10 Evil Characters Who Got OTHER PEOPLE to Do Their Killing
Hans Landa
Landa is arguably Quentin Tarantino’s greatest villain. Not only is he a brilliantly written character, but he is played with awe-inspiring reverence by Christoph Waltz, who went on to win, like, all the awards. Landa takes pride in being wicked and feared, egotistically embodying his nickname by using manipulative tactics and a false sense of friendliness to kill Jewish people. He’s a complete monster who hides behind his admittedly alluring charm. He is also fiercely intelligent and is able to outsmart his enemies at every turn. Even in the end he is able to worm his way out of trouble (well, mostly) by betraying Hitler and the Nazi Party to the Basterds. The smartest villains are always the scariest.
Lady Macbeth
Before Cersei Lannister, there was Lady Macbeth. Both were noble women using their positions to leverage whatever power they could in a cruel, patriarchal system. Things ultimately end poorly for both of them. Similarly to Iago in “Othello,” Lady Macbeth manipulates behind the scenes. She whispers poison into her husband’s ear and sets him on a murderous path. And even though she winds up a tragic figure, she’s also something of a monster – even if it’s not the traditional kind. After all, the consequences of her actions are brutal and real, and wind up affecting her, too. In the play’s final act, she loses her grip on reality, imagining blood on her hands that won’t wash off. Overwhelmed, she takes her own life.
Voldemort
We’re starting to realize that some of the greatest villains are really just analogs of dictators - and that’s where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named comes in. Voldemort is this to the magic world. He unequivocally believes in blood purity, he leads a devout following of violent and prejudiced minions, and he wishes for complete and total control of the magical world. He also has dark magic on his side and people are literally afraid to say his name out of fear and traumatic memories of the First Wizarding War. You have to be a special kind of evil for people to fear your very name! Like Sauron, the threat of Voldemort hangs over the early novels, even when Voldemort himself is incapacitated. He is universally feared, and his evil presence is unrelenting.
Sauron
Once again, we have a villain who represents the very concept of evil itself. Sauron was never meant to be much of a character - he was always meant to serve as a representation of evil, greed, and the fallibility of man. He makes a ring to rule Middle-Earth, and most people caught in the ring’s vicinity (especially humans) are drawn to and corrupted by its promises of unimaginable power. But even the brief glances of Sauron we do get, like his striking immensity, formidable armor, the fiery Eye of Sauron, and his guttural whispers are enough to scare us senseless. Even in scenes not directly involving Sauron or the ring, his oppressive presence and promises of destruction are felt. He is an omnipotent evil incarnate.
Joffrey Baratheon
“Game of Thrones” was filled with complex and three-dimensional characters, and even most of the evil characters weren’t portrayed as mustache-twirling cartoon villains. Aside from Joffrey Baratheon. Well, and Ramsay Bolton. But Joffrey takes the cake. He has absolutely zero redeeming qualities, and even his selfish and conniving family think he’s the worst. He’s a perfect representation of a spoiled child given way too much power. He kills on a whim (and often without thinking of the consequences), treats his citizens and family like dirt, and roots his entertainment in the suffering of others. And to make matters worse, he’s a total cry baby. His painful death couldn’t have come fast enough.
Gus Fring
As any loyal “Breaking Bad” viewer knows, Gus Fring was an (almost) unstoppable villain, ruthlessly efficient in running his empire, unafraid to.. make cuts, if you know what we mean. Throughout the series, he buried his true, calculated self behind the mask of a respectable local business-owner. When in reality, “The Chicken Man” has a spine of pure steel, and is someone that you really do not want to mess with. Fans were over the moon when the drug lord was brought back in season 3 of “Better Call Saul”-- you can’t replicate that kind of evil. Between his savage rivalry with Lalo Salamanca and his countless misdeeds, he’s a vile one.
The Joker
The Joker is easily one of the most prolific villains in modern history. Joker is an OG Batman villain, having first appeared in the debut issue of “Batman” in 1940. Since then, he and his psychotic ways have popped up in animation, video games, movies, TV shows… you name it. Joker is one of the most enticing villains not because he’s fun and novel (although he certainly is that), but because he’s cunning, manipulative, and intelligent. This is perhaps best displayed in “The Dark Knight,” when The Joker constantly outsmarts and manipulates everyone and remains one step ahead of his targets. Despite displaying no superhuman characteristics, The Joker remains the most threatening and dangerous villain in comic book history. And that’s saying something.
Emperor Sheev Palpatine [aka Darth Sidious]
Darth Vader is certainly an iconic villain, but he’s not the evillest. You know, seeing as how he turns good. No, that distinction belongs to Emperor Palpatine. Palpatine doesn’t get a lot of screen time in the original trilogy, but he still makes one sinister impression. Most of Palpatine’s characterization comes from the supplemental material and prequel trilogy, where we witness his progression from cunning and devious politician to full-blown tyrant. He proceeded to reign over the most tyrannical and abusive regime in history and became the very embodiment of evil within the “Star Wars” Skywalker Saga.
Jigsaw
It doesn’t get much more depraved than the Jigsaw Killer. Unlike most movies of its ilk, the “Saw” franchise actually personified Jigsaw by giving him a tragic backstory and a legitimate motivation. But that doesn’t make him any less sick. Of all the traditional horror movie killers, Jigsaw is easily one of the most psychotic - not only because he forces his victims to harm and traumatize themselves (if they even survive), but because he genuinely believes he’s doing good. He’s not just some mindless and unstoppable killer that walks around in a mask. He’s just a man with a really sick and twisted sense of righteousness, not to mention an obscene imagination!
Which of these characters do you find most evil? Let us know in the comments below!
