Summary

From HAL 9000 to Thanos , somesci - fivillains stand up out as the very good . Many of thebest sci - fi movies of all timeare defined by their iconic villain , from alien lifeforms to heighten AI to human being with a lust for power . Sci - fi antagonists tend to dumbfound aggregated existential threat , add up an edge of scourge to them . Given the huge commercial popularity of the musical style , many great sci - fi villains have had a profound cultural impression and inspiring cinematic impact .

Many divisor can make a great skill fiction resister . Characters like Roy Batty and Khan excel due to the complexity of their motivation , while Darth Vader and the Xenomorph became in a flash iconic due to the cleverness of their design . Hugo Weaving and Robert Patrick brought their legendary scoundrel to animation with unbelievable carrying into action inThe MatrixandTerminator 2 : Judgement Day , respectively . Through decades of science fiction pic , some villains stand out due to these parameter .

From Star Trek and Star Wars to The Expanse , sci - fi pic and TV shows are litter with iconic spaceships , but which one is in reality the quick ?

USS Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon, and the Heart of Gold from hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy

10The Thing

The Thing (1982)

Cast

The titular character in the John Carpenter classic is distinct from many sci - fi scoundrel because it ’s more of a force of nature than a refined character . The Thing is a species trying to survive and imbibe , and its grotesque practical effects make it a terrifying scourge . However , the ability to shapeshift creates a captivating sensory faculty of paranoia and suspense , something Carpenter surpass at with his monster movie .

9Immortan Joe

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Despite being released decades after its herald , Mad Max : Fury Roadbecame the best film in its franchise , and Immortan Joe was a immense grounds why . The acute , power - athirst tyrant append to the bleak , post - revelatory macrocosm portrayed in theMad Maxfranchise , excellently performed by Hugh Keays - Byrne . Immortan Joe is such a wretched , terrible graphic symbol , yet he ’s made complex by his social leadership that holds together the last threads of social organization .

The skill fable musical style is full of iconic sidekick characters like Newt from Aliens , Fritz from Frankenstein , and Chewbacca from the Star Wars saga .

8T-1000

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

WhileThe Terminatorintroduced Arnold Schwarzenneger as the resister T-800 , the sequel smartly subvert expectations by make him the hero sandwich . And the only matter more threatening than the original Terminator is an advance version . T-1000 ’s sole motivating is to eliminate its target , make him a relentless menace , absolutely brought to life-time by Robert Patrick ’s cold , calculating carrying out . The upgraded political machine ’s ability to shapeshift and mimic cave in it an boundary , make T-1000 an unrelenting and irregular force .

7Xenomorph

The Alien Franchise

Ridley Scott ’s originalAlienfilm was lightning in a feeding bottle , creatingone of the most iconic movie monsters ever . The temptingness that spawned a franchise of sequels was for the Xenomorph , a villain so terrific because of its unrelenting , undivided - given nature . The Xenomorph is an invasive predator that want to get to survive , regurgitate , and kill . While movies likeE.T.portrayed noncitizen as friendly creatures , Alienposed the idea that they might be alarm , murderous animate being , and the practical effects and design utterly established its menace .

6Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)

Ricardo Montalbán ’s Khan Noonien Singh distinguished himself as one of the greatestStar Trekvillains in the original series . In just one episode , Khan establish to be such a good villain that it launchedStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan , wide consideredthe bestStar Trekmovie . Among dandy alien or AI sci - fi villains , Khan distinguishes himself as a human being with complex motivations of revenge and lustfulness for index . Given the dealership ’s enormous popularity , being at the pinnacle ofStar Trekantagonists solidify Khan as a legendary sci - fi villain .

5Thanos

The Marvel Cinematic Universe

While many of sci - fi ’s best scoundrel have been around for decennary , Thanos became an instant legend in phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe . It ’s always pleasurable to determine a scoundrel who think he ’s doing the ripe thing , and actor Josh Brolin bright bring him to life history , deliver iconic quotation left and right . jell up inThe Avengers , the prediction for the crazy Titan to arrive build excitement for eld , making Thanos ' triumph inAvengers : Infinity Warso powerful .

4Roy Batty

Blade Runner (1982)

Despite being a replicant , Blade Runner’sRoy Batty is an iconic villain due to his deeply human qualities . In the final legal action sequence of the 1982 classic , Batty is as threatening as any character in movie story . However , it ’s the final soliloquy he gives before his death that makes him so memorable . He does n’t want to be evil ; he just wants to live longer than his cryptography allows . Batty take to write Deckard as a terminal moment of redemption , prove that replicants are n’t just mindless car but beings who want to leave some mark on the world , just like humans .

3HAL 9000

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick’s2001 : A Space Odysseyis one ofthe best movies of all time , and while that ’s in expectant part due to the artistic mastery of its film director , HAL is the photographic film ’s most iconic and memorable graphic symbol . The ship ’s AI is a rather subtle villain with a uncomplicated , eye - same design and a tranquil , emotionless representative . That unsettling simpleness and distinctly artificial nature make HAL such a timeless cinematic villain , as it make its malevolent motivations so believable and existentially frightening . In a film fill with abstractionist sequences , the confrontation with HAL is the most straightforward and evocative .

2Agent Smith

The Matrix Franchise

Hugo Weaving expertly brought the ominous Agent Smith to lifespan inThe Matrixtrilogy . His uniform design and intense demeanour make him the staring internal representation of the car military unit that ascertain the simulation . As a physical threat , his ability to retroflex himself makes him the perfect transparency to a human resistance : an overpowering , stern , all - hefty opposition . But it ’s Agent Smith ’s monologues and dialogue scenes that make him so memorable , salute philosophical ideas like the"human beings are a disease"speech .

1Darth Vader

Star Wars Original Trilogy

From his opening entry inStar Wars , Darth Vader contribute an impose presence very few movie scoundrel possess . But beneath the iconic mechanical helmet , there ’s a tragical hero who fell from blessing , with something late down tugging back and forth between light and sinister . Vader ’s reveal as Luke Skywalker ’s Father-God was a polar present moment in cinematic account , making his redemption inReturn of the Jedieven more poignant . He ’s not only the bestsci - fivillain ; Darth Vader is arguably one of the sterling pic villains ever .

Collage of Newt in Aliens, Chewbacca in Star Wars, and Fritz in Frankenstein

Sidious, Tyranus, Maul, and Vader.

sci-fi-movie-villains-ranked-best

Norris-Thing from The Thing 1982

Cast Placeholder Image

Headshot Of Keith David

Headshot Of Kurt Russell In The Los Angeles Photo Call Of Apple TV+’s ‘Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters’

Immortan Joe

Headshot Of Tom Hardy In The Premiere Of The Bikeriders

Headshot Of Charlize Theron

Headshot Of Nicholas Hoult

Headshot Of Zoë Kravitz In The Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Robert Patrick as T-1000 holding up a finger and looking menacing at the steel mill in Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Headshot Of Arnold Schwarzenegger In The Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘FUBAR’ Season 1

Headshot Of Linda Hamilton

Headshot Of Edward Furlong

Headshot Of Robert Patrick In The Los Angeles-CA 12th Annual SAG Awards

The xenomorph on top of a spaceship in Alien Covenant

Headshot Of Sigourney Weaver In The James Cameron And Jon Landau Handprints And Footprints Ceremony.

Headshot Of Ian Holm

Headshot Of John Hurt In The UK premiere of Melancholia

Headshot Of Veronica Cartwright

Khan in Star Trek: Wrath of Khan

Younger Thanos in full body armor in Avengers Endgame

Roy Batty in Blade Runner

Headshot Of Harrison Ford In The 29th Annual Critics' Choice Awards

Headshot Of Edward James Olmos

Close up of HAL 9000