Another Top 10 Movie Villains with Understandable Motivations
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#10: The Tethered
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“Us” (2019) “Us” perhaps made a lesser impact than“Get Out”, director Jordan Peele’s previous movie, but the Tethered were way more sympathetic than the Armitage family! Red explains that The Tethered were created in a failed ploy to “control” the population. When the experiment proved a bust, however, the Tethered were abandoned underground to mindlessly mirror their surface counterparts. When Adelaide joins them, she organizes the Tethered and leads them to break free of their underground prisons and make their way to the surface. Do you really blame them? Being stuck in some dank underground bunker and being mindlessly tethered to the surface sounds like literal Hell on Earth. Poor things just wanted to breathe some fresh air and have their turn to live!
#9: Harvey Dent / Two-Face
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“The Dark Knight” (2008) Two-Face begins the film as Harvey Dent, a noble district attorney hellbent on bringing an end to crime and corruption in Gotham City. However, he suffers more than his fair share of tragedy when Rachel is killed and he is left horribly disfigured in a fire. Harvey then undergoes a psychotic breakdown, and with a little help from The Joker, he turns into a deranged vigilante and begins hunting down and killing those he believes are responsible for his misfortunes. Revenge is a story trope as old as time, but when it’s done this effectively, it totally works. Revenge and grief can take us to some very dark places, indeed.
#8: The Wicked Witch of the West
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“The Wizard of Oz” (1939) The Wicked Witch is movie royalty and arguably one of the very faces of villainy itself. Once Dorothy arrives in Munchkinland, her house lands on and squashes The Wicked Witch of the East. Then, to add insult to injury, Glinda gives the Witch’s ruby slippers to Dorothy. Now, we know the Witches weren’t the most benevolent of rulers, but think about this from the Witch’s perspective. This random girl quite literally comes out of nowhere, squishes your sister to death, and then has the gall to take her shoes. Yeah, the Witch of the West basically just wants the slippers for their power, but there’s also a bit of vengeance in there too, and we can’t say that she’s entirely wrong in feeling the way she does.
#7: General Francis X. ‘Frank’ Hummel
“The Rock” (1996) Some may disagree with this opinion, but “The Rock” is arguably Michael Bay’s greatest achievement, and it contains a wonderful villain in Ed Harris’s Frank Hummel. The story sees Hummel and his men storming Alcatraz Island and threatening mainland San Francisco with VX gas-armed rockets unless they are paid $100 million. Sounds like basic action movie stuff. That is, until you learn that Hummel wants the money to come from a military slush fund and will use it to pay the families of the men who died under his command - families who were not properly compensated by the government. It gets even better when you realize that Hummel was bluffing and never had any intention of distributing the gas. Wait, this guy’s supposed to be a villain?
#6: The Machines
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“The Matrix” (1999) It’s sad, but “The Matrix” feels ever more relevant by the day. In the world of the movie, humans were so toxic that they literally blocked out the sun, denying it as an energy source to the machines that they created (and abused). Needing an energy source to survive, the machines decided to turn on their creators and harness their bioelectric power. You know... because humans literally blocked out the sun. And it’s not like the machines merely enslaved humans – they also placated them with a perfectly normal dream world, and even attempted to create a utopia… until the humans ruined that as well. Maybe Smith had a point when he called humans a virus on the Earth…
#5: Clyde Alexander Shelton
“Law Abiding Citizen” (2009) Clyde Shelton is a deranged serial killer. There’s no getting around that. Aside from what he does to various people, he also sets off multiple car bombs, and even attempts to blow up City Hall. But, like Two-Face, Clyde was simply an extremely damaged man who suffered unbelievable tragedy in his past. His wife and young daughter were both killed in a home invasion, and the killer, Clarence Darby, is given a very lenient sentence in exchange for his testimony. Seething with rage, Clyde embarks on his killing spree to get revenge on the person who ruined his happiness and what he believes is a deeply broken justice system.
#4: Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias
“Watchmen” (2009) Ozymandias is easily one of the most effectively destructive villains in cinematic history, but as tough as it is to admit, he did have his reasons. In the movie’s alternate timeline, the United States and the USSR are on the brink of nuclear war. To save the very future of humanity, Ozymandias decides to destroy various major cities around the world, blame it on Doctor Manhattan, and essentially unite the warring countries over a common enemy. So, yes, Adrian Veidt committed widespread global chaos, and as Dreiberg states, essentially destroyed humanity on his own. That said, his plan DOES work, and the world is finally united in peace. Did the end justify the extreme means? Well, that’s for the viewer to decide.
#3: Frankenstein’s Monster
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“Frankenstein” (1931) Much like The Wicked Witch of the West, Frankenstein’s monster is one of the most iconic faces in movie history. But really, he just wants his freedom. His inherent fear of fire is originally mistaken for aggression, and he is subsequently imprisoned in a dark and scary dungeon and tortured with flames. And when he understandably makes his violent escape, he finds incredible joy in simply throwing flowers with a little girl. Unfortunately, this peaceful sojourn ends in death, as the monster unintentionally drowns the child by throwing her into a lake. Both the scientists and the mob antagonize the monster over misunderstood circumstances, and he comes across as more of a tragic anti-villain than full blown antagonist.
#2: Thanos
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“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) “Infinity War” was much revered and rightfully so. With Thanos, Marvel Studios was willing to be bold; he was more than just a one-dimensional comic book villain, and in the end, he actually succeeds in his depraved mission by destroying half of all life in the universe. His character is much like Ozymandias, as he commits mass destruction for the greater good, as weird as that is to consider. He thinks that the universe is overpopulated, and in order to save it, he needs to eradicate half of the population. He doesn’t like, or even wants, to do it – he just sees it as a necessity, one that nobody else is willing to step up and make happen. Insanely flawed and problematic logic, but logic, nonetheless. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Dr. Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze “Batman & Robin” (1997) Khan “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) Candyman “Candyman” (1992) Orm Marius / Ocean Master: “Aquaman” (2018) Barbossa “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003)
#1: Erik ‘"Killmonger’ Stevens
“Black Panther” (2018) Actor Michael B. Jordan has rightfully compared Killmonger to “X-Men’s” Magneto. Like Magneto, he seeks revenge for various atrocities and wants to empower a disenfranchised segment of the population. He holds a grudge against Wakanda for not intervening in outside politics and claims that they stood by and did nothing while Africa was subjected to slavery. Once he claims leadership of Wakanda, he wishes for their superweapons to be sent to various marginalized communities to help them fight back against their oppressors. And while his methods are violent and flawed, T’Challa realizes that he had a point, and Killmonger becomes a major reason for Wakanda opening their borders and sharing their incredible resources with the world.
