Summary

• Fantasy movie villains have tremendous power and depth, adding to their sinister mystique and making them capable of enacting cruelty.
• Fantasy films reflect modern-day issues through allegories and relatable characters, making their villains terrifying despite being far removed from reality.
• If a fantasy film neglects the development of its villain, the conflict will feel one-sided and the stakes will fall flat.

There's something particularly evil about fantasy movie villains because their tremendous might and power within the story make them more capable of enacting their cruelty on the world. These movies are often based on the best fantasy book series, which take care to flesh out their antagonists, giving them depth and motivation, which only adds to their sinister mystique. If a fantasy film doesn't spend as much time on the villain as the hero, the stakes will fall flat as the conflict will feel one-sided.

Fantasy films are more than just tales of witches and wizards, although plenty of excellent movies in the genre incorporate magic. They're also intricate legends that reflect modern-day issues and conflicts through allegories and characters that are easy to relate to. It's a testament to the power of the genre that villains who are so far removed from reality still make the audience shiver, as though they can walk through the screen and demonstrate their evil.

If a fantasy film doesn't spend as much time on the villain as the hero, the stakes will fall flat as the conflict will feel one-sided.

10 The Witch-King Of Angmar

The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003)

Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest fantasy stories, telling the tale of the quest to destroy the One Ring. While the Witch-King might not be the main villain of the entire series, he's much more than minor, and when Gandalf (Ian McKellen) goes toe to toe with him, the Witch-King easily outmatches the powerful wizard. He is the leader of the Nazgûl, and part of what makes him so terrifying is that he allowed his humanity to be drained and torments those weaker than him in the name of the ring.

9 The White Witch

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Played by the incomparable Tilda Swinton, it's thanks to her that The White Witch is as terrifying as she is in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. While some villains make the extent of their ability clear immediately and use that as intimidation to hang on to control, some use manipulation to get what they want. The White Witch does a little of both, as the residents of Narnia bow to her will for fear of retribution, but she uses a softer touch when dealing with getting what she wants from the naive Edmund (Skandar Keynes).

It's an insidious tactic that shows how morally corrupt she is and how she would use anyone to maintain her rule over Narnia. Additionally, when comparing her to her foil, Aslan (Liam Neeson), she is almost comically terrible, as the lines between good and evil are drawn starkly within the narrative. As the tide of the war turns and she begins to feel her power draining, it only makes her more vicious, and she shows no remorse for endangering or even killing children.

8 Maleficent

Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Maleficent may have gotten a new image in the Angelina Jolie movie Maleficent, but her origins are quite different. As one of the most evil Disney villains, she'll stop at nothing to make sure the young Princess Aurora is estranged from her family and ends up worse than dead. Her sleeping curse makes Aurora fall unconscious forever, and though there is a way to break the curse, Maleficent attempts to make sure Aurora dreams her life away. Part of Maleficent's evil comes from her mystique and the commitment to cause pain and suffering whenever and however she sees fit.

Watch Sleeping Beauty on Disney+.

7 Marisa Coulter

The Golden Com (2007)

Based on the book series His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Golden Com film had Nicole Kidman play the cold and ruthless Mrs. Coulter. The recent TV series His Dark Materials is considered better than the movie, but Kidman's portrayal of Coulter drives home how horrible of a villain she is. Coulter has the classic villainous belief that all her actions are for the greater good, which leads her to perform experiments on children that essentially separate them from their souls.

When it's revealed that Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards), the hero of the film, is Coulter's daughter, it makes her ability to use children in this way even worse. Part of what makes Lyra such a great hero is her complicated backstory and the fact that she's at odds with her parents. In the same way, Coulter's evil is all the more unbelievable when she gains some sympathy from the audience as Lyra's mother. Any love she has for Lyra is ultimately overshadowed by her desire for power and control.

Watch The Golden Com on Prime Video.

6 Morgana Le Fay

Excalibur (1981)

Excalibur is a timeless adaptation of the legend of King Arthur (Nigel Terry) and Camelot, and no Arthurian legend is complete without the appearance of Morgana le Fay (Helen Mirren). Though Morgana's son, Mordred (Charley Boorman), is Arthur's ultimate antagonist, it's thanks to Morgana that he exists at all. Morgana le Fay is a complex villain who lets her hatred consume her and becomes more interested in vengeance than her own happiness. She even goes so far as to seduce Arthur through trickery, even though he is her half-brother.

5 Davy Jones

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

The legendary figure Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) is said to rule the seven seas, but in Pirates of the Caribbean, he abuses this power and punishes all the men lost to the depths of the ocean. His features have been corrupted into a human-like octopus to represent how far he has strayed from his original duties. One of his ultimate powers is control over the terrifying beast, the Kraken, which mirrors the fickle and dangerous nature of the sea. Often, the most terrifying opponents are the ones impossible to predict and control.

Watch the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise on Disney+.

4 The Lord Of Darkness

Legend (1985)

Tim Curry donned the many prosthetics it took to create the fearsome look of the Lord of Darkness in Legend. Also ed by a young Tom Cruise as the protagonist, Jack, Darkness intends to send the world into eternal night and tries to forcibly marry Princess Lili (Mia Sara). As the embodiment of the concept of darkness, he's not a villain to be trifled with, as he exists in all parts of the world and is fueled by the darkness in others. Villains like this are particularly scary and intriguing because they so closely represent the complex nature of humanity.

Watch Legend on Prime Video.

3 Sauron

The Lord of the Rings

No discussion about the cruelty of fantasy villains would be complete without mentioning Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. An ancient king whose shadow is cast over the entirety of the series, every terrible thing that happens to Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his allies is thanks to Sauron. His omnipresent evil eye that watches over Middle Earth is a bone-chilling aspect of the movie. While the One Ring leads men and other creatures to abandon their morals for power, Sauron is the only being who can wield the Ring because they both have the same goal of destruction.

2 Queen Bavmorda

Willow (1988)

Willow is a lesser-known, but cult classic, film by Ron Howard that features a fantastically evil and irredeemable villain, Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh). While children are frequently put into perilous positions in fantasy movies, Willow makes sure the audience knows that no one is safe by having Bavmorda go on a ruthless hunt to end the life of a baby girl who is prophesized to one day be her undoing. Of course, it's Bavmorda's actions that lead to her defeat much sooner than she thinks, but before she's vanquished, she does significant damage to her realm.

1 Voldemort

Harry Potter (2001 - 2011)

The Harry Potter series is just as much defined by Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as it is by Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). No matter how many times Harry faced Lord Voldemort he always escaped, but that doesn't mean that Voldemort wasn't a formidable enemy. Harry just had destiny and goodness on his side. As the series progresses, the audience discovers more about Voldemort's past and how he got to the point where he felt justified in mercilessly killing and enacting a totalitarian regime.

Voldemort is particularly insidious because he doesn't just want power for power's sake but because he is fueled by prejudice and hate for particular groups of people. This directly relates to struggles in the real world, which makes Harry Potter so relatable. Harry steps into the role of hero because it is required of him due to Voldemort's actions, which robs Harry of the life he should've had and leads to exponential loss around him.