Top 10 Films With Multiple Villains

Here’s a pretty wide character gap: An ancient Sumerian God and… an EPA Agent. Guess that’s just the kind of stuff you have to deal with when you’re running a ghost extermination business. The villains of this beloved comedy want Venkman, Stantz, Spengler, and Winston destroyed for wildly different reasons. For Gozer, it’s because they’re the only thing that stands between it and conquering the world. For Peck, it’s because they might pose a significant threat to the environment, which is a legitimate concern, though he could’ve been less of a jerk about it. Thankfully, they both get their comeuppance when the team busts Gozer and its marshmallow remains end up all over Peck. 

When the residents of The Matrix, a computer world designed by machines to harvest humans for power, get out of hand, the system sends suit- and sunglasses- clad programs called “Agents” to keep them in check. Agent Smith took an immense disliking to the escaped humans Morpheus, the messianic Neo, and Cypher… that is, until Cypher betrays his friends because he believes in the peaceful world the Agents are trying to preserve. Neither of them wins in the end, though, as Tank kills Cypher and Smith is destroyed by Neo when he recognizes his abilities as “The One.”

You’d think an acid-bleeding extraterrestrial would be enough for one movie, but Ridley Scott manages to balance the legendary creature with a different kind of threat. When the crew of the spacecraft Nostromo has to deal with an alien that is killing off its crew, one crewmember, Ash, begins to act strangely. Not only is it eventually revealed that Ash is an android, but he’s also been ordered by the Nostromo’s employers to bring the alien to them, even if it means sacrificing his fellow crewmembers. It’s a perfect blending of the fantastical and realistic, as Ash’s actions aren’t far off from what sometimes happens in the real world.  

For a series that’s based entirely around misdirection and manipulation, it’s only fitting that “The Hunger Games” ended with one final twist involving both of the film’s villains. Katniss Everdeen was led to believe that the person she was rebelling against was the tyrannical President Snow, in order to replace himwith the leader of the rebellion, President Alma Coin. But after Katniss learns that Coin gave the order that killed her sister Prim, she decides to make one last decision at what is supposed to be Snow’s execution. She aims her bow and arrow at Coin and fires. Snow dies too, but not before having one final laugh at the expense of Miss Everdeen.

Understandably, a movie that takes place in two different time periods is gonna have a lot of threats to combat. In the future, humans and mutants have been hunted to near-extinction by machines called Sentinels, leading what remains of Charles Xavier’s X-Men to fight them off. Additionally, Wolverine gets sent back to 1973 to prevent the Sentinels’ rise to power. This involves stopping Mystique from assassinating their creator, scientist Bolivar Trask. Unfortunately, this also means having to break perennial X-Men nemesis Magneto out of prison, who eventually goes back to his own human-hating ways and ends up dropping a baseball stadium on the White House and almost killing the President. Jeez, why can’t we all just get along?

This movie has a surprisingly complex story considering it’s two and a half hours of pure raw action, and it all centers around the world of Indonesian crime families. In it, undercover cop Rama wants to kill gang lord Bejo for murdering his brother, but first has to get through other crime lords like Bangun and corrupt police commissioner Reza. While the three do their best to make sure Rama doesn’t win, they’re no match for the former SWAT team member. Thankfully, this conflict is based around some of the most amazing martial arts work ever seen in any film. 

After being framed for killing the leader of the Gramercy Riffs gang, the Coney Island-based Warriors have to face a number of other gangs if they want to survive. These include the Lizzies, the only all-female gang in the film, the Turnbull ACs, who are all bald and ride in a graffiti covered school bus, and the Baseball Furies, who dress like New York Yankees and wield baseball bats. But the film is a buildup to the Warriors’ confrontation with the Hell’s Kitchen-based Rogues, who utter the legendary threat, “Warriors, come out to play.”

Frodo’s journey finally ends in epic fashion, with appropriate levels of villainy to match its brave heroes. Gandalf and company finally triumph over the evil wizard Saruman while Frodo and Sam deal with the dual threat of Gollum and Sauron, who both want to reclaim the One Ring for themselves. While Sauron unleashes his armies upon Gandalf and Aragorn, Gollum reverts to his old ways and tries to retake the Ring from Frodo, but is killed when Frodo throws him into the fires of Mount Doom, while holding the Ring. This also kills Sauron, forger of the One Ring, destroying Mount Doom and bringing an end to the War of The Ring.

The “Batman” series has proven to be one of the best at handling multiple villains, from the Penguin, Catwoman, Max Shreck triple threat of “Batman Returns,” to the unfolding mystery involving Falcone, Scarecrow, and Ra’s al Ghul in “Batman Begins.” But “The Dark Knight” handles its villains the best by including Batman’s greatest foe while leaving room for other developed baddies. When Italian Mobster Sal Maroni and his fellow gangsters recruit the psychopathic, chaotic Joker to carry out their dirty work, things turn REALLY dirty. This culminates in the Joker turning the once noble Harvey Dent to the side of evil, resulting in Batman having to take out his one-time ally.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Kazuo Kiriyama, Mitsuko Souma & Kitano   
“Battle Royale” (2000)

Whiplash & Justin Hammer          
“Iron Man 2” (2010)

Azog, Smaug & Sauron          
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (2013)

Young Biff, Old Biff, Alternate 1985 Biff & Griff Tannen
“Back to the Future Part II” (1989)

As if having one of the most well known villains of all time wasn’t enough, this Star Wars film features two more iconic personifications of evil. The movie begins with Luke and friends rescuing Han Solo from the disgusting slug of a crime boss Jabba The Hutt. Following their victory, the Rebels make their last stand against the Empire, which involves Luke confronting his father Darth Vader, and his master Emperor Palpatine one final time. But when Luke refuses to kill Vader and succumb to the dark side, Palpatine unleashes his wrath on him, culminating in Vader renouncing his evil ways and destroying his master. Oh, there’s also Boba Fett! …For like, ten minutes.

Do you agree with our list? What movies do you think best handled multiple bad guys? For more insidious top tens posted every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com