# Great comedy bad guys from movies and TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [November 6, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696 "2023-11-06T14:46:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/21 "2023-11-06T18:51:40Z")
Billy Zane as the Collector was a great villain in Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight. I was familiar with Zane from earlier movies but I thought that he really stepped up in this role. Plus he got to be a big ham as a demon trying to retrieve the blood of Jesus contained in an artifact. [Demon Knight](https://youtu.be/fYeRnXWuLos?si=lij64rX2Uw1G469X) - NSFW bloodshed and swearing. Death from Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey is great as well. Nothing is taken seriously in this movie, of course, but William Sadler gets his chance to have a little fun as a rapping, melvined, embodiment of death. [Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAtwRoFSlOE&ab_channel=Movieclips) From TV, I really can’t stand Jimmy Pesto in Bob’s Burgers and I want him to get his comeuppance every time he interacts with Bob, so I’d say that character is successful. Pesto, incidentally, has a new voice actor after the original was arrested for participating in the January 6 riot. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/22 "2023-11-06T19:15:57Z")
Justified. . .which was the season with Michael Rappaport in it? That’s when I stopped watching. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/23 "2023-11-06T19:26:29Z")
A few from _Scrubs_ would qualify. - The Janitor has it in for J.D. from day 1 and delights in making his life hell. - Dr. Cox, J.D.'s boss from hell, always calling him a girl’s name, but eventually warmed up to him. - Jordan Sullivan, Cox’s wife/not wife, queen bitch who could destroy men and make them beg for more. - Dr. Kelso, the sour authority figure who didn’t suffer fools gladly, but would occasionally show his heart. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/24 "2023-11-06T19:31:12Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Justified. . .which was the season with Michael Rappaport in it? That’s when I stopped watching. Pretty sure that was season 5–not the strongest season. You can watch Season 6 without knowing much about 5. It’s the Boyd and Givens showdown season, and it’s excellent. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/25 "2023-11-06T19:33:27Z")
Sounds like it. I’ll have to look it up. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/26 "2023-11-06T19:36:18Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > A few from _Scrubs_ would qualify. Great ones. > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > The Janitor has it in for J.D. from day 1 and delights in making his life hell. **Trivia time:** Neil Flynn was a guest star in season one, and the janitor character was originally supposed to be an imaginary character in JD’s mind, which was going to be a big reveal at the end of S.1- he only interacts with JD that entire season. But the show, and the character, turned out to have legs, so it was decided to make his character both real, and a permanent cast addition. > **[Why Scrubs' Janitor Was Originally Imaginary (& When It Changed)](https://screenrant.com/scrubs-show-janitor-jd-imagination-fake-change-reason/)** > > That's Jan Itor to his friends. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/27 "2023-11-06T21:17:32Z")
**Barry** was full of charaacters like that. Stephen Root was great and often hilarious, but Anthony Carrigan (“Noho Hank”) was equally vicious and hilarious, and stole most scenes he was in, in a cast full of scene-stealers. But my favorite comedic bad guy has got to be Stanley Tucci as “Muerte” in **Undercover Blues.** “Hi, Morty!” “Muerte! My name is Muerte! It means death!” "Whatever you say, Morty.’ ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/28 "2023-11-06T21:39:30Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > “Hi, Morty!” > “Muerte! My name is Muerte! It means death!” > "Whatever you say, Morty.’ Muerte was a great character. I’ll reserve my opinion about the rest of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/29 "2023-11-06T22:14:17Z")
_Supernatural_ was at its best when they gave their bad guys humor. The two best were Mark Shepard as Crowley and Mark Pelligrino as Lucifer. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/30 "2023-11-06T22:33:12Z")
Crowley, huh? How about David Tennant as Crowley on _Good Omens_? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/31 "2023-11-06T22:39:05Z")
There are several from _The Good Place_, but I hesitate to name names because, at least in some cases, it might constitute spoilers. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/32 "2023-11-06T23:10:55Z")
For me, it’s hard to match Dr. Smith from Lost in Space. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/33 "2023-11-06T23:22:13Z")
I like Otto from A Fish Called Wanda. “Ok. Ok. DISAPPOINTED.” ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/34 "2023-11-06T23:26:42Z")
John Glover, as the Devil, in _Brimstone_. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/35 "2023-11-07T01:31:04Z")
Falk was a Chicago Mob boss opposite Sinatra and the Rat Pack in _ **Robin and the Seven Hoods** _. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/36 "2023-11-07T01:37:23Z")
This far in and nobody’s mentioned Koloth and Korax, the Klingons in “The Trouble with Tribbles” on _ **ST: TOS** _? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/37 "2023-11-07T01:40:54Z")
I suppose he’s supposed to be more evil than funny, but how about John Lithgow as Emilio Lizardo in Buckaroo Banzai? Regarding Timothy Olyphant, he was more of a smug SOB that an actual bad guy, but he was great as Danny Cordray in The Office. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/38 "2023-11-07T02:16:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > There are several from _The Good Place_, but I hesitate to name names because, at least in some cases, it might constitute spoilers. I always liked Vicky. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/39 "2023-11-07T03:13:28Z")
Alan Rickman as the Sherif of Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince if Thieves is a comedic villain Terrible movie , but it is a daft fun film But sir why with a spoon? because it will hurt MORE!!! Not sure if his Hans Gruber in Die Hard counts as a comedic villain , ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696/40 "2023-11-07T03:20:16Z")
Dabney Coleman - great comedic actor, played versions of the same malevolent, petty, spiteful, evil, evil man in a number of movies - including _9 to 5_, _Meet the Applegates_ and _Tootsie_. Andrew Scott’s version of super-villain Moriarty in the _Sherlock_ series is superficially over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek, in keeping with the whole tone of the Sherlock idea, but with a genuinely disturbing and unsettling edge when he chooses to let rip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-comedy-bad-guys-from-movies-and-tv/992696.md?page=3)