No one captures the screen like a villain in a movie. Besides driving the plot, the bad guy often gets the best lines.
There are some movie characters, however, that are truly loathsome. Whether it’s serving some distorted principle or simply acting as an agent of chaos, the worst characters are often the most compelling. In this article, we will explore the most despicable movie characters ever. (For a more general list of villains, discover the most iconic villains in film history.)
To compile a list of the most despicable movie characters ever, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of movie databases and publications including IMDb, Taste of Cinema, and Screen Rant. From there, we selected a range of awful characters from a range of genres, periods, and movie series.
Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter Series)
From the opening credits of the first movie to the triumphant final battle of the last movie, Lord Voldemort casts an evil shadow over the entire Harry Potter series. Even for the entire trajectory of Harry Potter’s life, including killing Potter’s parents, Voldemort’s hatred reigns supreme.
Despicable in an empire-building way, Voldemort strategically enforced his dark arts on the entire wizard world. The leader of the Death Eaters hit squad and an ardent racist regarding wizard and muggle mixing, Voldemort has no redeemable qualities. His one weakness, however, is his pathological fear of death. This combined with his stereotypical villain arrogance eventually leads to his downfall.
Nurse Ratched (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”)
No doubt, Nurse Ratched from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is one of the most despicable movie characters ever. As the head administrative nurse at the Salem State Hospital and Mental Institution, Ratched wields her power with a cold, iron fist. Controlling everything from basic necessities to access to medication, Ratched revokes these privileges whenever a patient displeases her.
Whether born this way or slowly poisoned by her job as a nurse, Ratched is unapologetically heartless and seems to delight in tormenting the already suffering patients at the hospital. When Randall McMurphy arrives on her turf, however, her cruel tactics are ineffective against his rebellious spirit. Their clash of personalities eventually leads to a primal violent fight. Though Nurse Ratched has McMurphy lobotomized for the attack, she loses her control over the hospital ward because the patients no longer fear her.
Biff Tannen (Back to the Future Trilogy)
The prototypical bully, Biff Tannen is one of the most despicable movie characters ever. Stealing the symbolic lunch money from consecutive generations of the McFly Family, Tannen’s aggressive, unrepentant mean streak acts as a plot mover throughout the Back to the Future trilogy.
No matter what timeline Marty McFly ends up in, a Tannen is there, cheating and intimidating others into doing his bidding. In the first “Back to the Future,” he is the main bully of Marty’s father. By the second movie, he practically runs the town, lording over it through his successful but chaotic casino. There’s something rotten in the Tannen family tree, too, as Marty McFly must battle Biff’s great-grandfather in the third and final Back to the Future. Like Biff, his great-grandfather Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen” is unrepentantly violent, irrational, and crude. (For other belligerent foes, discover the clumsiest criminals in film history.)
Scar (“The Lion King”)
The main antagonist of The Lion King film (and subsequent adaptations), Scar is vengeful, jealous, and power-hungry. Though he was originally first in line for his brother Mufasa’s throne, this hope is dashed when Mufasa makes his son Simba next in line. Envious of his brother Mufasa’s growing kingdom and hungry for his power, Scar leads a battalion of hyenas to usurp power.
Killing his brother and sending young Simba into exile, Scar fits in easily with the most despicable movie characters ever. Even after conquering the kingdom, he remains jealous and vengeful, forbidding anyone to mention Mufasa’s name in his presence. Simba has the last laugh, however, when he returns to the now-barren kingdom as an adult and fights Scar in a showdown. Scar is thrown from a rock and eventually torn apart by his hyena troops, proving that he is so despicable even his own men hate him.
Anton Chigurh (“No Country for Old Men”)
There has never been a villain and despicable character in movies quite like Anton Chigurgh. A violent, unrepentant assassin in the original “No Country for Old Men” novel, Anton Chigurh in the movie adaptation is somehow scarier. He moves through towns like a specter of death, killing indiscriminately while on the hunt for a big bundle of missing drug money.
For all his despicable actions and reflexive violence, however, Chigurh has some warped sense of principles. He often lets his victims pick life or death through a coin toss. This rarely bodes well for those on the receiving end of his wrath, but Chigurh holds to this gambling of fate. As for his own fate, however, Chigurh is less of a man than a force of remorseless, unrepentant killing. In a twist of conventional storytelling, Chigurh is the only man left standing at the end of “No Country for Old Men.” (For more bad guys, discover the most unforgettable movie villains who thrilled and chilled audiences.)
Cruella de Vil (“101 Dalmatians”)
A London heiress and fashion designer, Cruella de Vil is one of the most despicable movie characters ever as well as the most glamorous. From her skunk-colored hair and stark but beautiful designs, de Vil is a villain with style. A pathological admirer of fur coats, de Vil kidnaps 15 puppies from the main Dalmatian characters Pongo and Perdita, intending to make them into fur coats.
Throughout the “101 Dalmatians” and its various adaptations, Cruella de Vil does more than just try to steal and kill puppies, she shadowboxes the entire world. Her car has the loudest horn in London, her apartment is fashioned like an elegant version of hell, and she double-crosses and manipulates practically anyone she comes into contact with. Fortunately, de Vil gets her comeuppance when her stock of fur is destroyed, putting her in debt, and forcing her to flee the country.
Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter Series)
Though not as maniacal as Lord Voldemort, Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series gives him a run for his money as one of the most despicable movie characters ever. Though ostensibly a teacher at Hogwarts, Umbridge is there at the behest of the Ministry of Magic, to usurp power from Harry Potter and Lord Dumbledore who have been telling the wizarding world about Lord Voldemort’s return.
While she is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, she refuses to teach the students anything practical. Instead, she condescends them at every turn, picking on some in particular while spying on the student body as a whole. When Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic, she acts as overseer for the registration and persecution of human-born wizards and witches. A fitting job, too, as Dolores Umbridge has a level of zeal for the position that would make a Nazi blush. Fortunately, once Voldemort’s reign comes to an end, Umbridge ends up in Azkaban prison for her crimes.
Regina George (“Mean Girls”)
As the proverbial Queen Bee of North Shore High School, Regina George is fierce, cunning, and manipulative. As the character Janis says, “Evil takes a human form in Regina George.” She’s the leader of the pretty girl pack and stops at nothing to retain that status. George violates trust, she backstabs friends, steals boyfriends, and conducts a subtle but pervasive reign of terror on the entire student body.
Soon, however, protagonist Cady Heron learns Regina George’s tricks and begins a guerilla war to knock her off the social ladder. It works, too, but at the cost of nearly every relationship between students and teachers at North Shore High School. There is redemption for Regina George, however. After she is hit by a bus, she is humbled and finds an outlet for her dominating urges on the field hockey team. This brings peace to the school, but no one will forget Regina George’s past life as Queen Bee.
Max Cady (“Cape Fear”)
The main antagonist of “Cape Fear” and Martin Scorcese’s remake, Max Cady is a violent, sociopathic criminal. After being locked up for rape by a lawyer named Sam Bowden, Cady learns all about the law and plans his revenge. When he is released, Cady tracks Bowden down, stalking and terrorizing his family in the process, including an attempt at seducing Bowden’s teenage daughter.
Bowden tries to bribe Cady away before filing a restraining order against him, but it’s of little use. Cady has a one-track mind, which eventually leads him to Bowden’s summer home. There, he almost kills the entire family before finally drowning during a battle with Bowden. This is probably for the best, as Cady is cruel, vindictive, and ever-eager to inflict his pain on others. One of the most despicable movie characters ever, Max Cady is the one person you’d never want to see on your doorstep.
Pennywise (“It”)
One of the most despicable movie characters of all time is no doubt Pennywise from the various iterations and adaptations of Stephen King’s “It.” He’s not so much a person as he is an evil, primordial entity who awakes every thirty years to feed on children. He kills countless children and traumatizes others in a perennial haunting of a small town in Maine.
What makes Pennywise so despicable, besides the obvious eating of children, is how he adapts his physical form depending on his victim’s fears. Sometimes he’s a ghastly clown, other times he’s a giant subterranean spider. Every time, however, he brings out the deepest fears in the weakest of people, eager to consume them. (If you prefer television, discover 30 of the most evil villains in TV history.)