# Why are bad guys bald in the movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 5, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686 "2010-09-05T15:49:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/21 "2010-09-06T02:50:35Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > Isn’t it more that Lex Luthor was bald, so characters like Dr Evil are imitating him? It’s not a general characteristic of bad guys - actually, they’re the only two that spring to mind for me. Having a shaven head is common in movie thugs, because it’s common in real life thugs too. (Not that all guys with shaven heads are thugs, obviously). And Luthor wasn’t even originally bald–he got mistaken for one of his henchmen early on. The bald henchman just stood out more, so it was easy to make him the leader. The fact that he was great contrast to Superman’s always perfectly coiffed (and oiled) hair was just a bonus. Also, remember that Luthor’s thing isn’t just that he’s bald: he literally has no hair on his body at all. In many continuities, it’s implied (or even outright stated) that the reason he became evil is because so many people made fun of him as a kid. Perhaps that has something to do with the trope. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/22 "2010-09-06T02:59:56Z")
[Nosferatu’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu) legacy perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/23 "2010-09-06T16:24:13Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > \ In many continuities, it’s implied (or even outright stated) that the reason he [Lex Luthor] became evil is because so many people made fun of him as a kid. Perhaps that has something to do with the trope. In the Classic Silver Age origin, young Lex is doing some experiment (nefarious, no doubt), his lab catches on fire, and Superboy uses his Super-Breath™ to blow it out. This causes chemicals to spill and causes Lex’s baldness. It’s an additional hatred-of-Superboy motivation. \*AND, on a related note: \* Heard a podcast with Michael Rosenbaum (sp?), who said that he used to play nice guys, but as soon as he shaved his head to audition for Lex in Smallville he started getting Bad Guy Movie Offers. (It may have been a factor that he did an _excellent_ job of playing complex, nuanced, understandable evil. And John Glover did a great portrayal of his Evil Dad, with flowing locks…) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/24 "2010-09-06T22:00:39Z")
Because nobody wears black hats any more. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ee7513/32.png) [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_o_the_Concrete_Jungle)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/25 "2010-09-06T23:19:19Z")
Because bald is different, and non-conformity scares the sheeple. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/26 "2010-09-07T17:17:09Z")
I think it has more to do with the fact that most men don’t wear hats any more. It used to be that the bad guys wore the black cowboy hats and the good guys (like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry) wore the white hats. I miss those days. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/27 "2010-09-07T17:26:03Z")
> [@](#): > > It used to be that the bad guys wore the black cowboy hats and the good guys (like Roy Rogers, Gene Autry) wore the white hats. What if it’s Yul Brynner in a cowboy hat? He’s both bald and wearing a Black Hat. He could be a Bad Guy ( **West World, Future World** ) or a Good Guy ( **The Magnificent Seven, Catlow** ) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/28 "2010-09-07T18:31:12Z")
Tough, competitive wrestler shaves his head so opponent can’t grab his hair —\> big strong fella with no hair = badass. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686/29 "2010-09-09T16:54:58Z")
In the old movies the bad guys usually had THIN moustaches, had to be thin to accentuate their sneer and mocking drawl. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bad-guys-bald-in-the-movies/552686.md?page=1)