I'm a guy who loves seeing the bad guy get away with it in the end. It rarely happens with CBM's (well movies in general) but when they do, the end result is satisfying. I mean, it happened in Se7en, Primal Fear, Silence of the Lambs, Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Sith,(You could count Attack of the Clones as well, since everything in that movie went according to the Sith's plan), The Usual Suspects, and Watchmen. But below are my top ten favorite badass villains.
10. Abomination.
Personally, I think the Hulk vs. Abomination is overrated by its fans. BUT-Abomination is a fantastic Villain. Larger than the hulk, and a little stronger, this baddie is evil scary looking and most of all...badass!
9. Alec Travelyan
Simply put in one of my previous articles, Goldeneye was my favorite James Bond, and from the numerous votes from CBM fans, Goldeneye came in second close behind Casino, showing its popularity. But what made Goldeneye so awesome is Sean Bean as Alec Travelyan. In the beginning we were made to believe that 006 was executed before Bond's eyes, but later on in the film, Alec reveals himself as the Russian crime lord behind the whole Goldeneye secret. It was here that Bond met his match. In their showdown in the end, Alec should have defeated Bond, but suffered a brutal landing in # 9 badass villain spot.
8. Doc Ock
Spider-man was great, but Spider-man 2 was so much better. It focused more on the hero's inner demons, and gave us a better villain with Doc Ock. Wielding four extra mechanical limbs, Doc proved to be a formidable match up for the protector of New York. Defeating Spidey on the train earned this villain spot # 8 on the list.
7. Magneto
With the ability to bend and manipulate metal, who wouldn't say that Magneto
is badass? He could crunch Wolverine into a ball of tin-foil if he wanted to, but instead his ego/over confidence got in the way and thus dragged him down to his downfall. He gets my #7.
6. Frank D'Aminco
If you cast Mark Strong as a baddie, you know you've got a damn good villain on your hands. And in Kick-Ass, Strong's performance as the ruthless (and somewhat psychotic) villain, he proves to me, as well as the audience, that a mob boss isn't always a sloucher.
5. Lord Voldemort
Harry Potter's nemesis is a dark and powerful dude that refuses to die. He's lived through 7 installments, taking down dozens of wizards that stood in his way. Hell, he was reborn. Ralph Fiennes was perfect for this role for this no-nosed badass villain.
4. Agent Smith
Dark, powerful, and invincible (until the really dumb climax of Matrix Revolutions when Neo becomes apart of him. Seriously, if he could do that the whole time then why the hell did we have to sit through two weak movies? Ugh) Hugo Weaving brought to us a badass and fearful villain to the Matrix universe. His epic duel sequences with Neo are memorable and very well put together, and these movies will always be remembered for Hugo's badass performance. And his famous line, 'Mr. Anderson...welcome back....we missed you.'
3. Joker (Dark Knight)
Jack Nicholson's joker was in for a more comedic role; funny; psychotic but light hearted...even though he represented the Joker from the comics more than Heath did. But Heath Ledger's joker is darker, more cruel, more believable, and most importantly, more bad-ass. In the interrogation room when Batman is beating the living daylights out of him, Joker laughs harder and harder showing us what evil truly is. He's fearless, even when he's asking to be hit by a batpod and laughs while he's falling to his death.
2. Darth Vader
Arguable the most iconic character movie history, Darth Vader was a mysterious, uneven, scary, and determined villain. Powerful enough to defeat both Ben and Luke, Vader transcended the view on villains, thus taking the Star Wars trilogy to new heights. James Earl Jones will forever be remembered for his thunderous and commanding voice. And with the help of an Iconic and largely popular John Williams' score, Vader will always be remembered. Always. And the fact that he chokes people to death using the force is another reason why hes such a badass.
1. Darth Maul
Many hated Phantom of Menace. I loved it, mainly because I didn't focus on Jar Jar Binks. What really made Phantom win for me was Darth Maul. The creepy, evil, skillful, and very quiet villain. Disagree? An alien with red/black tatoos covering his body, horns, and a duel red lightsaber? Totally badass. Now his character was very well developed. People got mad because he didn't talk as much. WHO CARES?! You don't have to have a lot of lines in order to be a bad ass villain. Maul's swift saber skills, his sharp awareness, and his cold stare give people chills every time. Kudos to the make-up artists who spent endless hours on Ray Park's face. Even though the way he is killed off is fantastic and arguably the coolest death for a bad guy in a movie, I wish Lucas would have made him the Vader of the new trilogy. It would've made the next two so, so much better. Having him as the main Sith and eventually Anakin to slay him in the end would have made Episode 3 the best in my opinion.
WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT: (ones who stand out)
Ironmonger/Obadiah Stane-Jeff Bridges gave another awesome performance and I kinda saw his betrayal coming, but Ironmonger simply wasn't badass enough to make my list. Even though the duel with Iron Man is epic, Obadiah was just another villain.
Whiplash-In a way, I liked him better than Ironmonger in Iron Man 2, but his death comes to easily and he isn't as creepy or intimidating as the ones listed on my top ten. Sorry Mickey.
Green Goblin-Okay, I consider him to be more crazy than badass in my book. Willem Dafoe gives a great and memorable performance, but isn't bad ass enough. Doc Ock did better. To give this guy leverage, he would be #11.
C.L.U.-As Kevin Flynn's digital avatar, CLU is a misguided villain more than badass. Smart? Check. Ruthless? Check. World domination? Check. Badass? Uncheck.
Megatron-He would be #12, but compared to the others, the leader of the decepticons really isn't ass cool or badass enough to compare.
The Emperor-he's just an old creepy guy with a face like a melted candle who's more than likely a registered sex offender.
Nero-He was dark and creepy nonetheless, but compared to the others, he really doesn't enter the realm of badass. If I came out with a top 15, he would be on it.
I could go on, but those are the ones who could stand out.
WHO HAS POTENTIAL IN UPCOMING FILMS
Redskull
Hugo Weaving as the bad guy? Say it aint so! He looks like an evil character, he sounds like an evil character, but there is only one thing standing in his way-Joe Johnston.
Sinestro
If used correctly, Mark Strong's Sinestro could possibly climb to the high slopes of the CBM villain mountain. He did awesome in GL, and his yellow suit looks badass. His training session with Hal is spectacular and brings out the true Sinestro. He's got a chance....
Bane
that one guy who played Bane in Batman & Robin is forgettable. He really wasn't bane either. He was just a bouncer for Ivy and Iceman. But from the image presented by Nolan's perspective of Batman's enemy, Tom Hardy's Bane has the potential to knock off Heath Ledger's Joker.
Loki
The scene where Loki is about to destroy the ice realm and he's mocking Thor gave me chills. BIG TIME. While THOR isn't the best CBM around, it boasts a memorable Villain, who has potential to be a great badass villain. If Tom Hiddelson performance in The Avengers is as great as it was in Thor, then Look out!
but hey, that's my opinion.
thoughts?
comments?
let me know!