Top 10 Smartest Movie Villains

Top 10 Smartest Movie Villains

They’re big, they’re bad, and they’re smarter than you. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 smartest movie villains.

For this list, we’re looking at BIG SCREEN bad guys with brains. While they might know how to throw a punch, these ingenious evildoers rely primarily on their super smarts and complex plots. JUST SO YOU KNOW, there are some pretty big spoilers ahead - so look out.

#10: Col. Hans Landa
“Inglourious Basterds” (2009)

A shrewd detective-like officer who speaks multiple languages, this nefarious Nazi is an evil version of Sherlock Holmes, complete with his classy pipe. Only, instead of solving crimes, Landa uses his powers of deduction to hunt down runaway Jews. An expert interrogator who reads people instantly, Landa is smart enough to never let patriotism get in the way and knows when it’s time to switch sides. While he occasionally struggles with English expressions, this sly SS officer is definitely the cleverest character Quentin Tarantino has ever created. After all, he ain’t nicknamed the Jew Hunter for nothing.

#9: Khan Noonien Singh
“Star Trek” franchise (1982-2013)

While you don’t want to meet the Borg Queen or General Chang in a dark alley, neither comes close to Khan. A genetically engineered dictator, this deep space superhuman is brainy, beefy, and isn’t big on forgiveness. In “The Wrath of Khan,” he goes full-out Ahab in his quest to kill Kirk, using everything from a terraforming device to brain parasites. Over thirty years later, he returned as a one-man army trying to take out Starfleet in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Whether young or old, Khan is the most evil Einstein the Enterprise ever encountered.

#8: John Kramer [aka The Jigsaw Killer]
“Saw” franchise (2004-)

After learning he has an inoperable tumor, John Kramer tries to end it all. But when he survives his suicide attempt, Kramer decides to help others stop wasting their lives…by building death traps. An educated killer with a civil engineering background, Jigsaw puts his degree to use building machines out of Rube Goldberg’s worst nightmares. From razor wires to shotgun collars, Jigsaw’s traps are sadistically clever, forcing victims to make life-changing decisions. And either you learn your lesson or this crafty killer says, “Game over.”

#7: Hans Gruber
“Die Hard” (1988)

Impeccably dressed and incredibly suave, this cultured criminal killed as easily as he quoted classic literature. Leading a team of hackers and thieves, Hans Gruber planned on drilling into a high-tech vault and stealing $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds. And this German mastermind came prepared. With his heist planned to a T, Gruber masqueraded as a hostage-taking terrorist, conning the FBI into playing along with his elaborate scheme. If only a certain cowboy cop hadn’t gotten a machine gun, this stylish supervillain would’ve gotten away clean.

#6: The Joker
“The Dark Knight” (2008)

Whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you… stranger. In this superhero spectacle, Bruce Wayne is equipped with the latest crime-fighting gadgets and still has trouble outwitting the Clown Prince of Crime. The most philosophical baddie on our list, the Joker doesn’t care about money. He’s playing for bigger stakes…like Harvey Dent. This self-proclaimed agent of chaos is also a first-rate trickster, bluffing and besting Batman at every turn. While he hates making plans, this conniving crook is more than a match for the Caped Crusader.

#5: Auric Goldfinger
“Goldfinger” (1964)

James Bond has battled some fearsome foes, from Dr. No to Raoul Silva, but none was as wily as Auric Goldfinger. As crafty as he is greedy, this 00-scoundrel is an inventive smuggler with an outlandish plot to contaminate Fort Knox’s gold supply with a radioactive bomb. In addition to his extravagant schemes, Goldfinger is one spectacular showman, using everything from gas to lasers to gold paint to ice his enemies. He might monologue occasionally, but this brilliant Bond baddie has certainly earned the right.

#4: Emperor Palpatine
“Star Wars” franchise (1980-2005)

Look up the word “manipulative” in the dictionary, and you’ll find a picture of Emperor Palpatine. He seems like an upstanding senator, but he’s secretly the Dark Lord of the Sith. Strong in the Dark Side of the Force—as well as politics—Palpatine builds an army, declares himself emperor, and seduces Anakin Skywalker – and does all of this right under the nose of the Jedi. Over twenty years later, he’s still the smartest guy in the galaxy, tempting Luke and controlling Darth Vader – who’s no intellectual slouch himself.

#3: HAL 9000
“2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)

He’s efficient, effective, and super intelligent. Unfortunately, he’s losing his mind. At first glance, HAL 9000 is the perfect choice to run a spaceship on its way to Jupiter. But when he starts to malfunction, astronauts Dave Bowman and Frank Poole decide to shut him down. Unfortunately, HAL reads lips and starts killing off the crew. With his creepy-calm voice, courtesy of Douglas Rain, HAL emits an aura of calm and superiority that makes it all the more disturbing when he won’t let Dave inside.

#2: Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint
“The Usual Suspects” (1995)

Kevin Spacey stole the show in “Se7en” as religious psychopath John Doe, but he was at his bad guy best as Verbal Kint. A petty crook with cerebral palsy, Kint is one of the few survivors of a heist gone wrong. When interrogated by police, he tells an incredible story about how his crew was manipulated by a mythical gangster named Keyser Soze. Timid and naïve, it’s hard not to trust Verbal’s story…until the last scene when we learn the smartest villains always hide in plain sight.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Ozymandias
“Watchmen” (2009)
- Lex Luthor
“Superman” franchise (1978-87)
- Mrs. Eleanor Iselin
“The Manchurian Candidate” (1962)
- Elijah Price
“Unbreakable” (2000)
- Tom Ripley
“The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999)

#1: Dr. Hannibal Lecter
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

He was only onscreen for sixteen minutes, but that was plenty of time for Hannibal Lecter to terrify audiences with his psychopathic brainpower. A psychiatrist with a flair for fine dining, this cannibal loves playing mind games with FBI Agent Clarice Starling, and with his keen understanding of the criminal mind, Lecter is the only man who can help catch serial killer Buffalo Bill. But Hannibal’s brilliance truly shines when he uses brains and brawn in one of the scariest jailbreaks in cinema history.

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your favorite smart movie villain? For more amazing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.