Summary
- Darth Vader ranks second only to Emperor Palpatine in terms of power, with legendary Force feats and combat skills.
- Count Dooku’s cunning and strategic mind makes him a formidable Sith leader during the Clone Wars, adept in all Force powers.
- Jabba The Hutt’s centuries-long reign as a powerful crime lord instilled fear and awe in the Star Wars galaxy, holding unlimited resources.
Star Wars is renowned for its villains, many of whom number among the most exciting characters in film and TV history. When George Lucas created the Star Wars franchise, he established a galaxy where the shadow of terrifying villains like Darth Vader and Palpatine loomed large. Since then, Star Wars has only continued to expand its repertoire of iconic villains.
It’s always fascinating to consider how villains rank in power. There are different types of power, of course; some beings have political or military power, while others have raw physical prowess. Given this is Star Wars, many of the most powerful villains are strong in the dark side of the Force. Taking all these factors into accounts, here is our official ranking of 20 major Star Wars villains, excluding some whose stories are as yet incomplete.
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20 General Armitage Hux
The Star Wars sequel trilogy
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Played by |
Domhnall Gleeson (also voiced by Ben Prendergast) |
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General Armitage Hux was trained by Supreme Leader Snoke, and appears to be joint second-in-command of the First Order alongside Kylo Ren – giving him a great deal of military power. However, he’s something of a joke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which revealed he’s a lot less capable and competent than Snoke would have wished. Hux fell out of favor after Kylo Ren’s ascension, actually turning traitor.
19 Director Orson Krennic
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
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Played by |
Ben Mendelsohn |
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A high-ranking member of the Empire, Orson Krennic successfully oversaw the creation of the Death Stars. He had good instincts; as seen in James Luceno’s novel Catalyst, he was the one who realized the potential of Galen Erso’s research to unlock the power of kyber crystals. Krennic was ruthless and ambitious, willing to sacrifice anything to ascend through the ranks of the Empire, but he tended to overreach.
18 Cad Bane
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
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Played by |
Corey Burton |
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A Duros bounty hunter who lived from the tail-end of the Old Republic Era through to the aftermath of the Empire’s fall, Cad Bane was considered the most feared bounty hunter after Jango Fett’s death. His infamy grew during the Clone Wars, and he was even hired by Palpatine to conduct missions against Jedi – such as kidnapping Force-sensitive younglings. Cad Bane had something of a vendetta against Boba Fett, one that ended in his death.
17 Asajj Ventress
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
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Voiced by |
Niika Futterman |
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A powerful Nightsister warrior, Asajj Ventress was recruited as an agent of the Separatists – and it’s pretty clear Count Dooku considered her as a potential apprentice. As dangerous as she may be, though, Ventress never really received the dedicated dark side training that would make her a real threat, and she was defeated time and again. Ventress also lacked the political and military influence to rank higher on this list; she was a competent threat in battle, but lacked resources of her own.
16 Jango Fett
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
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Played by |
Temuera Morrison |
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There are many different kinds of power. Jango Fett is a Mandalorian warrior and bounty hunter, a major antagonist in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. He may lack political power, but he’s a formidable combatant who was known as the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. He also seems more than willing to work through intermediaries, which is a rarer skill for a bounty hunter. Jango Fett was probably one of the most dangerous non-Jedi before the Clone Wars, so he ranks well for those who lack the Force.
15 Boba Fett
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Played by |
Jeremy Bulloch, Temuera Morrison |
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Boba Fett took after his “father,” becoming one of the most dangerous bounty hunters in the galaxy – although it’s doubtful he ever quite exceeded his father, given he lacked the same skillful combatants to test himself against. Unusually, Boba became a leader among bounty hunters, which is why he’s ranked as more powerful than Jango; he was even trusted by Darth Vader himself. Boba Fett’s current status is a lot more questionable, as he seems to have become a quasi-hero in The Book of Boba Fett.
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14 Moff Gideon
The Mandalorian
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Played by |
Giancarlo Esposito |
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One of the most important villains in The Mandalorian era, Moff Gideon was a member of the Imperial Shadow Council – helping secretly coordinate Imperial tactics across a galaxy now governed by the New Republic. Ruthless and manipulative, he had been personally responsible for brutal acts of genocide during the Empire’s Operation: Cinder, and he’d successfully repurposed Mandalorian beskar and cloning technology to his own ends. Moff Gideon is not a villain to underestimate.
13 Dryden Vos
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Played by |
Paul Bettany |
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Leader of the Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate, Dryden Vos was a skilled and ruthless tactician – one of the most powerful crime lords in the entire galaxy. At the height of his power, he had the resources to rival the likes of the Hutts, making him a formidable player during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign. He was also skilled in Teräs Käsi, a combat style designed to fight Jedi, and taught by Darth Maul himself.
12 The Grand Inquisitor (The Inquisitorius)
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Played by |
Rupert Friend |
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Voiced by |
Jason Isaacs, Clancy Brown |
Leader of the Imperial Inquisitors, the Grand Inquisitor is a force to be reckoned with. Once a Temple Guard at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, he lost faith in the order and ultimately fell to the dark side. The Grand Inquisitor is a skillful and manipulative villain, reporting directly to Darth Vader and Palpatine. He had first pick of the dark side secrets the Emperor allowed the Inquisitor to study, meaning he knew many techniques that his peers were unaware of. The rest of the Inquisitors would easily come below him in power level.
11 Kylo Ren
The Star Wars sequel trilogy
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Played by |
Adam Driver |
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The grandson of Darth Vader, Kylo Ren would rank much higher on this list if not for the fact he was never truly loyal to the dark side. In truth, Kylo Ren never fell to the dark at all; rather, he was trapped by it, manipulated by Palpatine and Supreme Leader Snoke. The division in Kylo Ren’s heart meant he never truly embraced his potential as a villain, even if he did briefly wind up ruling the First Order.
10 General Grievous
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
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Played by |
Matthew Wood |
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Voiced by |
John DiMaggio, Richard McGonagle |
Viewed by the Republic as the leader of the Separatist Army, in reality General Grievous was nothing but a pawn. That doesn’t mean he’s lacking in power, though, as proven by Grievous’ collection of lightsabers – each taken from the corpse of a Jedi he had killed. General Grievous went toe-to-toe with some of the greatest Jedi of the prequel era, only to be ultimately defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi – and then only just.
9 Jabba The Hutt
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Voiced by |
Larry Ward, Kevin Michael Richardson |
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Jabba Desilijic Tiure may not be beating anyone in a one-on-one battle, but he was a powerful crime lord for centuries. This means he held huge sway in the Star Wars galaxy from the High Republic Era through to the Galactic Civil War, when he was killed by Leia Organa; she earned the title “Huttslayer” for his death. Jabba had almost unlimited resources, and the mere mention of his name inspired fear
8 Marchion Ro
Star Wars: The High Republic
Most of the Star Wars villains on this list operated at a time when the Jedi and the Republic were weak. Marchion Ro, however, must be appreciated as one foe who succeeded in humbling the Jed at their strongest – during the High Republic Era. Marchion Ro lacked physical power, but he was a tremendous tactician who knew how to undermine his enemies. He was able to close off an entire sector of the galaxy, establishing his own personal fiefdom. Many of Marchion Ro’s tactics seem to have inspired the Sith, showing how important he really is.
7 Maul
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
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Played by |
Sam Witwer, Ray Park |
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Palpatine’s first (known) apprentice, Darth Maul was trained as a Sith assassin who would target lone Jedi and generate a climate of fear. One of his first missions went wrong, and he was almost killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Maul returned years later, and succeeded in establishing himself as a rival for Palpatine himself during the Clone Wars – even if he was quickly neutralized. During the Dark Times, Maul took charge of the criminal underworld. Although outclassed by Palpatine and Dooku, Maul was a terrifying foe indeed.
6 The Stranger
The Acolyte
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Played by |
Manny Jacinto |
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A ferocious Sith Lord who lived during the High Republic Era, the being best known as the Stranger – who sometimes goes by the alias Qimir – is a true force to be reckoned with. Capable of hiding his evil from the Jedi, the Stranger emerges from the shadows when needed, using unusual lightsaber-resistant cortosis and trick lightsabers to destroy his opponents. The Stranger is ranked high on this list because of personal Force power, but he lacks the wider support network that makes others higher-ranking.
5 Count Dooku
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Played by |
Christopher Lee |
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Voiced by |
Corey Burton |
Leader of the Separatists during the Clone Wars, Count Dooku was a Sith apprentice who was skilled in all the Force powers his master had taught him. He was cunning enough to conceal his dark side nature from the Jedi for a decade after becoming a Sith – a decade in which he remained welcome to the Temple, quietly working to undermine the Council. Dooku was a tremendous tactician, demonstrated both in large-scale combat strategies and his use of the lightsaber form known as Makashi, one perfect for such a Machiavellian mind.
4 Grand Admiral Thrawn
Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka
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Voiced by |
Lars Mikkelsen |
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Grand Admiral Thrawn may not possess the Force, but he is easily one of the most dangerous Star Wars villains of all. His military mind makes him one of the most dangerous people in the Star Wars galaxy, with Palpatine himself believing Thrawn was one of two military leaders who could have defeated the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. Thrawn’s true power will soon be revealed in The Mandalorian era.
3 Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
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Played by |
Wayne Pygram, Guy Henry |
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One of the greatest minds in the Empire, Tarkin was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant whose upbringing on Eriadu had given him a brutal perspective on life. His Tarkin Doctrine – of ruling by fear – was central to the Imperial philosophy. Tarkin was ruthlessly pragmatic when it came to politics, and excelled in maneuvering himself into positions of power. He wound up running the Death Star, in spite of Krennic’s interference, but this led to his death when the Death Star was destroyed. Like Thrawn, Tarkin would have changed the entire Galactic Civil War had he been there to lead the Empire.
2 Darth Vader
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Born the Chosen One with a record high midi-chlorian count, Darth Vader is undeniably one of the most unforgettable villains in cinematic history. Second only to the Emperor, Darth Vader’s Force feats are the stuff of legend, and he’s proved himself in combat many times. One of the best was in the comic book event “Vader Down,” in which the Rebels successfully shot Vader down on an Outer Rim planet, and attempted to kill him. Vader cut through rebels like a hot knife through butter.
1 Darth Sidious
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As powerful as Darth Vader may be, nobody can match Emperor Palpatine – the ultimate mastermind, ruthless and malevolent, who ultimately became an avatar of the dark side itself. Palpatine was the man whose manipulations led to the downfall of the Jedi Order. He betrayed every ally without a qualm, seeing others as tools and then discarding them without a second thought. He even managed to conquer death itself, proving himself the ultimate Star Wars villain.