One of Hollywood's strangest trends is villains drinking milk in their respective films and series, and there are more than audiences might realize. There have been plenty of trends in filmmaking over the past century, but villains who drink milk could be the weirdest one of all, and one of the most consistent over decades. Moreover, the list of milk-drinking bad guys includes some of the most sinister villains ever to grace the silver screen.
Exactly why these villains are found drinking milk probably depends on the individual film. In some cases, it may be the idea of milk representing purity and youth and the beverage is used in contrast to the villain drinking it. It can also be used in more specific ways, depending on the scenario. Milk, however, almost always has something to do with youth and purity, which makes pairing it with a villain all the more interesting. Here are ten milk-drinking antagonists to consider.
10 Alex In A Clockwork Orange
One of the best and earliest examples of a bad guy drinking milk comes in the 1971 dystopian crime film, A Clockwork Orange. The film follows the story of a twisted delinquent, Alex, as he undergoes psychological experiments after being imprisoned for a number of heinous violent crimes. Alex and his gang of thugs, droogs as he calls them, famously drink drugged milk before going on a crime spree at the beginning of the film. In this case, milk is most likely meant to represent the helplessness of individuals under a totalitarian government that is willing to impose "goodness" against one's will.
9 Anton Chigurh In No Country For Old Men
Anton Chigurh is the main antagonist in No Country For Old Men, and is one of the scariest villains ever to hit the big screen. Chigurh spends the film hunting down a welder named Llewelyn Moss, who finds a suitcase stuffed with $2 million in cash at the beginning of the film. In one of the movie's most chilling scenes, Chigurh drinks from a bottle of milk as he stares at his reflection.
It's difficult to say exactly what the milk represents in this case. It is probably linked to Chigurh's attempts to distance himself from his crimes by leaving his decision to kill certain characters up to the toss of a coin, thereby deflecting the blame onto fate. His inability to accept the ethical implications of his decisions could be related to a certain youthful ignorance that seems incongruous with such a violently confident character. Drinking milk while looking at his reflection could be meant to imply a level of childishness in a terrifying man who refuses to accept his own agency.
8 Hans Landa In Inglorious Basterds
Another terrifying villain known for drinking milk is Hans Landa from Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. Inglorious Basterds is an alternate history that follows plots from within Nazi to kill the Nazi leadership. Landa is a Nazi Colonel tasked with hunting down the conspirators. Colonel Landa drinks milk in the film's opening scene while interrogating a family of dairy farmers who are hiding Jews under their floorboards. Landa lets the girl from the family go and runs into her later in the film, pointedly ordering her a glass of milk. The milk shows her that he recognizes her, playing into the power dynamic his character creates.
7 Homelander In The Boys
Homelander from Amazon Prime's The Boys, is another good example of a villain drinking milk. Homelander is somewhat of an anti-Superman who has been a chemically enhanced "supe" since his childhood. Homelander drinks milk on several ominous occasions, representing his stunted emotional growth. As someone who grew up a superhero without a family, he is childish and self-obsessed in many ways. His milk consumption represents his desperate need to feel mothered, the self-infantilization a manifestation of him being denied a real childhood or any maternal love. Homelander is very much a twisted child in a superhero's body.
6 Alexander Pierce In Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The milk-drinking villain trope has also made its way into the MCU by way of Alexander Pierce, the main antagonist in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Pierce is secretly the head of Hydra, a group of villains leftover from Nazi . The film reveals that Pierce and others have reformed Hydra from within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ranks. The milk-drinking villain trope was well-established by the time Winter Soldier came out. Pierce's milk consumption could simply be meant to emphasize the surprising reveal of his villainy, the purity of the drink contrasting with the reveal that the was working with the Winter Soldier.
5 Rose Armitage In Get Out
Get Out follows the story of Chris Washington, a Black photographer, going to meet his White girlfriend's family. Rose, Chris' girlfriend, turns out to be part of her family's psychotic attempts to hypnotize and enslave Black men. Rose drinks milk during the film to represent her emotionally stunted mindset. Milk is often used to represent youth, so this is also likely meant to emphasize Rose's teenage mentality. Jordan Peele, the movie's writer and director, has also described milk as "creepy", which is probably part of it as well. Moreover, milk is sometimes used as a symbol of White supremacy, which could further for its presence in Get Out.
4 Adam Sutler In V For Vendetta
V for Vendetta is a dystopian film about an authoritarian government ruling Britain. Adam Sutler is the High Chancellor of the regime and discusses how he has had a glass of milk every day since he was a boy. The milk in this case could be suggesting a level of youth in Sutler or perhaps playing on his lack of purity. It could also simply be a symbol meant to emphasize Sutler's villainous qualities.
3 Ash In Alien
Science Officer Ash in the 1979 classic, Alien, is another example of a bad guy drinking milk. In this case, the milk is hiding the fact that Ash is actually an android. The milk he drinks is evidently keeping him alive, somehow contributing to the functioning of his robotic innards. Milk is a strongly nourishing substance, so it makes sense to use it in this way. It also provides an early clue that Ash is not who he pretends to be in Alien.
2 Rebus And Walter In Westworld
HBO's Westworld also uses some strong villainous symbolism with milk in the case of Rebus and Walter. The two of them are shown on multiple occasions pouring milk on their victims. This one is a bit different because they are pouring their milk out, but it is intended similarly to the other films and shows on this list. Rebus and Walter pouring milk on bodies represents a loss of innocence or purity. The milk is a way of showing what their crimes have done to them. They have emptied themselves of purity and innocence, pouring out their milk, by murdering people.
1 Thomas Reynolds In Enemy Of The State
Corrupt NSA agent Thomas Reynolds, the main antagonist in the 1998 film, Enemy of the State, is also shown drinking milk. Reynolds crafts a thorough conspiracy in order to a piece of legislation that would dramatically increase surveillance powers for the US government over its citizens. Reynolds drinking milk emphasizes his status as a villain, and represents the way he makes bad intentions seem pure.
