Top 10 Movie Villain Backstories

The famous Dr. Seuss book and timeless animated short didn’t offer much background for the famous green Christmas-hater; but the filmmakers devised a backstory that’ll make anybody shed a tear for this misunderstood creep. Once we discover that The Grinch has been a victim of some nasty schoolyard bullying, his crusade against Christmas cheer is more than understandable. Anyone who’s humiliated in front of the love of his or her life is justified in wanting to live a life of solitude – the Grinch just took his anger a bit too far. We are glad, however, that he abandons his all-out war against Whoville and becomes a beloved member of the community in the end.

Delving into much darker territory, we now follow the Dream Master himself, Freddy Krueger. In a franchise spanning nine films, the lead villain’s backstory is bound to be important. Krueger is clearly fueled by revenge, but only at the end of the first film do we learn his motive for targeting Elm Street kids: It turns out that Krueger was also a child-killer in real life. To stop him, the parents on Elm Street chased him down and burned him alive. More secrets about the killer’s past emerge in later films, but it’s the first reveal that packs the biggest punch.

One of Disney’s most terrifying and enduring villains, Maleficent received the origin story treatment in her own self-titled, live action epic, and it was nothing like we expected. Although villainbackstories often rely on a sad past to make us feel some pity, this origin transformed this evil queen into a loveable anti-hero. Backstabbed and stripped of her beautiful wings by Stefan, her human friend and future king, Maleficent’s desire for revenge becomes understandable. Her complexity grows as we learn that she ends up caring for the princess she has cursed. It’s difficult to pinpoint where our loyalties lie with this one.

Though he is the iconic, masked face of this famous franchise, Jason only appears in the final seconds of the original film. Prior to that, the entire first film sets up the backstory that creates one of cinema’s most enduring serial killers. As his psychotic mother goes on a killing spree to get revenge for the death of her young, neglected son, who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake while thecounsellors were busy fornicating. We even end up feeling bad for the poor innocent child – that is, until he starts killing every horny teen in sight.

James Bond has faced his fair share of interesting villains, but none has hit him more personally than “GoldenEye”’s Alec Trevelyan. A remarkable character, he begins as an agent and ally alongside James, but soon turns out to be Britain’s and James’ greatest threat. Similar to Raoul Silva in “Skyfall,” Trevelyan is an ex-MI6 agent out for revenge in this case because he blames the British government for the deaths of his parents. Beginning his path to retribution early, he trains with MI6 and eventually plans to wipe out Britain’s economy with help from the GoldenEye satellite. If you don’t bet big, you can’t win big. But you might lose big.

It didn’t take much to set young Buddy Pine off and make him the world’s most dangerous supervillain. Having been ignored by his idol, Mr. Incredible, when he tries to help him fight crime, young Buddy vows to one day get revenge on the superheroes he once idolized and revered. Although not as elaborate or destructive as other backstories, it is fascinating to witness how such a small action can have such dire consequences. Mr. Incredible’s choice directly influences Buddy, and set him on his path to become Syndrome, his most dangerous nemesis. Moral of the story, kids: If you get famous, don’t ignore your fans.

What started as a minor character has evolved into one of literature and cinema’s most beloved and feared madmen. Most audiences were introduced to Lecter’s mysterious demeanor and unnerving sense of macabre menace in “The Silence of the Lambs,” but that story began in media res when it comes to Hannibal the Cannibal’s backstory. Two prequels fill in the blanks for us, beginning with “Red Dragon,” which reveals a bit more about why Lecter is in jail. Ultimately, however, it’s the demented “Hannibal Rising” that gives us the full backstory we deserve, filling in details about how he lost his family and where he acquired his peculiar palate and his taste for vengeance.

The world’s greatest dark wizard needed an appropriately disturbing backstory, one that took eight films and a full decade to reveal in full. Motivated by a fear of death and his hatred of his half-blood heritage and armed with the prophetical knowledge that one child has the power to vanquish him, Tom Riddle evolves into Lord Voldemort, a wizard so evil most witches and wizards dare not speak his name. His story is pieced together through flashbacks and memories, each of which helps us to understand Voldemort’s dark beginnings and vengeful pursuits a little better and satisfying our curiosity about the motivations of this evil villain.

Magneto is the only comic book villain on this list, and that’s saying something about director Bryan Singer’s talent – and the indelible performances of both Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender. This brilliant franchise flipped all formulas on their head, with the incredibly sad and touching backstory of supervillain Magneto. Seeing a young Erik Lensherr ripped apart from his parents at a Nazi concentration camp, and discovering his magnetic powers at the same time, gets our hearts hurting for poor the man who would be Magneto – a character we should normally despise. This short opening scene paved the way for a long-running franchise where the line between hero and villain is often blurred.

Before unveiling our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Jigsaw
“Saw” franchise (2004-10)
- Davy Jones
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006)
- Elijah Price
“Unbreakable” (2000)
- Koba
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)
- Simon Peter Gruber
“Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995)

Another famous villain who’s central to an entire franchise, Darth Vader’s image and background remained a mystery for years. Although glimpses into his past in the original trilogy revealed family problems akin to a Greek tragedy, it wasn’t until the prequel trilogy that we learned how the man once known as Anakin Skywalker became the evil figure in the black helmet. We eagerly watched young Anakin grow up, struggling with his inborn skills, knowing full well what fate had in store for him. Reaching a climax in “Episode III,” and torn between Obi-wan and Darth Sidious, the death of Anakin’s wife is the final piece that leads Skywalker to succumb to the Dark Side once and for all.

Do you agree with our list? Which villain backstories have marked you the most? For more outrageous top 10 lists published daily, don’t forget to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.