# Most despicable movie characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 27, 2026, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585 "2026-04-27T04:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/1 "2026-04-27T04:26:18Z")
Who do we think are the most despicable characters in movie history? I don’t mean most evil or scariest. I mean the ones we find most loathsome, most deplorable. Anton Chigurh in “No Country for Old Men” is terrifying, but not despicable in the sense I’m looking for. I’ll start the list with: Mister Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life” - No explanation needed Jerry Lundegaard in “Fargo” - Selfish, cowardly, and stupid. A truly awful person Mr. Sheldrake in “The Apartment” - Slimy, selfish, smug, a user. After the movie came out, women would stop Fred MacMurray to scold him for playing such an awful character. One woman even went so far as to hit him with her purse. Gregory Anton in “Gaslight” - Manipulative, the original gaslighter (there was an earlier version of the film, but this is the one that popularized the term). Any more? ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/2 "2026-04-27T04:34:18Z")
Carter J Burke, junior executive Weyland-Yutani Corporation (Aliens) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/3 "2026-04-27T04:35:35Z")
‘Coach’ in the movie mysterious skin ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/4 "2026-04-27T05:55:50Z")
Percy Wetmore from _The Green Mile_: Cruel, vindictive, homophobic, and petulant (I’m purposely avoiding the actual criminals in the movie, or Sam Rockwell’s Wild Bill would be included. Billy Ray Cobb (Nicky Katt) and Pete Willard (Doug Hutchison) in _A Time to Kill_: Racist pedophiles who rape and attempt to murder a young Black girl, leaving her battered, urinated on, and unable to have kids. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/5 "2026-04-27T10:58:58Z")
I think the last of these fits more the evil trope the OP didn’t want rather than the despicable trope he did. Yes, evil people generally have bad character, but more often they’re just cruel & stupid. My contribution: Perhaps Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) from _The Devil Wears Prada_ can start the female leading role for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Varl\_Hobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/91b2a8/32.png) [@Varl\_Hobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varl_Hobe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/6 "2026-04-27T12:20:29Z")
It would have to be Gru, by definition no? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/7 "2026-04-27T12:31:37Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Jerry Lundegaard in “Fargo” - Selfish, cowardly, and stupid. A truly awful person Jerry Lundegaard was my first thought too. I’ll add Bob Ewell from **To Kill a Mockingbird**. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/8 "2026-04-27T20:53:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I think the last of these fits more the evil trope the OP didn’t want rather than the despicable trope he did. Yes, evil people generally have bad character, but more often they’re just cruel & stupid. Does Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest fit the bill? I mean, she’s evil and cruel, definitely not stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/9 "2026-04-27T21:05:32Z")
Jason Issacs plays good despicable characters. He was plenty nasty as Tavington in The Patriot. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/10 "2026-04-27T21:18:27Z")
Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goth in Schindler’s List is about as despicable as any human being can get. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/11 "2026-04-27T21:27:52Z")
Carlo Rizzi from **The Godfather**. A sycophant, bully, wife-beater, traitor, and, in the end, a sniveling coward. In a movie filled with violent gangsters, crooked cops, and assorted sleazeballs, it takes a truly noteworthy degree of douchebaggery to stand out truly. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/12 "2026-04-27T21:49:22Z")
Excellent nomination in the female division. Certainly more evil than the Prada devil in that she actually damaged people, not just bullied them. It’s still not clear to me how much actual damage is disqualifying per OP. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/13 "2026-04-27T22:52:36Z")
Harry Cooper from **Night of the Living Dead**. Not even decent enough to stay dead. You know, Cooper in the 1990 remake is even more despicable than 1968 Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/14 "2026-04-27T23:09:29Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > Carter J Burke, junior executive Weyland-Yutani Corporation (Aliens) Beat me to it! That’s the first character I thought of, too. > [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Jerry Lundegaard in “Fargo” - Selfish, cowardly, and stupid. A truly awful person But it’s hard to top Jerry Lundegaard from _Fargo_, especially the “stupid” part. Like it never occurred to him that his plan was doomed to failure from the start because his father-in-law wouldn’t trust him with the ransom money, after earlier not grasping that his father-in-law and his financial advisor wouldn’t just hand him money to “invest.” So he only succeeded in getting several people killed because of his stupid plan. At _best_, the two kidnappers would have gotten a much larger payday and he would still be no better off financially. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/15 "2026-04-27T23:35:47Z")
Easily Bobby Peru as portrayed by Willem Dafoe in Wild At Heart (1990) by David Lynch. Quite possibly one of the most repugnant characters in film. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/16 "2026-04-28T00:20:18Z")
I’ll vote for **Nurse Mildred Ratchet**. As much as I love William Macy’s performance, I have to agree on **Jerry Lundegaard**. I’ve always seen him as pathetic and stupid, never thought of him as despicable until this thread. And a probably minority opinion: **Benjamin Braddock** (The Graduate). After a zillion viewings of The Graduate I’ve come to see him as a narcissistic sociopath who ruthlessly disregards the pitiful Mrs. Robinson who’s had the terrible bad luck of falling in love with him. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/17 "2026-04-28T00:38:48Z")
Daniel Plainview in There Will be Blood. Cold and heartless throughout the film, and then goes full murderer at the end! ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/18 "2026-04-28T00:41:37Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goth in Schindler’s List is about as despicable as any human being can get. True, but he, unfortunately, wasn’t fictional. I’m not sure real-life people belong in this category. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/19 "2026-04-28T00:46:02Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Does Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest fit the bill? I mean, she’s evil and cruel, definitely not stupid. One slight mitigating factor in her despicability is that she’s an agent of The System, so the awful things she does aren’t so much her own actions as The System itself. She can be easily replaced by someone else who’ll do the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585/20 "2026-04-28T00:53:14Z")
Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity was cold, calculating and manipulative. Does she count? On another level, Thomas Keefer in The Caine Mutiny was calculating and manipulative, and when the chips were down, he was a craven coward. I think he definitely counts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-movie-characters/1029585.md?page=2)