Top 10 Movie Henchmen

At one time, the Nazgûl – or Ring Wraiths – were men. After becoming absolutely corrupted by the rings of power, however, they turned into some of the scariest creatures in all of Middle-earth. Ruled and commanded by Sauron, they seek the One Ring night and day, wearing black robes and brandishing swords. Feared by all decent creatures in Tolkien’s tales, these horrible bloodhounds made everyone’s blood crawl when they first road their hellish horses onto the screen. One particular standout is the Witch King, who took the helm of Sauron’s forces during the final war.

When we heard that “District 9”’s breakout star Sharlto Copley had been cast as a devious villain in Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up film, many of us wondered how Copley would do in the role. When we saw his turn as Agent Kruger, however, we knew it was a genius move. Kruger is a loose cannon mercenary who’s ready, willing, and able to complete almost any task. Although his boss may be pulling his strings, he is truly the force of evil in “Elysium.” Outfitted with an exoskeleton that increases his already impressive skills, Kruger completely steals the show.

Toshishiro Obata, who is a swordsman and martial artist in real-life, brought a true gravitas to the role of a strong, silent second in command to the one and only Shredder. Perhaps one of the only men who could turn a gang of petty criminals into the elite army known as the Foot Clan, Tatsu’s history may be a mystery, but his actions leave nothing to the imagination; he will do whatever the Shredder’s plan entails to take over NYC. Though the franchise offered up several other henchmen, such as Tokka and Rahzar, Tatsu stands head and shoulders above the rest.

This trio is comprised of three powerful beings imbued with the powers of thunder, lightning and rain, and after which they are named. Posing as mere executives in their master’s shell company, they serve Lo-Pan loyally to the bitter end. Once their true nature is revealed, they fight our heroes again and again. Though none of them proves to be a match for Jack Burton or Wang Chi, the Storms greatly contribute to the otherworldly feel of the action that takes place throughout “Big Trouble in Little China.”

While Felonius Gru eventually sees the error of his ways and becomes a hero of sorts, the Minions are still loyal little henchmen nonetheless who – unlike most henchmen – enjoy a great relationship with their boss. These petite, yellow creatures are difficult to control as they follow their own every whim and speak their own language. Nevertheless, they maintain a close relationship to Gru, his children, and one another. Popular enough to appear in several short films and a spinoff movie, very few henchmen manage to break out as stars themselves without rebelling.

Karl reigned as the most interesting of Hans Gruber’s henchmen. That’s saying a lot considering this group of high-level thieves also consisted of the gun wielding, chocolate munching Uli. Karl really brought his A-game, however, especially when John McClane killed his brother. This resulted in a vengeful fight involving chains, guns, and fists. Then just when everything appeared to be resolved, Karl returned to take one last shot at McClane. Can Karl please come back from the dead a second time for “Die Hard 6?”

A seemingly unassuming figure in a film filled with over-the-top characters, it appeared unlikely that Bob would be at all memorable. Against all the odds, though, this goon has spawned something of a cult following over the years. The only man who seemed to “get” The Joker both before and after his disfiguring accident, Bob would have stood by his side no matter what they were faced with. Killed by the Clown Prince of Crime himself out of frustration, the Joker may have loved mayhem, but we still believe he must have regretted killing his number one guy on some level.

Vito Corleone doesn’t make decisions lightly. So when you’re handpicked as his personal enforcer, who are you to argue? With Luca by his side, you’ll never want to refuse one of Don Corleone’s offers. If the godfather needs anyone scared or killed, he unleashes his fiercest ally. Luca is like a pit-bull whose bite massively outweighs his bark. Embodied by a former professional wrestler and enforcer for the Colombo crime family, Lenny Montana brought his life experience to this role – and it shows.

When we think of henchmen, we doubt Gogo is the vision that comes to mind. After seeing her in gleefully violent action, though, it’s impossible to leave her off a list like this. Wielding a chain whip and rope dart, this 17-year-old schoolgirl is just as deadly as the Crazy 88. Akin to a chained beast waiting to be released, Gogo clearly relishes the opportunity to show off her skills and we only wish we got to see more. Alas, Gogo may be good, but the Bride is better.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- The Child Catcher
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968)
- Tony & Joey
“Midnight Run” (1988)
- The Death Eaters
“Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)
- Joe ‘Mental’ Mentalino
“Dumb and Dumber” (1994)
- Mother Russia
“Kick-Ass 2” (2013)

A Bond movie without henchmen would be like peanut butter without jelly. While there are many greats like the hat throwing Oddjob, the metal-mouthed Jaws casts the largest shadow. A man with a menacing presence, overpowering strength, and ingenuity in the art of killing, we certainly love to watch Jaws at work, but we wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley. He proved to be such a memorable henchman that he appeared in multiple 007 movies, and we can only hope we’ll see another Bond henchman take a similar bite out of Mr. Bond someday.

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