The Greatest Movie Villains We Love To Hate

#1 Commodus (Gladiator, 2000)

Joaquin Phoenix's effete, corrupt, cowardly and deadly foil to Russell Crowe's put-upon gladiator is a monster from the moment he murders his own father to the final, climactic face-off in the Colosseum.

That director Ridley Scott elevates the character beyond pantomime villain and into a metaphor for the corruption at the heart of every decadent empire is, frankly, breathtaking.

#2 Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter franchise, 2001-2011)

A figure of such pure evil that it's considered bad luck to even say his name, Voldemort's presence infects every scene, even when the action doesn't directly concern him.

The fact that such a diabolic entity of almost limitless power should be focused on the destruction of a young boy makes him even worse.

#3 The Joker – The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledger completely redefined the Joker's character in comparison to Jack Nicholson's devilishly funny and cheerful lunatic. Instead, he managed to create a much more sociopathic, yet strangely likeable character, a weird psychopath who almost never laughs, and was conceived completely differently from his precursor.

He did so by living in a complete isolation for several weeks, and writing the Joker's diary, trying to understand his character as much as possible. He did an incredible job, the viewers simultaneously admire him because he is smart and witty, and are afraid of him because of his sinister urges.

Ledger's extensive preparation paid off handsomely, for he picked up every single award he had been nominated for. Some people would say that his premature death helped him to get all the awards, but he really did a fantastic job in the role of the laughing maniac in a purple suit, you have to be blind not to see that.

#4 Norman Bates – Psycho (1960)

So much has already been written about everyone involved in making this movie, but when we talk about the best villains, one must surely remember Norman Bates.

Anthony Perkins gave a performance of his career, but he is so understated here, that his brilliance almost passes you by. He is quiet and unassuming (if not a bit weird), but you can see how he loses it when he speaks against putting people in mental institutions. His brilliantly nuanced portrayal reflects the tormented soul that has suffered for years, and he manages to be creepy and unsettling, yet strangely charismatic and magnetizing, in almost every scene he is in.

It is a joy to behold how he fights with himself and his own distorted mind whether to come on to Marion (whom he is obviously attracted to) or not.

This is probably the horror movie with the strongest central character to date, and beautiful, subtle character transformations that Anthony Perkins performs, are simply among the best ever to grace the big screen.

#5 Hannibal Lecter – The Silence of The Lambs (1991)

If we know that Anthony Hopkins has only 17 minutes of screen time in this movie, we cannot help admiring his fascinating skill and talent. From the first shot we see Hannibal, our eyes remain glued to the screen he is the driving force of the movie, and we cannot wait for the next scene with him to come.

Everything about him is mesmerising from the paralyzing, quiet voice (Anthony Hopkins describes it as the mixture between Truman Capote and Katharine Hepburn), to the capability of penetrating the deepest ends of Starling's mind. His brilliance is so compelling that we almost forget that he is a killer and a cannibal.

The way he stares at Clarice, never blinking, his fascinating vocabulary with intelligent sarcasm and frankness, and his cool, creepy demeanor, are always fresh and intriguing. Decision about giving him an Oscar was truly a piece of cake, with all due respect to Robert de Niro and the rest.

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#6 Keyser Söze (The Usual Suspects, 1995)

Imagine being so evil, nobody even really believes you exist?

Supposedly a Turkish drug dealer who murdered his own wife and children, exacted horrific vengeance on all his enemies, then disappeared forever, Söze's rumoured presence seeps through the film.

And then the shocking twist shows that everyone, viewers included, has been manipulated.

#7 The Wicked Witch of The West (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)

A genuinely terrifying antagonist to Dorothy's ragtag band of travellers through Oz, The Wicked Witch of The West's lurid green skin, army of flying monkeys and hell-bent mission to kill the little girl from Kansas make her the stuff of nightmares, no matter what your age.

#8 Reverend Harry Powell (The Night of The Hunter, 1955)

Robert Mitchum has played some seriously menacing characters (see the original Cape Fear, for starters), but none more so than this preacher man turned serial killer.

Everything about Powell exudes menace from the LOVE and HATE tattoos on his knuckles to his slow, deliberate, remorseless stalking of two children through a nightmarish 1930s West Virginia.

#9 Darth Vader – Star Wars Franchise (1977-1983)

One of the most intriguing characters in Star Wars universe, a former Jedi, seduced by the dark side, is still a pop culture icon, although more than three and a half decades have passed since his first appearance.

The most fascinating thing about this character has to be his most unusual destiny, which is entirely different from the one that was projected for him, he brought war instead of peace, hell instead of heaven. Still, he manages to overcome this twist of fate, when fatherly love brings him back to the light side, thus making him one of the most complex characters in movie history.

Of course, it is certain that his status wouldn't be so legendary if it wasn't for his legendary voice, provided by none other than the great James Earl Jones. Darth Vader went on to become one of the most referenced characters in popular culture, and one of the most popular villains in cinema history.

#10 Ernst Stavro Blofeld (James Bond franchise, 1963-2015)

A kind of Moriarty to Bond's Sherlock, when the cat-stroking supervillain isn't trying his damnedest to kill our spy hero, he's otherwise engaged in holding the whole world to ransom.

Donald Pleasence (above) may still be the most recognisable incarnation of Blofeld, but Christoph Waltz brought a whole new level of insanity to the character in Spectre last year.

#11 And here they are, in all their cinematic glory…