Top 10 Obvious Villain Reveals in Movies
#10: William Schenk
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“Spiral” (2021) In this spin-off to the popular horror film series, Chris Rock’s Detective Zeke Banks tries to solve a string of Jigsaw-type murders with his partner William Schenk. The latter character is played by Max Minghella and takes an early exit after it appears that he’s been killed. Although we see a mangled body that’s supposed to be his, it’s extremely obvious that we never actually see him die. By the end, Banks discovers that Schenk was the real killer all along. You might not have guessed his intricate plans before the climax, but you probably guessed that Minghella was playing the villain.
#9: Yuri Komarov
“A Good Day to Die Hard” (2013) This movie isn’t exactly the most beloved entry in the “Die Hard” series, nor does it have an especially memorable villain. It does have a character known as Yuri Komarov, who starts out as a dangerous man and turns out to be even worse. Most audiences can’t be that surprised by his evil turn given his association with Russian criminals. Even before his villainy is revealed, he essentially uses the McClane men to help him escape a trial and take out several of his enemies. Komarov’s larger scheme revolves around making lots of money selling uranium – a twist that isn’t the jaw-dropper the filmmakers seem to think it is.
#8: Staff Sgt. Barnes
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“Platoon” (1986) During his first tour in Vietnam, Chris Taylor is influenced by two superior officers. He sides with the more understanding Sergeant Elias and butts heads with the stern Staff Sergeant Barnes. The second man always appears in an intense state, with a creepy glare and notable scar on his face. This is the first tip-off that something might be wrong with the guy. Even before he starts committing war crimes, Barnes is clearly a negative influence in the platoon. His disputes with Elias also signal to the viewer that he’s a soldier that doesn’t care all that much about people. Considering the evidence, most audiences can spot this villain within the first act.
#7: Vic Hoskins
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“Jurassic World” (2015) It’s not all that surprising that an InGen security guy has evil plans in this universe. Unlike good guy Owen, who respects the velociraptors’ nature and intelligence, Vic Hoskins hopes to turn them into weapons. According to the logic of this series, anybody who wants to defy nature or exploit the dinosaurs for personal gain usually becomes an antagonist. The fact that Hoskins is played by Vincent D’Onofrio might also tip off audiences that he’s destined to take a villainous turn. “Jurassic” fans know that he’s up to no good from the start, but his move to seize power the moment the park owner dies really seals the deal.
#6: Chief Howard Hyde
“Turner & Hooch” (1989) If a movie character is named Hyde, he’s always going to turn out to be a bad guy. After a murder happens in a California town, Detective Scott Turner finds himself investigating a larger conspiracy. He quickly runs into possible interference from Chief Howard Hyde. When we first meet the man, he looks like he’s hiding something behind his dark sunglasses. Throughout the investigation, Hyde criticizes Turner’s methods. If that isn’t enough, there’s also some not-so subtle hints about the boss having friends involved in the case. During the film’s climax, the antagonist’s ultimate reveal feels like it’s been a long time coming.
#5: Mac
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“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008) This sequel, which takes place in the 1950s, was far from universally beloved, and features a Soviet agent as the main villain. Along for the adventure with Indiana Jones is a sidekick named George “Mac” Michale, who has some off-screen history with Indy that we never learn much about. He double-crosses Indy early in the film, but later returns to his side, claiming to be an agent working for the CIA. Obviously, that turns out to be a lie, and he betrays Indy yet again, leading the Soviets right to them. We eventually find out that he was doing it all for money, which makes it pretty satisfying when he gets sucked into the alien portal at the end.
#4: Blofeld
“Spectre” (2015) Christoph Waltz seems born to play a bond villain. In “Spectre,” his character Franz Oberhauser’s identity and background are shrouded in secrecy throughout the adventure. This made fans all the more suspicious that he would turn out to be more than an ordinary opponent. We know that he’s a bad guy from the start, but we later learn that he’s actually Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of the titular terrorist organization. Perhaps trying too hard to pay homage to earlier Bond movies, the writers misplaced an opportunity to give an iconic antagonist the memorable introduction he deserved.
#3: David
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“Alien: Covenant” (2017) From the very first scene of this film, David comes off as an android that’s up to no good. His emotionless state is instantly creepy. When he later shows up to help the main crew members, it’s not crazy to question his motivations. The fact that the crew’s companion android Walter looks identical to David means one of them will definitely end up posing as the other at some point. When David later disables Walter and takes his place on the ship, literally no one in the audience is surprised. For skeptics of artificial intelligence, David’s very existence is a good reason to worry about the power given to machines.
#2: Roman Bridger
“Scream 3” (2000) If someone is supposed to be dead in a horror movie, but you don’t actually see them die, always count on them making a surprise return. Roman Bridger’s body appears without much of an explanation, but we’re to assume that Ghostface claimed him as a victim. Bridger’s reappearance doesn’t seem all that absurd considering the “Scream” franchise’s love for fake deaths and twists. He’s been running a long con the whole time, hoping to get revenge on Sidney who, it turns out, is his half-sister. While Sidney might not have seen it coming, fans could easily guess the climax.
#1: Khan
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“Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) Many people figured this one out before the movie was even released. Benedict Cumberbatch’s mysterious role plagued the internet with rumors, but his eventual reveal as Khan was written on the wall the whole time. His character was given the generic name John Harrison and a suspicious revenge story that seems all too familiar. Given that the film is a follow-up to 2009’s “Star Trek,” it also drew too many parallels to the original sequel, “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” The botched revelation was just part of the larger backlash toward the film as a whole.
