Wes Anderson is a filmmaker who has a talent for creating unique and unforgettable characters. While the aesthetics and voice of his films feel immediately familiar, he always manages to create characters that feel totally new and one-of-a-kind. And just as he excels at created flawed heroes, he is also good at creating complex villains.
The villains in Anderson's films are not often easy to define as "bad guys." Some are immoral or unethical people, some are selfish and thoughtless, and a select few seem downright evil. Nevertheless, they are always fascinating and entertaining characters who make the stories all the more compelling. Here are the most diabolical villains in Wes Anderson's film, ranked by wickedness.
Alistair Hennessey (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou)
Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) could be seen as more of an antagonist than a real villain. He doesn't seem like such a bad guy overall. He is a rival explorer to Steve Zissou who seems to enjoy flaunting his more impressive equipment around.
He acts friendly to Steve to his face but it's clear that Alistair sees himself as better than he is. While the two come around to forming a friendlier relationship by the end, there's no denying that Alistair's a bit of a jerk. Someone who smacks a three-legged dog surely has some wickedness in them.
Magnus Buchan (Rushmore)
Despite being an upper-class private school, the students of Rushmore are not all upstanding young citizens. One of the more diligent of its is the Scottish student Magnus Buchan (Stephen McCole). Though some of his anger probably comes from him being self-conscious about his deformed ear, that doesn't fully excuse his abusive behavior.
He torments kids younger than him and constantly threatens Max Fischer. Once Max extends an olive branch and allows him to be in his play, Magnus softens, but it's hard to ignore how cruel he initially was.
Royal Tenenbaum (The Royal Tenenbaums)
Though Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) is the main character of Anderson's family drama masterpiece, that doesn't mean he's a good guy. In fact, the of the Tenenbaum family largely dislike their patriarch, and for good reason. He was a selfish and thoughtless man for most of his time as a husband and father.
From not ing his kids' creative endeavors to actively stealing money from them, Royal has more than a few things to be sorry for. He also fakes having cancer to make his family feel sorry for him. In the end, he at least proves he's not all bad.
Mr. Henry (Bottle Rocket)
Mr. Henry (James Caan) is a mysterious criminal mastermind who helps Dignan in his quest to become a career criminal. Bottle Rocket is filled with likable people who operate outside the law, and Mr. Henry seems to be similarly likable. He is cheerful, accepting and even sticks up for his meeker associates.
However, Mr. Henry also proves to be deceiving to the people who trusted him. While he claims to be backing Dignan in his big heist, Mr. Henry's real plan is to rob their home when they are busy with the job. He seems to live by the idea that there is no honor among thieves.
Redford (Moonrise Kingdom)
The kids in Anderson's films have a tendency of being mature beyond their years, so it's not surprising that one of the kids in Moonrise Kingdom has the potential for villainy. Redford (Lucas Hedges) is a Boy Scout who is tracking down a runaway scout, Sam. However, Redford seems uninterested in Sam's well-being or bringing him back unharmed.
Redford threatens Sam and insults his dead parents. If that wasn't enough, he seems to be the only scout unwilling to see the error of his actions. While the others ultimately feel bad for mistreating Sam, Redford remains stuck in his villainous ways.
Rat (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Anderson's first animated film deals mostly with cute and likable animals. In fact, it is the humans that are the most villainous in the film. However, there is one animal that turns against his fellow creatures — Rat (Willem Dafoe).
Rat is a lackey working for the humans to protect their food from animals. He seems to enjoy thinking he is above the other animals, and is quick to resort to violence whenever he encounters someone sniffing around his master's goods. Rat even insults the honor of Mr. Fox's wife. But in the end, Rat is a somewhat tragic figure as he was only evil because of his addiction to cider.
Franklin Bean (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Franklin Bean (Michael Gambon) represents the meanest of those human villains in Fantastic Mr. Fox. While he might first seem like a simple farmer protecting his property from wild animals, Bean proves that he is actually more interested in killing animals than protecting anything.
Bean goes to insane lengths to destroy the animals that are stealing from him, causing more damage than the animals ever could. He is an angry and joyless man who is rude to those around him and bloodthirsty in his quest for revenge.
Mayor Kobayashi (Isle Of Dogs)
Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) is yet another villain from an animated film by Anderson who mistreats lovable animals. Kobayashi is a descendant of the Kobayashi dynasty who has a long and historical feud with dogs. As a result, he concocts a false story about a contagious dog disease and has all the canines shipped to a trash island.
Not only is he a corrupt and cruel leader who sought to kill helpless dogs, but he is also not above killing humans who speak out against him. As with many Anderson villains, Kobayashi found some redemption by confessing to his crimes and even offering his kidney to save a young boy.
Dmitri (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Dmitri (Adrien Brody) is one of the more cut-and-dry villains from all of Anderson's films. He is the son of a wealthy aristocrat who suddenly dies, leading to a struggle of her will. Though never explicitly proven, it seems quite clear that Dmitri is responsible for his mother's death ,and does not stop there in his quest for the family fortune.
Dmitri seems like the kind of person unwilling to get his own hands dirty but has several people killed on his behalf. He is a childish and spoiled brat who is prone to offensive slurs rather than acting like a decent person.
Jopling (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Jopling is the henchman and assassin who works for Dmitri and carries out his various deadly tasks. An incredibly creepy and silent psycho who kills people without a second thought, Jopling is also responsible for cutting a man's fingers off, strangling a man to death and decapitating a woman.
He also seems willing to kill the most innocent of creatures for the fun of it. He tosses a poor cat out of the window for no apparent reason. Jopling is the most unsettling and frightening character Anderson has created.
