Some bad guys just want to watch the universe burn.

Villains and Bad Guys

Villains

A protagonist is only as memorable as their antagonist. But what about the man behind the man? Some of the most legendary film villains of all time were actually just the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/useless-stupid-henchmen/erin-cody" target="_blank">henchmen</a> of bigger bads above them.

Darth Vader? Created by,&nbsp;and subservient to,&nbsp;Emperor Palatine. Hans Landa? Psh, that guy works for&nbsp;the worst human being&nbsp;of all time. Loki? He was spurred into action (and eventually slain by) Thanos! Sometimes our favorite and most memorable antagonists are just following the orders of the people above them. That isn&#39;t to excuse their awful actions, of course...

Remember to vote up your favorites.

12 Major Movie Villains Who Are Actually Just Middlemen

Fictional Character

T.W. Mitchell

Twitter

“Who's one of the best acted supporting villains in film or TV?” - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/MichaelMatteoRo">@MichaelMatteoRo</a>Over on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/lb2bg/status/1652499665919565824">Twitter</a>, film fans and TV aficionados are sharing their favorite secondary bad guys and supporting villains who might not be the big bad, but steal the show due to their stage presence, acting chops, and creepiness. From evil androids to awful henchmen, here are but a few supporting villains who might not be the main villain, but end up stealing the show. Please vote up your favorite.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-hatable-secondary-antagonists/williamsbrianjake">Secondary Villains Who You Hate Even More Than The Big Bads &gt;&gt;</a>

Film And TV Fans Share The Best Supporting Villains Who Completely Stole The Show

General

Damon Davis

Looking at the plans & plots of bad guys & gals.

Dastardly Deeds

Everyone loves a bad guy. Well, until they get boring. There&#39;s nothing worse than watching one of your favorite shows or movies and coming to the conclusion that you just can&#39;t stand seeing the baddie anymore. It rarely has anything to do with the actor;&nbsp;they&#39;re just trying to make the screenplay work. More often than not, villains who&#39;ve worn out their welcome are a product of filmmakers getting away from what was good about the character in the first place.

Villain fatigue occurs when someone like Emperor Palpatine, Freddy Krueger, or Lex Luthor keeps coming back even after they&#39;ve been defeated. They don&#39;t change or grow, they just keep trying to take over the galaxy/get revenge on the children of Elm Street/stop Superman, and their attempts at evil grow more outlandish with every iteration.

All of the following villains are great in their initial outings - it&#39;s just that they all stayed at the party for a little too long. Remember to vote up the villains that stuck around a bit too long.

13 Villains Who Completely Wore Out Their Welcome

Jacob Shelton

Sometime in movies or TV shows, the person we're supposed to think is the villain isn't truly the villain. The real villain could actually be an unlikable character or someone who was just causing chaos. Fans on Twitter shared their opinions on who the villains vs. real villains are from these pop culture classics. Vote up the ones you agree with.

22 Pop Culture Classics Where The Real Villain Isn't Who We Thought

lucirose

Exposing all the weird, expensive, political, ego-driven stuff that happens behind the scenes before and after films and TV series hit the screens.

That's Showbiz, Baby

Entertainment

Imagine Will Smith as Neo from The Matrix or Gwyneth Paltrow as Rose from Titanic. Seeing all the&nbsp;stars who <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/roles-other-actors-were-supposed-to-play/lina-lecaro">turned down legendary roles</a>&nbsp;proves that even the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/actors-who-turned-down-roles-for-weird-reasons/anncasano">most successful actors made glaring errors</a> on the way up.&nbsp;All of these actors have still had great careers, but that doesn’t mean that <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/stars-who-passed-on-iconic-hollywood-roles/marc-cuenco">every professional decision</a> has been a home run.Martin Scorsese was just a fast-talking unknown director when he approached Dustin Hoffman about playing Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Leonardo DiCaprio was already signed on to play Jack in Titanic when not-yet-an-auteur Paul Thomas Anderson wanted him for Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights.&nbsp;Find out the other celebrities who regret turning down <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/stories-about-movie-roles-that-got-away/tyler-mitchell">roles that got away</a>. Maybe DiCaprio playing an adult film star would have changed his entire career trajectory? Perhaps, if Paltrow had taken the role of Rose in Titanic, the chemistry would have been less palpable between Rose and Jack?&nbsp;Who knows?&nbsp;Cinephiles can only speculate.

Huge Movie Roles Actors Regret Turning Down

Actor

Ann Casano

Looking closer at action & adventures characters who only work out when the cameras are off.

Action Heroes & Villains

<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/minor-movie-character-death-scenes/mike-mcgranaghan" target="_blank">Minor movie character deaths</a> can be so much more affecting than audiences expect, especially if the characters go out helping the heroes save the day. Redshirts, those side characters who are marked for death before the first act is even finished, tend to be get bounced out of a movie with neither pomp nor circumstance, but in some cases, even the demises of these foot soldiers can be important.

You can slice action films into as many subgenres as you want, but they all have one thing in common: redshirts. If there&#39;s some kind of skirmish in whatever movie you&#39;re watching, you can guarantee that some character with one or two lines is going to bite the big one at a climactic moment.

None of the redshirts here are major characters, even if they&#39;re played by well-known actors (hello, Hudson and Agent Coulson), but they all make an impact with their deaths that audiences are still talking about to this day.

14 Redshirts In Action Movies Who Help The Heroes And Then Quickly Die

Audiences love to watch bad characters conduct their evil business almost as much as we love to watch them be defeated, which is why villains are often the most <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movie-villains-of-all-time">popular characters</a>. Though there are great foes throughout all eras of film, some of the greatest villains come from otherwise forgotten <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-2000s-lifetime-movies/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">movies of the early 2000s</a> such as Hollow Man and Hannibal. For some of these movies, the main plot is nothing special, while the villain is what viewers remember years later.&nbsp;There are many ingredients that create a fantastic antagonist, such as dastardly monologues, dark superpowers, or a deceitful plans to take over the world. Most important of all is the performance. In the hands of the right actor, any villain can reach legend status. Thanks to memorable performances from hardworking actors, this list explores the best villains from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/underrated-movies-of-2000s/zach-seemayer">underappreciated 2000s films</a>.

Great Villains In Forgotten 2000s Movies

Film character

Forgotten 2000s Movie Villains

Sergio Pereira

Fun facts, fan theories, and rankings of Disney's most memorable human and creature characters.

The Characters of Disney

Disney

While the hero’s journey in a Disney or Pixar movie is generally the most important part of a film, a good sidekick is a close second. These lovable characters are always by their hero’s side and often influence their actions and decisions. If anything, they deserve just as much attention.&nbsp;Due to love of these side characters, fans create <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/disney-sidekick-fan-theories/charlie-boyle">theories</a> or find <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/fans-are-pointing-out-things-they-noticed-about-disney-sidekicks/blue-velvet">new details</a> they never noticed before with each rewatch. Many of our favorite sidekicks - from furry friends or inanimate objects <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-about-books-coming-to-life/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">coming to life</a> to humans with an extra zing in their soul - can even be more charismatic than the Disney protagonist themselves! So, grab a screen and turn your attention to the real stars of our favorite Disney and Pixar movies.

17 Disney Sidekicks More Charismatic Than The Main Characters

Disney Sidekicks More Charismatic Than The Main Characters

Rebecca Williamson

Are you the "horror person" on your virtual trivia team? Meet your new secret weapon: lists about everything even you don't know about movies scarier than the sound of a child's laughter in a cemetery after dark.

Horror Buff Stuff

Horror

Scream made the “rules” of the horror film famous; Cabin in the Woods saw archetypes stretching back to the beginning of storytelling. The fact is that genre stories have always traded heavily in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/horror-movie-trope-origins/orrin-grey">stereotypes and tropes</a> as shorthand, and in some ways, the “self-aware” horror that has followed on the heels of films like Scream has made these tropes even more ingrained. However, even a good cliché <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/cheap-jump-scare-horror-movie-tropes/jacob-shelton">can become overused</a>.&nbsp;These stock <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-utterly-terrifying-figures-in-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">horror movie characters</a> are ones who may have worn out their welcome, are in need of being reimagined for a more discerning audience, or should be retired altogether. Vote up the stereotypes you're most tired of seeing.

The Most Overused Character Stereotypes In Horror Movies, Ranked

Film

The Most Overused Horror Movie Character Stereotypes

Orrin Grey

Lists of famous people who have something just a little different, like physically.

Distinguishing Features

There’s seemingly a cheat code to making a character instantly appear tough, intimidating, and gritty: a shaved head. Commonly used in action films, this trick to toughen up characters is often used as a signifier to the audience that this person is ready for a fight. If they enter the story that way, it's probably a sign they're not to be trifled with; if they lose their hair mid-movie, it's usually representative of a harsh change in the character. Long a stereotype, it has been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/guys-shaved-heads-seem-tougher-study-says-919445">proven by science</a> that bald people appear tougher and more intimidating than those with hair. And by comparing the typical roles of these actors to those they play with a shaved head, it becomes glaringly obvious that the simple trick is an effective one.&nbsp;However, this shortcut — not a shaved head pun —&nbsp;isn’t only a method of displaying a character's grit, but can also be used as a tool to separate preconceived notions one might have about a character due to the actor portraying them. Once you become a movie star, it gets difficult to separate the face from the name. Whether they typically play the goofy hot guy or the pretty teen star, the last thing an actor wants is to not be taken seriously. Sometimes, when the role permits, the best thing an actor can do is release themselves from those previous bonds and make themselves unrecognizable. Sometimes that means losing or gaining weight or donning a wig and makeup - but when they choose to depart with their hair, it often gives us a new screen presence entirely.

15 Times A Shaved Head Made A Movie Character Instantly Level Up

Times A Shaved Head Gave A Movie Character An Instant Bad-To-The-Bone Makeover

Griffin Peters

Guile. Ruse. Deception. Qualities or "tools of the trade" most commonly associated with the "bad guys," from the cloaked villains who strike from the shadows to the manicured sociopaths lurking amongst us. While it's romantic to think that the "good guys" always wear lily-white hats and wear their virtues on their sleeves, sometimes the heroes have to get creative to defeat the villains. One of the best – <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-about-undercover-cops/ranker-film">and most dramatic </a>– ways for heroes to gain an advantage is to go <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movie-characters-who-go-undercover/jake-williams">undercover in the belly of the beast</a>, to convince the bad guys they are one of them so they can take them down from within.Unfortunately, effective undercover operations are difficult to set up and not all movie heroes have the luxury of time to infiltrate the enemy from within. Still, sometimes just walking, talking, and looking like the enemy is often enough for the hero to achieve a short-term goal (i.e., progress the plot). All of the heroes represented here fly the straight and narrow, but don "black hats" to confuse, surprise, or evade the villains - and, ultimately, defeat them.

13 Times The Hero Has To Go Undercover As One Of The Bad Guys

Movies Where The Hero Goes Undercover As One Of The Bad Guys

Brent Sprecher

Ranking comic book characters by their powers, strength, physical traits, affiliations, and other features, like how just goshdarn super they are.

Heroes and Villains

The trope of a good character&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-wrongfully-accused-movies/mike-mcgranaghan">being wrongfully accused </a>is common in movies and TV shows. Even some of the most upstanding protagonists like Captain America and Paddington Bear aren’t immune to being framed for crimes they didn’t commit. Sometimes the act is&nbsp;a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movie-sidekicks-who-betray-the-hero/williamsbrianjake">betrayal by someone close to the hero</a>, while other times it's done by a villain carrying a grudge.It never seems to matter just how much good the characters have done before, or how loved they are by the people around them - or even the whole nation. These upstanding citizens get a raw deal and often have to go through quite an ordeal just to clear their names.

16 Movie Heroes Who Were Framed Despite Years Of Doing Good

Movie Characters Who Got Framed

Sean Migalla

Looking through our fingers and ranking the best, scariest, dumbest, etc. characters in classic, creative, and totally forgettable horror movies.

Night Terrors

Graveyard Shift

Imaginary friends can seem playful and sweet, and many consider them a special part of being a child; however, in these genre films, the imaginary friends featured are not so innocent.Some of these cinematic imaginary friends are murderous, while others are ghostly but actually helpful. Regardless of their intentions, all of these imaginary friends are creepy enough to unsettle even the most hardened of genre fans.

12 Imaginary Pals Who Were More Fiend Than Friend

Scary Imaginary Friends From Dark Movies

Jon Mendelsohn

Sometimes, a villain is so good, they haunt our dreams - or our favorite sitcoms. Horror icons have popped up in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/cameos-from-horror-icons/ashley-gale">many surprising places</a> throughout the years: Nike commercials, Daffy Duck cartoons, or even a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scooby-doo-cameos-in-movies-and-shows/josh-buono">dumb stoner comedy</a>.Getting the original actor to reprise their role is just the cherry on top of the cameo sundae. Vote up your favorites below.

Horror Icons Appearing In Surprising Places

Surprising Cameos By Horror Icons

Josh Buono

Social Media & Texts

Unfortunately, not every movie character is lucky enough to become a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-tv-characters-of-all-time">fan favorite</a>. Here are some of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/actors-hated-because-of-their-villain-characters/karen-fratti">unlucky movie characters</a> fans just can't help but dislike. Vote up the most hate-worthy movie characters!

16 Of The Worst Movie Characters That Fans Just Love To Hate On

M. Garcia

When trying to surprise the audience in a movie, filmmakers will often&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-with-twist-endings/anncasano">rely on plot twists to help them</a> do so. These twists often reveal shocking, previously unknown information about characters, or hidden motivations they might have. One common twist is the sudden revelation that a character is more powerful than they let on.While&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/pointless-movie-plot-twists/mike-mcgranaghan">some types of plot twists fall totally flat</a>, the reveal that a seemingly weak or ordinary character is actually super powerful usually has a big impact on the film. Sometimes, this twist is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/twist-villain-reveals-tv/adina-kruskal">combined with a villain reveal</a> to increase the shock factor. Other times, it might reveal that a hero has some additional reserve of power that can be used to get them out of a tight spot.Whether they turn out to be good or bad, these surprisingly powerful characters have a big impact on the plot of the film going forward.

13 Movie Characters Who Turn Out To Be Surprisingly Powerful

Movie Characters Who Turn Out To Be Surprisingly Powerful

Movie character lists: Best & worst film characters, etc.

Film character lists on Ranker

The Best Film Lists - Find or Make a Film Characters List  | Ranker  | Ranker - A World of Lists

Film Characters

Scar

Ursula

Maleficent

Aragorn

Gandalf

Samwise Gamgee

Looking closer at the Lord of the Rings trilogy books and movies, The Hobbit, and everything else in J. R. R. Tolkien's beloved universe.

Welcome to Middle-earth

Best Characters

The best characters from The <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/small-mistakes-in-lord-of-the-rings/tpetersccc?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Lord of the Rings</a> universe including all book and movies as well as The Hobbit&nbsp;film trilogy. These are all the best Lord of the Rings&nbsp;main characters (and minor ones as well), here for you to vote on and add to. Some of the best characters in literature and cinema have come from the adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien&#39;s books, and now you can vote on them.

The best LOTR characters are a mix of heroic warriors, tragic heroes, and classic villains all brought together in the struggle that ensues as good seeks to triumph over evil. Whether you&#39;re a fan of the J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings&nbsp;books, or a new fan of Peter Jackson&#39;s Lord of the Rings trilogy or the newer The Hobbit films, this is the place to voice your opinion on who you think the greatest Lord of the Rings characters are -- be they human, dwarf, elf, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-hobbits/eric-vega" target="_blank">or hobbit. Especially hobbit.</a>

Make sure to vote up your favorite Lord of the Rings characters, and add any of the greatest LOTR characters that we might have missed. From your favorite famous character from Lord of the Rings, to the more minor, but still great characters (some of which have awesome names), vote up&nbsp;all the best on this LOTR character list.

And if you&#39;re a fan of Tolkien&#39;s style of writing, make sure to check out the rest of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-fantasy-authors?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best fantasy writers</a>.

Gollum

The 50+ Best 'Lord Of The Rings' Characters

Best 'Lord of the Rings' Characters | LOTR Character List

Ranker Community

Lists about the $92 billion multi mass media entertainment conglomerate and its many, many properties.

The Wonderful World of Disney

Lists about the conniving, most evil, most despicably selfish villains in Disney history.

Can You Say Dastardly?

Who is the greatest animated Disney villain? Everyone, it seems, has a favorite. Over the decades, Disney movies have given moviegoers some of the most dastardly (and, as with so many movie villains, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-stylish-villains-2010s/erin-cody">immaculately dressed</a>) villains in cinema history. And now, thanks to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/1217251/707629/9358?subid1=601734&amp;subid2=Disney%2B&amp;subid3=comlink&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F">magic of Disney+</a>, you can go back and rewatch these classic villains doing all kinds of villainous things again and again. They may be animated, but that doesn't mean they aren't, well, mean! This list includes some of the best <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/all-disney-villains-list-of-all-disney-enemies/all-enemies-and-supervillains">Disney movie villains</a> ever but are specifically villians in animated movies, so be sure to vote for your favorites, vote down the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/disney-villains-evil-plans-ranked-stupid/jessica-bedewi">villains you don't think are worthy</a> of the top spots, and add any disney villains who are missing. If you're thinking of your favourite Disney bad guys from television, hop on over to vote on the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/disney-cartoon-villains-on-disney-plus/molly-gander">Disney aninmated series with the best villains</a>.Vote: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-disney-princesses">The Best Disney Princesses</a>Disney villains come in many forms. Some, like the evil sorcerer Jafar ('Aladdin') and the "Mistress of All Evil,' Maleficent ('Sleeping Beauty'), have magical powers that allow them to wreak havoc on their poor, unsuspecting victims. Great Walt Disney movie villains may also be "regular" people who are simply bad apples.Speaking of bad apples, Queen Grimhilde, from Disney's classic 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' didn't necessarily have magical powers, but she was cruel beyond measure to Snow White, and a schemer of the highest order. Certainly, the same could be said of the horrible, no good Cruella de Vil from Disney's '101 Dalmatians.'Rank: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movie-villains-of-all-time">The Best Movie Villains of All Time</a>Some of the best Disney movie villains aren't even human. Examples? How about the evil python Kaa from 'The Jungle Book'? And without question Scar, the power hungry, sinister baby brother of Mufasa in 'The Lion King' is worthy of a spot on this list. Finally, last but certainly not least, the Big Bad Wolf from Walt Disney's 'Three Little Pigs' is a menacing character.Which Disney film villain is your favorite?