Most villains in film get attention when they are powered by super abilities capable of destroying not just Earth, but the entire galaxy. Think: Thanos inAvengers: Endgameor Hela inThor: Ragnarok– even the Dark Lord Voldemort of theHarry Potterfranchise. As years go by, filmmakers need to make bigger, better, more powerful, and infinitely more dangerous villains. Yet, some of the best and most memorable villains are the ones that are just your average person with some serious psychopathic tendencies. Sure, someone who travels across galaxies killing everyone and everything in their path is a terrifying villain, but it’s not real. A true villain is someone who can actually exist in the real world – and be your very own foe.
Actionmovies give audiences despicable and evil villains that could very well exist somewhere in the world. Criminal masterminds, deranged psychopaths, and chief executive officers that will do anything to make a profit – even at the expense of their own employees’ lives and well-being. So, without further ado, here are the 25 greatest action movie villains of all time.
25Tony Montana (Scarface)
The 1983 crime drama filmScarfacedelivered one of the greatest cultural icons, even if he was a really bad guy.Played by Al Pacino, Tony Montana was a Cuban refugee and ex-convict who arrives in Miami during the Mariel boatlift and becomes a powerful and dangerous drug lord. He was shamelessly selfish, and arrogant, and would do whatever it takes to gain power and influence over the Miami drug trade.
Without pushback, there’s no telling just how far he would have gone. After all, Tony would lie, betray, and murder anyone who got in his way. That said, he did have one saving grace – in that he had an extreme distaste for killing women and children. So, if you’re an adult man, you’d better stay out of his way. Of course, it was his own self that became his undoing.
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24Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
Released in 1988,Die Hardis an action film based on the 1979 novelNothing Lasts Foreverby Roderick Thorp. Starring Bruce Willis,Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, and Bonnie Bedelia, the film follows New York City police detective John McClane (Willis) who gets entangled in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper while vising his estranged wife.
WhileDie Hardis considered one of the greatest action films of all time, it is the villain who is one of the most enduring parts of the film was Rickman’s Hans Gruber. Rickman gave a very charismatic portrayal of the character, which was greatly praised by critics. Gruber was formerly a part of the terroristic Volksfrei movement before moving on to greater things. He took 30 people hostage and threatened to kill every last one of them if things didn’t his way. While he was pragmatic, Gruber was also had a short temper and would absolutely kill anyone without hesitation.
23Mr. Joshua (Lethal Weapon)
Gary Busey made his mark as an action movie villain in the buddy cop action filmLethal Weaponin 1987. Busey played opposite Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as Mr. Joshua, Vietnam veteran turned mercenary drug dealer who serves as the right-hand man to General Peter McAllister. He gets a wild ride on whether he’d actually get to live or not.
After his boss is killed, Joshua goes head-to-head with Riggs and Murtaugh and is defeated by the latter. However, Murtaugh chooses not to kill him and Mr. Joshua goes into custody. However, he breaks free, gets the officers gun, and fires at the two cops. Amidst the gunfire, Mr. Joshua is ultimately killed — though he proved to be a dangerous villain to Riggs and Murtaugh.
22Bill (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2)
Kill Billis a two-part martial arts film known for its distinct and diverse blend of genres in both its visuals and story. It was initially set to be released as one film, but the four-hour run time led to it being separated intoKill Bill: Volume 1andKill Bill: Volume 2. The films star Uma Thurman as The Bride, a former assassin who takes revenges on the team of assassins who betrayed her after she wakes from a four-year coma.
The leader of this team of assassins is Bill, played by David Carradine. Bill is a pimp who trained his sex workers to become assassins. He’s a master swordsman who stood toe-to-toe with The Bride though he was eventually defeated by theFive Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
21Bodhi (Point Break)
Point Breakis a 1991 crime action film starring Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty, and Gary Busey. Reeves stars as an undercover FBI agent trying to uncover the identities of a group of bank robbers, but he develops a complex relationship with the group’s leader, Bodhi, played by Swayze. Bodhi is a master of villainy, splitting his time between surfing and robbing banks. Even after he discovers Utah is a cop, he still respects him. Bodhi is cool, collected, and overall, a great villain.
20Eric Qualen (Cliffhanger)
Cliffhangeris a 1993 action thriller filmstarring Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, and Janine Turner. The film follows Gabe (Stallone), a mountain climber who gets caught up in a heist on the US Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains. Lithgow gives one of his greatest villain performances as Eric Qualen, a terrorist completely lacking sympathy and remorse.
He used to be a military intelligence officer, but became a proficient thief hunting down $100 million in uncirculated bills after a US Treasury transport plane. Qualen led a team of criminal henchmen that had no issue killing innocent victims to get closer to the prize. Yet, they all still greatly feared Qualen, who was certainly not above killing one of his own just get a get more money.
19Richie Madano (Out for Justice)
Starring Steven Seagal as Detective Gino Felino and William Forsythe as Richie Madano,Out for Justiceis a neo-noir vigilante action thriller released in 1991. Gino is a veteran police detective who seeks to avenge his partner’s murder by killing the trigger-happy and drug-addicted Richie responsible for his partner’s death.
Richie is one of those completely unhinged psychopaths, who has no rationale for the crimes they commit. Addicted to crack and involved with the New York mob, Richie kills Gino’s partner and continues killing until Gino finally catches up to him.
18Bennett (Commando)
Talking about action movies absolutely means talking about an Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie. Released in 1985,Commandois an action film starring Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells, Bill Duke, and Dan Hedaya. The film follows retired Special Forces Colonel John Matrix (Schwarzenegger) as he tries to save his daughter after she was abducted by his former subordinate, Captain Bennett (Wells). Bennett absolutely loves being the bad guy and his character adds a bit of a campiness effect on the film. Seriously, does Bennett want to kill or kiss Matrix?
17Emil Fouchon (Hard Target)
Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme,Hard Targetis a 1993 action film directed by John Woo in his U.S. debut. Van Damme plays Chance Boudreaux, an unemployed homeless Cajun merchant seaman, and former United States recon Marine. He saves a young woman named Natasha Binder, played by Yancy Butler, from a gang of thugs in New Orleans. Natasha hires him to guide her through New Orleans as she searches for his missing father.
During the journey, they uncover a deadly game ofcat and mousebehind his disappearance. An example of how man is the most dangerous game, Emil Fouchon, played by Lance Henriksen, has developed an addiction to hunting down humans. He created a lucrative business to lure in wealthy individuals to take part in this “game.” The victims get a chance to become very rich if they are able to survive the game, which they pretty much never to do due to the lethal efficiency of both Fouchon and his team. Fouchon is cold, and calculated, yet intelligent and eloquent, making him a dark and twisted villain.
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16General Hummel (The Rock)
The Rockis a 1996 action thriller film directed by Michael Bay and starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, with William Forsythe and Michael Biehn co-starring. The film follows a chemist and an ex-con who must lead a counterstrike against a rogue group of military men, led by a renegade general, who threatens to unleash a nerve gas attack from Alcatraz against San Francisco.
General Francis X. Hummel (Harris) and his rouge group of Marines have seized all the tourists on Alcatraz Island. His end goal is to get $100 million from the US government for the families of 83 men who were killed on his missions that the Pentagon denied. His righteous fury is what makes General Hummel a dangerous enemy.
