There are several different aspects that go into making a compelling and memorable movie villain. Any crazed antagonist can blow up a building or unleash their forces on an unsuspecting city, but it is the "why" behind those actions that separate the good villains from the great villains. It is oftentimes a justified motive accompanied by poor execution that plagues these baddies. These are the 10 action movie villains who kind of had a method to their madness.
10 Kingpin - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took the world by storm upon its 2018 release. It marked the first big screen appearance of Miles Morales as Spider-Man and featured some of the most unique and visually stunning animation ever seen. The movie features classic Spidey foe Kingpin as the main villain and a plot devised by the crime boss to access parallel universes in an attempt to reunite with his late wife and son.
Kingpin has been portrayed in movies and on television prior to Into the Spider-Verse, but never with the empathy we see in the particular iteration. Seeing his loved ones who have passed is an emotionally charged and justified motive.
9 Syndrome - The Incredibles (2004)
The main antagonist of 2004's The Incredibles, Syndrome, is the perfect example of the phrase "never meet your heroes". When a young super fan of Mr. Incredible, Buddy Pine, is rebuffed by the superhero. The rejection forever changes Pine as he evolves into the supervillain Syndrome and seeks revenge on the entire Parr family. Everyone experiences rejection throughout their lives, and it is how we react to that which could determine whether we walk down the path of darkness or light.
8 Killmonger - Black Panther (2018)
Wanting to flip the power structure of the world, giving the power to the oppressed and making the oppressors bow to them, is the primary goal of the tragic character Erik Killmonger in the smash hit 2018 movie, Black Panther. Bringing equality to everyone around the world is a noble mission, but Killmonger's use of violence and fear to achieve this is a flawed execution of a beautiful vision.
7 The Shark - Jaws (1975)
It is time to give a voice to the voiceless. One of the more frustrating tropes in Hollywood is taking a predatory animal and making them the villain of a story. From there, the audience is asked to root for the hapless human characters who have to battle these animals, whose territory they have usually intruded upon. While the shark in Jaws truly did cause pain and terror to the residents of Amity Island. The motives of this movie's "villain" are animalistic and understandable as he swims the seas in this ultimate summer horror film.
6 General Hummel - The Rock (1996)
Esteemed actor Ed Harris takes on the role of General Hummel in one of Michael Bay's best films. The 1996 action film, The Rock. The villain of the film, Hummel, holds a number of people hostage on the prison island of Alcatraz, demanding $100 million dollars for their release. Seems pretty villainous if you ask me.
However, it is Hummel's motivation that makes him a compelling villain, and his point is easy to see. It is his desire to use the $100 million in order to properly honor the deaths of Marines under his command, and it is his belief that the country these men fought for were forgotten and cast aside by their government. Admirable in thought, flawed in approach.
5 Silva - Skyfall (2012)
Similar to the previous entry, Raoul Silva's motives in the 23rd entry of the James Bond franchise are motivated by governmental betrayal. Skyfall unravels the story behind the mysterious villain Silva, played by Javier Bardem. As well as the connection he has to M, the leader of MI6. A former agent himself, it was M who turned Silva over to the Chinese government during a mission. It was this betrayal by his leader that fueled his vengeful acts throughout the film.
4 Thanos - Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
In a world of overpopulation and increasingly sparse recourses to sustain such numbers. Food scarcity, pollution, and increased wars and famine are seriously real possibilities. These beliefs are shared by the complex big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Infinity Saga, Thanos.
He seeks out the Infinity Stones in hopes of riding the world of half its living organisms and making it perfectly balanced as he sees it. While his point may be valid, his indifference to life in general and his use of extreme methods to ensure his goal are at best questionable.
3 Tyler Durden - Fight Club (1999)
The dark alternative personality to The Narrator in Fight Club, Tyler Durden, has some pretty profound beliefs and radical means of making them a reality. Attacking everything from consumerism to societal programs, Durden has an understandable disdain for established ways of the world. Turning this hatred into full-fledged terrorist attacks, however, is a problematic solution to the points Durden tries to drive home.
2 Ozymandias - Watchmen (2009)
In an effort to avert all-out nuclear war and the complete end of civilization, Ozymandias makes the cold and calculated decision to deceive the world into uniting through the killing of several million people. The primary storyline of 2009's Watchmen centers around Ozy's plot to save the world by killing a large percentage of it. Uniting the world is a noteworthy goal, but as the cost of mass murder? An understood point with a devastating implementation.
1 Roy Batty - Blade Runner (1982)
In the world of Blade Runner, a 1982 adaptation of the Phillip K. Dick novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, there exist what are known as replicants. Essentially, these replicants are bioengineered humanoid creations created with predetermined "expiration" dates as to when they will be taken out of service. In the case of one replicant known as Roy Batty, he develops self-awareness and along with this refuses to accept his determined death.
This puts him squarely at odds with police officer Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford. Batty's desire to simply live a full life is a point we can all understand.
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