# Which evil, malicious, despicable characters light up the screen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532 "2013-02-07T00:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/21 "2013-02-07T03:22:11Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I just finished watching that. šŸ˜ƒ Was he evil or just unbalanced? He seemed so vulnerable. You couldnā€™t help but like him. I believe his medical diagnosis is ā€œFookinā€™ Nuts!ā€ But Iā€™ll claim inclusion under the ā€œmaliciousā€ and ā€œdespicableā€ clauses. To argue the evil is to get into existentialist debate, and Iā€™m not sure Iā€™m up for it tonight. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/22 "2013-02-07T03:36:45Z")
I loved Patrick McGoohan as King Edward Longshanks, in _ **Braveheart.** _ And Joe Don Baker as the Mob enforcer ā€œMollyā€ in _ **Charley Varrick.** _ ---
**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:** [February 7, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/23 "2013-02-07T03:40:33Z")
In the second season of Justified, Maggs was a tremendous villain: this obese grandmotherly hillbilly, speaks softly, and when you get on her bad side HOLY SHIT. One of the things I love about that show is how compelling the villains areā€“even dumbshits like Dicky are great fun to watch. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/24 "2013-02-07T04:38:14Z")
nmā€¦ I should really start reading the OPā€™s. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/25 "2013-02-07T05:38:43Z")
Some wonderful choices above. Iā€™ll add: Lee Marvin in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the title role. Even his sidekicks were magnificant: Strother Martin and Lee Van Cleef. Kate in East of Eden. One of literatureā€™s greatest villianesses. James Cagney in White Heat. Darth Vader and his boss Darth Sideous. The Terminator as played by The Governator. Michael Corleone. Noah Cross as played by John Huston in Chinatown. Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch of the West. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/26 "2013-02-07T05:49:45Z")
Paul newman as **Hud** , not a single redeeming moment, canā€™t take your eyes off him. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/27 "2013-02-07T05:54:26Z")
Alan Rickman, Klaus Kinski and Lee Van Cleef any time. Jack Nicholsonā€™s Joker, which I have in my list of ā€œtimes when the actor was physically miscast yet a superb choice for the roleā€. Sergi LĆ³pez in Panā€™s Labyrinth, although rather than ā€œlight up the roomā€ Iā€™d say he eats up the light. Dudeā€™s like a black hole of evil in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/28 "2013-02-07T06:02:12Z")
I love Michael C. Hallā€™s _Dexter_, to the extent that itā€™s easy to forget what a monster he is ā€“ because of his ā€œcodeā€. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/29 "2013-02-07T06:42:08Z")
Boyd Crowder in Justified. I could listen to him talk all day long. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/30 "2013-02-07T07:42:33Z")
The Major from _Hellsing_. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/31 "2013-02-07T08:20:14Z")
It took over a _dozen_ posts to get to the Joker? Thatā€™s almostā€¦_funny_. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/32 "2013-02-07T10:05:58Z")
And Iā€™m the first to say Malcolm McDowellā€™s Alex of A Clockwork Orange! Christopher Leeā€™s Lord Summerisle was quite the delight in The Wicker Man. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/33 "2013-02-07T10:08:14Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > It took over a _dozen_ posts to get to the Joker? > > Thatā€™s almostā€¦_funny_. Could also be that it wasnā€™t that special a performance. I personally think if Ledger hadnā€™t died, his stint as the Joker wouldnā€™t have been that big of a deal. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/34 "2013-02-07T10:51:12Z")
Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo in Tombstone. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/35 "2013-02-07T10:56:49Z")
**koeeoaddi** , may I suggest a poll to determine the most villainous actor/role from this thread at some future point? Iā€™m busy on a similar project on ā€œfavorite character actor(s)ā€ at the time but would enjoy the process of voting on these folks and their dastardly work. Just an ideaā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/36 "2013-02-07T11:11:24Z")
James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom. He makes a great cult leader. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/37 "2013-02-07T12:58:54Z")
> [@bldysabba](#): > > Could also be that it wasnā€™t that special a performance. I personally think if Ledger hadnā€™t died, his stint as the Joker wouldnā€™t have been that big of a deal. _considers the ideaā€¦_ Nah. I second Heath Ledgerā€™s Joker. Iā€™ll add the Devil in Time Bandits. And Ralph Feinnesā€™ character in In Bruge. ā€œItā€™s a fuckinā€™ fairy tale town, innit?ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/38 "2013-02-07T13:01:40Z")
Judge Doom in _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/39 "2013-02-07T13:16:44Z")
Ben Kingsley as Don Logan in ā€œSexy Beastā€, actually you might want to add Ian McShane as well as Teddy Bass in the same film. Two psychopaths for the price of one. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/40 "2013-02-07T13:40:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > James Earl Jones as Thulsa Doom. He makes a great cult leader. Hell, the voice of _James Earl Jones_ in Star Wars - David Prowse was the physical presence of Darth Vader, but the voice made the character. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532.md?page=3)