The Greatest Movie Villains Of All Time

Over 106.7K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Greatest Movie Villains Of All Time

It seems every year, new iconic villains are coming out of the woodwork. While some of us tend to despise movie villains, plenty of movie-goers favor some of these antagonists. Whether that's due to a cool accent, an over-the-top performance, or an intimidating disposition, some villains just stand out - and redefine the actors playing them. For instance, who doesn't have some type of fondness for Hannibal Lecter? How about the evil Darth Vader for that matter? Who are the greatest villains of all time? These movie bad guys are the scourge of the movie universe - and that's to say nothing of their loyal, powerful henchmen - and you can now vote on the meanest villain ever to appear on film.

These are the greatest, most vile movie characters we love to hate (or even laugh at) ranked by the wisdom of the crowd, which makes this ranking an accurate, real-time reflection of the crowd's collective opinion.

Photo: The Dark Knight / Warner Bros.
Ranked by
  • Joker
    1
    55,347 votes

    Whether blasting Prince from a boombox, telling stories about his scars, or dancing down stairs, the Clown Prince is always a chilling agent of chaos.

  • Darth Vader
    2
    49,932 votes

    He's a Sith Lord and a real nightmare to anyone with daddy issues.

  • Hannibal Lecter
    3
    30,926 votes

    This is the man who ruined chianti and fava beans for generations.

  • Thanos
    4
    20,936 votes

    What can we say, he's inevitable!

  • Palpatine
    5
    27,703 votes

    His hobbies are overthrowing galactic governments, building planet-destroying space stations, and watching fathers and sons fight.

  • Sauron
    6
    23,804 votes

    With his all-seeing eye, Sauron is like Santa Claus if Santa was also the source of all evil in the world.