Top 20 Likeable Movie Villains

[@WatchMojo]

Which other movie villain had you feeling sympathy for the devil? Let us know in the comments down below! For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKOuYYCYotmXo68 Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@Cinezillaaa]

Honorable mention: Electro in Amazing Spider Man 2. He was treated like sh*t by his boss nobody liked him, he talks to himself alot. So sad 😞

[@samkresil6011]

Sandman in Spider-Man 3 and Gollum in Lord of the Rings

[@erzaender]

beetlejuice

[@williamsummerson1204]

Darth Vader, Khan and Megatron.

[@samkresil6011]

Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York maybe?

[@Obi-Wan-Kenobi_]

You should now do a top 20 most hateable movie heroes

[@lefantomer]

Add tv. I don't want to see Negan escaping from that one.

[@rgerber]

I always thought Biff Tannen is the absolute perfect scumbag

[@madman00774]

Rey and Captain Marvel would top that list imo.

[@moscowcentre]

Superman ss depicted in Man of Steel. BORING AF character

[@mikitz]

i.e., a list containing twenty girl bosses from the last ten years alone.

[@cherylbunyan3995]

No list about charming, likeable villains could ever be complete without Tim Curry! He is the epitome of the charismatic bad guy. Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Rocky Horror) Long John Silver (Muppet Treasure Island), Cardinal Richielieu (Three Musketeers), Darkness (Legend), etc.

[@hunterolaughlin]

If he wasn’t paralyzed by a stroke that he has to use a wheelchair and retire from physical acting later in life, he would’ve been the ideal casting choice for Count Olaf in the Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

[@Toledotourbillion]

Tim Curry was also the best devil in Legend. His portrayal was... Legendary.

[@tarantinoish]

Pennywise the Dancing Clown

[@downhomesunset]

@@tarantinoishI liked him much better than the 2017 version

[@lefantomer]

"Hello, lonnnnnggggg John..."

[@blairmcauley2497]

Tom cruise as Vincent is one of my favorite villains he’s a bad guy but he’s so charismatic due to Tom’s performance

[@jesterjosie3281]

"A hero is a hero, but everyone loves a great villain. ".. Ferb Flynn Fletcher

[@anjoLas]

How old are you, kid ? 9 ? 10 ? did your parents had kids ?

[@jesterjosie3281]

@anjoLas no, I'm 21, and my parents have three 🤣🤣

[@Charles_200]

I would say Villanelle from Killing Eve or Kingpin from Daredevil , but then i realized is only movies , but i think Darth Vader should be on this list

[@meedily]

Kingpin! Yes.

[@lolahernandez6871]

Villanelle...so overrated 🙄

[@lukas.strautins]

Since when is Darth Vader "likeable"?

[@MelloMood1]

Nice list but Hans Gruber should have been #1 or at least in the Top 3. Hans was the definition of Likable Villain......

[@lefantomer]

I think that was probably due to it being Alan. Now, Alan as the Sheriff of Nottingham in that otherwise bungled Robin Hood, there's a hilariously likeable villain!

[@Hevihenkka]

Hades from Disney's Hercules (1997) was so likeable villain I rooted for him when I was a kid.

[@rickmartinez3268]

Enjoyable

[@Gor85]

He was awesome 😀

[@eburel506]

I just love his snark.

[@lefantomer]

@@eburel506 Everybody mixes up Hades with Satan. Hades was never a devil figure in Greek religion. He and Persephone babysat the dead. OK, he kidnapped his niece to be his wife but Everyone Was Doing It.

[@merc-chef]

Another Alan Rickman villain that stole the show was the sheriff from Prince of Thieves. He carried that movie and has some fantastic quotable quotes.

[@lefantomer]

"Bring a friend!!"

[@kennethmokoena-s9f]

Jim Carrey's The Grinch is my all time favorite villain

[@eaglesfan226]

Can’t say the Grinch as a villain per se. Just a protagonist that was so lonely he didn’t realize there’s more to Christmas than presents.

[@kainlives7958]

The Grinch is literally an antihero

[@michaelmonthey5974]

In addition to Collateral, Tom Cruise has played likable villains in Interview with a Vampire and Tropic Thunder.

[@downhomesunset]

I adored Lestat!

[@Denis-89]

is Les Grossman a villain though?

[@michaelmonthey5974]

@@Denis-89 Oh, he definitely is. He is the boss you’d love to hate.

[@MAC-bb9bu]

Where’s Darth Vader?

[@mechajason]

At the beginning they said, charismatic and charming villains Darth Vader is not charismatic or charming

[@MAC-bb9bu]

@@mechajason he is to me

[@owie4070]

​@@MAC-bb9bu You... animal!

[@diegoleonelreyes]

@@MAC-bb9busame

[@slystone4892]

@@MAC-bb9buactually he is in some way I can’t explain, and it’s very weird cause we don’t even see any expression because well we don’t see any face and yet there’s some charisma to be found.

[@tracemacmillan9718]

John silver from treasure planet should be here. I mean, you know his betrayal is coming but you almost don’t want it to happen because he fills a very pivotal role in Jim’s life as a father figure and mentor

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

Harry & Marv - Home Alone 1 & 2 Even though they're Bumbling Burglars (Marv anyway) after a while you just really wanted them to get their hands on Kevin.

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

Jamie Foxx’s Max Dillon/Electro only wanted recognition in _The Amazing Spider-Man 2,_ but being perceived as nobody was a pain which helped drive Max to that incident with the electric eel tank, even though he couldn’t control that. Doesn’t anyone besides Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man and I have any sympathy for poor Max Dillon?

[@lukas.strautins]

Read the title of the video.

[@matthewmira3265]

I do. Max in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a sweet, but mild-mannered person who was constantly pushed around by his boss, co-workers, and basically those around him that he perceived himself as nobody. Due to that, he repressed so much anger in himself. Then after Spider-Man saved him and said that he was his eyes and ears and that he needed him, Max not only received a smidge of the recognition he wanted, but gained a confidence boost and also felt that he finally gained a friend and began to idolize Spider-Man. However, due to his inferiority complex, Max took that one moment he had with Spider-Man to a big and almost obsessive extent to the point that he instantly believed Spider-Man was his best friend and he had a shrine dedicated to him in his room. Then he’s told to stay to fix an electrical malfunction by his boss on his birthday. After his transformation into Electro, Max was initially scared and confused from not understanding what happened to him from the cop’s reaction to seeing and Max accidentally using his new powers to lift truck over him. After seeing himself being broadcasted all over the city, he becomes mesmerized by the sight of his broadcasted face, believing that people finally see him. Then Spider-Man arrived and tried to help diffuse the situation and hopefully help Max. However a sniper fires at him, which causes Max to angrily retaliate. Spider-Man saves a cop from getting crushed, inadvertently humiliating Max. Being mocked by the public, much to his anger, and being manipulated by the voices in his head into believing Spider-Man lied to him, Max becomes enraged from feeling betrayed by Spider-Man, gives into the repressed anger inside of himself, and attacked his former idol and the public with his electrical abilities. After he was defeated by Spider-Man, Max accepted transformation and adopted his supervillain moniker Electro, boasting a more arrogant attitude. Overall, this version and incarnation of Electro was definitely sympathetic and relatable in terms of his character.

[@griffinbenjamin3150]

No villain more charismatic than Alonzo Harris in training day

[@christiandemorro2092]

Ya but fuck that guy. He'll be on the top 20 most hated great villains

[@brunofelix]

King Kong ain't got $hit on him

[@crystalshaw8744]

​@@brunofelixFacts...smile

[@chriswelter3859]

He's such a POS in that film, but so great to watch. One of Denzel's best characters

[@Gor85]

So many likeable ones. Beetlejuice,James Cook,Frank Costello,Hannibal Lector,Harry and Marv,Severus Snape. Great video😊

[@olvialee7221]

391: I didn’t see The Silence of the Lambs but my parents did. They told me that Hannibal Lector creeped them out

[@olvialee7221]

386: Before you started the list, I love how you had Hades from Hercules react to you. Genius

[@MarkJacksonGaming]

-- James Woods: The Specialist. Dennis Leary: The Ref/Judgement Night. Vin Diesel: Fast and Furious 1. Arsenio Hall: Harlem Nights. Jackie Gleeson: The Toy. Vin Diesel again: Pitch Black. Ed Harris: The Rock. Denzel Washington: Training Day. Robert DeNiro: Heat. ALL OF THEM: The Goonies. Your list is good, though I think you got off track a little; and I was stunned how bad the first one; just figured I'd add some. Number one is clearly: Darth Vader.

[@henri191]

Nowadays Loki isn't even considered a villain , he is amazing 😂

[@tia4057]

Facts like he redeemed himself in Thor 2

[@AbominableQueer]

I understand he’s a fictional character, but he did kill/is responsible for the deaths of scores of innocent people???

[@paulstokowski1466]

Same as Venom... which is pretty f stupid.

[@K-dawg26]

​@paulstokowski1466 No it's not but, you are.

[@NathanaelJacob-px6lu]

He caused more damage to New York than 9/11.

[@Animeguy300]

Joker and Loki are the best villains in DC and Marvel

[@MrAndyBearJr]

Simon Phoenix in Demolition Man was one you almost rooted for as he performed his villainy with playful aplomb.

[@Zed-fq3lj]

Brilliant, a charming list! Finally, after so long a great list from Mojo!

[@pkvanderzee6226]

Nicholas Cage: "Cyres" John Cusack: "Grissom" that movie was amazing

[@RFGfotografie]

Alam Rickman is just a perfect actor.

[@philosophiesoflife8744]

Definitely missing Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds and Javier Bardem's Anton Chighur from No Country for Old Men, both won Oscar's for those roles

[@AmbyJeans]

Yes!

[@Dopecheetah]

Rutger Hauer made up the soliloquy at the end of Blade Runner. It wasn’t in the script. Love Hauer. That dude scared me my whole life😂. RIP to him

[@owie4070]

I never heard that. I have to look that up.

[@Dopecheetah]

@@owie4070 yeah look it up. Let me know what you find. I’ve heard it a bunch of times and looked it up a long long time ago. I believe Ridley Scott talks about it?

[@Ogre1086]

barbossa was my absolute favorite from the pirates movies

[@aysada]

Miranda Presley from the Devil wears Prada, Catwoman from Batman returns (although she may be considered anti-hero), and Gollum from lord of the rings

[@PandorasJunkJournals]

I love the sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood prince of thieves

[@jamesmendonca2900]

Great list. However, I would not consider Snape from the Harry Potter series a villain. Yes, he is antagonistic towards the main character and is not the most approachable with his students. But he did what he felt was right, even if it was not the most agreeable choices.

[@lefantomer]

He had to repress any positive feelings towards the "wrong people" in order to keep Voldy trusting him so he could avenge Lily. That is dedication.

[@BabaYaga4336]

I can’t believe Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) is ranked. He’s my personal favourite 😊

[@olvialee7221]

390: Not a huge fan of The Joker but I did like Heath Ledger’s performance

[@lefantomer]

Awesome. Not really a person at all, a personification of chaotic nihilism, that nasty voice in your ear that tells you everything is $#it, what a performance!

[@eriknelson7077]

SNAPE IS NOT A VILLAIN!!! He only looks and sounds like a villain. His actions and motivations prove that he’s a good guy

[@AntonXul]

What about Tony Montana? He has more charisma than most on this list.

[@jamesdugas571]

Antihero

[@AntonXul]

@@jamesdugas571 He’s a protagonist villain. He had Anti-Hero qualities, but he’s definitely a villain. A murderous drug lord can’t be a hero of any kind.

[@kainlives7958]

@@AntonXulno, he’s an antihero

[@olvialee7221]

392: I may not know much of The Silence of the Lambs but I did love Stewie as Hannibal Lector in a Family Guy parody

[@olvialee7221]

388: Vizzini may not be a Major Villain in the movie but he does make my dad laugh

[@christophermerlot3366]

Tom Cruise as Lestat in Interview with a Vampire John Malkovich as Vicomte de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman in Batman II

[@lolahernandez6871]

YES, LESTER!!! 👍👍👍

[@kaleighcoutermarsh4922]

I have always so loved the dynamic between Castor and Pollux Troy. Pollux is one of my favorite side characters ever. Also, Cyrus the Virus is just brilliant. Con Air is a fantastic movie!

[@richarddrake7148]

Personally I wanted to see Venom on the list.

[@BlenderStudy]

Thank you for the update, WatchMojo..!! 5:32 "Cy.." "Yonara..!!"

[@reddogjpn]

Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck was far more relatable than the other Jokers, in my opinion.

[@slystone4892]

Yes cause we see his struggle and his mental decline and we find relatable as any of could break like that any day now.

[@omegafeather6254]

I'm hoping that joker is amazing.

[@lefantomer]

Joaquin is a cult survivor and having worked with them I can see how much of his pain is real. Ledger plays the character almost as an ancient Greek drama personification of chaos and nihilism. 180 degrees from each other but both excellent.

[@234daydreamer]

There's gonna be a Beetlejuice 2 with Micheal Keaton reprising his role as the striped poltergeist

[@CaptainMcTubeSnoot]

Darth Vader? Palpatine? Darth Maul? Godzilla? Jurassic Park T-Rex? Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai?

[@rgerber]

expect maybe Godzilla those are all simple evil villains. Maybe they are "cool" but not made to be charismatic

[@downhomesunset]

Kobra Kai is a TV series

[@Acidrain82]

they said, charismatic and charming villains

[@lefantomer]

@@rgerberPalpatine is hideous. The T-Rex is a dinosaur.

[@HoodyBoy85]

So glad to see that Vincent was on the list. Also, Beetlejuice is by far my #1 pick

[@MarcVanLaere-zr5im]

Rutger Hauer was one of the best. RIP ❤

[@rogueprince1341]

Darth Vader should've been on this list. The way the Emperor used his fears against him to twist his mind. His redemption with his son. Leading to him fulfilling his destiny, bringing balance to the force by killing the Emperor.

[@lukas.strautins]

Still not likeable

[@Dushku]

1:45 If it's exploitative, it's not capitalism. Their bodies are their capital. So if one were to exploit that, it would be ANTI-capitalistic.

[@downhomesunset]

What about Tom Cruise’s performance as Lestat in Interview With The Vampire?

[@olvialee7221]

385: Captain Barbosa is a fun villain in the Disney canon. I like him better than Davy Jones

[@lefantomer]

Lots of fun sketchy characters in the series.

[@Tcassa89]

top 3 most likeable villains 1. Beetlejuice 2. Beetlejuice 3. Beetlejuice

[@BooBop1987]

I will Doc Ock from both Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man No Way Home. He is one of the best Likeable Movie Villains that I ever cared about in Movie Review!

[@olvialee7221]

384: I see BeetleJuice, I clicked.

[@donnalichvarcik5588]

My ultimate favorite likeable villain is the late great beloved angel severus Tobias snape rip our beautiful beloved angel 😇💀🐍💚🤍

[@hiatusinc]

I love that Loki is #1 Good list good list

[@johnnyd.5466]

Certainly all of the villains on this list are charismatic, but applying the term "likable" to Frank Costello and Hannibal Lecter really makes me worry about the WatchMojo staff! 😊

[@olvialee7221]

389: I will always love Severus Snape

[@artiemedley9369]

I'm casting a vote for the monster or the lieutenant with the prosthetic arm in Young Frankenstein.

[@lefantomer]

Forgotten greats! "A riot is a terrible thing! And it's just about time we had one!!"

[@lesterhale]

I always thought of Beetlejuice as a Hero/anti hero as he just wanted to scare the pants off the Deetz family to get them out of the house. And also, he did save the Maitlands from Othos ritual, whom by the way I do consider the true villain in Beetlejuice.

[@tazzreviews1578]

Where’s my man Jack Horner?

[@Khyranleander]

Okay, some of those like Loki & the Princess sidekicks definitely fit the trope, & the Home Alone duo were too laughable to be hated. But while Gruber, Hannibal & Fezzik were iconic & every Joker BUT Ledger's should have stayed with Adam West (sorry Mark)... but _likeable_? To quote Diego "I don' think that word mean what you think it does."

[@olvialee7221]

387: You misspelled BeetleJuice

[@annahilliard4875]

Dr. Evil from Austin Powers is hilarious! Even his henchmen and his clone Mini-Me are great! Dr. Evil will always be one of my favorite movie villains of all time. But there's many more that I also like too.

[@eaglesfan226]

My uncle hails from a family of Pogrom survivors. I felt bad for Magneto.

[@RFGfotografie]

The Jokes was such an interesting character. Though my fave stays Dr. Freeze in batman.

[@CaptainLoglin_67]

Stephen Dorff in Blade

[@David_Theisen]

Pacino in Devil’s Advocate, first off you just thought he was a regular businessman, even after you find out he’s the Devil, he’s still nicely dressed and a well coordinated gentleman!! He was really good at being a deceitful conniving being!!! Should watch it again though! It’s been a while now

[@schizoidboy]

The one villain I keep expecting to see on these lists is Professor Fate from The Great Race, play perfectly by Jack Lemon. He's the sort of person we should be hating but we end sympathizing with him instead because he's an utter klutz. Everything he tries he fails at so instead of rooting for the hero we end up relating to the villain. He's like a live action version of Willy E Coyote.

[@cliffcorson4000]

The princess bride villians are funny And Beatlejuice? No comparing him

[@abbeymclane6985]

Can you do Top 10 Movie Henchmen Who Receives Instant Karma next

[@Toledotourbillion]

Michael Shannon's Zod is my favourite villain. He's ruthless but self sacrificing to save his people. The man could stand toe to toe with Cavill's Superman despite his disadvantages.

[@CapeRayer23]

i seen someone mentioned Freddy Krueger. No disrespect to the person who mentioned him, but i have to ask this question....What is likeable about Freddy? He was a child killer before the parents burned him alive. He deserved what he got. If any slasher horror villian deserves to be liked, it's Jason Voorhees. He drowned at Camp Crystal Lake...accidentaly! When Jason was killing those camp councelers, i was on Jason's side saying "That's right! get your revenge! F*** them up!" lol. You have to feel bad for Jason. :)

[@David_Theisen]

Have u seen Freddy vs Jason? If not u should because I don’t think his drowning was an accident!

[@matthew247realty]

How about Audrey II?

[@lefantomer]

Loki absolutely for all reasons cited. But Hannibal, the ultimate manipulator? And Ledger's Joker is a brilliant personification of chaotic nihilism but I wouldn't call him "likeable". Severus is not a "likeable" villain, he is a very very hard to "like" true hero. Dustin's Hook is a delightful buckler of better swash than a lot of more "likely" Hooks. "Beetlejuice?!? Beetlejuice??? Beetlej...." oh no, wait... . Roy's death speech is amazing. And you left out Vader.

[@VoltBolt1941]

Tai Lung was awesome. Plus, his story was LIT.

[@teachermom90]

Magneto should have been included! Some of the ones you have on the list are NOT likable like Sirus the Virus and the guy from Speed!

[@darrencole97]

I agree that Kevin became the Saw guy.

[@RFGfotografie]

Very interesting.

[@owensuperbot232]

This list is very true, many of them are likeable.

[@filmfocusmind]

How could you forget Dr. Frankenfeurter?!

[@AndreaDoesYoga]

Love these villains, they're so charming! 😈🎬

[@Deanobucko917]

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

[@Neofolis]

I would have had Walter Meyrick from No Escape on the list and possibly The Sheriff Of Nottingham from Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, a better Alan Rickman villain than Severus Snape who isn't actually a villain.

[@donnalichvarcik5588]

My 🥇 favorite villain actor is Alan Sidney patrick rickman my 🥈 favorite villain actor John Christopher Depp jr and my 🥉 favorite villain actor is Ralph Nathaniel twisleton wykeham fiennes

[@nathieboy1987]

I'm surprised John Travolta's Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction, Samuel L Jackson's Danny Roman from The Negotiator, Ed Harris' Gen. Francis X. Hummel from The Rock weren't included on this list. At least two of them did the wrong things for the right reasons and one, well.. it was a five dollar shake performance

[@elijah.j3288]

Loki is the marvel version of the joker

[@jacobdrolet4262]

Lex Luther in superman franchise and Doctor Doom fantastic four 2005 to 2007 version not that terrible version the fantastic four 2015 one. Amazing video watch mojo,marvellous job.

[@theeellebee]

Beetlejuice should be way higher on this list. Also, what is Watchmojo's obsession with TDK??

[@lorinhardy8920]

The Wet Bandits but no Darth Vader? Inconceivable.

[@matthewhipps3221]

9:14 - I guess kind of like a world without Red Cow Milk Powder. A few people would notice but overall not a huge loss.

[@KadenJ-ie1ji]

HOW is Davy Jones not on here? He was more likeable than Barbossa because he was just lonely so we sympathized with him.

[@brunofelix]

Placing Loki at number one above Heath's Joker, Hannibal Lecter (even if it was Mads Mikkelsen, both are great), and many others is just unacceptable

[@lefantomer]

To you, maybe.

[@brunofelix]

@@lefantomer exactly. That's what I like to call MY opinion

[@ead630]

Jaffar from The Thief of Bagdad 1940, one of the greatest movies (and performances) of all time

[@lefantomer]

OMG, incredibly sexy and commanding!! How that girl went for the Thief instead of him I will never understand.

[@christophermerlot3366]

I think a number of these confuse likeability with charisma. Those two characteristics are not oppose but more like a Venn Diagram. But they're not the same.

[@David_Theisen]

Does Cyrus from Con Air make an appearance in this?? I liked him!! He utilized his knowledge and cunningness to create their escape on that plane!!!

[@eugeniapatroncosta920]

The Joker, Hannibal Lecter and Hans Gruber are my favourites.

[@johnseelinger9803]

You left out Darth Vader, he's my favorite character from "Star Wars." Other movie villains that I like that were not on the list include Dark Helmet, Colonel Sandurz, President Skroob, Count Dooku, Thanos, Boba Fett, Kylo Ren, Nebula, The Winter Soldier, Smaug, Sauron, The Phantom of the Opera, and Saruman.

[@lefantomer]

Does the Phantom of the Opera/Erik qualify as a "villain"? If so there is a long list. But Michael Crawford, Charles Dance, and Ramin Karimloo and that's just for starters.

[@johnseelinger9803]

@@lefantomer Whether Erik qualifies as a villain or not, I feel like that's complicated. I find it hard to say who the main villain of "The Phantom of the Opera" is since the other characters in the story show behavior that's no better than his. I put Erik down because I felt like others would count him as a villain. I do like Erik though, but I do find your question very logical about whether he's a villain or not.

[@RFGfotografie]

Dr. Evil was awesome to. I liked him a lot. But oih well the movies were just perfectto begin with

[@PacificaJaena]

Hans Landa is the best. His Extermination skills are amazing