One of popular culture’s most beloved and successful brands of cinema, Sci-Fi boasts some of the best movies of all time. A key element of this is the diverse array of memorable and compelling villains that the genre has produced over the years. Featuring iconic characters in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey‘s HAL 9000, The Matrix‘s Agent Smith, or Star Wars’ Darth Vader, the best sci-fi movie villains of all time feature prominently on any list of wider cinema’s finest antagonists.
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However, for every celebrated bad guy that the genre has to offer, there’s at least one tragically underrated sci-fi movie villain who doesn’t get enough recognition from mainstream audiences. Whether the character in question is overshadowed by more prominent antagonists who appear in their parent franchise or simply ends up getting lost in the shuffle with an array of broadly similar competitors, science fiction plays host to some of the most underappreciated iconic villains to ever make their bow on the silver screen.
10 Ultron
From Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
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30 7.4/10 Avengers: Age of Ultron PG-13ActionSci-FiSuperhero
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Earth’s Mightiest must reunite and work with newcomers Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch to battle a new antagonist Ultron, who receives an all-new origin story while dealing with a new level of inner conflict amongst the team. Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch may not necessarily agree with The Avengers and initially blame Tony Stark for creating the new villain and the death of their parents. Avengers: Age of Ultron was directed and written by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige for Marvel Studios. The movie was released on April 13, 2015, followed by its eventual sequels, Avengers: Infinity War in 2018 and Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
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*Availability in US Release Date May 1, 2015 Runtime 141 minutes Cast Chris Hemsworth , Clark Gregg , Robert Downey Jr. , Cobie Smulders , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Jeremy Renner , Thomas Kretschmann , Chris Evans , Don Cheadle , Mark Ruffalo , Elizabeth Olsen , Scarlett Johansson , Paul Bettany , Samuel L. Jackson , James Spader Director Joss Whedon Writers Joss Whedon prequel(s) The Avengers Expand
The titular antagonist of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, James Spader’s Ultron is widely regarded as the least compelling ensemble bad guy that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has hosted to date. This state of affairs is likely due to the supervillain’s stiff levels of competition, jostling for attention with one of the most iconic superhero villains of all time in Josh Brolin’s intergalactic warlord, Thanos, in both Age of Ultron and subsequent movies.
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Related Marvel Just Set The Blueprint For Ultron’s Return That The MCU Absolutely Must Reject
Marvel Comics might have just teased how Ultron can return to the MCU, but Marvel Studios should avoid following this controversial blueprint.
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It’s a shame because Ultron is arguably one of the MCU’s most tragically underrated characters, even if he does boast one of the worst villain designs. The embodiment of artificial intelligence’s terrifying abilities suffering from a God complex, Ultron is superbly voiced by Spader in a memorable performance from the Blacklist star. A worthy villain in his own right who acts as a dark mirror to his creator Tony Stark, Ultron may not have the star power of a Loki or a Thanos, but is desperately overdue more widespread appreciation.
9 Immortan Joe
From Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) & Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
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21 9.3/10 Mad Max: Fury Road RActionAdventureThrillerFantasy
Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth film in George Miller’s long-running sci-fi franchise, with Tom Hardy starring as Max Rockstansky, a vagabond who lives on the road in an apocalyptic wasteland. When Max comes across a cult group that keeps its people in fear and under control with a monopoly on water and other crucial supplies, he joins up with Imperator Furiosa, a warrior woman leading a rebellion against the cult’s leader, Immortan Joe.
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*Availability in US Release Date May 14, 2015 Runtime 120 Minutes Cast Tom Hardy , Charlize Theron , Nicholas Hoult , Zoë Kravitz , Hugh Keays-Byrne , Riley Keough , Courtney Eaton , Abbey Lee , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Director George Miller Franchise(s) Mad Max Writers George Miller , Brendan McCarthy , Nick Lathouris Expand
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The driving antagonistic force of 2015’s post-apocalyptic action triumph, Mad Max: Fury Road, and a supporting character in 2024’s prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Immortan Joe is one of science fiction’s most unsung cinematic villains, despite being one of the most visually striking examples the genre has to offer. A nightmarish visage of radiation poisoning, Joe’s wacky get-up is completed by plastic body armor and breathing apparatus that rivals Darth Vader.
The late Hugh Keays-Byrne also portrayed Toecutter in the franchise’s first installment,
Mad Max.
Brought to life by Hugh Keays-Byrne and Lachy Hulme, Joe is a ruthless warlord who dominates the area’s water supply and is revered as a god by his devoted followers. Contentiously the best sci-fi villain of the 2010s, this despicable tyrant serves as a worthy antagonistic foil against the backdrop of one of the best sci-fi action movies of all time. Yet he is often overshadowed in terms of mainstream favoritism by the characters that he shares his universe with.
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8 David
From Prometheus (2012) & Alien: Covenant (2017)
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58 8.2/10 Prometheus R Sci-FiHorrorActionAdventureDramaMystery
2012’s Prometheus is the fifth installment in the Alien franchise and was directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce, the film acts as a direct prequel to 1979’s Alien.
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*Availability in US Release Date June 8, 2012 Runtime 124 Minutes Cast Charlize Theron , Noomi Rapace , Idris Elba , Guy Pearce , Michael Fassbender Director Ridley Scott Franchise(s) Alien Writers Jon Spaihts , Damon Lindelof Expand
Another embodiment of the potential dangers posed by unchecked artificial intelligence and named after Michelangelo’s iconic sculpture, Shelley-quoting android David is one of modern science fiction’s most nuanced villains. The overarching antagonist of Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel films, 2012’s Prometheus laid the foundations for David’s potential for world-ending destruction before 2017’s Alien: Covenant showed the levels of damage that the android was capable of causing at his most dangerous.
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Alien prequel series IMDb ratings |
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Prometheus (2012) |
7.0 |
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Alien: Covenant (2017) |
6.4 |
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Devoid of pesky constraints like a conscience or morality and plagued by a deep contempt for his human creators, David is also one of modern science fiction’s most sinister antagonists. The android is brought to life in a chilling performance by Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender; one of Fassbender’s best movie roles, David is charming, articulate, and cultured right up until he isn’t. As such, the character’s lack of wider recognition among the genre’s preeminent villains is somewhat baffling.
7 Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg
From The Fifth Element (1997)
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8/10 The Fifth Element PG-13 Sci-FiActionAdventure
Set in 23rd-century New York City, The Fifth Element stars Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas, an ex-army major turned cab driver who unwittingly becomes part of a fight to protect Earth from an approaching evil after a strange woman named Leeloo accidentally falls into his cab. Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, and Chris Tucker also star.
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*Availability in US Release Date May 9, 1997 Runtime 126 minutes Cast Gary Oldman , Bruce Willis , Ian Holm , Milla Jovovich , Chris Tucker Director Luc Besson Writers Robert Mark Kamen , Luc Besson
Depicting a desperate race against time to save humanity from an evil entity capable of destroying Earth, Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element alternates between epic and goofy. However, the movie still retains a reputation as one of science fiction’s most underrated classics; a riotous medley of stunning visuals and chaotic action sequences held together by a rip-roaring narrative and a quintessential smoking-a-cigarette-in-a-vest lead sci-fi performance from Bruce Willis.
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The movie also features a memorable villain in Gary Oldman’s Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, a morally devoid industrialist and arms dealer who is working with the evil entity. Incapable of producing a boring performance, Oldman gleefully throws himself into the role without a hint of restraint to produce one of the genre’s most watchable villains. Zorg’s mix of instantly quotable one-liners, Southern tones, and campy air of menace makes for a cult-classic level bad guy, one who sadly never gets the nlove that he is due.
6 Wilford
From Snowpiercer (2013)
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Snowpiercer RActionDrama Sci-Fi
Snowpiercer is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film directed by Bong Joon-ho. The narrative takes place aboard a perpetually moving train carrying the last remnants of humanity after a failed climate-change experiment freezes the planet. Chris Evans stars as Curtis, who leads a group of lower-class passengers in a rebellion against the oppressive elite at the front of the train. The film explores themes of class struggle and survival.
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*Availability in US Release Date July 11, 2014 Runtime 126 Minutes Cast Chris Evans , Jamie Bell , Tilda Swinton , Ed Harris Director Bong Joon-ho Writers Bong Joon Ho , Jacques Lob , Benjamin Legrand , Jean-Marc Rochette
An acclaimed sci-fi offering from Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama Snowpiercer depicts an epic class struggle aboard the titular locomotive, a train bearing humanity’s last survivors following an extinction-level event 17 years earlier. The movie’s big bad takes the form of Ed Harris’ Wilford, the train’s creator and the mastermind behind the carefully maintained class structure aboard the Snowpiercer.
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Related Snowpiercer: Each Main Character, Ranked By Bravery
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Deftly balancing convivial charm with a sociopathic disregard for human life, Wilford is a Machiavellian villain of the highest order. An individual who will cheerfully cook a steak as child workers manually operate the train’s engine’s dangerous mechanics mere feet away from him, Harris’ charge is revealed to have engineered the tail section’s uprising as nothing more than a method of population control. It’s remarkable that Harris’ take isn’t even the most popular iteration of Wilford, with Sean Bean’s version of the character in the Netflix series arguably surpassing him in terms of widespread renown.
5 Adrian Griffin
From The Invisible Man (2020)
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5.6/10 The Invisible Man RHorror Sci-FiThriller
Inspired by H.G. Well’s novel of the same name, The Invisible Man is a modern retelling of the sci-fi horror classic. After narrowly escaping her abusive and powerful tech mogul boyfriend (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) is relieved to hear of his death. However, she soon becomes convinced that he’s watching her, and little by little, she comes to believe that he’s found a way to not only cheat death but the laws of reality, too.
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*Availability in US Release Date February 28, 2020 Runtime 124 minutes Cast Zara Michaels , Storm Reid , Sam Smith , Oliver Jackson-Cohen , Anthony Brandon Wong , Aldis Hodge , Amali Golden , Harriet Dyer , Bianca Pomponio , Elisabeth Moss , Benedict Hardie Director Leigh Whannell Writers Leigh Whannell
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A reboot of the 1933 movie based on H.G. Wells’ novel of the same name, 2020’s The Invisible Man sought to modernize the franchise through the use of technology and a storyline revolving around an abusive relationship. Earning a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Leigh Whannell’s picture is a horror movie worth sticking with through to the end, and owes a great deal of its success to the movie’s titular villain. Also known as Adrian Griffin, the Invisible Man is brought to life in a superbly wicked bow from Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Griffin’s name is inspired by the name of H.G. Wells’ character in the 1897 novel.
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Modernizing Wells’ mad scientist character as an affluent technology mogul and businessman who uses a high-tech invisible suit to haunt the footsteps of his former partner, Griffin is a devious antagonist of the highest order. An abusive starker who sadistically torments Elizabeth Moss’ Cecilia Kass, the movie’s eponymous villain’s lack of recognition can partially be attributed to his specter-like presence in the film; he is the Invisible Man, after all.
4 The Colonel
From War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)
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7.4/10 War for the Planet of the Apes PG-13DramaAction Sci-FiAdventure
War for the Planet of the Apes is an action-adventure movie directed by Matt Reeves and is a sequel to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In the film, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his mythic quest to avenge his kind.
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*Availability in US Release Date July 14, 2017 Runtime 140 Minutes Cast Judy Greer , Steve Zahn , Mercedes de la Zerda , Max Lloyd-Jones , Woody Harrelson , Alessandro Juliani , Amiah Miller , Terry Notary , Andy Serkis , Aleks Paunovic , Ty Olsson , Devyn Dalton , Gabriel Chavarria Director Matt Reeves Franchise(s) Planet of the Apes Writers Matt Reeves , Mark Bomback , Rick Jaffa Expand
One of the best Planet of the Apes movies, Matt Reeves’ acclaimed follow-up to 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes features the reboot series’ most memorable villain, a tragically underrated bad guy who rarely gets the attention he is due. This bad guy takes the form of Woody Harrelson’s Col. J. Wesley McCullough, a character more commonly referred to as the Colonel.
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|
Planet of the Apes reboot series IMDb ratings |
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) |
7.6 |
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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) |
7.6 |
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War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) |
7.4 |
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) |
6.9 |
The head honcho of the Alpha-Omega paramilitary faction, the Colonel is an abjectly merciless individual. A man who will stoop to any moral low in order to preserve human supremacy on Earth, McCullough’s ruthless mandate extends to murdering Caesar’s wife and young son. Seamlessly brought to life in an ominous turn from Harrelson, the Colonel remains a criminally underrated villain; a surprising status quo given that he appears in one of modern sci-fi’s most successful franchises.
3 Calvin
From Life (2017)
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5/10 10/10 Life R Sci-FiThrillerHorror
Life, directed by Ted Demme, follows two strangers, portrayed by Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, who are wrongfully convicted in 1932. Their journey through the American penal system leads them to develop a strong friendship inside prison, enduring challenges and changes throughout the 20th century.
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*Availability in US Release Date March 24, 2017 Runtime 104 Minutes Cast Ryan Reynolds , Alexandre Nguyen , Rebecca Ferguson , Hiroyuki Sanada , Ariyon Bakare , Olga Dihovichnaya , Jake Gyllenhaal Director Daniel Espinosa Writers Paul Wernick , Rhett Reese
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Life also plays host to a notably underrated antagonist for the genre, although it decidedly isn’t a human one. Said antagonist takes the form of Calvin, a dormant cell extracted from Martian soil that grows into a living organism under observation aboard the International Space Station. Unfortunately, the extraterrestrial soon belies the unassuming name given to it by schoolchildren back on Earth, embarking on a murderous rampage and killing anybody that it can lay its tentacles upon.
A near-indestructible predatory organism with superhuman strength, camouflage abilities, and remarkable levels of intelligence, Calvin is such a formidable antagonist that the alien is implied to have wiped out all life on Mars. The extraterrestrial also plays an integral role in Life’s shock ending; one of the most desolating twists that the genre has to offer. However, despite the creature’s terrifying abilities, Calvin is often overshadowed by science fiction’s more famous extraterrestrial antagonists;
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2 Pinbacker
From Sunshine (2007)
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Sunshine RThriller Sci-Fi
Sunshine, directed by Danny Boyle, follows a team of astronauts on a mission to reignite a dying sun with a massive nuclear bomb. Set in 2057, the film stars Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, and Michelle Yeoh, encapsulating their struggle against both physical and psychological challenges. As the crew ventures deeper into space, they confront unexpected dangers that threaten the mission and their survival.
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*Availability in US Release Date July 27, 2007 Runtime 107 minutes Cast Cillian Murphy , Rose Byrne , Michelle Yeoh , Chris Evans , Cliff Curtis Director Danny Boyle Writers Alex Garland
It stands to reason that one of the most underrated sci-fi films of all time would feature an underrated villain. Featuring a star-studded ensemble cast, Danny Boyle’s movie Sunshine chronicles a perilous mission to reignite a dying Sun, with the movie’s villain taking the form of Mark Strong’s Pinbacker. The horrifically burned captain of Icarus I, Pinbacker torpedoes the original mission, attempting to sabotage the latest effort while claiming that he is acting on divine instructions to send humanity to heaven.
Pinbacker’s in-person arrival precipitates a slide away from science-fiction into more horror-based territory for Sunshine’s conclusion, a move that arguably ruined the incredible movie’s ending. With that being said, Strong’s burn-covered villain is still an unforgettable antagonist whose effectiveness and gravitas are rarely discussed; an unhinged killer influenced by terrifying delusions of speaking with God.
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1 Biff Tannen
The Back To The Future Trilogy (1985-1990)
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41 9.1/10 Back to the Future PGAdventureComedyFamilySci-Fi
Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown. In 1955, he meets his parents when they were his age, and must step in to make sure they wind up together before he gets back to 1985.
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*Availability in US Release Date July 3, 1985 Runtime 116 minutes Cast Claudia Wells , Christopher Lloyd , James Tolkan , Thomas F. Wilson , Michael J. Fox , Wendie Jo Sperber , Crispin Glover , Marc McClure , Lea Thompson Director Robert Zemeckis Writers Robert Zemeckis , Bob Gale
Robert Zemeckis’ trio of Back to the Future movies are viewed as some of the finest sci-fi flicks ever made, with 1985’s original installment widely regarded as a front-runner for the best sci-fi movie of all time. None of this would have been possible without a first-rate antagonist, a villain who takes the form of Thomas F. Wilson’s Biff Tannen. Wilson also plays multiple iterations of Biff across different timelines, including his grandson Griff and his Wild Western ancestor, Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen.
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A dimwitted, hulking bully with a propensity for calling people “buttheads,” misusing idioms, and crashing into manure trucks, Biff is often overlooked as a preeminent sci-villain due to his buffoonish nature. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that he (and his family) successfully serve as memorable antagonists for one of the most acclaimed and beloved franchises of all time, irrespective of genre. As such, Biff is arguably the most underrated science fiction villain in cinematic history.