Top 10 Movie Villains Who Wanted to Get Caught
#10: Khan
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“Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) Back in 2013, we all pretty much knew Benedict Cumberbatch was playing Khan, despite Paramount’s reports to the contrary. But we’re glad there were still some surprises to be had regarding the character. A superhuman extremist who’s been targeting Starfleet, “John Harrison” ultimately surrenders to the Enterprise crew but only upon learning the exact number present on the ship. Once onboard, Khan reveals his true identity and the fact that the torpedoes secretly contain the cryogenically frozen remnants of his people. Upon reaching a truce, Khan captures three officers, including Kirk, in a play to trade for the torpedoes. However, Spock outsmarts him by giving him empty ones. Spock is later able to apprehend Khan, bringing his villainous campaign to an end.
#9: Roger “Verbal” Kint
“The Usual Suspects” (1995) When it comes to the long game, no baddie holds a candle to Verbal Kint. It all starts when Kint is seemingly put into a police lineup by happenstance and the five suspects subsequently form a heist crew. This leads to them being in the debt of a mythical crime boss named Keyser Söze, who arranges them to intercept a cargo ship transporting drugs. Not only is there no product on board, but everyone, save for Kint and a severely singed Hungarian, is allegedly taken out by Söze. Kint relates all this to Customs Agent Kujan, who deduces Söze was actually after an informant. Moments after Kint’s release, Kujan realizes the true link between him and Söze. Kujan makes chase, but the devil’s already gone.
#8: Chancellor Palpatine
“Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” (2005) Never underestimate a Sith Lord when it comes to taking over the galaxy. The opening sequence sees Anakin and his Master Obi-Wan battle to rescue a kidnapped Chancellor Palpatine from the clutches of Count Dooku. The rogue Sith is dueled into submission, but instead of apprehending him for the justice system to take care of, Palpatine orders Anakin to execute him, which he does. When Palpatine is later revealed to be the mysterious Darth Sidious, it becomes clear that he orchestrated his own kidnapping in a ploy to lure Anakin to the Dark Side and rid himself of an apprentice in one fell swoop. Seeing as he later christens Anakin as the villainous Darth Vader, we’d say that plan worked out pretty well.
#7: Kurse
“Thor: The Dark World” (2013) What many of these villains demonstrate is that sometimes the best way to defeat your enemies is to destroy them from the inside. Malekith the Dark Elf realizes this, as he dispatches his loyal follower Algrim to be captured by Asgardians and imprisoned in the mystical realm. Once behind bars (or a translucent wall, as is so often the case with these villains), Algrim uses a Kurse Stone on himself to become a nigh-unstoppable warrior of the same namesake. From there, it’s easy for Kurse to incite a prison riot and distract the Asgardians and make an outer assault on the realm wholly feasible. The Dark Elves are ultimately unable to complete their mission, but not before ending the life of Thor’s mother, Frigga.
#6: Bane
“The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) The villain of this sequel is already in captivity the first time we see him, but that doesn’t make him any less intimidating. The ostensible new leader of the League of Shadows, Bane too has been bred with a hatred for corruption and the city of Gotham by proxy. Before he can conduct his master plan of transfiguring the fusion reactor at Wayne Enterprises into a neutron bomb, he gets himself captured by the CIA in order to abduct the nuclear physicist capable of such a task. In a scene filmed with astounding practical effects, Bane and his followers commandeer the CIA’s airplane with confidence and precision, absconding with the physicist before letting gravity handle the evidence.
#5: Lord Blackwood
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“Sherlock Holmes” (2009) Lord Blackwood may not reach Professor Moriarty status in terms of Holmesian villainy, but he makes quite the impression in his debut outing. An apparent serial killer, Lord Blackwood is apprehended by Holmes and Watson just before he can ritualistically sacrifice his next victim. Blackwood is subsequently hanged, but not before giving Holmes and the audience the heebie-jeebies, alluding to the madness that’s to come. Seemingly supernatural and back from the dead, Blackwood uses this reputation to stage a coup of the British government. This all turns out to be smoke and mirrors, however, as Holmes is eventually able to deduce before defeating Blackwood, who this time goes to the grave for real.
#4: Loki
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“The Avengers” (2012) Malekith and the Dark Elves really should have gotten tips from Loki, who’d already executed the art of strategic surrender. Looking to win the big battle before it begins, Loki lets himself be defeated at the hands of Iron Man and Captain America. He’s promptly escorted to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, where the rest of the Avengers await. It’s there that he’s able to unleash the fury of the Hulk and divide the team more than they already were. However, Agent Coulson’s grim fate at Loki’s hands proves his undoing, as the Avengers are able to rally around his death to come together as a unit. From there, Loki and the invading Chitauri are nothing a little teamwork can’t solve.
#3: Raoul Silva
“Skyfall” (2012) Of all the James Bond villains in the modern era, Raoul Silva is perhaps the most unnerving and threatening, and that’s in no small feat thanks to the assured nature of his master planning. After attempting to intimidate the 00 in their first meeting, Silva is captured by MI6, the organization that once betrayed him. Taken to London, he’s subsequently able to counter-hack the servers and make a move on M, against whom he holds a particular grudge for his hardships. Fortunately, Bond is able to thwart an assassination attempt at Parliament, but Silva’s tenacity follows M to Bond’s titular homestead, where they both meet their ends. You know what they say: if you seek revenge, dig two graves.
#2: John Doe
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“Seven” (1995) The second character on this list played by Kevin Spacey (both from 1995, too), there are few movie villains that are as cold and calculating as John Doe in David Fincher’s “Seven.” A fanatical serial killer basing his slayings around the seven deadly sins, John Doe easily takes out the first five victims with little interference from the police. Just when it seems the envy and wrath crimes are inevitable, Doe astoundingly turns himself in. Purporting to reveal the locations of the final two victims, Doe escorts Detectives Somerset and Mills outside the city limits, where he reveals the head of Mills’s wife. Doe, envying Mills’s life, is the embodiment of the sin, and Mills, promptly executing Doe, becomes wrath, completing the cycle. Whoa.
#1: The Joker
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“The Dark Knight” (2008) Honestly, the Joker was intentionally getting caught before it was cool, and can definitely be credited for the subsequent trend in movie villain machinations. He’s apprehended by the allegedly deceased Lieutenant Gordon, but just when it seems his reign of terror is over, it’s revealed that District Attorney Harvey Dent and his fiancée Rachel Dawes are being held hostage at different locations. He intentionally misdirects Batman and the GCPD, knowing only Dent will be saved and thus pushed into madness. While the Bat’s away, the Joker will play, as a pre-planned explosion at the police station sets him free. The Joker is a criminal mastermind, and this is perhaps his greatest trick yet.