Top 10 EXACT Moments Villains Show Their True Nature
#10: Sméagol Becomes Gollum
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“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
Sméagol’s origins were going to be depicted in “The Two Towers,” but the filmmakers saved this for the opening of “Return of the King.” It was a wise decision, as we initially come to like and sympathize with Gollum, even if something darker is lurking underneath. Once we see the extent of Gollum’s wickedness, though, he transforms from comedic relief to stealth villain. It was Sméagol’s cousin Déagol who first stumbled upon the One Ring. Within seconds of laying eyes on the precious, Sméagol is ready to resort to murder, only growing more possessed over time. Echoes of Sméagol may remain in Gollum, but if the former hobbit was willing to choke the life out of his cousin, Frodo stands little chance of redeeming him.
#9: Alonzo Harris Commits “Justifiable Homicide”
“Training Day” (2001)
Welcoming Jake Hoyt into the LAPD, Detective Alonzo Harris establishes early on that he’s not one to do things by the book. If anything, he’s more dangerous than any common criminal. Between forcing Jake to try drugs and stealing money from dealers, Alonzo crosses more than a few lines. It isn’t until Alonzo tells Jake to tie up a loose end that we fully understand how corrupt this cop is. Jake assumes Alonzo is joking when he asks him to shoot Roger, a former officer who now operates on the other side of the law. Alonzo lets the rookie know that he isn’t goofing around, shooting Roger in cold blood. Alonzo makes it look justified, but Jake recognizes Roger’s death for what it is: murder.
#8: Percy Wetmore Prepares the Electric Chair
“The Green Mile” (1999)
The audience immediately despises Percy Wetmore, a weasely nepo baby who wormed his way into a prison guard job. Percy gets a kick out of tormenting the inmates and their animal friends, but he’s at his most sadistic during an execution. To the other guards, the electric chair is the most difficult part of the job, even if the punishment matches the crime. To Percy, it’s an amusing spectacle, but a standard execution isn’t enough to satisfy him. As death row inmate Del is strapped in, Percy purposely neglects to soak the sponge that would’ve made his execution as humane as possible. Instead, Del’s last moments are long and ghastly, perhaps even more than Percy anticipated. Yet, he shows little remorse for his heinous action.
#7: HAL 9000 Puts the Mission First
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“2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)
Discovery One’s computer is hard to get a read on, a camera lens being the closest thing to a facial feature. HAL’s calm voice might lure the crew into a sense of security, but actions speak louder than words. When HAL suspects that the crew is plotting against him, he emerges as the silent but deadly type. Not only does he send Frank spiraling into space. He removes the hibernating crew’s life support, leaving only Dave alive. HAL’s evil deeds are less about self-preservation and more about ensuring the mission’s success. One could see this as a computer error, but it’s truly a human error. After all, humankind designed HAL to put the mission first. Nobody thought to ask, “At what cost?”
#6: Nurse Ratched Brushes Off Billy’s Death
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“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975)
From the get-go, it’s easy to despise Nurse Ratched with her cold demeanor and controlling grip on patients. At first, though, one could argue that Ratched has her patients’ best interests at heart. This is a mental hospital. It makes sense that she’d want to maintain a normal routine. Ratched is no expert on mental health, however. She pushes the vulnerable Billy to the edge upon threatening to inform his mother of his behavior. Unable to face the consequences, Billy only sees one way out. In the wake of Billy’s death, Ratched doesn’t acknowledge any fault on her part or express empathy. She merely insists that they carry on as usual, showing that she doesn’t care about her patients. Ratched only cares about order.
#5: Dolores Umbridge Punishes Harry
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“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)
During his early years at Hogwarts, Harry didn’t think he could hate a professor more than Snape. We didn’t think anyone in the Wizarding World could be more despicable than Voldemort. Enter Dolores Umbridge, who hides her malice nature behind an icy grin and enough pink attire to make our eyes bleed. She isn’t at Hogwarts to teach, but to repress the truth. Giving Harry detention for speaking out is more than enough to make us detest Umbridge. Once we see the cruel punishment she has in store for him, though, Umbridge goes from being the worst teacher ever to a straight-up tyrant. Watching those five words materialize on Harry’s skin, our blood begins to boil just thinking about Umbridge.
#4: Annie Wilkes’ Newspaper Clippings
“Misery” (1990)
Slowly but surely, author Paul Sheldon realizes that he isn’t in Annie Wilkes’ care. He’s her prisoner with seemingly no escape. When Paul is left alone one day, he does some digging into Annie’s past. Stumbling upon a scrapbook, Paul finds that he wasn’t the first person that Annie tormented. Death follows Annie everywhere she goes with some of her victims being much younger than Paul. She was almost brought to justice, although there wasn’t enough evidence to put her away. The fact that Annie keeps these articles as mementos is a testament to her depraved mind. Paul already feared for his life, but after reading this, it becomes clear that Annie will never let him leave alive… or with the use of his legs.
#3: Lee Woo-jin Reveals His Master Plan
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“Oldboy” (2003)
Villains love to showcase how evil they are by explaining their plans to the protagonist. It’s a classic trope, although “Oldboy” may contain the most diabolical example. Lee Woo-jin imprisoned Oh Dae-su for fifteen years, which was only step one in his sadistic scheme. The villain blames Dae-su for the death of his sister, with whom he had an incestuous relationship. To even the score, Woo-jin manipulated Dae-su into falling in love with a woman, who turns out to be his now grown-up daughter. We get why Woo-jin would want revenge and, at least to an extent, he is a tragic villain. Even so, this has got to be the most messed up punishment imaginable, and only a truly warped mind would see it through.
#2: Captain Vidal & The Farmers
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“Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006)
Young Ofelia is uneasy from the moment she meets her new stepfather, who’s more intimidating than any monster from the fairy tales she reads. Captain Vidal is a ruthless falangist with even the simplest interrogations inclined to result in senseless murder. We’re given our first taste of Vidal’s bloodlust when he confronts a father and son who claim they were hunting rabbits. Without giving it a second thought, Vidal makes the father watch his son’s face get bashed in before taking them both out. Upon further inspection, he finds that the innocent farmers were indeed hunting rabbits, which Vidal asks his housekeeper to prepare for dinner. Even if he discovered the rabbits sooner, the farmers were likely dead the second Vidal laid eyes on them.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions - or dishonorable in the case of these vile characters.
Biff Tannen in the Backseat, “Back to the Future” (1985)
Biff at Hist Most Puncable
John Kreese Tells Johnny to Sweep the Leg, “The Karate Kid” (1984)
A Sensei Who Will Do Anything to Win
Gaston Stabs the Beast, “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
When Hunting Officially Becomes Homicide
Harry & Marv Pull a Gun on Kevin, “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992)
Suddenly, Booby Traps Seem Like Child’s Play
Terence Fletcher Throws the Chair, “Whiplash” (2014)
The Ensuing Tirade Hurts More than the Chair Would’ve
#1: Amon Göth Epitomizes Nazi Evil
“Schindler’s List” (1993)
Amon Göth’s uniform alone tells us that he’s evil, but that doesn’t prepare us for how he makes an example out of Diana Reiter. A Polish engineer working at Płaszów concentration camp, Reiter informs Göth that a structure’s foundation wasn’t built properly. Reiter doesn’t undermine her captors. She’s just stating facts. Göth responds by ordering that she be shot right then and there. He has nothing to gain from Reiter’s death. If anything, the construction will go more smoothly with Reiter alive. Göth even acknowledges this after Reiter’s murder, telling the others to rebuild as she instructed. Logic and compassion are lost on Göth. He only knows cruelty. This moment is all the more harrowing knowing that it was inspired by real-world evil.
Which villainous moments left you speechless? Let us know in the comments.
