Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for all the movies mentioned.Villains are such an essential part of any movie. They can be charismatic, ambiguous, or downright evil – the villain can make or break a film. Darth Vader can be considered the greatest villain of all time for a plethora of reasons, namely his appearance, his iconic voice, his immense strength and his unrelenting rage.
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However, The Emperor was the driving force behind Vader’s actions, on top of ruling with an iron fist. So, in the great pantheon of villains, who had the most evil, messed up, cruel plan? From The Emperor’s galactic domination to a more localized evil, like John Doe (Kevin Spacey) inSe7en, it’s a good thing these villains only exist on the big screen.
Amy Dunne – ‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) suddenly disappears and leaves her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) as the prime suspect inGone Girl. Their marriage had been on the rocks, both losing their jobs in the recession and then moving from New York City to Missouri to support Nick’s mother. Amy leaves behind evidence of a struggle, leading police to believe Nick murdered her.
Not only that, but Amy falsifies several things in their life, she fabricates entries in her diary, she befriends their neighbor and lies to her about Nicks temper, among other things. Nick deduces her plan and is able to convince her to come home by pleading on live TV, winning Amy’s heart. When she finally returns, she guilts him into staying in the marriage by impregnating herself with Nick’s sperm from a fertility clinic.
John Doe – ‘Se7en’ (1995)
InSe7en, Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is soon to be retired, until he is partnered with newly relocated Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) as they unravel an increasingly intricate homicide case. It soon turns into a hunt for a serial killer. The crimes they stumble upon in themovie are all related to the Seven Deadly Sins. They find gluttony, sloth, greed, lust, and pride. The detectives find evidence that these crimes have been planned far in advance.
After a failed attempt of capturing the suspect, John Doe (Kevin Spacey) shows up at the precinct and turns himself in, telling Mills and Somerset that he will show them the remaining two murders. Doe had a box delivered to the site, containing Tracy’s (Gwyneth Paltrow), Mills wife, head, and declaring himself envious of their marriage. Mills kills Doe, becoming wrath, and Doe’s plan is complete.
Ra’s al Ghul & Scarecrow – ‘Batman Begins’ (2005)
Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) is Batman’s (Christian Bale) equal in intellect and combat, and he is also immortal due to the effects of the Lazarus Pit. Ra’s, who had trained Bruce in the League of Shadows under the name Henri Ducard, reappears to tell him his true plan: destroy Gotham and reset the City, a task the League has done throughout history.
InBatman Begins, He plans to use Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) fear toxin and spread it throughout the city and effectively destroying it from the inside, as the citizens attack and destroy each other. This is Ra’s way of resetting a city he believes is beyond redemption. He also reveals he was behind Gotham’s economic recession, which incidentally caused the murder of Bruce’s parents.
The Joker – ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
The Joker (Heath Ledger) goes on and on about how he doesn’t have a plan inThe Dark Knight, but he actually does, and it’s quite extensive. At the core of it though, paraphrasing what Batman tells him at the end, he just wants everyone to drop to his level, and to prove that deep down everyone is as messed up as him.
He partially succeeds, even though the civilians and prisoners both choose to not blow one another up on the ferry, he does get Gotham’s “White Knight”, DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), to become the villain he once swore to fight in Gotham, by blowing up half his face and also killing his fiancé, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). He turned the city upside down and also against Batman in the process.
Skynet – ‘Terminator’ Franchise (1984)
Skynet is a villain that doesn’t actually manifest itself in the films untilTerminator Salvation(2009), although it is the main antagonist in the series and responsible for all the events that unfold. The Artificial Intelligence that becomes self-aware nukes humanity after they attempt to shut it down, causing ‘Judgment Day’ and leading to John Connor and the formation of The Resistance.
Skynet is also responsible for sending Terminators back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), and later John Connor, to try to prevent its defeat at his hands.Matt Smithends up playing its physical manifestation inTerminator Genisys(2015).
Richmond Valentine – ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014)
InKingsman: The Secret Service, Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is the founder and namesake of the infamous Valentine Corporation, which is a tech company that uses the promises of free internet, cell service, and WiFi for absolutely free by giving out their phones.
In reality, Valentine plans to use his free tech, mainly the SIM cards in the phone, now in the hands of a large population of the public, to turn humans into barbaric, rabid animals. He’s sending humans back to the dark ages and, ideally for him, wiping them out entirely to start a new world.
Auric Goldfinger – ‘Goldfinger’ (1964)
Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) is one of the most memorable Bond villains of all-time. His plan inGoldfingeris part of that legacy, it is downright diabolical. He has spent 15 years on his master plan, which involves detonating an atomic bomb that resides in Fort Knox, which also holds America’s gold reserve.
With the gold radioactive for decades, his gold will increase in value and send America into an economic spiral. On top of his long-term plan, he also intends to use nerve gas to kill the thousands of troops stationed at Knox using nerve gas.
Lex Luthor – ‘Superman’ (1978)
Luthor (Gene Hackman) is Superman’s (Christopher Reeves) greatest nemesis. His plan in the originalSupermanfilm is not to conquer the world, but rather to start an evil real estate venture. He plans to detonate a bomb in the infamous San Andreas Fault, thus sinking the entire West Coast into the ocean.
Thus, Luthor could control the “new” West Coast. His plan would, and did, result in the deaths of millions of people. Not totally world domination, but it’s the casualness with which he plans to do it that makes it so evil.
Ozymandias – ‘Watchmen’ (2009)
Adrian Veidt (Matthew Goode) is the smartest man in the world, and his idol is Alexander the Great. Veidt joins a superhero group in the 50s and goes by the name Ozymandias inWatchmen. In the comics, his plan is to create a giant squid-like creature and drop it into NYC, killing millions. This storyline is continued in HBO’s miniseries of the same name.
In the2009 superhero film byZack Snyder, he nukes NYC, thereby ending the Cold War and uniting the world. Although the plan is evil, other heroes like Silk Specter (Maline Ackerman), Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), and even the all-powerful Doctor Manhattan (Billy Crudup), realize that revealing Veidt’s plan will undo world peace, so they remain silent. However, Rorschach (Jackie Earl Haley) refuses, and is killed by Doctor Manhattan, but not before sending evidence to a newspaper.
Emperor Palpatine – ‘Star Wars’ Franchise (1977)
Is there anything more evil than total galactic domination? Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) planned this conquest for decades, working his way up as a humble senator, infiltrating and deceiving the Jedi, and becoming the all-powerful Sith Lord, Darth Sidious.
He not only ends up controlling the Senate and the courts, but he is the key figure in the destruction of the Jedi, using the Clone Trooper army they used to win the Clone Wars. He rules with an iron fist, sending his apprentice, Darth Vader, to keep the galaxy in check. He is the embodiment of pure evil.
