# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/61 "2013-02-07T18:32:23Z")
I loved Robert Patrick’s cold, smooth, terrifyingly efficient T-1000 in _Terminator 2_. Being a robot, I don’t know that you could call him malicious, but he was definitely the villain. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/62 "2013-02-07T18:35:09Z")
Several good ones mentioned already, like Alan Rickman in Die Hard and Robin Hood, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal, Heath Ledger as Joker, and McGoohan as Long Shanks. One that I think is worth mentioning that I didn’t see is Joaquin Phoenix as Emperor Commodus. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/63 "2013-02-07T18:47:17Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > All this talk of Alan Rickman and no mention of "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves? > > He called off [Christmas!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUDntpV_HdQ) You mean other than the post above yours?😉 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/64 "2013-02-07T18:57:35Z")
Well on the distaff side, there’s Kathleen Turner’s deliciously evil vamp in “Body Heat.” And Linda Fiorentino did a great job as a bad, bad lady in “The Last Seduction.” ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/65 "2013-02-07T19:21:51Z")
Maleficent from Disney’s classic animation film, _Sleeping Beauty_. “You’re a disgrace to the forces of evil.” Ursula from Disney’s _The Little Mermaid_. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/66 "2013-02-07T19:24:33Z")
Kind of a tragic villain ultimately, but Ricardo Montalban as Khan in “Wrath of Khan” was a big enough villain for even Kirk. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/67 "2013-02-07T19:25:08Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Maleficent from Disney’s classic animation film, _Sleeping Beauty_. “You’re a disgrace to the forces of evil.” > > Ursula from Disney’s _The Little Mermaid_. My daughter _loves_ it when I sing “Poor, Unfortunate Souls” because I get right into it ---
**Author:** ![Neo-Calredic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/96bed5/32.png) [@Neo-Calredic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neo-Calredic)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/68 "2013-02-07T19:27:06Z")
Gene Hackman as John Herod in _The Quick and the Dead_. He’s a consummate badass who drips menace in nearly every scene, but we also see moments in which he shows affection and vulnerability, though he does his best to hide them. I’ve always felt this was a seriously overlooked performance. ---
**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, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/69 "2013-02-07T19:34:50Z")
> [@Neo-Calredic](#): > > Gene Hackman as John Herod in _The Quick and the Dead_. He’s a consummate badass who drips menace in nearly every scene, but we also see moments in which he shows affection and vulnerability, though he does his best to hide them. I’ve always felt this was a seriously overlooked performance. Hackman was equally vile in _Unforgiven_ but it’s my understanding that he didn’t want the part at first. Eastwood had to persuade him. In any case “he deserved it” in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/70 "2013-02-07T19:39:12Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Ooh ooh! Dennis Hopper in _Blue Velvet_. Oh god, Frank Booth goes to the top of the list. Creepiest ever. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/71 "2013-02-07T19:43:22Z")
Bette Davis as Regina in _The Little Foxes_, who watches her husband die of a heart attack. Also Bette Davis in _Whatever Happened to Baby Jane_. ---
**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, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/72 "2013-02-07T19:48:35Z")
I’ve been mentally running through movies for other candidates for the thread and suddenly had the thought that if you wanted to include anybody from the big-ticket gangster movies (_Godfather_ series, _Goodfellas_, _Once Upon a Time in America_, etc.) you’d pretty much have to include most of the cast. Either there are no villains, or they all are. Heavy thought. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/73 "2013-02-07T19:51:26Z")
I’m going to have to go with Alan Rickman anytime he’s the bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/74 "2013-02-07T20:19:11Z")
What about Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith in _The Matrix_? And sort of an odd choice, but I also like Paul Reiser as Carter Burke in _Aliens_. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/75 "2013-02-07T20:25:56Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Kind of a tragic villain ultimately, but Ricardo Montalban as Khan in “Wrath of Khan” was a big enough villain for even Kirk. What made him such a great villain was not that he wanted to blow up the universe, but that he had a personal score to settle at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/76 "2013-02-07T21:18:16Z")
Nancy Marchand as Livia Soprano was eviler and better than all the above IMO. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/77 "2013-02-08T01:44:01Z")
Am I the only one who saw The Astronaut’s Wife and thought Johnny Depp was amazingly, subtly creepy? The premise was a little wonky in parts, but man…he was so quietly scary. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/78 "2013-02-08T01:49:13Z")
Wes Studi as Magua in _The Last of the Mohicans_ was absolutely mesmerizing - unstoppably, ruthlessly set on revenge. Shoulda won an Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/79 "2013-02-08T05:03:39Z")
For recent ones, Lana Parilla as Regina on _Once Upon a Time_ and Madeline Stowe as Victoria on Revenge. Speaking of Revenge, while she is ostensibly the “good guy” or “good girl” considering the fact that she shows absolutely no remorse about ruining the lives of countless people to damage a small number of “guilty people” Emily Van Camp as Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532/80 "2013-02-08T05:15:42Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > What about Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith in _The Matrix_? Or as the Red Skull in Captain America. After those two, I’ll be happy to watch any movie where he’s the bad guy. Forgot :smack: that super-nasty DI in GI Jane… later known as Aragorn. Or if you’ll go by what his papers say, Viggo Mortensen. There’s many things I don’t like about that movie but he does a helluva job. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-evil-malicious-despicable-characters-light-up-the-screen/649532.md?page=5)