entire fellowship (of the ring) working together to destroy this darn piece of jewelry. The Dark Lord never makes it easy — quite the opposite, actually — because he has many lieutenants and secret spies doing his handiwork throughout Middle-earth, all as he watches from his fiery eye on top of a dark tower. From the Nazgûl to Orcs, he still attracts a legion of loyal disciples who will follow him until the bitter end, despite him being a despicable villain who would slaughter them all in a heartbeat.

Don't be fooled by Count Dracula's appeal to your romantic soul. While he claims to do everything in the name of love, this immortal bloodsucker gets a kick out of making people suffer for his own amusement. In case you forgot, this is the vampire who refused to let his three brides snack on Jonathan Harker, so he fed them a baby instead in "Bram Stoker's Dracula." Oh, and he laughed maniacally the whole time while they feasted on the infant.

Dracula is also incredibly selfish. He's a living, breathing Taylor Swift song, because he doesn't respect the sanctity of relationships. Using his powers to entrance, he'll come for everyone's girl and leave a trail of heartbreak wherever he goes.

If that isn't all, he's able to shapeshift into other creatures like a bat or wolf. So, not only do you need to watch out for his human form's fangs coming for you, but you should also lock your windows and grab some tick and flea powder. What a pain in the neck!

What's the key to any great villain? A compelling backstory. For Darth Vader, it's about how he transforms from the young Jedi Anakin Skywalker into the ruthless Sith Lord in "Star Wars." Vader's narrative arc offers him redemption at the end, but ultimately costs him his life. That being said, are we about to ignore how he killed younglings, struck down his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi, cut off his son Luke's hand, and proved to be nothing short of a menace to a galaxy far, far away?

Vader might have died a hero, but oh boy, this cyborg didn't know the meaning of the word mercy in his heyday. He could have his own collection of brutal moments in "Star Wars" for heaven's sake! Sure, blame Emperor Palpatine's influence and the allure of the dark side all you want, though Vader didn't exactly mind Force choking people and letting his lightsaber do the slicing and dicing for him. He made a whole galaxy fear him, while legends of his infamous exploits continue to be told, so for that reason alone he's the best movie villain of all time.