When we were first introduced to John Walker (Wyatt Russell) on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, we had the same questions as Sam and Bucky. Namely, who the hell is this guy and what’s he doing with Cap’s shield? We were unimpressed with his attempts at faux humility, and his weak ass peace offerings to Sam and Bucky. Walker’s douchery and his extremely punchable face turned him into an avatar of white male arrogance the likes which we haven’t seen since, well, every white republican politician.
But we must admit: there is something deeply satisfying about a highly meme-able, entertaining villain. We love baddies that deliver quips, aren’t afraid of some camp, and love to chew on the scenery. In many ways, these villains are often more entertaining than the heroes themselves. I mean, who would you rather have a drink with, Ariel or Ursula?
So here’s our top picks for the villains we love to hate. Bring on the evil monologues, the feckless sidekicks, and the memes!
Dan Van Winkle:
Lost’s Benjamin Linus was just such a fun character to watch, but also the absolute worst at every turn, though he did eventually decide to use his powers of scheming for good. His perpetually unperturbed nature in the midst of all the show’s wild twists and turns and high-running emotions was just such a great contrast to the rest of the cast being pretty much constantly bewildered.
If the series had happened ten years later, I feel like he would’ve been memed across the internet for Michael Emerson’s absolutely perfect delivery of his every line, from pure, casual evil to dry humor, and frequently both.
Briana Lawrence:
In an attempt to not pick an anime baddie (though there are a lot of entertaining ones to choose from), I’m dipping into my slasher movie library and picking Stu Macher from Scream. I know Billy Loomis is the main villain, but Stu steals the show, absolutely chewing the scenery whenever he’s on screen. From his bad puns (liver alone!) to his complete meltdown when Sidney reveals she called the cops, to this day I still hear Matthew Lillard crying, “My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!” A prime example of someone who “follows the leader” to his detriment, his defense of “peer pressure” gets him nowhere as he’s killed by the very thing he’d watch all those horror movies on: a television.
Chelsea Steiner:
Sure, villains are cool. But a villain who sings their own theme song? ICONIC. Kathryn Hahn’s portrayal of Agatha Harkness on WandaVision drew well deserved raves. She was hilarious as Wanda’s wacky neighbor, while also delivering a campy and intimidating villain that could hold her own against the world’s strongest Avenger. Here’s hoping we see plenty more of Agatha in future MCU projects, because she’s easily one of the most compelling antagonists in the MCU. I mean, she killed that dog and we still like her. THAT’S charisma, y’all.
Jessica Mason:
Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones may have been one of the worst people in Westeros, but sometimes she was also the most relatable. Surrounded by idiot men who she had to bow to and forced into a marriage she hated, you can’t quite blame her for being the literal poster (or gif) child of “more wine.” Cersei’s rise to power was terrifying and took so many of our favorites out along the way, but it was also always kind of fun to see her crush the people who had wronged her … and then see her literally get crushed in the end too.
Princess Weekes:
Regina Mills in the early seasons of Once Upon a Time is my Evil queen. I mean, is she petty for holding a ten year old responsible for the actions of a whole ass murderous adult? Absolutely, but Lana Parrilla just owned that role and made it hard for me to not root for her. While I take issue at the way the series hand waved her assaulting someone, overall Regina thrived as a villain because she was well acted and just sympathetic enough to care. Plus the Charmings were so boring that it literally made it hard for me to ever care about their feelings or goodness. Team Evil Regal.
Rachel Leishman:
Wonder Woman 1984‘s Maxwell Lord went from a man who I absolutely hated from the comic world of Diana Prince to the best meme I’ve seen in a long time. With Pedro Pascal’s “Life is good but it can be better meme”, I was suddenly questioning a lifelong hatred of a character because…honestly the memes were great. Also it’s not my fault that Maxwell Lord was likable.
“Life is good, but it can be better!” pic.twitter.com/8uFcf0ppYN
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) December 29, 2020
Kaila Hale Stern:
The MCU kept trying to make Thanos happen—that is, they tried to make him into a complex, compelling villain worthy of dominating the last two Avengers movies’ focus. Alas for Marvel, the purple grape-tinged giant man looked perpetually absurd, and his self-styled environmentalism didn’t really translate into a great motivation for eliminating half of all life in the galaxy. But one thing Thanos did right was allow for many a meme. It’s impossible to pick even a handful from the mass amount he generated, but we’ll give it a snap. Er, shot.
Who is your favorite villain you love to hate? Let us know in the comments!
(featured image: Disney+)
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