Matt Damon is one of those versatile actors who has a rich history of playing characters in all kinds of genres from thrillers to science fiction and even comedy. He’s appeared as the good guy most of the time, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been seen as a villain either.
Since we’re not including all of Matt Damon’s performances, we’ve included those characters in this list that are significantly well known and had an impact within their respective universes, good or bad. There will no doubt be other characters that could have been included, but for the time being here are 10 Matt Damon characters ordered from most heroic to the most villainous as we await his latest turn in Ford v Ferrari.
Private Ryan: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Saving Private Ryan garnered significant controversy for its unabashed portrayal of violence and blood, but that just hits home the fact that the character of Private Ryan and his teammates saw hell on Earth and still stood resolute in their mission.
This makes Private Ryan one who should be admired for his courage and bravery, especially considering he lost all his brothers and was still unwilling to abandon his post even though he had a way out. The sacrifices he and his brothers in arms made enabled the film to go down as one of the best ever made.
William Garin: The Great Wall (2016)
Although he started out as a mercenary only looking out for his own benefit with the intention to steal gunpowder, William took on the role of the protagonist once he saw how monsters were on the brink of overcoming the population of China.
Thereafter, William became one of the leading figures in fighting off these mysterious creatures, almost losing his life and his friend in the process of completing his mission. In the end, he was successful in staving off the mass of monsters and ensuring the world was safe.
Francois Pienaar: Invictus (2009)
Although playing a part in a sports film, this role was heroic nonetheless as it served to tell the story of how a game could bring together people of all colors together. Invictus saw Matt play the part of real life former Springboks captain Francos Pienaar.
With the support of Nelson Mendela, Pienaar and his team completed an unlikely triumph of the Rugby World Cup, and with it, brought about a definite end to the ideals of the apartheid that had once separated the nation. Pienaar’s efforts ensured a lasting legacy and a fruitful future for the youth.
Max Da Costa: Elysium (2013)
He started his journey hoping to cure himself from the effects of radiation but met with his death in the end; however, that was after Max ensured all of Earth would be rid of the thousands of diseases that they were plagued with.
Elysium was a structure above Earth by 2154, where the actual planet was ravaged by illnesses, leading to the rich sailing high above free from sickness. Max’s efforts brought equality in motion, as he sacrificed his life to have a better future for those that had been neglected for over a century.
Jason Bourne: Bourne Series (2002-16)
His super abilities make him something like Superman in his universe, and Jason Bourne remains Matt Damon’s most famous role yet. Most would want to place him as the most heroic, but there’s no escaping the fact that Bourne has killed a whole lot of people.
He’s been placed as the unwilling subject of a mass hunt for all his films, which still doesn’t hide the bad stuff he did. Eventually, though, Bourne did turn in the route toward justice and took out those were in the wrong, making him a mixed bag as far as “heroic” is concerned.
Linus Caldwell: Ocean's Series (2001-07)
Before the female group took charge last year, the Ocean’s series had men in the main roles and Matt Damon formed part of this ensemble in the role of Linus Caldwell, an effective thief who was bogged down by the legacy of his more famous family.
The thieves in the Ocean’s series have always been played off as “good” guys, but they are still thieves after all, so they’re not exactly squeaky clean. Then again, Linus wasn’t outwardly antagonistic at all, and his three-movie appearances mean he forms a significant part of Matt’s filmography.
Loki: Dogma (1999)
We’ve mentioned a few characters by now who had enough heroic qualities in them to give their life for the world, and here’s the opposite of those characters in Loki whose intention was to takeover heaven, depose God, and end all existence.
Loki was also responsible for a business room massacre where he killed “bad” people and was close to killing a good person just because she didn’t say “God bless you.” He did have redeeming qualities, though, as Loki grew a conscience by the end of the movie and attempted to right the wrongs he’d committed. Too late on that one, however.
Dr. Mann: Interstellar (2014)
Easily the biggest coward of all characters Matt Damon has played, Interstellar’s Dr. Mann started out as an innocent victim of the harsh conditions of the planet he was stuck on, only for him to reveal he had known all along the planet was uninhabitable and had purposefully lured the main characters there.
Knowing he would be found as a duplicitous opportunist, Mann was then responsible for setting up a trap that killed one of the crew and then tried to murder the main protagonist to steal his ship. He met his just desserts eventually, though, as he was sucked out into space and then promptly blown up as well.
Colin Sullivan: The Departed (2006)
Maybe we spoke too soon on the coward part, as Sullivan had zero cojones to show for himself and spent all of The Departed running around trying to clean up loose ends that would implicate him as the mole for mob boss Costello. He was so relentless in saving his own hide that he ended up betraying Costello too, shooting down his former mentor and taking the credit in bringing him down.
Sullivan also managed to get away with all the bad he’d done when the main protagonist was killed by his ally, only for Sullivan to kill his savior as well. Everyone cheered when Sullivan finally met his deserved fate by being shot in the head for being a rat.
Tom Ripley: The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Ripley ended up getting away with all of his ploys as his film concluded with the antagonist managing to silence the last person who could implicate him for his crimes. And there sure were a whole lot of crimes.
Ripley made it a habit to steal the identities of those who fascinated him; befriended his latest target, studied his entire mannerisms, killed the man, and then lived off his earnings. He would then kill another man who found out about Ripley’s truth, while simultaneously making plans to kill further but was hindered by happenstances. There were no redeeming qualities in him, not that Ripley cared in the slightest.