Disney's newest Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, is set to premiere on May 27, 2022. Among many other things to look forward to about this show, it's going to be the first time fans get a live-action portrayal of the evil Inquisitors. The hope is they live up to the hype and give Star Wars fans another great villain.
The Star Wars franchise is certainly filled with plenty of notable villains. Only some, however, have truly left their mark, either by striking down prominent figures or pushing the heroes to the brink. These villains have offered some truly evil moments throughout the franchise.
Darth Maul
Darth Maul's first appearance in The Phantom Menace, notably his central role in the epic Duel of the Fates lightsaber battle, cemented his legacy. Since then, though, Maul's backstory and journey since Episode I have been explored. Abducted as a child by Darth Sidious, Maul was trained in the ways of the Sith. After getting new robotic legs, Maul went out for revenge against Obi-Wan Kenobi before creating his own crime syndicate.
Maul was certainly evil - his murder of Qui-Gon Jinn proves that - but it's hard to blame him for much of his actions. Maul was forced into the Sith ways, and seeking vengeance isn't a universally evil thing, even if the Jedi strongly disapprove. If anything, Maul is a tragic figure who was unable to change his evil ways.
Kylo Ren
Out of all the characters Disney introduced in the sequel trilogy, none were as dynamic as Kylo Ren, also known as Ben Solo. Born to Han Solo and Leia Organa, Ben was going through training to be a Jedi but turned to the Dark Side at the prompting of Supreme Leader Snoke, taking the name of Kylo Ren and doing his best Darth Vader cosplay.
During that time, Kylo definitely did plenty of evil things, the most notable of which was killing his own father after Han made an impassioned plea for Kylo to join his side. However, even in these evilest moments, the conflict inside of him was evident. This turned into something much more tangible in The Last Jedi when Kylo kills Snoke. That was only the start, as Kylo completed his redemption in The Rise of Skywalker. All of this complexity made for a great character, but Kylo can't compete with others when it comes to being evil.
Cad Bane
Cad Bane has been a fan favorite for a long time, which is why it was so much fun to see him turn up in The Book of Boba Fett. Making his first appearance in The Clone Wars, Bane quickly gained a cult following for his ruthless bounty hunting skills, scratching an itch that had been around ever since Boba Fett fell into the Sarlacc.
There's really no questioning Bane's evil, as he's repeatedly proven that he'll go to any lengths to finish a job. But Bane isn't as evil as others in large part because he doesn't really have any plans of his own. Like Fett and other bounty hunters, Bane is just a hired gun, albeit an exceptionally good one. He doesn't have his own schemes, but rather does the bidding of others.
General Grievous
General Grievous first appeared in Revenge of the Sith with a characterization that ultimately didn't live up to the awesome design he had. Still, Grievous got his due as one of the primary antagonists in The Clone Wars. He's had his backstory retconned a bit since Disney took over, but it's arguably added to the character.
Grievous was the primary military leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars, and that alone cements his status as an evil villain. Grievous' creepy design, having had his body replaced with cybernetic parts and the fact that Grievous wields lightsabers of the Jedi he's killed before as tokens of his accomplishments make him immediately memorable. Put it all together and you've got a pretty evil killing machine. Grievous still gets undermined for his role as puppet to Sidious, making him less evil than others by comparison.
Orson Krennic
Introduced in Rogue One, Orson Krennic is the one in charge of building the Death Star. His relationship with Galen Erso, which culminates in Krennic kidnapping him and forcing him to make the Death Star, is the catalyst for the entire film.
As the person who led the creation of a planet-killing weapon, Krennic's evil credentials are obvious. But he's not just a hired hand; Krennic is revealed to be a politically savvy player within the Empire, feuding with Grand Moff Tarkin for more power. This separates him from many other Star Wars villains who were just doing the heavy lifting of the others. The fact that Krennic felt confident enough to make demands of Darth Vader, ill-advised as that might be, speaks to Krennic's evil intentions and aspirations.
Grand Moff Tarkin
Grand Moff Tarkin first appeared in A New Hope, where he's in charge of the Death Star, but Tarkin goes beyond that. Not only does he hold such a powerful position, but fans quickly learned Tarkin's status within the Empire goes beyond his title. This is apparent when Tarkin orders Darth Vader to cease his force-choking of Admiral Motti.
The fact that Tarkin was able to not only give Vader a command but have him obey that command was surprising. It established Tarkin's sheer power within the Empire, which made it all the more terrifying when he ordered the destruction of Alderaan without batting an eye. This was clearly someone who had ruthless intentions and the power to carry those intentions out.
Moff Gideon
As the primary antagonist of the first two seasons of The Mandalorian, Moff Gideon's brutality left a mark. Most notably, Gideon was working towards getting Grogu's blood for some vague yet nefarious plan to revive the Empire.
What makes Gideon uniquely evil is that he didn't just abandon the Empire after they fell. He was steadfast in his commitment to them and showed he was willing to kill anyone to achieve his plans. The fact that he seemed to know everything about everyone added to his sinister presence. Gideon had a combination of intelligence and ruthlessness that made him more dangerous a foe than any non-Force sensitive character in the franchise.
Count Dooku
Count Dooku, also known as Darth Tyranus, doesn't get enough credit. He was the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and was also responsible for the creation of the clone army on Kamino.
It goes without saying, but Dooku was a pivotal part of the start of the Clone Wars, which paved the way for the Empire's rise. The fact that Dooku willingly turned away from the Jedi for this sinister plan adds another layer of evil to him. It's hinted that Dooku also had plans to overthrow Palpatine and take over the galaxy himself, but the Sith Lord had other plans...
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is probably the greatest villain of all time. His journey from Jedi savior to Sith overlord is a tragic one, but his evil knew no bounds once he turned to the Dark Side.
Vader served Darth Sidious, but his offer to Luke in the franchise-best The Empire Strikes Back also showed that he had no issue with trying to overthrow his master. When Luke rejected this, Vader seemed to have no issue trying to kill his own son going forward. Vader was a brutal galactic overlord with loyalty to no one but himself. This was evident in that Vader's first act as a Sith was betraying the Jedi and killing the younglings. It's pretty hard to top something as evil as that.
Darth Sidious
Some know him as Darth Sidious, some as Emperor Palpatine, but all know him as pure, unmitigated evil. Sidious rose from senator to chancellor to emperor, all the while manipulating forces via the Dark Side of the Force to give himself total control over the galaxy.
Sidious' plans for galactic domination stretched across the entire film saga, even making things miserable for the heroes who came after his apparent death. That kind of sinister scheming, and the power to survive the way he did, is something no other villain can match. It's why Sidious takes the top spot as the evilest villain in the Star Wars franchise.