Darth Vader certainly ranks first on our list of the best villains in movie history, coming from the famous franchise Star Wars. He has served as the main antagonist throughout the original franchise and as the protagonist in the prequel series. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, has referred to the franchise's first episodic movies as "Darth Vader's tragedy". After the franchise's success, Darth Vader has grown into the greatest villain in pop culture, listed among the best movie antagonists by many movie critics.

Darth Vader's real name is Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi that was expected to bring about some balance to "The Forces". However, Darth Sidious lured him into the Force's Dark Side, turning him into Sith Lord, and the man had assumed his "Darth Vader" title ever since then. After a severe battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi - his ex-mentor - Vader was severely injured and changed to a cyborg, serving the Galactic Kingdom for more than 20 years as its leader.

However, fortunately, this bad guy didn't stay "bad" forever. In fact, near the end of the franchise, Vader redeemed himself, deciding to save his son Luke and kill Palpatine, which led to his ultimate sacrifice.

Movies: Star War (1977)

Actors: David Browse, Bob Anderson, Spencer Wilding

Joker, a character in The Dark Knight (2008) by director Christopher Nolan, is inspired by The Joker from DC Comics and played by late actor Heath Ledger. He is a psychopathic mass murderer and a criminal mastermind with a sadistic, warped humor sense, hired by the bad guys in Gotham City to assassinate Batman (played by Christian Bale).

Joker embodies obsession, anarchy, and chaos. During the entire length of the movie, he showcases his strong desire to wreak havoc on Gotham's social order through murders and crimes, defining himself as a contrasting force with Batman. Heath Ledger's portrayal of Joker is heavily influenced by the Batman novels "The Killing Joke" and "Serious House on A Serious Earth". The actor dons Joker's traditional green and purple color theme - while adding some clown makeup on his face to cover the scars of his Glasgow smile.

At first, Ledger's participation in the movie was met with criticism and controversy. However, now, the role is considered one of the actor's very best. Even the actor himself considered the role very enjoyable.

After Ledger's unfortunate death due to overdose, his performance has received more acclaim and accolades than ever, including Oscar Award for "Best Supporting Actor". Joker has been agreed by many as one of the best villains in movie history.

Movie: The Dark Knight (2008)

Actor: Heath Ledger

Loki Laufeyson referred to as "God of Mischief Loki Odinson" is a character played by actor Tom Hiddleston in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) media franchise. The character is heavily based on a character in the Marvel Comics - and a mythological god from the Norse story - with the same name.

The character made his first appearance in 2011 in the "Thor" movie and become a critical recurring character in the Marvel Universe since then. Following his death in "Infinity War" (2018), another variant of Loki from alternate timelines is introduced to the audience in 2019 in "Endgame". He also appeared in a TV series called "Loki" (2021), being the main character along with Sylvie - his female variant.

Like the original comics, the cinematic Loki has been assigned as the main villain in MCU, trying to invade Earth or Asgard many times by allying with villains more powerful than him in order to reach his goal. Loki has a strong hatred for Thor - his brother - and hence, he always betrayed Thor and his comrades whenever he could. Still, due to his unexpected popularity with the audience, Loki is developed as less of a villain and more like an antihero throughout the rest of the series.

Movies: Thor (2011), Avengers (2012), Infinity War (2018), End Game, (2019), Loki (2021)

Actor: Tom Hiddleston

Hans Gruber - the villain of Die Hard (1988) was played by Alan Rickman, a widely-beloved English actor (the later generation often knows him through his role as Severus Snape in Harry Potter).

Hans Gruber is a criminal mastermind and cunning thief from Germany, who held everyone hostage to take 640 million USD from the bearer bonds. However, his clever plans are foiled by the protagonist John McClane, who was involved in Hans' scheme by mistake.

Ever since his appearance, Hans Gruber has always been regarded as among the most iconic villains ever, often making his way into many lists of the greatest villains in action movies. It's also been considered the best role played by actor Alan Rickman. To be more specific, Empire Magazine ranked Hans at #17 on the list of "Greatest Characters of All Time"; he also landed in No 4 spot on Empire's compilation "Greatest Movie Villains" - only after Loki, Joker, and Darth Vader.

Due to Hans Gruber's immense popularity, Alan Rickman earned another villain role in the movie Robin Hood (1991), which was also highly praised by critics. As a result, he is often stereotyped by the audience as a guy who only plays villains, and that only changed when he took on the role of Severus Snape in Harry Potter.

Movie: Die Hard (1988)

Actor: Alan Rickman

Hannibal Lecter, made by author Thomas Harris in his long novel series, is considered by many as one of the best movie villains thanks to the superb acting skill of Anthony Hopkins, who took the role in the 1991 movie adaptation.

In essence, Hannibal Lecter is a dangerous serial killer that kills and then eats his unfortunate victims. Before the police captured him, Hannibal used to be a popular and well-respected forensic psychiatrist. After the man's incarceration, FBI agents Clarice Starling and Will Graham consulted him in order to capture other serious killers.

In fact, Hannibal Lecter in the novel itself did not have much role. The character only played a more important part in the 1988 and 1991 adaptations - the latter has won Anthony Hopkins the Oscar award for "Best Actor". Hopkins then resumed his role in the 2001 movie "Hannibal", adapting the 1999 book about Lecter's attempts to evade recapture. He also appeared again in "Red Dragon" (2002).

Hannibal Lecter has been portrayed by many actors since then, but Anthony's shining performance is still the most iconic. The character was regarded as the best villain in American history by American Movie Institutes in 2003. Seven years later, Entertainment Weekly also listed him as among the 100 best characters over the past 20 years.

Movies: Silence of The Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002)

Actor: Anthony Hopkins