The best fantasy movies of all time need their villains and are doubtlessly made even better by the perfect performances of the actors playing them. Antagonistic portrayals constitute some of the best fantasy movie performances ever, but the focus is usually on the heroic (or at least protagonist) characters. Villain actors deserve just as much appreciation for convincingly portraying the person who typically sets the story in motion. There are a range of complex fantasy villains for A-list actors to play, supporting different types of stories.
The most evil fantasy movie villains ever are usually just evil for the sake of it, leaving it up to the actors to make them amazingly charismatic when there is no explanation for their actions. Villains with a tragic backstory are potentially easier and more difficult in different ways; while they have more understandable motives, they demand nuance. Many legendary actors have dazzled audiences with their larger-than-life villain performances, completing the best fantasy movies.
10 Geoffrey Rush As Captain Barbossa
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
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Johnny Depp blew everyone away with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, earning an Oscar nomination for his strange and witty portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. The villain of this movie needed to be a forceful figure who could match Jack’s antics, giving rise to the equally dynamic Captain Barbossa.
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7.8/10 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl PG-13ActionAdventureFantasy
The Curse of the Black Pearl is the film that kickstarted the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a series of supernatural swashbuckling adventures. In 1720, blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate “Captain” Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor’s daughter Elizabeth Swann, from Jack’s former pirate allies, who are now undead.
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*Availability in US Director Gore Verbinski Release Date July 9, 2003 Writers Ted Elliott , Terry Rossio , Stuart Beattie , Jay Wolpert Cast Johnny Depp , Geoffrey Rush , Orlando Bloom , Keira Knightley , Jack Davenport , Jonathan Pryce
Geoffrey Rush portrays Barbossa as a classic, cackling pirate captain, who has a kind of elegance nonetheless. He is obviously a skilled swordsman and a competent captain (probably even more so than Jack); Rush also conveys Barbossa’s simmering frustration and desperation when he dramatically tells Elizabeth about the Aztec Curse.
Related 10 Movie Heroes I Didn’t Realize Were Villains Until Much Later
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Depp’s portrayal of Jack gets goofier and less satisfying with each new movie, while Rush’s Barbossa holds up better. Thanks to Rush, Barbossa is ever grand and ambitious, harboring a range of personal secrets that leak into his outward swashbuckling persona.
9 Tom Hiddleston As Loki
The Avengers (2012)
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The MCU has seen numerous A-listers come and go as one-off villains, but Tom Hiddleston gives one of the best performances of the franchise in The Avengers. After being introduced as the “twist” villain of Thor, Loki returns to launch an attack on Earth that prompts the historic team-up/crossover. While Loki’s emotional depth as a character is elaborated upon in later movies, Hiddleston still accomplishes some strong moments in The Avengers that show the inner turmoil arising from Loki’s ambition.
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5/10 The Avengers PG-13Sci-FiActionAdventureSuperhero
The Avengers brings together Marvel’s iconic superheroes under the banner of S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Nick Fury. As an unexpected threat puts global safety at risk, a team including Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor is assembled to thwart the impending disaster.
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*Availability in US Director Jeremiah S. Chechik Release Date May 4, 2012 Writers Zak Penn , Joe Simon , Jack Kirby Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Mark Ruffalo , Chris Hemsworth , Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner , Tom Hiddleston , Clark Gregg , Cobie Smulders , Stellan Skarsgård , Samuel L. Jackson , Gwyneth Paltrow , Paul Bettany , Alexis Denisof , Tina Benko , Jerzy Skolimowski , Kirill Nikiforov , Jeff Wolfe , M’laah Kaur Singh , Rashmi Rustagi , Powers Boothe , Warren Kole , Jesse Garcia , Maximiliano Hernández , Dieter Riesle , Kenneth Tigar , Walter Perez , Harry Dean Stanton , Josh Cowdery , Ashley Johnson , Katsumi Komatsu , Yumiko Komatsu , Momoko Komatsu , Alicia Sixtos Runtime 89 minutes Expand
The rest of the time, he is swaggering around, both very collected while implying barely restrained mischief. Loki interacts with each of the Avengers and adjusts his scheming approach to each hero’s personality. Then, throughout the rest of the MCU, Hiddleston continues to effectively mix Loki’s Machiavellian schemes with personal tragedy and self-judgment, with some shamelessly dramatic entrances and moments of peace with Thor.
8 Stephanie Hsu As Jobu Tupaki
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
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Joy Wang/Jobu Tupaki fulfills the narrative role of the villain in Everything Everywhere All at Once, even though the story is deeply about Joy’s nihilism and her healing alongside her mother. Stephanie Hsu’s Oscar-nominated performance comprehensively covers how Jobu’s dangerous rebellion comes from a pessimistic worldview. Like everyone in this movie, Hsu is challenged with reconciling the different versions of her character across the multiverse into one being who exhibits slightly different personalities at different times.
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9.3/10 Everything Everywhere All at Once RAdventureComedyAction
In Everything Everywhere All at Once, a middle-aged laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) is distracted from her financial and family issues by a multiversal crisis. With just her husband (Ke Huy Quan) to support her through the confusion, she must contend with her overbearing traditional father (James Hong), a pencil-pushing auditor (Jamie Lee Curtis), and her emotionally-distant daughter (Stephanie Hsu).
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*Availability in US Director Daniel Kwan , Daniel Scheinert Release Date March 25, 2022 Writers Daniel Scheinert , Daniel Kwan Cast Jenny Slate , Ke Huy Quan , Stephanie Hsu , Harry Shum Jr. , Jamie Lee Curtis , James Hong , Michelle Yeoh Runtime 132 minutes
Hsu spectacularly portrays Joy/Jobu’s boredom and frustration while she adopts some of the craziest costumes ever, delivering poignant theories about the state of life along the way. Even her most detached moments show the emotions that lie underneath, contributing to how she resolves things in Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s ending. Hsu’s career is still in its early days, but it would be especially fascinating to see her play a more classically evil villain after this.
7 Ralph Fiennes As Lord Voldemort
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005)
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Lord Voldemort is an inhuman figure, who is dependent on a certain amount of special effects and makeup to capture the tone that comes across in his scenes in the Harry Potter books. Even so, Ralph Fiennes understood how to play Voldemort so that these things would have the biggest impact. Fiennes stepped into the role of Voldemort for the fourth movie, after the character was briefly played by multiple other actors in the previous installments.
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7/10 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire PG-13AdventureFamilyFantasyMystery
The fourth film in the Harry Potter movie franchise, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, sees the titular hero and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger, return for their fourth school year at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is hosting the International Triwizard Tournament, a friendly sporting contest between several magical schools this year. Despite being ineligible to participate in the event due to being under seventeen, Harry’s name mysteriously appears during the drawing process for the school’s elected champions alongside another, Cedric Diggory. Harry will train and prepare himself for a challenging contest while still trying to find out the truth of how his name was chosen in the first place.
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*Availability in US Director Mike Newell Release Date November 18, 2005 Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Tom Felton , Robbie Coltrane , Ralph Fiennes , Michael Gambon , Brendan Gleeson , Gary Oldman , Timothy Spall , Alan Rickman , Maggie Smith Runtime 157 Minutes
However, Fiennes’ otherworldly performance quickly became the one most associated with the character. Playing Voldemort is understanding that the dark wizard could unleash devastating power at any moment. Fiennes portrays Voldemort as controlled at certain times, while at others his anger and determination are horrifying. Yet throughout his tenure as the main Harry Potter villain, Fiennes never lets up on the tension and terror that characterize every scene he is in.
6 Donna Murphy As Mother Gothel
Tangled (2010)
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Not everyone can make the switch from live-action to animated and deliver just as vibrant a performance. Stage and screen actress Donna Murphy brought to life an incredible version of the famous Rapunzel villain, who is vivacious and almost nurturing, but subtly evil up until she outwardly commits to being the “bad guy.”
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7.6/10 Tangled PGAdventureFantasyComedyMusicalFamilyAnimationRomance
An adaptation of the fairytale of Rapunzel, Disney’s Tangled follows the long-haired princess as she journeys to discover her real identity. Kidnapped as a child by the evil Mother Gothel in order to exploit the healing properties of her magical hair, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) has lived her whole life isolated in a tower. A chance encounter with a smooth-talking fugitive called Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) sees Rapunzel venture out into the dangerous world to find the kingdom of Corona and unlock the secrets of her past.
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*Availability in US Director Byron Howard , Nathan Greno Release Date November 24, 2010 Writers Dan Fogelman Cast Donna Murphy , Ron Perlman , Mandy Moore , Brad Garrett , Jeffrey Tambor , Zachary Levi Runtime 100 minutes
Not every actor can convey so much personality in their voice acting, but Gothel is sweeping and glamorous in her dialogue and her singing. Part of this is the script and the basic character design, but Murphy doubtlessly did her part to elevate both.
Related 15 Most Evil Disney Villain Plans, Ranked
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Vital to making the character work is the quiet moments of gaslighting Rapunzel, with Gothel convincing her adoptive daughter of self-pity; Murphy delivers these lines with well-chosen intonation. Gothel deserves her place among the best Disney villains ever when Murphy helped create a selfish and engaging persona with the same grandeur as Maleficent and Ursula.
5 Tilda Swinton As The White Witch
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (2005)
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Casting the White Witch for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia movies is possibly the biggest challenge the Netflix reboot faces when it will be almost impossible to live up to Tilda Swinton’s perfect portrayal. Swinton is always cold in this movie, even when Jadis is being friendly to Edmund to gain his trust. She is mystical and grand, cruelly ruling over Narnia with absolute confidence that no one can defeat her. Her unsettling, ghostly presence continues in the two Narnia movie sequels through her cameos.
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9.7/10 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe PGAdventureFantasy
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) is a fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson. It follows the story of four siblings who discover a magical wardrobe that leads to the enchanted land of Narnia. They join forces with Aslan, the majestic lion, to battle against the evil White Witch. The film features Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, and Anna Popplewell in the leading roles.
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*Availability in US Director Andrew Adamson Release Date December 9, 2005 Writers Ann Peacock , Andrew Adamson , Christopher Markus , Stephen McFeely Cast William Moseley , Anna Popplewell , Skandar Keynes , Georgie Henley , Tilda Swinton , James McAvoy , Jim Broadbent , Liam Neeson Runtime 143 Minutes
However, Swinton can also flip the White Witch’s comportment at the drop of a hat, turning her into an explosive force when the situation calls for it. Her outrage when things don’t go her way constitutes a strong performance, but how she plays the character on the battlefield is amazing. During the final battle of the first Narnia movie, Swinton shows how the Witch is a stone-cold warrior, while revealing hints of fear when she is defeated.
4 Ralph Ineson As The Green Knight
The Green Knight (2021)
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The Green Knight is a surrealistic take on the famous episode of medieval Arthurian literature, which depends upon an equally metaphorical villain. The team behind the movie decked out Ralph Ineson in heavy costuming and CGI to recreate the otherworldly presence the Green Knight has in the original source material. However, Ineson pulls the whole thing together with his voice performance in the few vital scenes he has.
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8.5/10 The Green Knight RAdventureDramaFantasy
An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in a more profound journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger.
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*Availability in US Director David Lowery Release Date July 30, 2021 Writers David Lowery Cast Dev Patel , Emilie Hetland , Ralph Ineson , Helena Browne , Alicia Vikander , Joel Edgerton , Erin Kellyman , Barry Keoghan , Anthony Morris , Sean Harris , Kate Dickie , Sarita Choudhury Runtime 125 minutes
The Green Knight’s slow movements and rumbling voice remind the knights, intuitively and not consciously, that he is there to judge them. The final moments of the movie are arguably Ineson’s best — although his chilling laugh while leaving after his first scene is a strong competitor — illustrating the true complexity of this entity. When Gawain comes to the lesson he needs to learn, the Green Knight’s response is impressed and gentle, but still simply stating the facts of the consequences for what has been done.
3 Sergi López As Captain Vidal
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
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Pan’s Labyrinth fascinatingly captures the feeling of looking up on the whole situation, when the story is told from the perspective of Ofelia, a child who has no control over her circumstances — only some escape through the fantasy adventure she conjures up. Her vile stepfather reigns over her new life, representing all the evil in the story. Sergi López masterfully portrays Captain Vidal’s brutal decorum, terrorizing everyone around him with the self-conviction of respectability.
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10/10 Pan’s Labyrinth RWarDramaFantasy
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth follows Ofelia, a ten-year-old girl living in 1940s Spain who learns she is actually a long-lost fairy princess. With the help of a faun, she is set a series of tasks to complete in order to return to her true home in the fairy underworld. Ivana Baquero stars as Ofelia, with Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, and Doug Jones making up the rest of the main cast.
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*Availability in US Director Guillermo del Toro Release Date January 19, 2007 Writers Guillermo del Toro Cast Sergi López , Doug Jones , Ivana Baquero , Ariadna Gil , Maribel Verdú Runtime 118 minutes
Ofelia’s fantasy world and the creatures she finds in it are a kaleidoscope of what is happening in the movie’s definitive reality. The Pale Man represents a form of greed and mercilessness aimed at children, which Ofelia narrowly escapes. Pan’s Labyrinth is so effective because it has such a bloodthirsty and real villain to project this aspect of the fantasy onto, who holds up as a character through López’s performance.
2 Christopher Lee As Saruman
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)
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Saruman is another villain who needs a sense of grandeur in every scene, for which Christopher Lee was a perfect choice. Lee had an amazing, commanding voice that served him well when he played both his Lord of the Rings and Star Wars villains, conveying the wisdom that Saruman and Count Dooku at least believe they have. In Lord of the Rings, he and Ian McKellen play off each other with the familiarity of people who have worked together for a long time, before and after Saruman’s betrayal.
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9.8/10 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring PG-13ActionFantasyAdventure
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in Peter Jackson’s critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movie follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Woods) as he is tasked with destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom after he inherits the ring.
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*Availability in US Director Peter Jackson Release Date December 19, 2001 Writers Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson Cast Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Sean Bean , Ian Holm , Andy Serkis Runtime 178 Minutes Expand
Saruman stands apart from the other villains in Lord of the Rings, with a calculated persona that almost makes one think he should be on the side of the heroes. However, his careful planning is always in the service of cruelty and destruction, showcasing a complex villain who believes he has taken the only viable path forward. Throughout the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, Lee has the loftiness to make Saruman intelligent and terrifying.
1 Helena Bonham Carter As Bellatrix Lestrange
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007)
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Bellatrix is a strong competitor for the most iconic villain of the Harry Potter series, even over Lord Voldemort. Known for her macabre and chaotic roles, Helena Bonham Carter threw herself into Bellatrix’s wild villainy, only enjoying herself as she ruins others’ lives.
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7.3/10 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix PG-13AdventureFamilyFantasyMystery
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth film in Warner Bros. Wizarding World franchise. This time after the Ministry of Magic refuses to address Lord Voldemort’s return and begins to take over Hogwarts, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint) form Dumbledore’s Army to defend themselves and seek out a prophecy centered on Harry and Voldemort’s connection.
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*Availability in US Director David Yates Release Date June 28, 2007 Writers Michael Goldenberg , J.K. Rowling Cast Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Alan Rickman , Ralph Fiennes , Rupert Grint , Helena Bonham Carter , Robbie Coltrane , Warwick Davis , Michael Gambon , Brendan Gleeson , Richard Griffiths , Maggie Smith Runtime 138 Minutes
Carter adopts the perfect look for Bellatrix, with her messy hair and distorted period attire capturing the character’s origins as well as the pandemonium she always cultivates. Once she was in costume, Carter perfectly taunted and shouted her way through the Harry Potter movies.
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Carter nails a handful of scenes that show different aspects of Bellatrix’s character — like her judgment of Snape and her fear of disappointing her master — that make her a real person, no matter how violent she is. Few fantasy movie villains are as iconic as the ones in Harry Potter, but Carter is in good company when it comes to the history of actors who have played such villains.