Top 20 Times Movie Villains Could Have Won
#20: Finish Him
“The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) Breaking Batman’s back with his bare hands, Bane achieves the unthinkable. Although all the pieces are in place for the League of Shadows to take over Gotham, Bane refuses to simply finish the job. Instead, Bruce Wayne is sent to an unguarded underground prison. Even after trapping the authorities and blocking off all city exits, Bane doesn’t immediately use the nuclear bomb at his disposal. Bane explains that despair is rooted in hope. By giving Gotham hope, however, Bane allows Bruce enough time to stage a comeback. Granted, Bane probably wasn’t expecting Bruce to “cure” his back with a rope. And we’re not entirely sure how Bruce got back to Gotham. Still, Bane should’ve either killed Bruce or organized better security for that prison.
#19: Use Teleportation More
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“Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise (2003-) Davy Jones has many supernatural powers, but teleportation is one ability that definitely he could’ve made better use of. At one point in “Dead Man’s Chest,” Jones and his crew teleport onto the Black Pearl to collect a debt from Captain Jack Sparrow. Jack manages to buy himself three extra days, but why doesn’t Jones use this ability all the time? In “At World’s End,” Jones teleports onto the Black Pearl’s brig to confront Calypso. Instead of reconnecting with an old flame, Jones should’ve used this power to ambush our heroes. This power would’ve been especially beneficial during his final duel against Jack. Jones could’ve used teleportation to sneak up on Jack and reclaim his heart, but he once again ignores his greatest advantage.
#18: Send Another Henchman
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) To secure her title as the fairest in the land, the Queen orders her huntsman to put Snow White six feet under. When the huntsman can’t bring himself to harm the princess, however, the Queen decides to do the deed herself. But wait? Wouldn’t it have been easier if she just sent another henchman? Was the huntsman her only henchman? Come to think of it, the only other minion we see the Queen interact with is her Magic Mirror. She doesn’t seem to have many servants either, as Snow White was handling the cleaning. This has got to be the most understaffed monarchy in history. It’s almost as if “Snow White” is a fairytale that wasn’t meant to be overanalyzed on the internet… oh wait.
#17: Suck Out Thackery’s Life
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“Hocus Pocus” (1993) “Hocus Pocus” opens with three elderly witches sucking the life out of a little girl to make themselves younger. That’s pretty metal for a Disney movie! Winnie Sanderson points out that the sisters could still afford to shed off a few years. When they discover Thackery Binx, the Sandersons consider absorbing his youth as well, which would’ve been the smartest course of action. Instead, they turn him into an immortal black cat, making him live with the failure of not being able to save his sister. It’s a cruel punishment, but this leaves the door open for Thackery to one day lift his curse. If they sucked out Thackery’s life, the witches would’ve had a much easier time dealing with our heroes 300 years later.
#16: Leave the Brody Family Alone
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“Jaws: The Revenge” (1987) In case you didn’t know, the shark from “Jaws” was nicknamed Bruce. Bruce apparently had a mate named Brucette, who wreaked havoc in “Jaws 2.” In “Jaws 3-D,” SeaWorld is terrorized by Brucetta, Bruce’s granddaughter, and Baby Shark, Bruce’s great-grandson. The shark in “Jaws: The Revenge” is Bruce’s son, Vengeance! As his nickname suggests, Vengeance seeks to devour the Brodys for continually blowing up his family. We didn’t realize that sharks had the mental capacity to plot revenge. We just assumed that they were mindless eating machines. That said, Vengeance should’ve stayed at Amity Island; there are plenty of humans in the sea after all. Instead, he swims to the Bahamas to finish off the Brodys, doomed to share the fate of his shark relatives.
#15: Keep the Cats
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“The Aristocats” (1970) With no living relatives, Madame Adelaide decides to leave her vast fortune to her cats. After Duchess and her kittens pass, Adelaide’s butler Edgar will inherit everything. To make himself the sole beneficiary, Edgar tries to get rid of the pesky felines. Here’s the thing, though. Cats can’t communicate with humans or spend money. Even if the cats inherited Adelaide’s estate, they would still need Edgard to handle their finances. Edgard could’ve just bought a lifetime supply of cat food and then spent the rest on himself. Given the size of Adelaide’s mansion, it’s not like he’d have to share a room with the cats or anything. Adelaide was gift-wrapping Edgar the comfiest cat-sitting job in the world, but his greediness leaves him penniless.
#14: Stop Toying with the Losers
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“It” franchise (2017-19) When Pennywise encounters little Georgie, he doesn’t spend weeks terrorizing him. He simply lures him towards a storm drain and takes a big bite. This seems to be Its strategy for most of the kids in Derry - and even some adults. When it comes to our main characters, however, It always lets the Losers’ Club escape after scaring the daylights out of them. We know that fear is the secret ingredient that makes children taste so scrumptious, but if It just ate the Losers already, there would’ve been nobody left in Derry to stop It from preying on frightened children. We guess the Losers have a guardian angel looking out for them… or maybe a guardian turtle.
#13: Build Another Mutant Conversion Machine
“X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006) In the third “X-Men” movie, a “cure” is developed that can suppress the X-gene, taking away mutant abilities. Magneto sees this as a threat to wipe out all mutants and thus declares war on humanity. There was another way that Magneto could’ve resolved this, though. Remember that Mutant Conversion Machine from the first movie? Why not just build another to reverse the effects of the “cure?” Sure, the machine wasn’t entirely stable and the Brotherhood may need to kidnap Rogue again. Working out the machine’s kinks still sounds better than risking countless mutant lives in an all-out battle, however. Yet, revisiting his old plan never even occurs to Magneto. Ah well, we’re sure that’s the only continuity error we’ll ever see the “X-Men” franchise...
#12: Guard the Coffin
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“Dracula” (1931) Few horror movie monsters are more revered than “Dracula” and Bela Lugosi arguably delivered the character’s definitive portrayal. Being so iconic, you’d expect Dracula to go out on a high note. In the end, though, Van Helsing merely stakes Dracula offscreen while he’s slumbering in his coffin. For a film that’s otherwise a classic, Dracula’s demise is pretty anti-climatic. What’s more, it could’ve been easily prevented. Shortly before retreating to his coffin, Dracula kills Renfield, assuming that he led Helsing and Harker to him. Wouldn’t it have made more sense if Dracula kept Renfield alive and made him guard his coffin? Come to think of it, why didn’t Dracula hypnotize several people to protect him whenever the sun rises? Carfax Abbey could use better security.
#11: Keep Aladdin Alive
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“Aladdin” (1992) After Aladdin retrieves the coveted lamp, Jafar prepares to give the street rat his eternal reward. This makes sense, as Jafar wants to tie up all loose ends and the Cave of Wonders is an ideal place to dispose of a body. Unfortunately, Jafar didn’t count on Aladdin having a monkey up his sleeve or a magic carpet to catch him. The irony is that if Jafar didn’t doublecross Aladdin, he might have won. Had Jafar helped him out of the cave instead, Abu wouldn’t have stolen the lamp and Aladdin wouldn’t have unleashed the Genie. Most importantly, Aladdin wouldn’t have learned the price of being an all-powerful genie, which he uses to trick Jafar in the climax.
#10: More Agents, Less Assimilation
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“The Matrix Revolutions” (2003) Neo may be the One, but Agent Smith levels the playing field in the third “Matrix” by absorbing the Oracle’s powers. Having gained precognition, Smith decides that he can handle Neo on his own. Making his clones stand there and watch seems like such a waste, though. Neo can barely hold his own against the main Smith, so imagine how much quicker the fight would’ve been if every clone joined in. Now, if the battle still led to Smith assimilating Neo, the end result would’ve been the same regardless. Neo would become linked to the Source, allowing him to delete the agents. If Smith and all of his clones ganged up on Neo, however, they could’ve destroyed him inside the Matrix rather than assimilate him.
#9: Go After Baby Sarah
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“The Terminator” (1984) In an apocalyptic future overrun with machines, humanity’s only hope is Resistance leader John Connor. To prevent John from being born, Skynet sends a T-800 back to 1984 to take out his mother, Sarah. Although Sarah doesn’t have any combat experience at this point, she can still run and hide. She can also fall in love with John’s father, who turns out to be Kyle Reese, a Resistance soldier sent back in time to protect her. Skynet should’ve sent the T-800 back to the 1960s to pursue Sarah as an infant. Yeah, going after a defenseless baby is unspeakable, but Skynet is a soulless entity. In the “Terminator Genisys” timeline, a T-1000 does pursue a nine-year-old Sarah, but a baby would’ve been an easier target nonetheless.
#8: Snap All the Heroes
“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) In one of cinema’s bleakest cliffhangers, “Avengers: Infinity War” concludes with Thanos snapping half of all life in the universe from existence. Many heroes turn to dust in the process, although about half remain alive to fight another day. If Thanos wanted to guarantee his triumph, he should’ve made sure all of the Avengers perished. We guess the universe wouldn’t be “balanced” without any heroes, but then nobody could’ve reversed the snap. Thanos did promise to spare Tony Stark in exchange for the Time Stone, but Iron Man would’ve died in space anyway if Captain Marvel got snapped. At the very least, Thanos should’ve snapped the rat that brought Ant-Man out of the quantum realm. Now there’s an unsung hero.
#7: Take Out Simba Yourself, Scar
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“The Lion King” (1994) After hurling Mufasa to his death, Scar convinces Simba that he’s responsible. Scar tells Simba to run away, but then he immediately sends his minions after the lion cub. So, why didn’t Scar finish off Simba himself and cut out the middle man… or the middle hyena in this case? We’d say that Scar didn’t want to get his own paws dirty, but he literally threw his brother off a cliff a few minutes earlier. It’s not like he’s above doing the same to his nephew. Scar could’ve sunk his claws into Simba and then let the hyenas “clean up” the mess. Be that as it may, getting to hear Jeremy Irons say, “Kill him,” totally makes up for this plot hole.
#6: Hire an Assassin
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016) For an evil genius, Lex Luthor doesn’t surround himself with the most reliable allies. In the original “Superman,” Lex should’ve kept a close eye on Eve Teschmacher when she pointed out that her mother lived in the city he was about to destroy. It’s Jesse Eisenberg’s Luthor who really defies all logic, however. In an overly complicated plot, Lex manipulates Batman and Superman into fighting each other. Lex trusts that Batman’s hatred for Superman will prevail, but wouldn’t it have been less convoluted if he hired Deathstroke or Deadshot to take out Supes? He could’ve given them kryptonite bullets and built a mech suit like Batman’s. Maybe Lex didn’t want any illegal activity traced back to him, but creating Doomsday was kind of a giveaway.
#5: Come Better Armed
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“Home Alone” (1990) Harry and Marv would’ve been better off skipping the McCallister residence, as all of the other houses in the neighborhood still have plenty of valuables to steal. We mean, what did the McCallister’s even own that made their house so special? Some mannequins and a Michael Jordan cutout? If robbing this one house was that important, they could’ve at least brought more than a couple of crowbars. We don’t think Kevin’s paint cans and tarantula would’ve fared well against a firearm. Seemingly having learned his lesson, Harry doesn’t underestimate Kevin in the sequel and arms himself with a gun. Even then, however, he waits until the climax to pull it on Kevin. We feel like he could’ve taken his shot several other times that night.
#4: Block Off the Reactor
“Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (1983) “Rogue One” finally cleared up why the Death Star had an exhaust vent leading to the reactor core, allowing the Rebels to destroy the space station in one shot. Nevertheless, it doesn’t explain why the Empire makes a similar mistake in “Return of the Jedi.” To be fair, the Empire does fix the exhaust vent issue, meaning the Rebels can only attack while the second Death Star is under construction. The Empire even builds a shield projector on Endor to keep the Rebels at bay. Since the reactor was the Death Star’s Achilles’ heel last time, though, the Empire should’ve prioritized blocking off any possible entries. Instead, they add a giant pathway to the reactor, which arguably makes it an even easier shot than before.
#3: Use a Time-Turner
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“Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11) Voldemort takes numerous precautions to ensure his victory, even splitting his soul into several Horcruxes. For someone who’s always thinking ahead, stealing a time-turner apparently never crossed Voldemort's mind. Time-Turners may be well guarded by the Ministry of Magic, but we’re sure the Death Eaters could’ve found a way to swipe one. Lucius Malfoy even got a job at the Ministry later down the line. If the Death Eaters had a time-turner on hand back in 1981, they could’ve traveled back a couple of hours and prevented Voldemort’s fateful encounter with baby Harry. Actually, there are a lot of instances where the villains, as well as our heroes, could’ve benefited from time-turners. Too bad most of them got messed up in 1996.
#2: Get Rid of Water
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“The Wizard of Oz” (1939) Backing Dorothy and her friends into a corner, the Wicked Witch prepares to set the Scarecrow ablaze. Dorothy puts out the flame with water and the Witch gets caught in the crossfire. In a total deus ex machina, it turns out that H2O melts the Witch. So why did she have a bucket of water lying around the castle? We suppose that the Flying Monkeys and Winkie Guards needed something to keep themselves hydrated, but this is the equivalent of Superman keeping kryptonite lying around at home. The Witch would’ve had a clear road to victory if she didn’t stock her one weakness. Let’s just go by the “Wicked” mythology and assume that this was all part of Elphaba’s plan to fake her death. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Whiplash Could’ve Picked a Better Time & Place to Ambush Tony “Iron Man 2” (2011) AUTO Fell for This Trick Way Too Easily “WALL-E” (2008) Apocalypse Could’ve Used Charles to Nuke the World, or Just Not Made His Announcement “X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016)
#1: Stop Talking!
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Various This is such a common villain trope that we couldn’t limit it to one movie. Tell us if this sounds familiar. A villain traps the hero with no clear escape route in sight. Rather than kill the hero while they’re vulnerable, the baddie delivers a long-winded speech detailing their plan and/or backstory. After they’re done monologuing and gloating, the villain still doesn’t kill the hero, wanting to torture them. In the event that the villain does try to kill the hero, they don’t confirm that they’re dead. This gives the hero more than enough time to break free and thwart the villain’s plan. So many villains would have won if only they learned how to shut up, particularly the ones in James Bond movies.
