So many great movies are defined by their heroes and villains. An effective movie hero can inspire audiences and leave them on the edge of their seats as they root for the hero to succeed. A great villain can repulse and disturb audiences while also being so compelling that they cannot look away.
There are countless exceptional heroes and villains over the course of movie history, but the American Film Institute (AFI) took on the difficult task of naming the greatest of all time. The characters who rank at the top of each list perfectly represent the iconic stories of good and evil.
Heroes:
Will Kane - High Noon (1952)
Bravery is a key aspect of a great villain and it becomes even more inspiring when the hero is willing to stand on their own against impossible odds. That could help to explain why Will Kane from High Noon ranks so high on the list.
Kane is a sheriff about to hand in his badge and go start a new life with his bride. However, when a vengeful outlaw seeks him out, Kane decides to stay and face him rather than run. Even while the rest of the town turn their backs to him out of fear, Kane remains unshakable.
Rick Blaine - Casablanca (1942)
The reluctant hero is another compelling take that appears in many movies. Casablanca's Rick Blaine is such a character who has seemingly abandoned any heroic tendencies and just wants to keep his head down, even in the midst of World War II.
The audience is charmed by Rick's roguish tough-guy attitude while also cheering for him to make the right decision. In the end, he shows that he is willing to sacrifice everything he has, including his true love in order to do what is right.
James Bond - Dr. No (1963)
There have been many memorable James Bond appearances in movies, including Daniel Craig's recent final outing in the role. But it is not surprising that AFI singled out the first time Sean Connery brought the character to the big screen in Dr. No and kicked off the long-running franchise.
Connery helps to establish Bond as an iconic hero with his suave style and effortless charm. Bond is able to balance being a playboy, a cold-blooded killer, and a world-saving soldier in a heroic package that is still copied to this day.
Indiana Jones - Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones feels like a combination of James Bond and an intellectual hero. But the character is made even more entertaining thanks to Harrison Ford's winning performance. Ford made Indy appropriately heroic while not being afraid to show him getting beat up, making mistakes, and being scared.
Indy's legacy as a hero is also helped by Steven Spielberg's directing which makes him into this cool grand adventurer fans get to live vicariously through. All these years later, fans are still excited to see Ford return to the role.
Atticus Finch - To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
While Indiana Jones and James Bond are getting in gunfights and saving the world, sometimes a character can be even more heroic in a much simpler story. To Kill a Mockingbird follows a rural lawyer named Atticus Finch who defends a young Black man when he is falsely accused of a terrible crime.
Atticus is willing to stand up to the racist members of his community and continue to fight for justice without fear. Not only does he do this to save the life of this innocent man, but also to teach his children what is right.
Villains:
Nurse Ratched - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Sometimes a villain doesn't need to be outwardly evil to be effective. In fact, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's Nurse Ratched shows how a calm and collected villain can be even more unsettling.
As she oversees the patients of a mental health facility, Ratched may see herself as someone who is helping these people, but she has clearly grown sadistic with her position of power. She deals with the men in a cold and brutal way, willing to go to shocking extremes if she finds her power being questioned.
The Wicked Witch Of The West – The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Quite the opposite of Nurse Ratched's reserved villain, the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz is about as cartoonish of an antagonist as there could be. Of course, in a story like this, the over-the-top evilness of the character works very well.
She is a being of pure evil, threatening Dorothy and even her adorable little dog. The Wicked Witch's terrifying army of flying monkeys surely helps to solidify her place as an iconic villain and likely one that haunted the dreams of many young viewers.
Darth Vader - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars is filled with iconic and colorful characters, but it is safe to say that Darth Vader is the most famous of them all. Just his appearance is enough to send a chill down the spine of audiences and The Empire Strikes Back is the movie that really explores how great of a character he is.
From hunting down Han Solo and the others to coldly killing his disappointing subordinates to dueling his own son, Vader is an unrelenting figure of darkness. Had Vader not found redemption later on, he might have topped AFI's list.
Norman Bates – Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock was always very good at delivering the unexpected to his audiences and with Psycho, he managed to trick them into watching a movie where the killer is the protagonist. While the true villainy of Norman Bates isn't revealed until the end, looking back on the movie makes him a very unsettling character.
Knowing the final reveal, every scene with Norman is given a new eerie dimension. And the final moments of the movie as Norman looks into the camera leaves audiences with a haunting image.
Hannibal Lecter - The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Hannibal Lecter is the perfect example of a villain so terrifying yet endlessly compelling at the same time. From the moment he is first seen standing calmly in his prison cell, he is a character who refuses to leave viewers' minds.
Anthony Hopkins perfectly plays the role with just enough charm to mix with Lecter's creepiness in an effective way. His respect yet creepy obsession with Clarice Starling adds another layer to the complex character. He almost puts audiences at ease just long enough to shock them with his gruesome escape sequence.