15 Worst Movie Villain Costumes

The Humungus from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

US humorist and novelist Mark Twain once said, "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." Some movie villains' wardrobes are so hilariously atrocious that they might have been better off naked. Those fashion-impaired baddies are the focus of our list. We've only selected characters from movies that had major theatrical releases, which excludes made-for-TV or direct-to-video films (with one special mention exception). Also, there are no comic book villains on this list, as that topic could generate its own list. Continue on for our 15 Worst Dressed Bad Guys in Movies, in order of "not-so-bad" to "laughably horrible." Jesus Quintana from The Big Lebowski

Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) was a minor character in The Big Lebowski and only had a small amount of screen time. That didn't stop him from catching everyone's attention in his ridiculous purple jumpsuit during "The Dude's" bowling league's semifinal competition. Barney the Dinosaur, Grimace, and the grapes from the Fruit of the Loom logo are pretty much the only people who can wear purple well - Quintana needs to try mixing in something different into his fashion options. The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia

The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia

When C.S. Lewis envisioned the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) in his classic novel The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, she probably wasn't dressed in a faux lion's mane, wearing blonde hair extensions adorned with a golden "twig" headpiece. Granted, this is supposed to be her menacing "battle outfit" and not her everyday regal attire, but she ends up looking more like a cross between a white guy with dreads and one of those Polynesian fire-dancers at the Holiday Inn in Daytona Beach. Chucky from Child's Play

Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) looked like a stereotypical serial killer as the “Lakeshore Strangler" in Child's Play – that is, until he used a voodoo curse to transfer his soul from his dying body in a last ditch attempt to stay alive. Unfortunately, he stumbled into a toy store filled with dolls and not a Army/Navy Surplus store with heavily armed mannequins. The Good Guy doll was the horror version of the popular My Buddy doll in the '80s, and while it makes a great toy for kids, it does not make a great outfit for a bad guy. Sure, people in the movie screamed and ran when they saw him, but only because he was in denim overalls and had horrible hair. In real life, they would probably just taunt him.

In the Star Trek universe, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban) is one of the most cunning and intelligent foes Captain Kirk has ever faced. It's too bad Khan didn't put as much effort into his wardrobe as he did at being villainous, though. Sporting a long white space mullet and an open-chest jacket (apparently made of corduroy), Khan looks more like an intergalactic redneck having a mid-life crisis than a genetically engineered tyrant hell-bent on exacting revenge of his arch-nemesis, Captain Kirk. Uber-Jason from Jason X

The killer who can't die, Jason Voorhees (Kane Hodder) already looked slightly ridiculous wearing torn up clothes and a hockey mask, but Uber-Jason took ridiculous to a whole new level in Jason X. After a medical station in the year 2455 brings him back to life as a cyborg, Jason (now known as Uber-Jason) is part metal, part leather and all stupid. The most ridiculous part of this outfit is his form-fitting metal hockey mask, which wraps around his deformed head like a face-hugger from Alien. Simon Phoenix from Demolition Man

Demolition Man's Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) is a cold-blooded killer whose only goal in life is to cause havoc wherever he goes. He is very much an expert in terror and chaos - too bad he isn’t an expert on how to dress the part. Wrist bands, jean overalls, orange tank -top and horrific blonde hair – if his career as a homicidal maniac doesn’t take off, Phoenix could always be a member of a '90s boy band instead. Jacobim Mugatu from Zoolander

People in the fashion industry always dress odd (relatively speaking), so it comes as no surprise to see Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) from Zoolander is on this list. Fashion mogul Mugatu changes into horrendous outfits constantly, but this one is by far his worst. The shape of his hair and goatee make him look like the Greek god Pan, while his over-sized collar could be used as a neck brace after a car accident. That ugly gray sweater and black corset aren't doing him any favors, either. He does get bonus points for dressing his dog to match, though. Baron Semedi from Live and Let Die

Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) does a lot of evil things as Dr. Kananga's henchman in Live and Let Die - including wearing white after Labor Day. Maybe wearing a white top hat and a purple satin-lined tuxedo jacket is a part of some outlying sect of the voodoo community that we are unaware of, but instead of looking intimidating he just looks silly. Dressed like this, he should be coming down the aisles to his own theme music at a WWE event, instead of performing voodoo rituals on Bond girls. Terl from Battlefield Earth

It really isn't Terl's (John Travolta) fault he looks and dresses awful in Battlefield Earth - that's just how his alien race the Psychlos look all the time. That doesn’t mean we are going to cut him any slack for it, though. He looks like an unwashed, alien version of Adam Durtiz from The Counting Crows covered in riot gear - and that is NOT a compliment. Xerxes from 300

King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) commands 10,000 highly-trained guards called the Immortals and rules the massive and mighty Persian Empire in 300 - but yet he can’t find a good tailor anywhere? Just because Xerxes thinks he's a "god-king" doesn't give him the authority to dress in chains and a golden cod-piece. Nothing about this outfit works on any level, and instead of being fierce and intimidating, it's just plain silly. Alex DeLarge and his Droogs from A Clockwork Orange

Alex DeLarge and his Droogs from A Clockwork Orange

Set in a futuristic London, Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) and his "droogs" (Pete, Georgie, and Dim) were always looking for a bit of ultra-violence and some milk - too bad they weren't also looking for a good tailor. Walking around in long-John underwear, military boots, bowler hats and, what appears to be a sumo wrestler's mawashi, this gang of hoodlums look more like they are in dire need of a handout, rather than a a ruthless group of rapists and murderers. Street Preacher from Johnny Mnemonic

Karl the "Street Preacher" (Dolph Lundgren) is a ruthless assassin sent by the Takahashi Corporation to kill Johnny Mnemonic (Keanu Reeves) and bring back his head. Usually assassins are supposed to look like menacing, cold-blooded killers - not third-rate shepherds from a small southern church's Nativity scene. Someone needs to use that hook to drag Karl to a Macy's, and let him buy some real clothes (and get a haircut). Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg from The Fifth Element

Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg from The Fifth Element

Apparently in the future, people of all backgrounds forget how to dress themselves fashionably, and arms dealer Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) is no exception. His wardrobe isn't that bad, but very few people can pull off wearing a soul patch - and no one ever gets away with the comb-over. The one thing he wears that makes absolutely no sense is the large, clear plastic forehead covering. If that is supposed to be part of a hidden toupee to cover his bald head, then maybe he should talk to Burt Reynolds, because he's doing it wrong. The Humungus from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

The Humungus (Kjell Nilsson) and his band of murderous bikers are probably not who you want to see if you're travelling through the barren wasteland of post-apocalyptic Australia. Dressed in leather bondage gear, spiked bracelets that Billy the Exterminator would envy, and a metal hockey mask similar to Uber-Jason, Humungus would be a challenge even for fashion and personal grooming experts Kyan Douglas and Carson Kressley. I know gas is in short supply in the future, but apparently, so are soap and water. Bennett from Commando

Mercenary Bennett (Vernon Wells) is Arius' (Dan Hedaya) villainous right-hand man, who is concerned with nothing but killing John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in front of his daughter. What he should be more concerned about is finding a J.C. Penny's or a Marshall's to update his wardrobe. Even though he gets points for the awesome "porn-stache," that isn't enough to overcome the finger-less gloves, bodybuilding-style sleeveless tank-top, and the not-so-manly mesh tank-top draped over it. I'm surprised someone didn't ridicule him to death long before Matrix killed him. Velvet Von Ragner from Never Too Young to Die

Velvet Von Ragner from Never Too Young to Die

Velvet Von Ragner (Gene Simmons) is an evil hermaphrodite who kills Lance Stargrove's (John Stamos) father in the '80s B-movie, Never Too Young to Die. Velvet is also the only person from a non-theatrical release to make it onto our list - and from his picture, I'm sure you can see why. Apparently Velvet gets his/her fashion inspiration from old Cher music videos, pictures of Elvira, and even members of Kiss. I'm not sure which part is worse - the silver stars on his/her nipples, or the leather-studded cod piece. Regardless, this outfit looks more like a rejected costume from the Rocky Horror Picture Show than something an evil bad guy should be wearing. Jesus Quintana from The Big Lebowski

That does it for our list of 15 of the Worst Dressed Bad Guys in Movies - but with hundreds of bad guys to choose from, this list is far from exhaustive. Who would you add to this list - or maybe there is someone on our list that you think doesn't deserve to be there? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or tweet me - @MoviePaul - and tell me which bad guy you think made the biggest fashion faux pas.

"Follow us if you want to live."

51 Comments

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MirrorJerseySchindler 7 months ago

Nit-picky much?

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dylan_dog 7 months ago

worst list ever…

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- CWPayne 7 months ago
  
  Ya I agree
  
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George 7 months ago

lol u should do one about comic book villian movie costumes as well

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Train 7 months ago

Not Baron Samedi! He’s my idol!

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Paul Young 7 months ago

@George – It’s already in the works

Thanks
Paul Young – Moderator

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The Avenger 7 months ago

I’ve never even seen half these movies, but those costumes are terrible… that’s for sure.

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Deirdre 7 months ago

proper baddies do not have to dress the part. If you are bad enough you can wear what ev er you like!

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Dan-O 7 months ago

Did you ever consider the dress of some of these villians is satirical?

Nobody messes with the Jesus.

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- Paul Young 7 months ago
  
  @Dan-O – Of course I did but that doesn’t make them any better to look at. All purple? Mesh tank tops? All bad. You do realize this article is tongue-in-cheek right? It’s all in good fun,
  
  Thanks,
  Paul Young – Moderator
  
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Kiltedbear 7 months ago

You COMPLETELY misunderstand the purpose of the costumes in 300! They are meant to be sexy and I myself as a gay man and I have heard many other ladies and gay men think the Spartans and Xerxes were sexy as hell. You just were not the demographic it was aimed at!

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- Paul Young 7 months ago
  
  @Kiltedbear – The movie was aimed at the 18-39 male demographic, I’m pretty sure they weren’t specifically targeting gays and women with just the outfits. They want everyone’s money – doesn’t matter what your sexual orientation might be.
  
  Also, I stand by my thoughts that Xerxes’ outfit was ridiculous.
  
  Thanks,
  Paul Young
  
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- cornh 7 months ago
  
  And to be fair, even if you are heterosexual, the Xerxes-Leo relationship comes off as really homoerotic in an Adam West batman way, I’ll say it caters to your inner homo.
  
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- motoko 7 months ago
  
  The costumes in “300″ looked they way they did because that is how Frank Miller drew them. They are just a direct interpretation for the film.
  
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Chris 7 months ago

Cuz people and movies should be boring without any style… Let them all wear suits and ties and stuff. This is a ridiculous article.

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- Mark Bartlett 7 months ago
  
  Cheer up mate
  
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Hippie 7 months ago

Special Mention about the “Special Mention”. Horrible movie, but Simmons ROCKED that part! Few actors (and even fewer Metal singers turned actor) would have the stones to play such a part; and Simmons went full tilt on it! Mad Respect for the man!

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- il princerino 7 months ago
  
  In what world is Kiss classified as metal.
  
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The Avenger 7 months ago

Geez people, why are you giving Paul so much grief. The costumes all look terrible (doesn’t matter what “purpose” they served) and that’s the point of the list.
It was a fun read IMO.

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Elizabeth 7 months ago

Chucky shouldn’t count because the fact that he’s an EVIL friendly-looking doll is the whole punchline!

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Kieran 7 months ago

IDK if I agree with ALL of the list but most of this list is pretty true. The only one that I think you where a LITTLE harsh on was ACWO cause in all fairness it was Malcolm McDowell’s fault,partly, that Alex is dressed that way lol But the rest where pretty WTF?? LOL

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Dazz 7 months ago

You know, I had a feeling Bennett’s chainmail vest would get him on the list and hurrah, I was right!

Pretty cool list even if I think Bennett is a cool-as-hell villain. He’s not gonna shoot you between the eyes, he’s gonna shoot you between the balls.

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- ChrisTypeR 7 months ago
  
  Like ha ha
  
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- Mark Bartlett 7 months ago
  
  Fun fact! The guy who played Bennett was hired at the 11th hour as a replacement. But he had a broken arm. He really wanted to impress the studio so he kept it a secret throughout filming. The dudes arm was broken the whole time! Mega respect
  
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Omerta 7 months ago

I like the Jason costume, i might be the only one but still

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cronotronicdextra 7 months ago

Most of these costumes were INTENTIONALLY BAD! Art is objective!

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- Helix Reviews 7 months ago
  
  Yeah, so chill…it’s all in good fun!
  
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sully311 7 months ago

The Big Lebowski is one of my top five films, and I have never once considered Jesus Quintana a villain. Also, given the time Clockwork Orange was made I don’t really see those being ridiculous.

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- jeffro 7 months ago
  
  he’s not the villain in the film per se, but, as a registered sex offender, he is villainous
  
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Robert 7 months ago

I only agree with like half of the list. But this is seriously one of the worst lists i’ve read on the site. And I don’t even think the Fifth Element one counts, considering that’s more comedy than serious. Yes, I know it’s a list of “worst costumes” in general, but come on, do some people need to nitpick everything? I meen really, when you look at some of the nitpicks on here, you might as well complain about a horror movie being to scary, lol.

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- jeffro 7 months ago
  
  it’s not really a serious article dude. and i just re-watched 5th element a couple weeks ago on netflix and that plastic thing always bugged me too.
  
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- Mark 7 months ago
  
  @Robert – I’m with you on this. I think that costumes that were intentionally bad should not make such a list. Fully three of these were in comedies and the outrageous nature of the costumes is meant to be hilarious within the context of the film.
  
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danlister 7 months ago

Here’s something I’m curious about re: Khan’s Wrath outfit, specifically the necklace:

This was the first Trek movie to feature the new uniforms replacing the sleeper-jammies of the first movie…note the new belt buckle on the new uniforms, then answer me this…how in the FRELL did a BROKEN one wind up hanging around Khan’s neck when he disrobed on Ceti Alpha V?

Theories suggested to me:

1. It came off the uniforms of either Terrell or Chekov, worn under the space suits.

2. A Federation ship went missing in the area, and a crewman from same was killed/his uniform cannibalized.

Why these theories don’t hold water:

1. (a) I would imagine that, with all the live circuitry of the space suits, those things get motherfrakking HOT, so why wear a jacket underneath a climate-controlled space suit? (b) Heck, even Kirk & Co. wore parka-type outfits in lieu of the new jackets with the buckle when checking out Space Station Regula I!!

2. If, in fact, a Federation ship went missing in the area, wouldn’t there have been some kind of subspace bulletin to the captain/crew of the Reliant about a missing ship in/near that sector?

But then again, it did give us reason to believe that Midshipman Peter Preston might’ve been a mutant; how else to explain The Amazing Migrating Bloodstain on Kirk’s jacket-fold? Peter grabs the LOWERMOST part of the jacket-fold, then dies…when next we see Kirk striding confidently onto the Bridge, the stain has moved to the MID-POINT of the jacket-fold.

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- jeffro 7 months ago
  
  lmao @ sleeper jammies!!!
  
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Kofi Outlaw 7 months ago

Wow, we never knew people were such sensitive little flowers when it came to movie costumes. Now we know (and knowing is half the battle!). No worries, our little daisies, we will be careful not to trample you again.

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- Will Fraser 7 months ago
  
  Calm down, people have opinions and if Paul Young knew any better than he should learn to accept their criticism like all writers.
  
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  - Kofi Outlaw 7 months ago
    
    Yeah, we should just be a big toilet bowl for the Internet types to crap on. Yep. That’s what we should do.
    
    There’s a difference between “I don’t agree with this list” and comments that basically say “Paul, you’re an idiot.”
    
    One is criticism – one isn’t. Can YOU tell the difference, William?
    
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- jeffro 7 months ago
  
  man you guys are killing me tonight! rotfl @ dasies!
  
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Eric Smith 7 months ago

In all fairness to Khan, he had been marooned on a crumbling planet for years. Not very many wardrobe options than what you had on after you landed. The look we see in Star Trek II could be the result of years of wear-and-tear.

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- danlister 7 months ago
  
  Ah, but Eric…you miss my point: How does he get the buckle design (after 15 years of no contact with the Federation) that WE only saw for the first time at the beginning of the movie?
  
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  - Eric Smith 7 months ago
    
    I see. My only guess is that there were other Federation officers that could possibly have landed on that planet earlier. There’s obviously some plot hole going on here.
    
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Matt 7 months ago

I thought this was going to be a serious list of worst dressed villains. Instead this is pick the movie where the villains dress fit the part. Xerxes from the movie 300 was dressed appropriately. It showed he was vain, yet he was not afraid of anyone. I thought Jeremy Irons villain costume in Die Hard WAV was the worst.

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boogoo 7 months ago

Wow, I can’t believe how many people are trying to defend these bad costumes. “This shouldn’t count!” “It was supposed to look like that!” “It was supposed to be for gays!” Sweet Jesus, the writer isn’t criticizing the wardrobe department or costume designer. It’s a tongue and cheek look at what these characters are wearing. Take a step back and you realize how silly these costumes look. It’s all for fun fellas.

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- Paul Young 7 months ago
  
  @boogoo – +1
  
  Paul Young
  
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- jeffro 7 months ago
  
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OLD MOE 7 months ago

Well who rembers the villan in the well tailored suit. The more silly the costume the better we rember them.

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jeffro 7 months ago

i literally have tears streaming down my face as i read these comments laughing my @$$ off! danlister started it off with sleepy-jammies…i cant breathe…man that was some good,er…well. never mind. wow.

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Mark 7 months ago

I think that the ones on the list that were supposed to be bad should be excluded. The costumes in The Big Lebowski, Zoolander, and The Fifth Element were intentionally bad.

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Taylor 7 months ago

Yeah I think there’s a two part problem here. Some of these villains (key word some) were just plainly bad villains. The costumes served to distract you from their already ridiculous natures/backgrounds etc. I will admit that I disagreed with The Jesus. He was perfect IMO just absurd in every way haha. Yet that’s not going to get me riled up to the point of calling the author an idiot. Have some friggin respect guys. This is a review site based on OPINIONS! Sheesh. One love SR.

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Nigel 6 months ago

Sh***est list I’ve ever wasted my tim starting to read. That’s 5 minutes of my life I’ll never get back….

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- Paul Young 6 months ago
  
  @Nigel – Weird…I was just thinking the same thing about your comment.
  
  Paul
  
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