It’s hard not to root for the bad guy. After all, they always get the best lines, the best costumes, and the best gadgets! While it’s good to stay on the straight and narrow, there’s no denying the lure of wanting to veer off and cast responsibility into the wind.
Many cinematic villains have a cool factor that puts them a cut above the rest. We’re not talking about cool threads or powers. We’re talking actual cool - that suaveness and charm that melts the opposite (or same) sex and makes us want to join the entourage. Today we’re listing off the 10 absolute coolest-of-the-cool villains in all of movie history. Grab your shades, man! You’ll need to look the part if you’re going to read on!
DR. HANNIBAL LECTER
Sure, being this villain’s pal probably means you’ll slice off your projected lifespan by three-quarters, but you’ll surely have a fun ride in the process! Hannibal Lecter is everyone’s favorite uber-psychopath - a dastardly intelligent everyone’s man with a fondness for human flesh.
His knowledge of the finer things in life, from art to poetry and “fine cuisine” makes him a shoo-in at the best parties. This foe could mingle with politicians, celebrities and art connoisseurs alike while luring his next victim to the dinner table!
ROY BATTY
It’s hard to count Roy Batty as a villain. He’s more the misunderstood type. Yes, he’ll gouge people’s eyes out, throttle them to death, or break their fingers one at a time just to hear them yelp, but he’s a victim of his own unfortunate programming.
Regardless, Batty has charm in spades. He’s good looking, he’s mysterious, and his subtle means of getting people to trust him make him undeniably charismatic. Never mind what he’s seen. It’s what he’s done that should frighten you!
APOLLO CREED
This one’s not entirely fair, as Apollo Creed was never truly a villain, but he certainly stood in as the bad guy to boo for the first two Rocky films. After all, Creed had it all - a wife and kids, millions of dollars in the bank, and a fan base who adored him.
By contrast, Rocky came up from nothing, only to face Apollo Creed not once, but twice, eventually beating him outright in the second match. Creed’s flamboyant arrogance remained right to the end, but the two would eventually become best friends after he showered Rocky with newfound respect.
ALONZO HARRIS
Denzel Washington knocked the bad guy role out of the park with his performance as Alonzo Harris in 2001’s Training Day. At first glance, Harris seemed like nothing more than a street-smart cop who knows how to do his job.
Only that first part ended up being true. Actually, Alonzo was wholly corrupt, and used his newly assigned recruit, Jake Hoyt, as a scapegoat for his corrupt and crooked dealings.
HAL 9000
If you’re going to be murdered by an Artificial Intelligence, it should at least do it with a soothing voice. That’s HAL 9000 for you, a misguided serial killing super-computer who failed to recognize the impact of its own actions.
Thanks to a conflict in its programming regarding his secret mission objectives vs. his generalized mission to accurately relay information, HAL decided that homicide was an appropriate solution for the conundrum. Skynet may have killed more people, but HAL 9000 did it with far more grace and smoothness!
DRACULA
There are plenty of silver screen Draculas, but only Christopher Lee embodies the coolness factor to set him apart from the pack. After all, he’s Christopher Lee, a guy who spent his 80s making heavy metal music!
As the fanged one himself, Lee’s Dracula would vary from movie to movie. In some adaptations, he would be more talkative, while in others he served as a dark figure of terror with little to say. In each film, he was the epitome of cool that few, if any of us could ever hope to achieve.
JARETH
Anything with David Bowie in it is cool. That’s simply an irrefutable fact. As such, his cinematic turn as Jareth the Goblin King from the classic fantasy film Labyrinth will continue to stand the test of time (like everything else he did) as one of the coolest bad guys ever.
Who else will sing pop hits to you while manipulating you to dance your duff off, before unceremoniously dropping you into the Bog of Eternal Stench and not batting a lash about it? Jareth, that’s who! His motives suck, but his methods are awesome!
KHAN NOONIEN SINGH
Dreaded Kirk-foe Khan would make his first appearance in the original Star Trek TV show as a hyper-masculine abuser who uses his sheer force of will and sexual dominance to get what he wants. It was enough to almost win him the Enterprise.
By the time Star Trek II rolled around, this genetically engineered superman’s player days were over; his focus turning purely to survival on the decimated planet of Ceti Alpha 5. Through it all, he never lost his cool factor. His genius intellect, aggressive charisma, and born-to-lead physical stature made him a villain you couldn’t take your eyes off of.
CATWOMAN
Michelle Pfeiffer’s portrayal of Catwoman in Batman Returns is the most iconic and recognized version of the character we’ve ever seen in a film. This super-slinky cat was a walking BDSM recruitment poster, and she made no effort to hide it. Her descent into madness turned her once-shy and awkward character into a strutting dominatrix with just one push out of a window.
Her only drawback is how close to the edge she is, with any little setback sending her into a shrieking rage.
THE T-1000
As far as cool villains go, it’s hard to top the deadliest of the bunch - the T-1000! This advanced Terminator embodied sleekness and form over the brutal function of its predecessor, the T-800. As such, it could slip into the fabric of society completely unnoticed and use far more subtle methods to achieve its goals.
Hanging out with this guy would probably end up with a finger-stab through our chests, which means the T-1000 doesn’t rank high on the charisma chart. As a super-cool and suave infiltrator unit, however, he’s impossible to beat.
