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(#8) Catherine Tramell
- Basic Instinct
Catherine Tramell is a femme fatale, LGBTQ+ icon, and best-selling author. In Basic Instinct, she's also a coldblooded executioner whose preferred method is a mid-coitus ice pick to the neck. For Catherine, life imitates art: A man perishes in one of her hit novels, and then a man turns up deceased in real life, taken out in eerily similar fashion. Instead of outing her as the culprit, it gives her the perfect alibi:
I'd have to be pretty stupid to write a book about killing and then kill somebody the way I described it in my book. I'd be announcing myself as the killer. I'm not stupid.
The infamous interrogation scene showcases just how manipulative, cunning, and collected she can be. Catherine (Sharon Stone) coolly smokes a (prohibited) cigarette while smiling at the detective, answers all of his tough questions without breaking a sweat, and ends up turning the tables. Suddenly, he's the one in the hot seat. You wouldn't want to be on Catherine's bad side, lest you wind up cold and stiff, so best to opt for friendship instead.
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(#9) Elle Driver
- Kill Bill
Elle Driver - code name: California Mountain Snake - is a bloodless assassin who, by normal societal standards, lacks the sense of morality, empathy, or just about any other trait that makes a human, well, human. But while her right eye was ripped out by her one-time would-be mentor Pai Mei, she didn't feel sorry for herself or use that as an excuse to elicit pity. Nah, instead she took matters into her own hands. The silver lining, by the way, was a dope eyepatch - and every friend group is immediately improved by one member having an eyepatch... right?
As proven by the whole Pai Mei situation, this is a woman who, quite frankly, takes no sh*t. And that extends to her general sense of honor - at least, as far as honor extends within the community of international assassins. She loves Bill, and is thus loyal to Bill. And as far as her former colleague and eventual target Beatrix Kiddo (AKA the Bride) goes, she respects the hell out of her even as it's her sworn duty to eliminate her. Game recognize game. This the kind of person that - assuming you haven't betrayed her trust and there's no price on your head - would absolutely take someone out via katana to the neck if they tried to mess with you. Once she's done saving your life, the two of you could knock back a few drinks together.
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(#4) Tyler Durden
- Fight Club
Tyler Durden is just like you... only better. He's a charming, hunky, natural-born leader who can convince just about anyone to adopt his minimalist-anarchist ideals. In the 1999 cult classic Fight Club, Durden's main goals are to undermine consumerism, destroy the system, and disrupt social order. He even circumvents the system by making soap from human fat (which he collects from the dumpsters behind liposuction clinics) and selling it to fancy department stores for a hefty profit. In a way, this makes him the perfect antihero.
Unfortunately, Durden has other motives that are anything but heroic. The soap contains glycerin, which is perfect for homemade incendiary devices. His "Fight Club" starts out as a weekly group in which men can take out their aggression by way of bare-knuckle fistfights. But it quickly evolves into Project Mayhem, a bomb-assembling cult designed to help Tyler carry out his plans to take out a massive block of downtown buildings, eliminating the debt record and inducing widespread chaos.
Still, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) has the kind of leadership skills and affable charm we could only dream of. He'll let you stay at his place for free, he's good for all kinds of useful factoids about common household items, and by the looks of it, he has certainly freed his Project Mayhem acolytes from all the material and careerist concerns previously weighing their souls down. He had the "throw everything away that doesn't spark joy" mindset long before Marie Kondo came onto the scene.
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(#2) Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter is the epitome of true evil. He operates by a philosophy that it is his responsibility to eradicate those he deems rude by serving them as his next meal. (Which is not to say he doesn't enjoy hunting his prey.) And what's more, he loves throwing a good dinner party.
Though he is perhaps fiction's most notorious cannibal - Thomas Harris's novels have been adapted into multiple films, including 1991's critically acclaimed The Silence of the Lambs, and the popular NBC series Hannibal - the doctor is also one of the most beloved villains in pop culture. And for good reason. His intelligence and suave elegance make him charming not only to Will Graham and others in his close circle, but also to horror fans in the real world, as well. His philosophy of punishing the arrogantly glib is difficult to argue with - and if we're honest, it would be an honor to attend one of his grand dinner events.
Also? Dude's a great listener.
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(#6) Villanelle
- Killing Eve
Despite being a textbook sociopath who uses the payout from her hits to buy Chanel blazers, Oxana Vorontsova, who goes by the alias Villanelle, is also a hopeless romantic. She's supposed to be the arch-nemesis of British intelligence agent Eve Polastri, but when she finds her affections deepening, she takes her time infiltrating Eve's life and charming her with her fearless psychopathy.
Though she has no qualms about taking out her target in front of his grandson, or an audience of passersby on the street, and will ruthlessly slay just about anyone for the right price - at times just for the fun of it - Villanelle is also incredibly passionate. When she sets her sights on someone or some goal - in the case of the BBC series Killing Eve, that person is Eve Polastri - she will stop at nothing to win her prize.
Though she and Eve have a rather unhealthy obsession with each other, it's hard not to root for Villanelle. She's eccentric and strong, she makes us laugh, and she embodies the sort of confidence that Eve (if not all of us) endlessly strives for.
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(#3) The Joker
- The Dark Knight
Sure, all Heath Ledger's Joker wants is to watch the world burn, but he seems to be having such a good time doing it. "I'm a dog chasing cars," he declares in his most meaningful statement of self-interrogation. Is there any scenario in which a dog chasing a car is not both adorable and endearing? No. No there is not. Joker, to be fair, may not be man's best friend... but he could be ours, if we play our cards right.
The pure joy exuded by Joker in the face of his chaos and destruction is just enough to win us over - whether he's tormenting Batman, blowing up a hospital while cosplaying as a nurse, turning Harvey Dent (the virtuous White Knight of Gotham) into a psychopathic villain, or forcing two groups of people to choose between saving themselves or terminating a bunch of innocent strangers. He even knows fun magic tricks. And just look at that smile!
Plus, that scene when he sticks his head out of the window of a hijacked cop car, letting his hair flow ever so gently in the wind? Beautiful. A reminder of those carefree road trips with our pals during the halcyon days of our youth.
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About This Tool
Movies and TV shows are full of good people who do bad things, and bad people who have some good in them. In other words, there are a lot of grays, so most of the so-called “villains” aren’t entirely clear. Still, there are plenty of characters who, in one way or another, get audiences to label them as villains.
This randomly generated tool collates 12 entries, documenting the villains of these classic movies and TV shows, but we still love their characters. Loki, Hannibal Lecter, The Joker, Tyler Durden, Villanelle, and more. The actors contributed their acting skills to the plot and gave a very good performance. Although the role of the villain, but the role of the audience can not hate, and even for them to find an excuse.
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