A strong antagonist is often what separates the good movies from the great, and with the rise in popularity of superhero films, the discussion on what makes a good villain is ever apparent. Some fans like a villain who's just plain bad, and enjoys being so. Others like it when the villain has a motive, possibly even based on good intentions, but that goes about it with the wrong means.
For many villains, the difference between them and the heroes is that they believe the ends justify the means. With the recent film, The Batman, having one of these villains, it seemed like a good time to look retrospectively at others that have filled the role well.
The Batman
The Riddler might've been on to something with his targets. Though his murderous and destructive methods were not the proper course for change, it does seem that the problem in Gotham is not the supervillains running rampant, but the elected officials managing the city.
As fans have come to know, many of Batman's most devious rogues are the output of the flawed society of Gotham City. The Riddler represents the start of an uprising against those flaws. Hopefully, this will continue to be explored in The Batman and Joker sequels.
Blade Runner
Roy Batty is a harmful force in Blade Runner, there's no denying that. But his motives aren't unjustified. The replicants have been used for labor, and are hunted and "retired" when they've defied their position. As some replicants begin to evolve and gain sentience, their desire to question their own humanity grows.
Batty seems to want to simply live amongst humans and explore his own consciousness but unfortunately murders several people in his path to it, putting him on the most wanted list that forces Deckard out of retirement. Blade Runner is considered one of the best neo-noir films.
Gone Baby Gone
Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone is a film that leaves audiences with a lingering question about the greater good, making Jack Doyle the perfect representation for morally acceptable villains. The film explores dark areas of urban life and is centered around the kidnapping of a child.
Police Captain Doyle, played by Morgan Freeman, is the orchestrator of the kidnapping, as in his mind he was justified in taking a child from a highly problematic family and giving them a good life. The reveal is divisive, even for the main characters who can't decide what's right or wrong when they make the discovery.
Inside Man
Aside from being a fantastic heist movie, Spike Lee's Inside Man has some of the themes of class and race that viewers have come to expect from the director's films. Criminal Dalton Russell, played fantastically by the always charismatic Clive Owen, is set out to steal from the wealthy Arthur Case, played by Christopher Plummer.
The reveal of the film is that Case is a Nazi, whose wealth and power have allowed him to exist in peace for many years. While taking hostages and causing scare and terror is ill-advised, Russell ends up inadvertently playing a role in Case being brought to justice.
Fight Club
Tyler Durden in Fight Club is an immensely popular figure in pop culture, mostly due to the incredible, iconic Brad Pitt performance. Though Durden is just a subconscious part of Edward Norton's character, he represents a desire to change the status quo. Tyler is considered one of the '90s best antiheroes.
Though his methods of change are destructive and not acceptable, he does have some good ideas. Tyler is incredibly conflicted, and unfortunately, the positive vision he has is drowned out by the bad. After all, the audience met him at a very strange time in his life.
Batman Begins
Ra's al Ghul has a very clear motive, whether it's Nolan's Batman Begins, or Arrow, or the pages of the comics he comes from. Ra's intends to purge the world of evil through the extreme measure of execution. Like with The Riddler, Ra's sees how terrible Gotham has become, but from an outside perspective, and seeks to tear it apart.
If the plan wasn't to kill millions of innocent people, Ra's motive of stopping crime and injustice may make him a hero. But that is not the case, and Batman is left to stop the villain from destroying Gotham City entirely.
Avengers: Infinity War
Many Marvel fans consider Thanos' motivations to have some solid ground. To rid the universe of half its population, with the intention of making it a better place. Thanos believes the universe is overpopulated, which will eventually lead it to its end, and intends to save it.
As one of the few villains who actually succeeded in his plan, fans were able to see the aftermath. The consequences of his actions resulted in the remaining population of Earth being devastated, not some thriving utopia.
A Few Good Men
One of the earliest Aaron Sorkin scripts, based on his play by the same name, was a huge hit among movie lovers. A Few Good Men is one of Jack Nicholson's greatest movie roles. He portrays Colonel Nathan Jessep, who serves as the villain of the movie and delivers one of his most captivating performances, and some of his most iconic lines.
Jessep is a strict military man and knows what he has to do to keep a tight shift. As he explains in his monologue, if he doesn't make the hard choices, someone else will have to.
Watchmen
Ozymandias, the smartest man in the world, knows war is coming and believes that the only way to prevent it is to turn everyone against the common enemy of Dr. Manhattan. Ozy's plan still kills plenty of people, and for that he's irredeemable, but it seems it may have prevented nuclear war.
Is it acceptable to kill millions to save billions? Ozymandias thinks so, but the story's heroes disagree. It's hard to know if there would've been another way, or if his plan was the only salvation.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Principal Rooney just wants his students to go to school. He's an educator. He may have a rather immature feud with one of his students, that results in his repeated embarrassment, but ultimately his biggest issue is that Ferris is skipping class. It may have been made in the 80s, but the plotline is a classic that still holds up today.
One of the more light-hearted villains on this list, Rooney is way more cartoony and his maniacal schemes have far fewer consequences. If his ego hadn't gotten involved, he may have been able to break through to Ferris.