A villain can make or break a movie, and some highly anticipated antagonists have dragged down their movies. When big franchises bring back popular villains, it inevitably places extra pressure on the actor and the writers to do the character justice. Some villains simply mean more to fans, like Blofeld in theJames Bondfranchise and the Joker inBatmanmovies. Unfortunately, reintroducing these characters doesn’t always go to plan.
Another reason that a villain can attract a lot of hype before the release of a movie is if a popular actor has been cast to portray them. For example, fans of theIndiana Jonesfranchise were excited to see Mads Mikkelsen starring inThe Dial of Destiny,given the fact that he has played some outstanding villain roles over the years. High expectations can hamper a villain, and this can affect the entire legacy of a movie.
10Lex Luthor - Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg has spoken about the harsh criticism that he received for his portrayal of Superman’s most famous foe inBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,saying that it damaged his career. Eisenberg’s version of Luthor subverted audience expectations, being much younger than usual and having long hair instead of Luthor’s iconic bald look. Ultimately,this experimental approach was widely rejected by Superman fans.
Nicholas Hoult is set to play Lex Luthor inJames Gunn’sSuperman,and Eisenberg offered him the tongue-in-cheek advice"Don’t watch me".The trailer doesn’t give much away about Hoult’s version of the character, but his bald appearance is an indicator that Gunn might be bringing Lex Luthor back to basics.Batman v. Supermantries to make him seem like a more grounded and culturally relevant villain by likening him to real-life tech billionaires and corporate CEOs.
9Blofeld - Spectre (2015)
Christoph Waltz
Blofeld is arguably thebestJames Bondvillain, and he’s certainly the most iconic. Blofeld has been Bond’s most frequent enemy in the history of the franchise, with different actors playing him each time he steps on-screen. Donald Pleasence’s performance inYou Only Live Twicehas often been cited as the gold-standard, both in terms of appearance and presence. Telly Savalas offers a more violent alternative inOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service,while Charles Gray has some good moments inDiamonds Are Forever.
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Due to some legal disputes concerning the rights of the character, Blofeld disappeared from the Bond franchise for decades, so his return in 2015’sSpectrewas an exciting moment. The casting of Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz only added to the hype. In the end, Waltz didn’t have a compelling story that allowed him to create a character as memorable as some of his other villains.The laughable twist that Blofeld is Bond’s adoptive brother is a low-point for the franchise, and it represents a missed opportunity for Blofeld in the Daniel Craig era.
Jared Leto
The Joker is Batman’s most famous enemy, and there have been countless adaptations of the character in movies and TV shows. Jared Leto’s version of the Joker inSuicide Squadusually ranks as one of the least popular, and this reflects the poor reputation of the entire movie. From the moment that the first images were released online in the build-up toSuicide Squad,the character’s tattooed appearance drew ridicule from fans.
Jared Leto had the unenviable task of following one of the best versions of the Joker, Heath Ledger inThe Dark Knight.
Jared Leto had the unenviable task of following one of thebest versions of the Joker, Heath Ledger inThe Dark Knight,so the pressure was on from the beginning. Leto tries to make the character his own, but his performance is one big reason whySuicide Squadflopped.He could have had a major role in the DCEU if things had turned out differently, but he deviates too far from the comic-book version of the character.
7Russ Cargill - The Simpsons Movie (2007)
Albert Brooks
The Simpsons Movieintroduces a handful of new characters to Springfield, the most notable of which is the villain Russ Cargill. Albert Brooks' character is the head of the Environmental Protection Agency who decides to encase Springfield in an impenetrable giant glass dome to contain its extreme levels of pollution. He has some fun moments, and Brooks plays the part well, but he doesn’t compare with some of thebest villains inThe Simpsons.
The Simpsonshas created plenty of hilarious one-off villains, like Hank Scorpio, Frank Grimes and Rex Banner, but Cargill isn’t on the same level.
Cargill is one part ofThe Simpsons Moviethat didn’t quite live up the hype. His plan could just as easily have been carried out by Mr. Burns, similar to how he blocks out the sun inWho Shot Mr. Burns?Sideshow Bob would have been another suitable villain for the movie, albeit with a different plot, and Hank Scorpio was also considered as a possible bad guy.The Simpsonshas created plenty of hilarious one-off villains, like Scorpio, Frank Grimes and Rex Banner, but Cargill isn’t on the same level.
6King Louie - The Jungle Book (2016)
Christopher Walken
The Jungle Bookis one of thebest live-action Disney remakes, and it’s one of only a few which provides something new and interesting when compared to the animated original. One issue is that the music doesn’t slot in as seamlessly as it does in the original, because the appearance and the tone aren’t quite as upbeat. This is especially noticeable when it comes to King Louie’s “I Wanna Be Like You”.
The remake presents a much darker and more threatening kind of villain.
The jaunty, whimsical song is perfectly suited to the animated King Louie, voiced by big band and swing music legend Louis Prima. The same can’t be said for Christopher Walken’s live-action King Louie. The remake presents a much darker and more threatening kind of villain.The affable charm of the character is completely gone, which means that his iconic song no longer makes sense, and he’s overall less unique. It’s a big let-down for such a memorable
5Santiago Moncada - Uncharted (2022)
Antonio Banderas
The movie adaptation ofUnchartedmakes a few bold changes to the popular series of games, casting Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg as two younger versions of Nathan Drake and Sully. The plot is mostly original, but there are a few nods to famous scenes from the games, like when Nathan has to climb back into a cargo plane. The villain is one of the new creations, and he isn’t quite as compelling as he could be.
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TheUnchartedgames have some brilliant villains, from Rafe’s personal vendetta against the Drake brothers to Zoran Lazarevic’s unpredictable brute force.TheUnchartedmovie might have been better off by lifting one of these villains directly from the games, because Santiago Moncada is relatively forgettable. He’s a rival treasure hunter who pushes Nathan and Sully to their limits, but he could have been so much more.
4Miles Bron - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Ed Norton
Glass Onionis a solid sequel toKnives Out,even if it isn’t as revolutionary. One of the drawbacks is thatGlass Onionfails to produce a villain who’s as compelling as Chris Evans' Ransom Drysdale from the first movie. Ransom is a fun twist villain who completely reverses the direction of the story. By contrast, Miles Bron always seems like an egotistical bad guy, so it’s no great surprise when Benoit Blanc deduces that he is the murderer after all.
Ransom is a fun twist villain. By contrast, Miles Bron always seems like an egotistical bad guy.
Glass Onionutilizes a strange sort of anti-twist, with Rian Johnson playing with his audience’s expectations. While most people would have seen Miles Bron as too obvious to be a serious suspect, Johnson’s twist is that the slimy evil billionaire is just as bad as he appears to be. This is a fun concept, but it doesn’t quite connect as satisfyingly asKnives Out.Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mysterywill be the next move in Johnson’s game with his audience.
3Screenslaver - Incredibles 2 (2018)
Catherine Keener
Screenslaver had to follow Syndrome, one of thebest Pixar villainsof all, so it was always a tough challenge for theIncredibles 2antagonist. However, Screenslaver initially appears to be a great villain, more mysterious and perhaps even more powerful than Syndrome, but still a perfect fit within the comic-book world ofThe Incredibles.Gradually, the initial appeal starts to wear off.
Screenslaver’s philosophy doesn’t really challenge Elastigirl in the same way that Syndrome’s morals are diametrically opposed to Mr. Incredible’s in the first movie.
Screenslaver has an intimidating appearance and an interesting philosophy about society’s obsession with voyeurism and entertainment. The problem is that this philosophy doesn’t really challenge Elastigirl in the same way that Syndrome’s morals are diametrically opposed to Mr. Incredible’s in the first movie. After the villain’s identity is revealed, Evelyn has some more pointed things to say about superheroes, and it would be powerful if she hadn’t spent so long talking about the evils of screens.
2Supreme Leader Snoke - The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Andy Serkis
Supreme Leader Snoke is introduced as a mysterious new villain inThe Force Awakens,towering over Kylo Ren via hologram and pulling the strings from an unknown location. When he is eventually seen up-close inThe Last Jedi,he’s much smaller but no less puzzling. Just as Snoke appears to be gearing up to take over from Kylo Ren as the main antagonist, just like the Emperor in the original trilogy, he is surprisingly killed by his own subordinate.
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Snoke’s death is a shocking moment that sends the sequel trilogy off into uncharted territory, but it’s an unceremonious ending for a character who had much more to give. Snoke’s death seems to be a key reason why Emperor Palpatine returns inThe Rise of Skywalker,which is one of the most divisive points in the entireStar Warsfranchise.Snoke is still a shadowy figure, and it seems unlikely that he will appear on screen again any time soon.
1Dr. Jürgen Voller - Indiana Jones & The Dial Of Destiny (2023)
Mads Mikkelsen
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyturned out to be a limp ending to the franchise, partially because it tried so hard to return to the style that the original trilogy had in the 1980s. This meant that the story doesn’t fully explore the potential of seeing Indy in the late 1960s. Instead, he is back to fighting the Nazis, just like inRaiders of the Lost ArkandThe Last Crusade,and the forgettable villain is symptomatic of this lack of new ideas.
Ironically, his plan to return to the philosophy of the Third Reich echoesThe Dial of Destiny’s desire to relive the past.
Mads Mikkelsen is a great actor, especially when he can play the bad guy, butThe Dial of Destinydoesn’t get the best out of him.Jürgen Voller isn’t as physically imposing as Mola Ram or as cunning and slimy as Belloq. TheIndiana Jonesfranchise deserved one last hurrah, but by having a generic villain, it lacked the requisite dynamism. Ironically, Voller’s plan to return to the philosophy of the Third Reich echoesThe Dial of Destiny’s desire to relive the past.
