Summary

• Some movie villains can become more captivating and interesting than the hero, such as the Joker in The Dark Knight and the Green Goblin in Spider-Man.
• Villains with mysterious backstories and intriguing motivations can create anticipation and excitement among viewers, like Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.
• A great movie villain can elevate the overall quality of a film and leave a lasting impression, such as Norman Bates in Psycho and Nurse Ratchet in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Despite movie's general focus on the aims and ambitions of their lead protagonist, there were some films where the villain ended up being the most engaging character and sured the hero in of audience interest. While movie narratives need to focus on the hero’s journey, there are certain films where viewers are eagerly awaiting the villain's return to the screen and excited to learn more about their motivations and goals. A truly great movie villain can become the best thing about a film and actually end up as far better character than the hero.

There are certain villains that add depth to the hero’s story, such as the Joker for Batman, and, as a result, become even more interesting than the main protagonist. Other villains have such a mysterious and intriguing backstory that audiences can’t help but wonder what their motivations are and look forward to learning more about them as the movie progresses. Movie villains are a central part of the narrative heft of many stories, and sometimes the villain can be far better than the other characters.

10 The Dark Knight (2008)

The Joker was a more exciting villain than Batman was a hero

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was often ranked as the best superhero movie of all time and that was largely due to Heath Ledger’s incredible performance as the Joker. For the entire duration of The Dark Knight every time the action focused on Batman or the rest of the cast, viewers could not help but excitedly wait for the move to cut back to the Joker to witness his sinister and unmatched devious nature. Ledger received widespread acclaim for his performance and was posthumously awarded the Academy Award for Best ing Actor for his role.

9 Spider-Man (2002)

The Green Goblin was the most compelling villain Spider-Man ever faced

Sam Rami’s Spider-Man helped revitalize the superhero genre and introduced a whole new audience to the web-slinging teenager Peter Parker. However, it was the character of the Green Goblin, expertly played by Willem Dafoe, that truly shined in Spider-Man’s origin story. Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, was an insanely watchable villain with a deranged split personality. The incredible versatility of Dafoe as an actor, coupled with the compelling nature of the character, meant that his portrayal struck a chord with audiences and even contributed to Norman Osborn's online presence as a meme.

8 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Dr. Hannibal Lecter transcended his limited screen time to become the most memorable thing about The Silence of the Lambs

Anthony Hopkins won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Despite only appearing onscreen for just 16 minutes, the deeply cunning and sinister character was the most engaging thing about the already excellent The Silence of the Lambs. Despite the compelling characters of Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling and Ted Levine’s Buffalo Bill, Hannibal Lecter would not only be the most memorable thing about the movie, but would go down as one of the most iconic villains in the history of cinema.

7 Psycho (1960)

Norman Bates was so compelling that he overtook Psycho’s protagonist as the main character

Despite the narrative of Psycho originally focusing on the real estate secretary Marion Crane, the Alfred Hitchcock movie quickly shifted focus to the owner of the Bates Motel, Norman Bates, after she was shockingly killed in the shower. While at first Norman appeared quiet and reserved, he exuded creepy vibes, and it was obvious from the get-go that he was a troubled character. When Psycho was released in 1960 it was a major success, due in no small part to Anthony Perkins's iconic portrayal of Norman, who would go on to appear as the character in numerous sequels.

6 One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Nurse Ratched’s sinister nature was just about the only thing that could compete with the cunning hospital patient R.P. McMurphy

While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was commonly praised for Jack Nicholson’s incredible performance as R.P. McMurphy, the real star was the sinister villain Nurse Mildred Ratched. A cold and heartless tyrant, Nurse Ratched took perverse pleasure in the power she held over the patients in her psychiatric hospital, with a ion for humiliation and a tendency to exert control over medication and patient privileges. Without Nurse Ratched, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest would have no conflict at all. Louise Fletcher won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her incredible performance in the film.

5 Gone Girl (2014)

Amy Dunne was insanely watchable in Gone Girl and stands as one of cinema’s best villains

While at first the character of Amy Dunne appeared to be a lost, helpless, missing wife, the reveal that she was instrumental in her disappearance was a twist of epic proportions that cast her as the cunning villain of Gone Girl. With a compelling performance by Rosamund Pike, Amy’s character was a force to be reckoned with and her “cool girl” speech was one of the most underrated movie monologues. Gone Girl was a fantastic psychological thriller by David Fincher, and Amy was the best thing about it.

4 Inglourious Basterds (2009)

SS Colonel Hans Landa was the best character in Inglourious Basterds from its very first scene

From the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds it was obvious that the Nazi SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa was going to go down as one of cinema’s best villains. With an insanely charismatic performance by Christoph Waltz, Landa provided a highly suspenseful and impactful opening scene as he interrogated the French farmer suspected of hiding a Jewish family, this was a nail-bitingly tense moment that audiences everything they needed to know about the character. While Brad Pitt and Mélanie Laurent gave compelling performances in Inglourious Basterds, Lando remained the most memorable part of the film.

3 No Country For Old Men (2007)

Anton Chigurh was a chilling character whose presence contributed to the tension of No Country for Old Men

As the antagonist in No Country for Old Men, Anton Chigurh managed to stand apart as the most compelling thing about the acclaimed Coen brothers movie. Devoid of conscience, remorse, or comion, Chigurh was a psychopathic killer who allowed destiny to guide his most sinister actions. As an unstoppable evil, Chigurh, and Javier Bardem’s performance as the character, received widespread acclaim and was an essential aspect of the neo-Western aesthetic of No Country for Old Men and Bardem won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal.

2 Black Panther (2018)

Killmonger was a more interesting villain than Black Panther was a hero

The complex motivations of Killmonger in Black Panther made him stand out as a villain who was even more compelling than the movie’s lead hero. With a tragic backstory and motivations that were rooted in real-world issues of oppressed people and minority repression, Killmonger as a character amounted to far more than a generic Marvel villain. Paring these qualities with Michael B. Jordan’s powerful portrayal, and Killmonger stood as an insightful, charismatic villain whose ideological conflict with the T’Challa made for a story that actually felt like it had something to say.

1 Se7en (1997)

The meticulous planning of John Doe made him a far more interesting character than the detectives in Se7en

The hidden identity and unknown intentions of John Doe for the majority of the runtime of David Fincher’s Se7ven meant that he was shrouded in mystery and more interesting than the movie’s lead detectives. However, when the moralistic motivations of John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, were revealed, he only became more engaging as his punishment for what he perceived as society's sins felt like a shocking and ominous conclusion. The head-in-a-box ending of Se7en was a dark and disturbing twist that solidified John Doe as the movie’s most interesting, albeit disturbed, character.