The Biggest Villain Makeup Transformations In Sci-Fi History

Science fiction is a special genre. Real human stories are told through the lens of the fantastical. It's a style of storytelling that not only allows the audience to escape their everyday lives, but it gives filmmakers and creative teams room to experiment, flex their skills, and push the boundaries of visual possibilities. Exaggerated, often dystopian worlds are like a giant sandbox in which you can do anything and let your inspiration guide the story at hand.

Set design, costumes, hair, and makeup have proven to be essential puzzle pieces in a much larger picture. Each is as vital to the overall aesthetic and story as the script and performances. Throughout cinema history, the genre has relied on these visual effects to complement the story. Without even one, for example, makeup, the characters might be distracting, leaving the audience unable to suspend disbelief. Whether we're discussing a film's main protagonists or the otherworldly villains, makeup works in tandem with an actor's ability to sell a performance and has frequently resulted in unbelievable physical and emotional transformations.

Going back as far as the silent era and early talkies, science fiction films have boasted some true marvels in special makeup effects. It's difficult to narrow down a definitive list, but here, we celebrate 14 of the best sci-fi villain transformations. You have to see 'em to believe 'em.

The development of the 1987 sci-fi film's titular character is complicated, to say the least. Originally, Jean-Claude Van Damme was hired to play the alien creature, but a series of miscommunications lead him to believe he would be showcasing his martial arts skills on screen. But that was simply not true.

Makeup FX artist Steve Johnson first came aboard to re-conceptualize early drawings and create something that worked artistically and would be manageable during filming in Mexico. Instead of "backward-bent reptilian legs, extended arms, and a head that was out here," as Johnson described it, production opted for a red cloaking device. Needless to say, Van Damme was none too happy and early shooting days were insufferable for all involved. Two weeks later, the entire idea was scrapped, and filming shut down for a month so the monster could be entirely redesigned.

Enter Stan Winston. Upon reading the script, the artist determined the Predator needed to be "a real character, rather than a generic creature." A painting hanging in Joel Silver's office proved to be the creative inspiration he needed, and he began sketching an alien creature "with quills that in silhouette would look like dreadlocks." Upon a suggestion from Jim Cameron, Winston added the identifiable mandibles and fleshed out his drawings.

Kevin Peter Hall was then hired to take on the role. In the end, it's all for the best, as his seven-foot-four frame presents a worthy adversary to Arnold Schwarzenegger's imposing physique.

There are few film roles played by the same actor spanning decades. You can count Emperor Palpatine, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid, as one of the rare ones. He first played the iconic "Star Wars" villain in 1983's "Return of the Jedi" (the character was played by Marjorie Eaton and voiced by Clive Revill in "The Empire Strikes Back," although an edit to the film for its 2004 DVD release added McDiarmid to the scene), though the character is first mentioned in the 1977 original, albeit only as the Emperor. McDiarmid's Palpatine appears in all three trilogies at varying ages, but everyone likely knows the classic decrepit look of the character most.

Requiring a latex prosthetic, McDiarmid underwent four hours of makeup every day before filming and "two hours to get it off because they had to be very careful not to take my skin off with the latex," he explained during a panel appearance. As work continued, the process "got faster." In 2005's "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," for example, the creative team (headed by Dave Elsey and Nikki Gooley) used a different method. "It was a bit like a balaclava," he said. A balaclava is essentially hoodlike headgear that's easily worn and removed. "I thought it was good but not quite as detailed."

"The Rise of Skywalker" saw a return of more detailed makeup, borrowing elements from Nick Dudman's original ideas in the first films. Amanda Knight and Neal Scanlan approached the look by "manipulating bits of my face." In an interview with Collider, Scanlan walked through the process of using old-age stipple, prosthetic, silicon pieces (instead of foam), and sculpting "them as closely as we possibly could to what Nick had created."

The 1968 film, "Planet of the Apes" (directed by Franklin J. Schaffner), terrified audiences and changed the makeup effects game in the process. Artist John Chambers had a natural gift for taking foam and spirit gum and transforming actors into apes. Initially, Edward G. Robinson was set to take on the role of Doctor Zaius and even donned makeup for a proper screen test. However, health concerns over the lengthy application process forced him to back out, and Maurice Evans then came aboard.

Make-up artist Maurice Stein worked on Evans in the early days before Ken Chase took over for this particular character. Stein's commitment to capturing the beauty and expression of primates was invaluable to the process. He spent numerous days at the Los Angeles Zoo, taking photos that "helped me tremendously in the actual designing of the makeup," he said.

Three to four months were allocated for preparing designs that met all creative requirements. On any given day, the makeup took anywhere between three to four hours per actor. Co-star Roddy McDowall (Cornelius) details the entire makeup process in a 13-minute film. The look of the apes required many layers of paint, foam, and glue, as well as meticulous attention to detail by the makeup artists.

Like many actors on this list, Alice Krige endured an hours-long application process to transform into the Borg Queen for 1996's "Star Trek: First Contact." But what is most fascinating is that makeup supervisor Mike Westmore didn't determine the Queen's look until well into filming. The reason was that Westmore and his team sought out an alien look unlike anything Hollywood had ever seen. The job required research that included deep-diving into cinema history, eliminating previous looks, and cultivating a fresh look from there.

Based on early sketches, Westmore immediately plunged into crafting a head cast for a total of four headgear pieces. Each one could be used for only a few days at a time. Once the primarily foam latex pieces were in position on Krige's body, makeup artist Scott Wheeler was brought in to paint and match her skin tone.

The daily process took roughly five hours, and after each shoot, it took 45 minutes to get Krige out of the costume. "The first time I walked on the set, the actors recoiled in horror, and every time I looked in a mirror, I scared myself," Krige said at the time. Decades later, the Borg Queen remains one of the most terrifying villains in history.

Everything about 2021's "Dune" is a cinematic experience, down to the makeup and character creation. The film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, sees Donald Mowat leading the makeup department with some of the coolest effects and designs of the last 20 years. Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) has a particularly wild transformation. "I knew the Baron would be big, but it really is big," admitted Mowat in a behind-the-scenes featurette.

To create the huge bodysuit, Mowat reached out to two Swedish artists, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr. The balance between creating this imposing figure without it becoming "a caricature," as Villeneuve remarked, was most difficult. "I wanted to feel a menace of that massive human being and that weight."

Understandably, Skarsgard spent roughly eight hours a day transforming into the Baron. "He's such a frightening presence where even if he doesn't say anything, I think you'll be afraid of him," he said, adding that a bit of on-screen levitation heightens the makeup effects even further. It's probably the most transformative makeup on this list, as it also requires a full-body suit rather than singular or composite appliances.

The original 1954 "Godzilla" film is legendary for many reasons. Not only did it catapult one of the greatest sci-fi movie monsters into existence, but its use of a rubber suit for the titular creature helped solidify a new form of movie-making called suitmation.

With director Ishirō Honda at the helm, special effects creator Eiji Tsuburaya drew upon his previous work in using miniatures to create the illusion that the monster was tearing through a cityscape, distorting proportions and perceptions. Initially, the Godzilla design was meant to be far more gorilla-like, but eventually, a decision was made to meld together various dinosaurs, such as a tyrannosaurus and an iguanodon, after flipping through children's magazines.

A sculpture was first molded to bring the creature to life, and through another creative back and forth, tweaks were made. Eventually, the final model, called the "Alligator Godzilla," was created. To make the actual bodysuit, bamboo sticks and wire were used as the skeletal structure, with rubber, latex, and glue poured on to begin the outer layers. The final product allegedly weighed 220 pounds, and given the strength of performers Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka, it's no wonder they were chosen to play the part. To this day, Godzilla remains one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time.

In the script for 1951's "The Thing From Another World," James Arness' otherworldly character, The Thing, is described as an "intellectual carrot." Standing at six feet seven inches, the actor already boasted a stature that lent itself to an imposing role. Makeup supervisor Lee Greenway and director Christain Nyby had their work cut out for them.

A long makeup process certainly didn't help matters. Months of back and forth led Greenway to develop an almost Frankenstein-like headpiece made first of mortician's wax and later foam rubber. Then, a prosthetic featuring plastic veins (filled with a liquid to pulse when Arness breathed) covered most of his face and was smothered in green greasepaint. The costume also included claw-like gloves and platform shoes. An initial $10,000 makeup budget nearly doubled.

Allegedly, The Thing did not translate well when the camera was rolling, so tons of footage was cut from the film. The creature is seen very little in the theatrical release, which is a blessing in disguise since this unintentional creative choice intensifies the mystery around it. Rumors swirled that Arness loathed the role and didn't even attend the film premiere. It wasn't until 2005 that the actor set the record straight on his feelings about the film. "I was struggling to get any kind of job whatsoever, and that picture got a tremendous amount of publicity ... and got me other work afterward," he said. Regardless, when you do behold The Thing, it's still a downright terrifying image.