The 50 Greatest Action Movie Villains of All Time (50-41)

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Where would movies be without action? It’s practically written into the DNA of the medium. And wherever you find action, you’ll almost always find villains doing their dastardly deeds. And while villains may not get the love that heroes get, they’re every bit as important. Sometimes more so. A weak or forgettable villain can deep-six a perfectly good movie.

But what makes a memorable villain? Is it the mustache twirling? The costume? Choice of weapon? Or the actor who brings him to life? Who can say? But one thing is certain: we all know a great villain when we see one. They make their marks on the pop culture and stick with us for decades after their first appearances.

But that’s enough talk. Let’s get to the action.

These are the 50 Greatest Action Movie Villains of All Time.

50. William Strannix (Tommy Lee Jones) | Under Siege (1992)

I recently rewatched Under Siege and then decided to go ahead and rewatch Under Siege 2: Dark Territory as well. Dark Territory is a garbage sequel, but it works really well as a comparison for why the original works so well. And one of the reasons the original works so well is because of its villain, William Strannix, played by Tommy Lee Jones. As a villain, there’s nothing particularly special about him. Is he crazy? Is he just really smart and greedy?

Not groundbreaking stuff there, but Jones elevates the role by pulling out all the stops and putting everything he’s got into Strannix. And it pays off. When he goes head to head with Seagal’s SEAL-turned-chef, you know he’s gonna lose, but Jones is convincing enough as a bad guy to make you wonder just enough to keep the suspense up until the very end. And because Dark Territory is a beat-for-beat remake of the first movie, it proves the rule that a hero is only as good as his villain.

–William Dhalgren

49. General Hummel (Ed Harris) | The Rock (1996)

General Francis X Hummel is as serious as a heart attack. He’s sick to death of men dying under his command only to have the government act like they never existed. So he steals some nerve gas, takes over Alcatraz, and threatens to launch the nerve gas into San Francisco unless the government ponies up $100 million, which he will distribute to his men and to the families of those men who have died under his command. You believe it, too, because Hummel is played with trademark intensity by Ed Harris. The thing is, Hummel has no intention of following through on his plan. He doesn’t want to cause any more senseless deaths. Yeah, people get hurt and die, but that’s mostly due to his incomplete command over some radicals in his crew. You get so you sympathize with him and root against a government that is also screwing over the heroes of the movie. There are moments when you doubt him, but he always comes through. Hummel may be the villain of this movie, but he’s not a villain in his heart, nor in mine.

–Bob Cram

48. Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons) | Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

I’m just going to say it: Jeremy Irons has the face and voice of a super villain. Maybe it’s because my first impression of him was as Scar from The Lion King that I can never see him as anything other than conniving and evil. When you’re 12, things make an impression, ya know? But I don’t think it’s just me. I think he really is that good at making anything sound sinister. In Die Hard with a Vengeance, Irons’ Simon Gruber is the brother to Hans Gruber, the main villain from the first Die Hard movie. While Simon is no Hans, Irons does a superb job of conveying the same special mixture of cunning, greed and sociopathy that we loved to hate about his brother.

–R.J. Mathews

47. Heymar “Wulfgar” Reinhardt (Rutger Hauer) | Nighthawks (1981)

Nighthawks has all the ingredients for the perfect franchise starter and yet, it remains one of the most underrated movies for everyone involved. Somehow a movie where Rambo and Lando Calrissian team up to take down Roy Batty never got sequels but Escape Plan received two of them. Hell, The Expendables received three and not a single actor involved in any of them gave even a hint of a shit. There was a time when Stallone actually tried and this is one of the best examples. He has rarely been better and has genuine chemistry with Billy Dee Williams. The two make an excellent pair and if they got the sequels they rightfully deserved, they would easily be in the pantheon of the best buddy cop pairings.

Those imagine sequels would have to rely heavily on that chemistry though because there’s no way they could find a villain that could top Wulfgar. Rutger Hauer (in his American film debut), brings a chilling sophistication to the archetype of the cinematic terrorist. He is a mad bomber rife with contradictions. He’s suave but savage, articulate but amoral, performative but predatory. A mercenary of chaos, he holds no allegiance to any one cause. He operates wherever fear can be monetized or publicized. His bombings of civilian targets, including a London department store and a New York nightclub, are acts of violence designed for maximum spectacle and horror. Wulfgar’s brand of terrorism, deeply personal and media-conscious, feels prescient today. He anticipates the era of the “celebrity terrorist”—someone who thrives on notoriety and public panic. He wants to be a star and will go to extreme lengths to get the fame he desires.

–Sailor Monsoon

46. Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) | GoldenEye (1995)

Xenia Onatopp is a throwback to an older type of Bond girl, the femme fatale with the suggestive name and overt sexuality. It could have been a sexist mess (and some could argue it is), if it wasn’t for the casting of Famke Janssen. Onatopp in the hands (and thighs) of Janssen is so over the top (sorry) and outrageous that she injects humor into what could have been a flat and uninteresting character. The glee with which Onatopp engages friends and foes alike makes her fun to watch, and her arrogance and villainy make you want her to get her comeuppance. She’s the perfect foil for Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as Bond – and given her background and skills (and hypersexualized nature) she’s almost a parody of Bond himself. I know Janssen had been in other films, but this was the first one that I remember seeing her in. She’s so good that I almost felt bad when she died, thinking she’d be a great recurring villain. Almost.

–Bob Cram

45. The Kurgan (Clancy Brown) | Highlander (1986)

He’s big, ugly, leather-clad, creepy and sadistic. Basically, The Kurgan is a walking, talking, sword-swinging amalgamation of ‘80s villain cliches. Weirdly enough, it works just fine. I’ll attribute this largely to Clancy Brown, a fantastic actor who is just as good at being an evil immortal bad guy as he is at being the voice of Mr. Krabs from Spongebob. While The Kurgan is somewhat a one-trick pony as far as villains go, Brown brings him to life enthusiastically and leaves us eagerly anticipating the moment where he’s separated from his head at the end of Highlander.

–R.J. Mathews

44. August Walker / John Lark (Henry Cavill) | Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

I had a hard time writing about this one, because John Lark is technically absent from most of Fallout. It’s only at the end of the film where we learn his true identity, which feels obvious on a second watch but is a fun twist all the same. As his alter ego, August Walker, John Lark seems uptight but fairly trustworthy. After Ethan saves his life, he appears to have his back and plays a major role in one of the best fight scenes in the franchise. The whole time though, he’s been secretly pulling the strings to discredit Ethan and frame him as the real John Lark. Ultimately, this doesn’t work, but it makes for a delightful final act and a memorable performance from Henry Cavill.

–Valerie Morreale

43. Sho’nuff / The Shogun of Harlem (Julius Carry) | The Last Dragon (1985)

Who’s the shogun of Harlem? Sho’nuff!

Julius Carry gives us a bombastic turn as the main antagonist to “Bruce Leeroy” in the cult classic, The Last Dragon. Wanting to be crowned the undisputed master of martial arts, Sho’nuff is impressive’nuff to lay claim to it. It’s too bad Leeroy is around to mess with his groove.

Imposing, dynamic, and able to chew scenery with the best of ’em, Sho’nuff commands attention when he walks into a room. His skill in combat is physically palpable, especially when he’s really riled up and his hands begin to glow red. It demonstrates he’s no run-of-the-mill karate kid. Toss in Carry’s bug-eyed manic expressions, and he’s menacing as hell – even if he also carries the telltale whiff of cheddar.

It also helps that he’s accompanied by his entourage of stoolies, Crunch, Beast, and Cyclone. They’re always ready and willing to chant the appropriate “Sho’nuff” when their master asks who the baddest is, or who’s the Shogun of Harlem. I mean, c’mon, he’s ticking all the sweet villain boxes from the first scene he’s in!

For me, if he wasn’t such a jerk, Sho’nuff would make a fun protagonist in another movie. When you’re crafting a great villain, that’s not a bad benchmark to hit.

–Jeff Cram

42. The Duke of New York (Issac Hayes) | Escape from New York (1981)

There is something about John Carpenter’s movies that makes them always have a strong sense of being in a real place, but…off. A dichotomy of what’s immediately familiar, and something else that lies beneath. I feel like Hayes gives us this quality personified in the Duke of New York.

The Duke is, on the surface, your typical dystopian strongman. A warlord of sorts, who’s managed to kill, swindle, charm, and menace his way to being the undisputed ruler of the city-jail of Manhattan. He displays gaudy “riches” and provides violent entertainment for his crazies. The Duke wants to free the people. He intimidates his way to getting what he wants. He seems to relish in his position.

But beneath that veneer is a mastermind doing his damnedest to escape the rattrap he’s living in. He’ll do whatever it takes, go through whomever he needs to. We learn that he was using his nerdy fellow-inmate Brain to find a way through the mine-infested 69^th St. bridge even before the President essentially lands in his lap. With this new collateral, though, he’s got the final piece of the puzzle to making his dream come true. Too bad for him Snake Plissken also dropped in for dinner.

The Duke is a great antagonist. Not exactly the most reprehensible baddie; you can understand – maybe even sympathize – with his plight. After all, it’s the government that’s made things this bad! He’s just tryin’ to get free. Unfortunately, he has to gamble that he can outmaneuver Snake, and that’s never a good bet to take.

–Jeff Cram

41. Luther (David Patrick Kelly) | The Warriors (1979)

Luther is such a pesky little shit. He’s the little guy who has to scheme and manipulate to get his way because he’s too much of a pipsqueak to do his villainy any other way. He’s only tough when he’s got the might of his gang behind him. Catch him on his own, and he would piss his pants and beg for forgiveness. And David Patrick Kelly conveys this oiliness so perfectly that, despite his stature, the character looms large on the screen–so large that he remains one of the most memorable shithead bad guys to grace the silver screen.