Top Five Movie Villains You Secretly Wanted to Win
Movie villains are usually there to be defeated. They're the characters we're supposed to boo, fear and ultimately celebrate seeing brought down by the hero.
But every now and then, a villain comes along who is so charismatic, entertaining or oddly convincing that you find yourself questioning which side you're actually on.
They're still the bad guys. You know that. And yet, somewhere along the way, you start hoping they might just get away with it.
Here are five movie villains who made it surprisingly difficult to root for the hero:
1. Hans Gruber – Die Hard (1988)
Hans Gruber is supposed to be the villain of Die Hard, but Alan Rickman's performance makes him almost impossible not to enjoy.
He's intelligent, sophisticated, effortlessly charming and seemingly several steps ahead of everyone around him. While John McClane is running around Nakatomi Plaza in bare feet trying to stop the robbery, Gruber calmly orchestrates the entire operation with the confidence of someone who has already planned for every possible outcome.
He even manages to maintain an air of sophistication while dealing with one increasingly chaotic problem after another.
Of course, Gruber is still a ruthless criminal, so there's never much doubt about who we're supposed to support. But Rickman gives him so much personality that it's easy to find yourself enjoying every scene he's in.
You don't necessarily want Gruber to win.
You just don't want him to leave the film.
2. The Joker – The Dark Knight (2008)
The Joker isn't a villain you genuinely want to succeed in The Dark Knight. His plans are horrifying, and the consequences of them are devastating.
But there's an undeniable fascination to watching him operate.
Heath Ledger's performance makes the Joker unpredictable in a way that keeps you completely engaged. You never quite know what he's going to do next, and that unpredictability makes every appearance feel like an event.
The Joker isn't interested in money or conventional power. He wants to prove a point about people and society, and his willingness to take his own plans to extremes makes him an extraordinarily compelling opponent for Batman.
You know Batman has to stop him.
You just can't stop watching to see what the Joker will do next.
3. Hans Landa – Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Hans Landa is one of those villains who can make an ordinary conversation feel more frightening than an action sequence.
Christoph Waltz's performance turns Landa into a character who is relentlessly polite, conversational and seemingly charming – while making it very clear that he is extraordinarily dangerous.
He's also incredibly intelligent. He notices details other people miss, reads situations quickly and seems to enjoy playing psychological games with everyone around him.
What makes him particularly compelling is that he doesn't behave like a conventional movie villain. He doesn't need to shout or threaten people constantly. He can sit down, pour himself a drink and have a perfectly pleasant conversation while everyone else in the room wonders whether they've said something that could get them into trouble.
You absolutely shouldn't want him to win.
But you might find yourself fascinated by how far his intelligence can take him.
4. Miranda Priestly – The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Miranda Priestly isn't exactly plotting world domination, but she's certainly the villain of someone else's career story.
As the terrifying editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, Miranda has impossible standards, very little patience and a remarkable ability to make everyone around her nervous simply by walking into a room.
And yet, the more you watch the film, the more complicated she becomes.
She's undeniably brilliant at her job. She understands the fashion industry better than almost anyone around her, has built an extraordinary career and commands an enormous amount of respect. Even her seemingly impossible demands often come from an expectation that the people working for her should perform at the highest possible level.
By the end, you may still not want to work for Miranda.
But you can understand why everyone else wants her approval.
Sometimes the villain isn't the person who's wrong.
Sometimes they're just the person who expects you to be better.
5. Darth Vader – Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Darth Vader isn't someone you're supposed to root for in The Empire Strikes Back. He's hunting down Luke Skywalker, serving the Galactic Empire and generally making life extremely difficult for the heroes.
But there's something undeniably cool about him.
The voice. The costume. The lightsaber. The ominous breathing. The sheer confidence with which he walks into a room.
Vader dominates practically every scene he's in, and his confrontation with Luke is one of the defining moments of the original Star Wars trilogy.
The character is so imposing that you almost understand why Luke's journey is going to require him to become incredibly powerful just to stand a chance against him.
And, of course, later revelations make Vader a considerably more complicated character than he first appeared.
But in The Empire Strikes Back, there's no denying it: part of you is watching the villain and thinking, "He's got a point."
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