10 Most Evil Action Movie Villains That We’ll Remember Forever

Watching an action movie is a sure-fire way to get your adrenaline pumping: car chases, fight scenes, and big theatrical explosions are perfectly timed to make the heroes look as cool and powerful as possible. However, there can be no hero if there is no villain. Over the years, audiences have witnessed evil geniuses, fake billionaires, and tough fighters wreak havoc on unsuspecting cities around the world. Some disappear into oblivion as soon as they are defeated, but others have stood the test of time.

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A-list actors have often expressed that playing the bad guy is more fun and challenging. To present a compelling villain on screen, it’s important to delve deeper into their motivations and find out what makes them tick. When they manage to steal a scene and become the character that most attracts the audience, it is clear that they have done their cowardly job well.

10 Cyrus Grisson (John Malkovich)

With Air (1997)

Directed by Simon West, air-conditioning It is full of villains of many types. Set on a plane carrying a group of prisoners, the criminal passengers stage a coup and take over the plane. With excellent support from Ving Rhames and Steve Buscemi, John Malkovich created a deplorable character who instills fear and dread in others every time he appears on screen. As a kidnapping mastermind and long-time criminal, Cyrus Grisson is ruthless at all times.

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He has no qualms about letting inmates do terrible things and only forgives certain people when Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) works against them from within. When he finally learns of the betrayal, he will stop at nothing to take down his enemy. He is responsible for the deaths of the guards on board and for almost crashing the plane into the Strip. The mix of intelligence, cunning and a very twisted mind makes “The virus“Very memorable indeed.

9 Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith)

Robocop (1987)

The classic action movie. Robocop It’s brutal from start to finish, and the villain has no redeeming qualities to speak of. When Alex Murphy is murdered in the line of duty by Clarence Boddicker and his criminal gang, he is rebuilt into a hybrid human peacekeeper, RoboCop (Peter Weller). With his memories erased, he is tasked with keeping the streets of a dystopian Chicago safe, by any means possible. As he tries to clean up the streets and stop the crime lord, Boddicker becomes increasingly violent.

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Smith chose to play the character as a very capable but ultimately vile human being. He has a secret alliance with the other villain, CEO Dick Jones (Ronny Cox), while carrying out his illegal deals. Despicable to the end, while trying to save himself he runs over one of his own henchmen, who then melts from exposure to the acid. An unforgettable scene, to say the least.

8Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman)

León: the professional (1994)

Luc Besson’s action thriller Leon: The Professional sees Academy Award winner Gary Oldman take on the role of a chaotic and twisted DEA agent. A cruel and corrupt officer, his unpredictable behavior is made even more erratic due to his substance abuse. He sees himself above the law, abusing it at every turn and hiding behind his shield while committing atrocities. The fact that he is part of the police force is what makes him that much scarier.

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Every interaction he has is tinged with a sense of ingratiation, although he himself probably sees it as charming. As he hunts Leon (Jean Reno) and Mathilda (Natalie Portman), becoming increasingly violent, the public begins to fear and dislike him more and more. Oldman gives a stellar, egotistical performance, highlighting the villain’s innate narcissism, which helps bring about his downfall.

7 Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

The high-octane wild ride of Mad Max: Fury Road It is made even more so by its imposing arch-villain whose behavior is as terrifying as his appearance. Immortan Joe, a tyrant and dictator, manipulates all his subjects into submission by controlling the most valuable resource: water. As if this weren’t bad enough, he enslaves and abuses women in the name of legacy and power. He escapes feeling like a trope villain through his genuinely horrible regime over the Citadel.

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It creates an almost cult-like personality that subjugates those who are in the worst situation. As he attempts to fight the resistance of Furiosa and Mad Max, his violence and inhumanity reach their maximum effect. With his “War Boys,” he attempts to maintain the control he clings to so desperately, without giving a second thought to who gets hurt in the process. With his wardrobe reflecting his decadent morals, he represents how an obsessive lust for power can lead to a dystopian war zone with very few rules.

6 Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving)

The Matrix (1999)

Tireless, relentless and seemingly endless, it kept coming back. As a tangible representation of the oppression within the Matrix, Agent Smith is a constant foil to Keanu Reeves’ Neo as he attempts to maintain order and keep the simulation going. The most disconcerting thing about Smith is his mechanical, methodical approach to everything he does. The audience learns that he is a machine and Weaving perfectly captures this feeling of soullessness.

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His disdain for humanity can be felt in every monologue, and viewers can tell that he doesn’t enjoy his job at all. But it’s this constant need to keep going that makes everyone try to catch their breath. Smith appears when you least expect it and does not stop protecting the objective. His mastery of the system is evident in the way he fights, allowing for some of the most iconic hand-to-hand combat scenes in cinema.

5 Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson)

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

A pseudo-eco-warrior is the main villain of this gentle but violent action adventure. Kingsman: The Secret Serviceplayed by a legendary actor who further elevates the underrated film. Richmond Valentine is a billionaire who thinks he knows better and tries to sacrifice a large part of the human race with the use of technology. That in itself sounds awfully plausible, and Jackson plays the character like a genius buffoon.

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Valentine’s plan is to protect the rich and famous and repopulate them using all their resources and connections. While his intentions may (from afar) seem to have some merit, it is his disdain for those who are “less than” that makes this character so deplorable. He is an elitist, an egomaniac with a very skewed view of the world, but his own distaste for violence and gore is an ironic twist to the eccentric character.

4 Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper)

Speed ​​(1994)

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Speed is a film with a villain who harbors a clear motivation for revenge, with a sense of entitlement and a feeling of underestimation that fuels this particular antagonist. Howard Payne worked as a police officer for years and felt his skills and contributions were never adequately rewarded. When he uses his masterful knowledge of strategic planning and bomb-making to finally get what he believes he deserves, he recklessly endangers the lives of many innocent civilians.

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His greed and lack of respect for human life are what make him a villain, but his history with an unjust system makes him relatable in some ways. Payne, a mean and malicious man, sets his sights on Jack Traven (Keany Reeves) and organizes an elaborate game of cat and mouse to torture him personally, with killing the adorable Harry (Jeff Daniels) being the last straw.

3 Blofeld (Christoph Waltz)

Spectrum (2015)

The enigmatic and evil boss of SPECTER has been played on screen by many different actors during the long-running James Bond franchise. More recently, and perhaps most menacingly, Blofeld was played by double Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, who brought his own brand of villainy to this iconic role. His list of atrocities is very long, and biological, technological and real warfare are part of his vast evil resume. He operates in the shadows, creating a ghostly personality that seems impossible to catch.

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With unlimited resources and a brilliant mind, he is a petrifying agent of chaos with a personal vendetta against Bond (Daniel Craig). Blofeld’s modus operandi is to always get his way, and he manages to recruit a large number of intelligent and highly trained followers who help him make his evil visions a reality. With so many recognizable features, from his scar to his Persian cat, he will live on as one of the most iconic supervillains in the James Bond universe, even if he was considered a poor plot twist in Spectrum.

2 Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage and John Travolta)

Face to Face (1997)

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The far-fetched and biologically impossible concept of Face/Off It’s what makes it extremely entertaining. Having the villain played by two very different actors was a bold move on John Woo’s part, but the payoff is worth it. Castor Troy is a vile criminal with a taste for destruction; What he craves is chaos and annihilation, and he carries out his plans in extravagant style. When Nicolas Cage plays Castor Troy, he is in his element. He has a chilling look in his eyes and an incomparable arrogance.

In the hands of John Travolta, he must master his murderous tendencies in order to adapt to his new life, but when he lets it out, the audience knows exactly what they are up against. He’s another egomaniac, whoever plays him, and his greed and sadism are the scariest parts of his personality. The fact that he killed a child without any remorse is a true reflection of his ruthless character.

1Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman)

Die Hard (1988)

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Calm, cunning and with his eyes fixed on the prize, die hardHans Gruber is as memorable as a villain can be. A sophisticated criminal sets out his master plan to rob a highly protected safe in the Nakatomi building. Examining each part of Gruber’s plan, it becomes clear that the goal was always to kill all the hostages. He’s more than happy to oblige them and use their presence as leverage, but if it weren’t for the heroics of Bruce Willis’ John McClane, they would all have died in the roof explosion.

Gruber’s disdain for his own henchmen is also obvious, as he clearly doesn’t care when any of them are eliminated. However, his ability to react to unexpected situations shows that there is much more to this intelligent villain. He orders his guys to shoot the glass, shoots two people at point-blank range without hesitation, and nearly pushes Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) over the edge. With such a beloved and oft-repeated film, even more fascinating aspects of this character come to light, and he remains one of the most watchable bad guys of all time.

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