It is always fun to cheer on the heroes as they battle for victory, but it can be even more fun to focus on the villains of a story. 2021 offered many great bad guys for audiences to cheer against while also being entertained by, with some of them leaving a bigger impact than the movie heroes.
Some of these villains were complex characters whose nasty behavior were grounded in something sympathetic. Others were terrifying embodiments of evil. Whether supervillains who could destroy the world or unsettling human antagonists, these movie villains made an impression in 2021.
Jack And Patrick - Those Who Wish Me Dead
While Those Who Wish Me Dead was a fairly overlooked thriller from earlier in the year, it was an entertaining and gripping adult adventure worth checking out. Angelina Jolie stars as a firefighter amidst a forest fire, protecting a young boy from a pair of hitmen.
Nicholas Hoult and Aidan Gillen star as the hitmen, Jack and Patrick. What makes them so unsettling as villains are how effective and calculating they are. They view this simply as a job they need to finish and don't pause for a moment when terrible things are needed to be done.
Carnage - Venom: Let There Be Carnage
As soon as Venom was brought to the big screen in his first solo movie, fans were eagerly awaiting the arrival of his most famous foe, Carnage. After teasing Woody Harrelson's role as Cletus Cassidy, Venom: Let There Be Carnage unleashes the destructive red symbiote in epic fashion.
It is true that the PG-13 rating for the movie noticeably dampens the sadistic nature of the character and he is a less fun character compared to Venom, however, it is a thrill to see the iconic villain on the big screen for the first time.
Michael Myers - Halloween Kills
Michael Myers is one of the most legendary movie villains of all time so perhaps it's not surprising for him to stand out in any year. However, his appearance in Halloween Kills is the most intimidating and brutal he has ever been in his long-running franchise.
The movie maintains Michael's emotionless and relentless rampage of death in a terrifying way. He is a force of nature who carries out some shocking kills throughout the movie and hints that there is something more to the character than fans might have initially thought.
Sub Zero - Mortal Kombat
The latest adaptation of Mortal Kombat featured a lot of nasty villainous warriors to battle the heroes, but fans were particularly excited to see Sub-Zero as the main bad guy. The iconic ninja with freezing abilities made for a badass antagonist and his powers were put to great effect.
Sub-Zero was made to be a ruthless killer who seemed to be an unstoppable force. His rivalry with Scorpion was particularly fun to explore and made for some of the best fight sequences in the movie.
Ikaris - Eternals
Though Ikaris initially seemed like the hero who would be leading the Eternals, he proved to be a much more complex character than the MCU's answer to Superman. Ikaris is a dedicated soldier to the Eternal's mission, even if it means the destruction of the planet.
While the evil Superman trope has been overdone at this point, Ikaris is a much more complicated villain than that. He has valid points and his decisions are grounded in relatable struggles, but his ultimate betrayal of his Eternals family makes him a heartbreaking antagonist.
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen - Dune
In of the most grotesque villain of the year, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen wins the title with ease. He is a scheming and nefarious former ruler of the sand planet known as Dune who seeks to overthrow the current rulers through treachery.
Harkonnen's disgusting appearance mirrors his immorality as he orders the destruction of his rivals with no mercy and is filled with greed. He establishes himself as a truly detestable monster who fans will surely continue to hate in Dune: Part 2.
Phil Burbank - The Power Of The Dog
The same year Benedict Cumberbatch played the superhero Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he also delivered one of 2021's most intense characters as Phil in The Power of the Dog. Phil is a cowboy who prefers the world of the trail more than anything.
But it is not just that Phil is a hard person to like, he is an actively despicable person who mentally tortures his brother's new wife simply for invading his life. Phil has layers he hides down deep and a suggested soft side, but his abusive treatment of those around him makes the type of villain that is recognizable as a realistic antagonist.
Lyutsifer Safin - No Time To Die
There is a long list of iconic James Bond villains, so it is a challenge for new characters to make a lasting impact on the franchise. However, Safin was a suitably creepy and formidable foe for 007 in Daniel Craig's last outing in the series.
Safin feels like a haunting presence hanging over the movie and it makes it all the more effective when he starts to make his bigger moves. He is a quiet and calculating villain who manages to attack Bond in ways no other villains have which will likely cement him as a memorable adversary in the 007 series.
Rufus Buck - The Harder They Fall
The Netflix Western The Harder They Fall features an amazing all-star cast, but it is Idris Elba who steals the entire movie as Rufus Buck. Though the movie is filled with characters who are fast and deadly with a gun, Buck is more intimidating with his silence.
He is a more complicated villain than audiences might expect from his ruthless introduction into the story. He has motivations that are understandable and even irable but is also willing to kill innocent people in cold blood to see his vision realized.
Xu Wenwu - Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
The Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3 remains one of the most controversial moments in the MCU. However, the character was given a proper introduction and was redefined in Shang-Chi, quickly becoming one of the most complex and compelling villains Marvel has brought to the big screen.
Tony Leung gives a commanding performance in the role that makes Wenwu sympathetic, imposing, ruthless and layered. Not only did he make for a compelling character in the story, but he also made Shang-Chi a more complex character in his MCU debut.
