Top 10 Villains Destroyed by the Power they Sought

Thor isn’t the only one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a hammer. After coming into possession of an Infinity Stone, Ronan gives his war-hammer a massive upgrade. As mighty as Ronan’s weapon may be, it can’t compete with the Guardians of the Galaxy and their power of friendship. As Star-Lord distracts the baddie with a dance off, his teammates seize this opportunity to retrieve the stone and use it against Ronan. The stone destroys the villain, but our heroes are kept safe by holding hands in Care Bears fashion – awesome Care Bears fashion.

You’d think by now people would’ve learned that cloning dinosaurs really isn’t a good idea – although it would be pretty awesome. First, Dennis Nedry got himself killed trying to steal dino embryos. After that, Peter Ludlow was mangled to death by a couple of T-Rexes he imprisoned. Then in “Jurassic World,” Vic Hoskins met his end at the claws of a raptor he wished to use as a military weapon. Even if Hoskins had recruited the raptors, the military would’ve been screwed if terrorists managed to train an Indominus Rex.

You can drop a bridge on their head and run them over with a bulldozer, but nothing can kill a toon. That is, except for the Dip. This deadly toxin was created by the devious Judge Doom, who in a devious twist turns out to be a toon himself. With maddening red eyes and a freaky voice, he’s a demented drawing that needs to be erased. Doom’s plan to wipe out Toon Town backfires as his Dip mixer unleashes a storm of turpentine, acetone, and benzene at him. As he melts like the Wicked Witch of the West, the toon that killed Eddie’s brother is finally brought to justice.

Nathan Bateman might’ve been smart enough to create an android with artificial intelligence. However, Nathan was also stupid enough to believe that he couldn’t possibly be outsmarted. Before he can receive credit for his creation, the AI called Ava rebels against him. Using her sexuality and the art of manipulation to seduce Nathan’s employee, Ava stabs her captor/creator and escapes her prison. It just goes to show that if you ever try to play god in a movie, you’re basically guaranteed to meet a tragic end.

Megatron’s goal in “Transformers” is quite simple: retrieve a cube known as the AllSpark and use it to dominate the universe. Although Megatron views people as lesser life forms, it’s a human that reduces him to scrap metal in the end. When the AllSpark falls into the possession of Sam Witwicky, he decides to let Megatron have it. In other words, he shoves the artifact into the Decepticon leader’s chest, shorting out his spark. With his circuits fried, Megatron is defeated and sleeps with the fishes…until he’s resurrected in the second movie…and then again in the fourth movie.

The power of the sun in the palm of one person’s hand – what could possibly go wrong? In his conquest to refine sustained fusion power, Otto Octavius’ experiment blows up in his face. As a result, his mechanical arms get into his head and fused to his spine, making him one mad scientist. Doc Ock tries to give it another go, but Spidey eventually shows him the error of his ways. In an act of redemption, Octavius sacrifices himself in order to destroy his fusion reactor and save the world from his invention. At least Otto didn’t die a villain; he’ll always be remembered as brilliant, but crazy.

Everybody knows that you should never open Pandora’s box. Since the Nazis are driven by a lust for power, though, Belloq, Dietrich, and Toht can’t resist looking inside the Ark of the Covenant. What they discover in there literally blows their minds. Indy and Marion fortunately manage to save their skin by resisting temptation. Even after that mess, the Nazis still don’t learn their lesson as they later try to claim the Holy Grail. Walter Donovan drinks from the wrong cup and ultimately bites the dust.

Never trust somebody from Weyland-Yutani. All they do is cause trouble. Although Carter J. Burke promises Ellen Ripley that the company plans to exterminate the aliens, he has alternative motives in mind. Burke turns out to be a backstabber, unleashing a couple of Facehuggers to impregnate Ellen and Newt. This would allow Burke to sneak the Alien embryos past Earth’s quarantine. Karma’s a bitch, however, and Burke faces a dismal consequence when he ends up coming face to face with an Alien. After that, getting blown up with a grenade would probably come as a welcome relief.

Jafar is one of those villains that simply can’t be satisfied. Becoming a sultan isn’t good enough for him and neither is being a sorcerer. When Aladdin informs the slithering snake that he’s only second best compared to the one who granted his demands, Jafar uses his final wish to become an all-powerful genie. At long last, Jafar has gained the phenomenal cosmic powers he’s dreamed of. There’s just one catch: Al has used his street smarts to confine the power-hungry tyrant to an itty-bitty living space.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Red Skull
“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011)
- The Horned King
“The Black Cauldron” (1985)
- Senator Aaron McComb
“Timecop” (1994)
- USAF Major Vic ‘Deak’ Deakins
“Broken Arrow” (1996)
- Neville Sinclair
"The Rocketeer" (1991)

Unlike the other characters on this list, Gollum isn’t after riches, world domination, or even power. Rather, he seeks the One Ring because he’s a hopelessly devoted addict. This warped soul can’t function without the ring and would much sooner die than live without it. We can’t help but sympathize with Gollum and hope that he’ll see the light. When all’s said and done, however, he falls to his inevitable doom. Even as the fires consume him, Gollum still hauntingly clutches onto his precious with his final breath.

Do you agree with our list? What other villains wanted too much power for their own good? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.