The 50 greatest movie villains of all time, ranked

Jason GuerrasioOct 23, 2020, 22:43 IST

Heath Ledger as The Joker in "The Dark Knight."Warner Bros.

Movie villains are essential pieces to great movies.
And some — like the Joker, Norman Bates, and Annie Wilkes — have become iconic.
Here are the best movie villains of all time, ranked.

Whether it's in a galaxy far, far away or a house across the street, a movie villain has many forms. But what makes them all alike, if done correctly, is they can leave a permanent mark on an audience (not to mention earn an Oscar).

Whether they are pure evil like put-the-lotion-in-the-basket Buffalo Bill from "Silence of the Lambs" or so bad we can't help but watch like Michael Myers from the "Halloween" franchise, villains can make good movies great and great movies into classics.

Here are the 50 greatest movie villains of all time.

Note: James Bond villains and Disney-animated villains are not included.

50. Biff Tannen ("Back to the Future" franchise)

Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen. Universal Pictures

49. Norman Stansfield ("Léon: The Professional")

Gary Oldman as Norman Stansfield. Gaumont Buena Vista International

48. Emperor Palpatine ("Star Wars" franchise)

Emperor Palpatine in "Return of the Jedi." Lucasfilm

47. Hans Gruber ("Die Hard")

Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. IMDb/20th Century Fox

46. Buffalo Bill ("Silence of the Lambs")

Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill. Silence of the Lambs/Orion Pictures Corporation

45. Staff Sergeant Barnes ("Platoon")

Tom Berenger as Sgt. Barnes. Orion Pictures

44. Joan Crawford ("Mommie Dearest")

Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford. Paramount Pictures

43. Damien ("The Omen")

Harvey Spencer Stephens as Damien. 20th Century Fox

42. Hedy Carlson ("Single White Female")

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Hedy Carlson. Columbia Pictures

41. Alex ("A Clockwork Orange")

Malcolm McDowell as Alex. Warner Bros via YouTube

40. Amy Dunne ("Gone Girl")

Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne. 20th Century Fox

39. Harry Powell ("The Night of the Hunter")

Robert Mitchum as Harry Powell. United Artists

38. Missy Armitage ("Get Out")

Catherine Keener as Missy Armitage. Universal

37. HAL 9000 ("2001: A Space Odyssey")

HAL 9000 in "2001: A Space Odyssey." Google Images

36. Margaret White ("Carrie")

Piper Laurie as Margaret White. United Artists

35. Chucky ("Child's Play" franchise)

Chucky in the "Child's Play" franchise. Universal Pictures

34. Gordon Gekko ("Wall Street")

Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko. Fox

33. Baby Jane Hudson ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?")

Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson. Warner Bros.

32. Detective Alonzo Harris ("Training Day")

Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris. screenshot/Training day

31. Freddy Krueger ("A Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise)

Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. New Line Cinema

30. Nurse Ratched ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest")

Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched. IMDb/United Artists

29. T-1000 ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day")

The T-1000 in "Terminator 2." TriStar via YouTube

28. Calvin Candie ("Django Unchained")

Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie. The Weinstein Company/Columbia Pictures

27. Gollum ("The Lord of the Rings" franchise)

Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" franchise. Screenshot/Reddit

26. Immortan Joe ("Mad Max: Fury Road")

Hugh Keays-Byrne as Immortan Joe. Warner Bros.

25. Michael Myers ("Halloween" franchise)

Michael Myers in "Halloween." Compass

24. Lord Voldemort ("Harry Potter" franchise)

Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort. Warner Bros.

23. Predator ("Predator" franchise)

Predator in the "Predator" franchise. 20th Century Fox via YouTube

22. Annie Wilkes ("Misery")

Cathy Bates as Annie Wilkes. Columbia Pictures

21. John Doe ("Seven")

Kevin Spacey in "Seven." New Line Cinema

20. Jason Voorhees ("Friday the 13th" franchise)

Jason Voorhees in the "Friday the 13th" franchise. Paramount

19. Thanos ("The Avengers" franchise)

Thanos in "Avengers: Infinity War." Marvel

18. The Alien ("Alien" franchise)

Alien in "Alien." Twentieth Century Fox

17. Phyllis Dietrichson ("Double Indemnity")

Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson. Paramount Pictures

16. Keyser Söze ("The Usual Suspects")

Kevin Spacey as Keyser Söze. Gramercy Pictures

15. Hans Landa ("Inglourious Basterds")

Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa. Weinstein Company via Netflix

14. Leatherface ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre")

Leatherface in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"/Vortex

13. Tyler Durden ("Fight Club")

(L-R) Edward Norton and Brad Pitt in "Fight Club." Fox 2000 Pictures

12. Pennywise ("It" franchise)

(L-R) Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise. Warner Bros. Television/Warner Bros.

11. The Wicked Witch of the West ("The Wizard of Oz")

Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch of the West. IMDb/MGM

10. Mr. Potter ("It's a Wonderful Life")

Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter. RKO Radio Pictures

9. Norman Bates ("Psycho" franchise)

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. Paramount/Universal

8. Alex Forrest ("Fatal Attraction")

Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction." Paramount Pictures

7. Terminator ("Terminator" franchise)

Arnold Schwarzenegger in "The Terminator." Orion Pictures

6. Amon Goeth ("Schindler's List")

Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List." Universal

5. The Shark ("Jaws")

"Bruce" the shark in "Jaws." Universal

4. Hannibal Lecter ("Silence of the Lambs" franchise)

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. Orion Pictures

3. Anton Chigurh ("No Country For Old Men")

Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh. Miramax

2. The Joker ("The Dark Knight")

Heath Ledger as The Joker. Warner Bros

1. Darth Vader ("Star Wars" trilogy)

Darth Vader in "The Empire Strikes Back." Disney

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