Some villains just have it coming... Join us as we count down the most deserved demises in cinema history! From psychopathic dictators to treacherous friends, these antagonists met their ends in ways that had audiences cheering. Our countdown features iconic moments where justice was served in the most satisfying ways possible. Which villain's defeat did you enjoy most? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00You take life when you have to, as I do.
00:04I have only one more life to take, and it's done.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the deaths of villains and other antagonistic characters that felt most deserved.
00:16Needless to say, a spoiler warning is in effect.
00:19Can you do it?
00:20I have to.
00:22Number 50, Thanos, Avengers Endgame.
00:25Keeping track of the MCU's kill count isn't easy, considering that he wiped out half of all life.
00:30Though it's safe to say that Thanos has the most blood, and dust, on his hands.
00:35You should have gone for the head.
00:41Thanos isn't just given one, but two crowd-pleasing send-offs.
00:45First, Thor does what he should have done on Earth, going for the head.
00:49When another Thanos returns to finish what his predecessor started, the climatic battle,
00:53builds to a confrontation between the Mad Titan and Iron Man.
00:56Thanos celebrates too soon, as Tony snaps him and his army out of existence.
01:09Thanos sought the power of a god.
01:12Yet, it was a mortal man with no superpowers who ultimately brought his inevitable end.
01:17Accepting fate, the defeated Thanos disappears along with the wind.
01:20Number 49, Eli Sunday.
01:23There will be blood.
01:24Many would argue Daniel Plainview is this film's true villain.
01:27You understand, Eli.
01:30That's more to the point.
01:31Do you understand?
01:32That said, Eli Sunday isn't exactly a saint either, even if he is a preacher.
01:37When he visits Plainview in the final scene, Eli is convinced that the ball is in his court.
01:42Daniel throws a few curveballs in more ways than one.
01:46First, Daniel makes Eli admit that he isn't a prophet and denounce God.
01:50His confession is in vain, as Daniel has already drained all of the oil, leaving Eli with nothing.
01:56Humiliating Eli and breaking his spirit isn't enough.
01:58Daniel must destroy his body as well.
02:01God isn't answering Eli's police for help as Daniel turns him into a human bowling pin, before finishing him with an actual pin.
02:21Part of what makes the T-1000's defeat so satisfying is that he seems virtually invincible.
02:31Even after the T-800 shatters the liquid metal Terminator to pieces, the T-1000 quickly reassembles.
02:37We don't have much time.
02:45If that didn't finish it, what will?
02:47This sets up for a second climax, with the T-1000 appearing more hell-bent than ever.
02:52It legitimately fools the audience, and John, when the T-1000 takes on Sarah's form.
02:58As the real Sarah blasts the T-1000 to the edge, the T-800 resurfaces for the final shot.
03:03What's left of the T-1000 collapses into a vat of molten steel.
03:13Assuming several of its past forms, the melting android finds this is one situation it can't shapeshift out of.
03:20This unstoppable force finally meets an immovable object.
03:24Number 47.
03:25Billy Loomis and Stu Macker
03:27Scream
03:28Scream fans go into each new movie expecting more than one killer.
03:32When the first film came out though, we didn't consider that two killers could be behind the mask.
03:37Surprise, Sydney.
03:39Sydney discovers that Ghost's face is her boyfriend Billy, and his best friend Stu.
03:43While we underestimated Stu, Billy proves that sometimes, having the most obvious suspect be the killer, can be a genuine surprise.
03:51Sydney also has a few surprises in store for her attackers.
03:53For starters, Stu didn't see that TV set coming.
03:57Gale puts a bullet in Billy, but wait!
03:59Don't the killers always come back for one more taste of bloodshed?
04:03Not in my movie.
04:04Sydney is a step ahead, ensuring that Billy won't be in any of the sequels.
04:09Uh, hallucinations notwithstanding.
04:11Number 46.
04:12Judge Doom
04:13Who Framed Roger Rabbit
04:15Judge Doom doesn't just have ink and paint on his gloves.
04:18He's the Toon who murdered Eddie's brother.
04:20Remember me, Eddie?
04:23When I killed your brother, I talked just with me!
04:30With his plans to wash away Toontown nearly foiled, Doom seeks to ensure that his freaky red eyes are the last thing Eddie ever sees.
04:38Doom's undoing carries a few degrees of irony.
04:41Eddie, who had held a prejudice against Toon's for the longest time, gets the upper hand with a cartoon weapon.
04:47Yet, it's Doom's own creation that marks his, well, Doom.
04:51As D.I.P. floods the floor, Doom drowns in the very thing he sought to destroy his enemies with.
04:56Eddie?
04:57Woo!
04:58Woo!
04:59Woo!
04:59Woo!
04:59Woo!
04:59Woo!
05:00Woo!
05:00Woo!
05:00Woo!
05:00Woo!
05:00Woo!
05:00Woo!
05:01Woo!
05:01Woo!
05:01Woo!
05:02Woo!
05:02Woo!
05:03Woo!
05:03Woo!
05:03Woo!
05:04Woo!
05:05Woo!
05:06Woo!
05:07Woo!
05:08Woo!
05:09Woo!
05:10Woo!
05:115.
05:11Carter Burke
05:12Aliens
05:13Not trusting androids due to her past experiences, Ellen Ripley spends most of the film being suspicious
05:18of Bishop.
05:18She should have been paying closer attention to Carter Burke, who will gladly send people to
05:23their deaths to benefit the corporation as well as himself.
05:26Wait a second.
05:28You sent them to that ship.
05:29You're wrong.
05:30I just checked the colony log.
05:31Directive dated 6-12-79, signed Burke, Carter J. You sent them out there and you didn't
05:37even warn them.
05:38Why didn't you warn them, Burke?
05:39We see Burke at his most sinister when he tries to have facehuggers impregnate Ripley
05:45and Little Newt.
05:46They're rescued, but Burke gives them the slip before he can face judgement.
05:49Burke would have been better off with the marines, as he comes face to face with a xenomorph.
05:54A deleted scene would have given Burke an even more brutal demise.
06:03Finding Burke cocooned and impregnated himself, Ripley leaves him with a grenade.
06:08Whichever version you prefer, Burke got what he deserved.
06:11How is it that in a movie called The Mummy, we detest his wormy sidekick most of all?
06:19To call Benny a coward would be an understatement.
06:21He's a parasite who will betray anyone, including those he calls friends, to save his own hide.
06:27You came back from the desert with a new friend, didn't you, Benny?
06:31But, friend, you are my only friend.
06:33Although Benny has left him for dead and brought danger to his door, Rick O'Connell still tries
06:45to help him as a Hamunaptra falls.
06:47When Greed gets the best of Benny, Rick isn't too broken up about leaving his old buddy behind.
06:52While Benny avoids being crushed, that would have been a quick death compared to what the
06:55scarabs have in store for him.
07:02Considering that Benny is a thin-skinned insect, it's only fitting that actual bugs would devour his flesh.
07:0743. John S. Fitzgerald
07:10The Revenant
07:10It's unclear what exactly happened to the real John Fitzgerald, but we know Hugh Glass spared his rival's life
07:17because of his newfound status as a U.S. Army captain.
07:20I need a horse and a gun.
07:23No, you need rest and something to eat.
07:25I'm going after him.
07:26No, you'll never find it without me.
07:31The Revenant provides more closure as Glass finally tracks down the trapper,
07:34who killed his son and left him to rot. Since the creator gave Glass a chance,
07:39he concludes that Fitzgerald deserves the same opportunity. He sends the wounded Fitzgerald
07:43down the stream, letting the powers that be decide what becomes of him. That said,
07:47it's not like Glass is giving Fitzgerald a fighting chance. Fate isn't as forgiving towards Fitzgerald,
07:52who the Arikara immediately apprehend.
08:02Watching Fitzgerald get scalped won't bring his boy back, but it is highly satisfying.
08:07Number 42, Thulsa Doom, Conan the Barbarian.
08:11As a child, Conan lost his parents and his village, being subjected to a life of servitude. Upon earning
08:16his freedom, the Barbarian hunts down the one responsible for his years of misery,
08:20cult leader Thulsa Doom.
08:22My child, you have come to me, my son.
08:30For who now is your father if it is not me?
08:34Who gave you the will to live?
08:36With the hypnotically booming voice of James Earl Jones and the ability to turn into a snake,
08:42Doom seems untouchable.
08:43Doom doesn't even flinch when Conan approaches him atop the stairs of his temple, convinced his
08:48words alone can enslave him. Since Conan isn't much of a talker, he uses his father's sword to shut
08:54Doom up for good.
09:03Freeing people from a cult is a bit like slaying a snake. The most effective course of action is to cut
09:08off the head.
09:09Number 41, Salim Abu Aziz, True Lies.
09:12From one Schwarzenegger movie to another, secret agent Harry Tasker struggles to separate his
09:18work and personal lives when terrorist Salim Abu Aziz kidnaps his daughter, Dana.
09:23Harry, they got a hostage. It's Dana.
09:27What do you mean? My Dana?
09:30I'm real sorry, Harry. I don't know what to say.
09:31The final actor of True Lies is one of the craziest ever committed to screen,
09:35upping the stakes with every ludicrous moment. As Dana clings to a jet piloted by her father,
09:41Aziz holds them at gunpoint. Harry throws Aziz off his high horse, but simply having the villain
09:46plummet to his death isn't enough for James Cameron. In a stunt that falls somewhere between
09:51high-octane action and Three Stooges comedy, Aziz gets stuck on a missile. Harry sends him off with
09:57a classic Schwarzenegger one-liner, killing two birds with one stone in the process.
10:02You're fired.
10:06Number 40. Johnny Ringo. Tombstone.
10:09While it's been theorized that the real Johnny Ringo took his own life,
10:12some believe his rival, Doc Holliday, was responsible.
10:15I didn't think you had it in you. I'm your huckleberry.
10:23Why, Johnny Ringo? You look like somebody just walked over your grave.
10:30Tombstone takes the romanticized route, and we're happy it does. Although one is far more
10:35sadistic than the other, Ringo and Holliday have a fair deal in common. Both are sidekicks who stand
10:40on their own, both have a death wish, and both hate each other from the moment they cross paths.
10:45After sharing more than a few heated confrontations, Ringo and his huckleberry settle the score once and
10:50for all. The build-up takes its time, making the audience sweat in their boots.
10:54The duel is over faster than it starts, however. Winning their game, Doc taunts Ringo, who's pushing
11:04up daisies.
11:05Number 39. Fernand Mondego.
11:07The Count of Monte Cristo. It might not be the most faithful adaptation of Alexandra Dumas's novel,
11:13but 2002's The Count of Monte Cristo knows what it wants to be, a swashbuckling adventure. The finale
11:19gives the audience what they want as friends-turned-enemies Edmund Dantes and Fernand Mondego
11:25put their rivalry to rest. That doesn't mean they let bygones be bygones. Edmund is willing to abandon
11:45revenge in exchange for being with his loved ones. Fernand, meanwhile, won't walk away from everything
11:51he worked so hard to steal, especially with nothing else on the horizon. Edmund's skills with a sword
11:56have vastly improved since Fernand stabbed him in the back years ago.
12:00What happened to your mercy? I'm a count, not a saint.
12:05Revenge can be satisfying, but in Fernand's case, it's what ultimately marks his final resting place.
12:12Number 38. Norman Stansfield. Leon the Professional.
12:17There are unhinged Gary Oldman performances, and then there's Norman Stansfield.
12:22Bring me everyone.
12:23What do you mean everyone?
12:24EVERYONE!
12:27Everything this corrupt DEA agent does is theatrical, including having a young girl's entire family
12:33murdered. Matilda is the one who got away. Stansfield is hell-bent on making sure she joins
12:38her family, although Matilda has a friend who's also pretty good at killing people. Even Leon has his
12:44limits. The doorway to salvation is closed when Stansfield fires from behind. At the very least,
12:50Leon can guarantee Stansfield won't harm anyone else. Wearing a vest of grenades, Leon leaves
12:54Stansfield with a parting gift from Matilda. We weep for Leon, but he went out as he lived,
13:00like a badass. Taking Stansfield with him is the cherry on top.
13:04Number 37. Madeline Marmar Madrigal. Dredd. Even if she is a ruthless drug kingpin,
13:18we also admire Marmar for rising through the ranks.
13:21The picture's pretty old, but that's her. Madeline Madrigal, aka Marmar.
13:27You know what they say, however? The higher they climb, the harder they fall. To reach Marmar,
13:32Dredd and his rookie partner fight through roughly 200 floors of wall-to-wall mayhem.
13:37When Dredd reaches Marmar, you can feel the towering frustration these two have caused each
13:42other. Although Marmar thinks she has Dredd bested, he manages to carry out her sentence while supplying
13:47a taste of her own medicine. In addition to throwing the book at Marmar, Dredd tosses her out of a window,
14:08but not before making the drug lord inhale a little slo-mo. This allows every ounce of Dredd
14:13Marmar experiences on the way down to sink in. Number 36. Alonzo Harris. Training day.
14:19Alonzo Harris is convinced that he's above the law. And he kind of is.
14:23To protect the sheep, you gotta catch the wolf. And it takes a wolf to catch a wolf. You understand?
14:29This LAPD detective spends most of the movie getting away with literal murder. You can add
14:33attempted murder to his laundry list of crimes as rookie officer Jake Hoyt survives the hell Alonzo puts
14:39him through. Alonzo still believes that he can force the neighborhood to carry out his dirty work.
14:44Instead, they stand by Jake, letting him leave with the evidence that'll bury Alonzo. With no money,
14:49minions, or even a badge left, Alonzo flees like the criminal he is.
14:53King Kong ain't got shit on me!
14:57He doesn't get far, as the Russian mafia is waiting for him. Alonzo might have placed himself above King
15:02Kong, but both meet their end amid a fleet of bullets.
15:06Number 35. Warden Samuel Norton. The Shawshank Redemption.
15:10Some people are beyond redemption. Despite claiming to be a man of God,
15:13Warden Norton has committed more unforgivable sins than some of the men in his prison.
15:19I believe in two things. Discipline and the Bible. Here you'll receive both.
15:26Put your trust in the Lord. Your ass belongs to me.
15:33Welcome to Shawshank.
15:35One of those inmates, Andy Dufresne, brings about the Crooked Warden's downfall.
15:39Upon escaping, Andy exposes Norton's numerous crimes to the public. With his dirty laundry
15:43hanging out to dry, it's all but guaranteed that Norton will go from incarcerated to incarcerated.
15:49Norton chooses an alternative the church has taken a firm stance against,
15:53showing that he never practiced what he preached.
15:55Norton had no intention of going that quietly.
15:59Norton avoids spending the rest of his life in a cell, but we're sure whatever awaits him on the
16:03other side is even more hellish.
16:05Number 34.
16:06Aryan Rudd.
16:07Lethal Weapon 2.
16:09When we think of movie villains with diplomatic immunity, Aryan Rudd immediately comes to mind.
16:13A criminal parading as a South African diplomat, Rudd waves his political powers around like a
16:18get-out-of-jail-free card.
16:20We do have a serious diplomatic situation here, which I will be taking up with your State Department
16:26first thing in the morning.
16:27Well, you got me quaking in my boots, but I'm still going to bring you down.
16:30My dear officer, you could not even give me a barking ticket.
16:37Sergeants Martin Riggs and Roger Murtagh aren't known for operating within boundaries, however.
16:42Their investigation eventually takes them to the docks, where Riggs drops a load on Rudd's enforcer,
16:47Peter Vorsted.
16:49Just when you thought that would be the coolest death in the movie, Rudd rears his ugly head again,
16:53treating his diplomatic immunity as if it were a bulletproof vest.
16:57A vest won't protect you if the shooter aims for the head, which Murtagh does.
17:04Can we get an applause-worthy one-liner to go with that?
17:0833. Captain Harrison Love – The Mask of Zorro
17:11Love may be his name, but only cruelty can be found in this captain's heart.
17:15This character is somewhat grounded in history.
17:17I want you to know, I consider this an honor.
17:22There was a Captain Love who was said to be responsible for the death of legendary outlaw Joaquin
17:26Murrieta, supposedly keeping his head in a jar.
17:29The movie veers into fiction with the creation of Joaquin's brother Alejandro,
17:33who seeks revenge as the new Zorro.
17:35As the former Zorro battles his rival, Governor Montero,
17:39Alejandro puts his sword through the captain.
17:41While love's fate is sealed, Alejandro's face isn't the last thing he sees.
17:44The two duels intersect as De La Vega sends Montero overboard,
17:48with a wagon of riches and love bleeding out below.
17:51Now that's what we call a gold rush.
17:5832. Stavros – Double Team
18:01Mickey Rourke plays a terrorist in a buddy picture starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dennis Rodman.
18:06Were you expecting a subtle end?
18:08If you live today, you'll get to know your son.
18:14And if you don't, I'll raise him as my own.
18:18Although we sympathise with the fact that Stavros lost his young son, holding a pregnant woman hostage,
18:23doesn't right a wrong.
18:24Stavros takes the baby to a Roman amphitheatre rigged with landmines.
18:28And a tiger.
18:29Squaring off with Van Damme, Stavros fails to watch his step.
18:32As his grin disappears, Stavros puts on a look that says,
18:35Oh, I am so screwed.
18:38Even then, Stavros doesn't realise just how screwed he is until the tiger returns.
18:42With no good options, a whimpering Stavros and the cat go boom.
18:49As for the heroes, they're spared from the explosion.
18:52Thanks to the greatest product placement ever.
18:5431. Calvin Candy – Django Unchained
18:58Even when he plays criminals, we usually find ourselves rooting for Leonardo DiCaprio's characters.
19:03This isn't the case with Calvin Candy, the most detestable excuse for a human being
19:08DiCaprio has ever sunk his teeth into.
19:10Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.
19:16This barbaric plantation owner is ready to kill Django's wife at the dinner table.
19:20Being a businessman, Candy presents Django and Dr. Schultz with a deal in exchange for Brimhilde's freedom.
19:25Shultz is willing to empty his wallet, but he draws the line at shaking Candy's hand.
19:30Some viewers may take issue with Shultz essentially signing his own death certificate upon shooting Calvin.
19:36You really want me to shake your hand?
19:41I insist.
19:44If you insist.
19:46Much like a bowl of candy though, we can see why this is so hard for him to resist.
19:51Payback was simply too sweet.
19:53Number 30, Igor Korshinov, Air Force One.
19:57One of the greatest undoings of movie villains is hubris, as is the case of Igor Korshinov,
20:03who hijacks the president's plane in this thriller.
20:05Korshinov boasts about his pending escape via parachute.
20:09I'm going parachute.
20:14Whatever happens, you lose and I win.
20:20However, his need for theatrics takes up valuable time,
20:24allowing the commander-in-chief to tackle and restrain him before deploying his parachute prematurely.
20:29He then delivers a literally killer send-off line in a way only Harrison Ford can.
20:34Get off my plane.
20:36Number 29, Caster Troy, Face Off.
20:39This thriller from action auteur John Woo makes the most of a can't-miss premise with John Travolta
20:45playing Sean Archer, who switches bodies and identities with terrorist Caster Troy, played by Nicolas Cage.
20:52It's like looking in a mirror, only not.
20:54Towards the end, Archer is receiving a merciless assault from Troy when he notices a spear gun.
21:01Not giving up easily, Troy tries to wrangle it from him and carves up his borrowed mug.
21:06You're right, Sean. I've misbehaved. I need to be punished.
21:11This is more than enough motivation for Archer to pull the trigger and shut Troy up once and for all.
21:17This scene, as well as much of the rest of the movie, would not work the same without
21:20its stars acting like and playing off each other.
21:24Number 28, Brad Wesley, Roadhouse.
21:27Speaking of spears, here's another.
21:29Now come on out, Dalton.
21:33This town is big enough for both of us.
21:37Let's talk about this.
21:38In the climax of this classic of late 80s machismo,
21:41the power-mad Brad Wesley, played by Ben Gazzara,
21:44unsuccessfully throws one at Patrick Swayze's heroic bouncer,
21:48James Dalton, before trying to kill him with another.
21:51But while Dalton is obviously physically stronger than Wesley,
21:54this scene also demonstrates his emotional strength,
21:57as he doesn't deliver what would surely be a brutal final blow.
22:01For a moment, Wesley thinks he has the upper hand.
22:07It's over!
22:07But the townspeople he's tormented all these years aren't nearly as merciful.
22:12The sound of the coffee table glass shattering is still music to our ears.
22:18Number 27, Wretch.
22:20Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
22:22There have been so many memorable villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years,
22:27that it's perfectly understandable if this name isn't ringing a bell.
22:30The bell's onward, stop me!
22:33Wretch, played by Evan Jones, isn't anywhere close to being the primary
22:37antagonist of the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
22:40And while joining Taserface's mutiny against Yondu was certainly a lot,
22:44what really ensured our hatred of him was his torment of baby Groot.
22:52But while Groot may be cute, he's no pushover.
22:55Realising the wrath he's incurred, Wretch wisely attempts an escape.
22:59The key word here being attempts, as Groot ensnares him and sends him over the catwalk.
23:08It's a swift, brutal and incredibly satisfying demise.
23:12Number 26, Colonel Tavington.
23:14The Patriot.
23:15Though it's set during the American Revolutionary War,
23:18Roland Emmerich's epic action drama shouldn't be used as a historical reference.
23:23One of the most common criticisms levelled against it was its over-the-top depiction of the British Army.
23:28You know, it's an ugly business doing one's duty, but just occasionally, it's a real pleasure.
23:36Inaccuracies aside, Jason Isaac's Colonel William Tavington is one truly nasty villain,
23:42and this death was definitely deserved.
23:45During a battle, Tavington squares off against Colonel Benjamin Martin,
23:49seeking revenge for the death of his son.
23:51Kill me before the war is over, will you?
23:53It appears you are not the better man.
24:00As it often goes, right as it seems like all hope is lost, Tavington gets his.
24:05You're right.
24:11My sons were better men.
24:12Of course, it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying if Isaacs wasn't so adept at depicting such a remorseless character.
24:20Number 25, Yosef Teresov, John Wick.
24:23So many bullets have been fired and bodies have been dropped over the course of four John Wick movies,
24:28that it can be easy to forget that it all started because the titular hitman
24:32sought revenge for the death of his beagle, Daisy.
24:35In that moment, I received some semblance of hope.
24:41An opportunity to grieve unalone.
24:45And your son took that from me.
24:49The party responsible is Yosef Teresov, the impulsive and cold-hearted son of a Russian mob boss,
24:56played by Alfie Allen.
24:57Wick comes out of retirement and pulls out all the stops to track down Yosef.
25:02And even his own father knows his fate is sealed.
25:05Make the arrangements.
25:06Yosef tries to downplay the weight of his action,
25:09but Wick, literally, won't let him get the last word in.
25:13Number 24, Felix and Zee.
25:16You're next.
25:17If you're in the mood for a slasher that has more going for it than just blood splatter,
25:21we highly recommend You're Next.
25:24A family is terrorized by a masked clan,
25:27only for it to be revealed that two of the members orchestrated it in a twisted inheritance scheme.
25:32You two better be getting enough money to pay us.
25:37Would I be doing this if I wasn't?
25:39They might have gotten away with it, if not for the resolve of Erin, played by Sharnie Vinson,
25:44who's accompanied her boyfriend, Crispian, on this family reunion gone wrong.
25:49His brother Felix and his partner Zee try to pick her off,
25:52but she has the power of kitchen equipment, specifically a knife and a blender on her side.
25:58We also can't forget the punishment she inflicts upon Crispian, upon learning of his involvement.
26:04Where's Felix?
26:08I stuck a blender in his head and killed him.
26:12Oh.
26:14Okay.
26:15Number 23, Bill, Kill Bill, Volume 2.
26:18It's pretty simple.
26:19If you have two movies called Kill Bill, Bill had better be killed by the end of the second one.
26:24You overreacted?
26:26Is that your explanation?
26:28I didn't say I was going to explain myself.
26:30While David Carradine's gravitas and Quentin Tarantino's writing
26:33does make Bill more sympathetic than he might seem on paper,
26:37we can't forget about all the pain he's inflicted upon Beatrix.
26:40When the two finally have their long-anticipated showdown,
26:43it's fairly short on action, as Bill accepts his fate just as quickly as Beatrix delivers it.
26:49God!
26:55That might be disappointing for those hoping for an ultra-violent death scene,
26:58a la other Tarantino antagonists,
27:01but the more we revisit this finale, the more we appreciate it.
27:05Number 22, Captain Vidal, Pan's Labyrinth.
27:08Though director Guillermo del Toro's films are full of fantastical monsters,
27:12arguably none of them are as frightening as Captain Vidal,
27:15the psychopathic officer and stepfather to young Ophelia.
27:27Played by Sergi Lopez, Vidal is the perfect encapsulation of someone who will stop at nothing
27:33to eliminate opponents of the phalangism cause, as well as anyone perceived as such, including a child.
27:39Vidal soon finds himself surrounded by rebels and tries a last-ditch effort at a noble death.
27:45But Mercedes and her brother Pedro refuse to give Vidal, or his name, any kind of legacy.
27:51Tell him to my son.
27:59Tell him that his father died.
28:02Tell him that I...
28:03No.
28:04You don't even know your name.
28:06Though much of Pan's Labyrinth is grim and bleak,
28:08moments like this remind us that evil can only persist for so long.
28:13Number 21, Howard Payne, Speed.
28:16The premise of this 90s action thriller, about a runaway bus that can't go under 50 miles per hour,
28:22is so good that it would be impossible to completely screw up.
28:25But it also wouldn't be the same without the talents of Dennis Hopper.
28:28You're crazy. You're f***ing crazy.
28:32Oh, no. Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric.
28:37As bomb squad officer turned terrorist, Howard Payne,
28:41Hopper is teeming with absolute deranged fury.
28:44Up to, and including, in his death scene.
28:47Grappling with Keanu Reeves officer Jack Traven atop a speeding subway car,
28:51Payne brags about his superior intelligence.
28:54I'm the guy with the plan.
28:56Because I'm smarter than you.
29:00But if he was really as smart as he claims to be,
29:02he would know things like when to duck.
29:05It's just too bad he wasn't around to hear Traven's perfect retort.
29:08Yeah, but I'm taller.
29:13Number 20, Mola Ram, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
29:17While we love a face-melting demise as much as the next person,
29:21that iconic scene was more terrifying than satisfying.
29:25Mola Ram, on the other hand, is a single, despicable person,
29:28whose defeat we keenly anticipated from the moment he appeared and attacked a person's heart.
29:34In the climax of the film, Mola Ram confronts Indiana Jones on a precarious rope bridge,
29:51while looking to obtain the mystical Shankara stones he so desperately craves.
29:55In a surprise move, however, Indy cuts the rope bridge.
29:58Mola Ram, prepare to meet Khalid in hell.
30:04Jones and Ram struggle for the stones as they hang from the bridge,
30:18but Ram's greed to catch a burning hot one spells his undoing.
30:22He promptly falls to his doom and gets up close and personal with a few crocodiles.
30:28Dress curtsy! Dress curtsy!
30:38Number 19, Sebastian Shaw, X- First Class.
30:44Klaus Schmidt once asked Eric to move a coin with his powers.
30:48When Eric failed, Schmidt took his mother's life.
30:50This fostered a burning rivalry between the two.
30:54Listen to me very carefully, my friend.
30:58Killing Shaw will not bring you peace.
31:03Peace was never an option.
31:06After Schmidt changed his name to Sebastian Shaw, he finally confronted Eric.
31:11During an opening in the battle, telepath Charles Xavier freezes Shaw in place.
31:15It's here where we see an antagonist fall and a villain rise.
31:19Eric uses a coin to finally dispatch his old foe.
31:31While there are more despicable villains than Shaw,
31:33few meet their ends in such a thematically appropriate fashion.
31:38Number 18, Alma Coin, The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2.
31:43Mockingjay.
31:45May your aim be as true as your heart is pure.
31:55Speaking of coins, this duplicitous leader of the Second Rebellion made us actually appreciate
32:01the dastardly President Snow for his forthrightness.
32:04Alma Coin was the president of the ostensibly eradicated District 13.
32:09She drummed up a propaganda campaign against the Capitol with Katniss Eberdine as their figurehead.
32:15Or figuratively, their Mockingjay.
32:17Though her cause was just, Coin secretly made ruthless plans in order to usurp the enemy.
32:23She even let innocents like Katniss's sister Prim perish to achieve her goals.
32:28After realizing Coin will just become another Snow after the war, Katniss aims an arrow and puts Coin down.
32:35The Mockingjay ended a cycle of tyranny and taught everyone the price of messing with her sister.
32:51Number 17, Henry Rhodes, Day of the Dead.
32:55When you're the leader of an underground military compound, you'd better show respect for your
33:00subordinates, even if one of them is a zombie with above average intelligence.
33:04Apparently he was in the military.
33:06Return a salute and see what he does.
33:10You want me to salute that pile of walking pus?
33:15Salute my ass.
33:16Upon finding himself in charge, Captain Rhodes slowly starts to lose his mind.
33:21He becomes quick to dispatch any dissenters without a second thought.
33:25When the base becomes overrun with zombies, Rhodes puts his self-preservation above all else.
33:31But Karma returns to haunt him in the form of Bud, a zombie in the scientist's domestication program,
33:37with a bone to pick.
33:38After the undead man shoots Rhodes, the panicked captain picks the wrong door.
33:49Bud's militaristic salute to Rhodes, as zombies descend upon the captain,
33:53is the icing on the cake of this perfect send-off.
33:57Number 16, August Walker slash John Lark.
34:00Mission Impossible Fallout.
34:02Though Owen Davian from MI3 is the more despicable villain,
34:06his end isn't quite as sweet as August Walker's.
34:17Sporting a luscious mustache, Walker is initially Ethan's anti-hero ally that we really got behind.
34:23But when he's revealed to be nuclear arms buyer John Lark, with intentions for global catastrophe,
34:29we realize what a formidable and dangerous foe he really is.
34:33The only real threats are in this room, and we have them.
34:39Do you?
34:41Go.
34:41Ethan Hunt and the team track him to India.
34:48After a thrilling helicopter chase, Ethan and Walker battle on a cliffside.
34:52With both hanging from the edge, Ethan yanks the cable one of the helicopters is dangling from,
34:57and sends it in Walker's direction.
35:08The mustachioed villain falls right before the MIF averts yet another disaster.
35:14Number 15, Colin Sullivan, The Departed.
35:17We don't usually root against a Matt Damon character.
35:20However, he's just so hateable in The Departed.
35:24What was his name?
35:25The Departed.
35:26He plays Colin Sullivan, a mole in the Massachusetts State Police that's even
35:31disloyal to the criminals he's supposed to protect.
35:34Upon learning mob boss Frank Costello is an FBI informant,
35:38Sullivan aids the police and takes out Costello.
35:41Billy Costigan, the police mole in the mob, nearly apprehends Sullivan sometime later.
35:47But a lucky break results in Costigan biting the bullet before justice is served.
35:52We shuddered at the thought that Sullivan might walk away unscathed,
35:55but the last scene shows Sean Dignam coming to the rescue by surprising
36:00Sullivan in his home and ending the Crooked Man's life.
36:09Okay.
36:10Number 14, Stuntman Mike, Death Proof.
36:14Quentin Tarantino has a lot of despicable characters in his movies.
36:18Fortunately, he's a master of gleefully taking the villains down
36:21before the credits roll.
36:22One character whose end we sorely anticipated was Stuntman Mike.
36:27This car is 100% death proof.
36:30Only to get the benefit of it, honey,
36:33you really need to be sitting in my seat.
36:36Driving a ride that's virtually death proof, provided he's in the driver's seat,
36:40Mike got used to using it as a dangerous weapon against women on roadways.
36:45When he sees a woman performing a risky stunt on the hood of a car,
36:49he can't help himself.
36:50He torments them for what seems like hours.
36:53Thankfully, the girls are able to avoid wrecking.
36:55They eventually turn the tables and give him a taste of vigilante justice.
37:05Huh, guess Mike himself wasn't death proof.
37:08Number 13, Mrs. Carmody, The Mist.
37:11Mrs. Carmody used everyone's fear of a supernatural mist to craft a violent cult.
37:17What will end it? Let me hear it.
37:18Expiation!
37:19What are you talking about?
37:20Expiation!
37:21Expiation!
37:22Yeah, say it again like you mean it!
37:22Expiation!
37:24And what is?
37:25Welcome to Sesame Street.
37:27Today's word is expiation.
37:29We get it.
37:30A mist that envelops the town and unleashes a host of otherworldly monsters is scary stuff,
37:35but you'd hope cooler heads would prevail.
37:37Not so, as Mrs. Carmody is slowly able to amass followers and preach that the only way to
37:43get out of this situation is for certain people to give up their lives.
37:57While our band of heroes looks to sneak away from the supermarket,
38:00Mrs. Carmody incites the crowd and turns her attention to a vulnerable survivor.
38:05Out of options, store manager Ollie decides to permanently silence her.
38:10Kill him! Kill him!
38:15Trust us, we're not crying over this spilt milk.
38:18Number 12, Carlo Rizzi, The Godfather.
38:24Hello, Carlo.
38:25The extended opening sequence of The Godfather details the goings-on at a wedding as Carlo Rizzi
38:31marries into the Corleone crime family. However happy the occasion is, the marriage itself is
38:36anything but. With it being looked over in the family, Carlo mistreats his new wife,
38:41Connie. In retaliation, Connie's brother, Sonny, beats him to a pulp.
38:55Unable to relent, Carlo colludes with a rival family to orchestrate Sonny's brutal
39:00assassination. Michael Corleone has his suspicions about his siblings' demise. When he assumes
39:05control of the family following his father's passing, he tricks Carlo into basically admitting
39:10his involvement before having him taken out.
39:21It was cold, but well-deserved.
39:23Number 11, Dick Jones, Robocop.
39:26There are plenty of gruesome and over-the-top fatalities in this Paul Verhoeven classic.
39:31But the most cathartic demise belongs to OCP Senior Vice President Dick Jones.
39:36To combat the rampant crime plague in Detroit, Jones tries to issue the ED-209 droid for police use.
39:43When the demonstration fails drastically, Robocop rises in its place.
39:48Undeterred, Jones continues his plans to control both the city's police and criminal empire.
39:53He even goes so far as to install a directive in Robocop,
39:57preventing him from acting against an OCP executive.
40:00What did you think?
40:03That you were an ordinary police officer?
40:06You're our product.
40:08And we can't very well have our products turning against us, can we?
40:13This initially keeps Robocop from harming Jones in the final scene.
40:17But after Jones' superior promptly fires him, Robocop is free to deal out justice.
40:26Number 10, Margaret White, Carrie.
40:29Before Mrs. Carmody in The Mist, there was no more detestable horror movie villain linked to religion
40:35than Margaret White.
40:36Though not quite as extreme as Mrs. Carmody, Margaret is first seen punishing her daughter Carrie,
40:41just for having her first period.
40:51Unfortunately for Carrie, her burgeoning telekinesis
40:55only furthers Margaret's belief that she's a witch and ought to be eradicated.
41:00After Carrie returns from her horrific prom,
41:02Margaret attacks Carrie while pretending to comfort her.
41:05Whether consciously or purely by instinct,
41:08Carrie uses her powers to bring Margaret's reign of terror to an end.
41:19Number 9, Cypher, The Matrix.
41:22I know what you're thinking.
41:24Because right now I'm thinking the same thing.
41:27Actually, I've been thinking it ever since I got here.
41:32Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill?
41:35While we can sympathise with Cypher preferring the safe confines of The Matrix to the ravaged
41:40and bleak real world, there's no justification for what he did.
41:43This member of the human resistance makes a deal with the machines that he'll be put back into
41:48The Matrix in exchange for the leader, Morpheus. As if that wasn't bad enough,
41:53Cypher unplugs back into the real world and assassinates multiple allies while they're plugged in,
41:58and essentially defenceless.
42:09Before he can do the same to Neo, Tank reveals himself to still be alive.
42:13He ultimately gets vengeance on Cypher in glorious fashion.
42:21In a story where Neo is a Christ-like figure, Cypher was definitely the Judas.
42:26Number eight, Annie Wilkes, Misery.
42:30No, not my misery!
42:35Like both Mrs. Carmody and Margaret White before her, Annie Wilkes continues Stephen King's legacy
42:41of writing captivatingly horrendous villainesses. The unbalanced Annie Wilkes holds her favourite
42:47author, Paul Sheldon, captive under the guise of nursing him back to health. All the while,
42:52she forces him to write his premiere character back to life. If he doesn't, he'll face horrible
42:57repercussions.
42:58Annie in 1871, women often died in childbirth. But a spirit is the important thing, and a
43:04misery spirit is still alive.
43:05I don't want her spirit! I want her! I feel bad at her!
43:12After several unsuccessful attempts to flee, Paul is forced to scrap with Annie in order to survive.
43:17Although she initially seems to meet her end after a collision with a typewriter,
43:21Paul ultimately puts an end to her story with his own hands.
43:35Number seven, Emperor Palpatine. Star Wars Episode VI, Return of the Jedi.
43:40Is there a movie villain more classically evil than Emperor Palpatine? He already deserved a terrible
43:46fate for luring Anakin Skywalker to the dark side. But not satisfied with ruining one Skywalker,
43:52Palpatine tries to tempt Luke to strike down Darth Vader and become evil too. Although an intense
43:58lightsaber duel does take place, Luke ultimately refuses to take his father's life. Palpatine rewards
44:04this restraint by hitting Luke with force lightning. If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed.
44:13In a classic moment, Vader's familial love brings him back to the light,
44:18and he decides to defy his master. He sacrifices himself to take Palpatine down.
44:23Though the Rise of Skywalker would later play around with the details of the Emperor's End,
44:38his demise in Return of the Jedi is still satisfying.
44:42Number six, Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II.
44:47Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange became one of the most hated characters in the wizarding world
44:52after she took the life of Harry Potter's godfather, Sirius.
44:56Come on, take a Deborah!
45:12Her comeuppance finally came during the climactic Battle of Hogwarts. Bellatrix attempts to take the
45:17life of Ginny Weasley in the Great Hall. This prompts Molly Weasley to step in,
45:22with an epic line, and defend her daughter.
45:26Not my daughter, you bitch!
45:29While their duel is quick, it's thrilling. Molly's able to stun Bellatrix before obliterating her completely.
45:36Come on, come on!
45:40What's really satisfying about Bellatrix's defeat is the fact that it comes at the hands of Molly Weasley,
45:51who normally doesn't get to show off how fierce she is on the battlefield.
45:55Number five, Immortan Joe. Mad Max Fury Road.
45:59Immortan Joe was the self-imposed leader of the post-apocalyptic city known as the Citadel.
46:04The cruel leader ruled with an iron fist. Not only did he hoard the only known
46:09water source over its citizens, but he neglected to care about what several of his wives actually
46:14wanted. And he's so possessive that he flies into a frenzy when Lieutenant Imperator Furiosa flees with
46:20his spouses.
46:32For the majority of the movie, Joe's forces chase his wives down. On the ride back to the Citadel,
46:37Furiosa finally confronts him on the side of his rig. She makes sure that Immortan Joe will
46:42never have the opportunity to mistreat one of his wives again.
46:48Remember me?
46:52Number four, The Armitage Family. Get out.
46:54On the outset, The Armitage Family seems like your average upper-class family that tries way too
47:00hard to show their accepting of everyone. But it's clear there's something much more sinister going on
47:05under the surface. As Chris comes to learn, the Armitages have made a business of abducting
47:24people and stealing their bodies by implanting the mind of the highest bidder. Before this can
47:28happen to Chris, he fights back. Dean Armitage, his wife Missy, and their eldest son Jeremy all
47:45receive brutal but just ends. Once Chris takes the three of them down, he's confronted by his
47:51girlfriend Rose. But after a brainwashed groundskeeper is temporarily freed, he puts an end to this
47:58horrendous family. Let me do it.
48:14Number three, Hans Gruber. Die Hard. We love to hate this villain so much. It almost circles back to just
48:21love. This is partially because Hans Gruber took out Harry Ellis, a character we just plain hated.
48:27John, how can you say that after all these years, huh? John. John.
48:43But that obnoxious man's demise isn't the most glorious one in the film. Gruber is a supposed
48:48extremist who casually hurts people, but is really nothing more than an extremely brutal thief. He
48:54eventually gets more than he bargained for when everyman cop John McClane arrives to save his wife,
48:59Holly. Happy trails, Hans. The conflict between the cop and thief comes to a head when Gruber is left
49:07hanging out the window by Holly's wrist. Fortunately, McClane unclasps Holly's wristwatch and sends Gruber to his
49:14doom. Happy trails, Hans. I hope that's not a hostage.
49:25Number two, Count Tyrone Rugen. The Princess Bride. Few characters have focused more on taking out their
49:31enemies than Inigo Montoya has. He's spent years thinking about getting revenge on the man who slayed his
49:37father. Inigo eventually learns that the vicious Count Rugen was responsible. While he's helping with a
49:56rescue mission in a castle, he and the Count finally meet. During their long-awaited duel,
50:02Inigo repeats his promise to get revenge on the Count. For a moment, it seems like it won't happen at
50:16all, but Inigo's sheer tenacity and will ensures that he finally gets closure and avenges his father
50:23by slaying the Count. Offer me everything I ask for. Anything you want. I want my father back, you son of a bitch.
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50:53Number one, Commodus, Gladiator. Only a famous death will do.
51:00What could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena?
51:07There is hardly a greater tale of revenge than that of Maximus Decimus Meridius against Commodus.
51:13After Commodus usurps his father as Emperor of Rome, he asks General Maximus to swear allegiance.
51:19But the warrior refuses. A slighted Commodus takes the lives of Maximus's wife and son.
51:24After Maximus escapes his own grim fate, he swears vengeance against the Emperor.
51:29Father to a murdered son. Husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance. In this life or the next.
51:38He rose through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena and slowly gained favour with the people of Rome.
51:45Desperate to see his enemy fall, Commodus wounds Maximus before the two compete in gladiatorial combat.
51:51But Maximus manages to overcome his fatal wounds and slay Commodus before finding peace.
51:56Which villain defeat did you take the most satisfaction in? Let us know in the comments.
52:10I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.
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52:26I'll see you next time.