Darth Vader

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