Veteran actor Ed Harris plays the heartless and brutal Man in Black on HBO's ground-breaking science fiction series Westworld, which just began its 3rd and final season. The Man in Black is a frequent guest at Westworld, revealed as a much older William, who first arrived with his future brother-in-law Logan. Both work for Delos, the company that owns the park, and William eventually becomes its major stakeholder, meaning he owns Westworld.
With his black cowboy duds and perpetual scowl, the Man in Black stalks the park in search of a secret hidden deep within in, one he believes was left by the park's designer Arnold. He stops at nothing to uncover the mystery, killing and torturing both hosts and humans along the way in especially cruel ways.
The Man in Black is a formidable, uncompromising villain. How does he size up against some other memorable science fiction evildoers? Scroll below to find out.
Yep: Darth Vader From The Empire Strikes Back (1981)
Darth Vader is the original brooding man clad in black for science fiction fans. Like the Man in Black, Darth Vader also undergoes a sinister metamorphosis, going from a promising, powerful Jedi to a deformed, part-cyborg enforcer for the Galactic Empire.
Darth Vader is a mammoth fighter and autocratic leader who retains his powers with the Force, including telekinesis, telepathy, and master level lightsaber dueling. There's no doubt he could take the Man in Black out with one commanding blow. While the Man in Black rules Westworld with an iron fist, he's ill-prepared for intergalactic combat.
No Way: The Riddler From Batman Forever (1995)
Jim Carrey is good at many things, but being a redoubtable villain isn't one of them. In Joel Schumaker's Batman Forever, campy and slapstick stylings rule. As one of Batman's nemeses, The Riddler hops around town in a lime green question mark suit that resembles the same one worn by the "Free Money" guy in all those late-night infomercials.
Needless to say, with his theatrical puzzles, clues, and half-brained mind control devices, the Riddler is too wrapped up in his own histrionics to stand a chance against the Man in Black. This would be an easy win.
Yep: Xenomorph Queen From Aliens (1986)
The Man in Black would be a quick meal for a Xenomorph Queen from the Alien franchise. The regular adult aliens are deadly enough, but the queen rises to 15 feet, carries an extra set of arms, and has a long, knife-like organ that helps her lay eggs.
While the Man in Black may be able to put up a fight, his towering opponent has too many defenses and biological tools at her disposal. There's her acidic blood, her sizeable and blade-tipped tail, and her shark-like teeth that can destroy a person with just one bite. There's also her natural impulse to use other creatures as hosts for future alien babies. The Man in Black is toast, for sure.
No Way: Venom From Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Venom in this film in a wannabe Spider-Man who is jealous of his foe's notoriety. Played by Topher Grace, Eddie Brock is a hack photojournalist who falsifies photos in order to taint Spider-Man's reputation. He transforms into Venom after an alien symbiote bonds with him, bestowing him with his signature look and special abilities.
Even though he has superhuman strength, Venom is the kind of pest the Man in Black is capable of stomping out. It would be a tense battle, for sure, but the Man in Black is observant and responsive enough to handle Venom's second-rate moves. Also, without his symbiotic suit, Venom is nothing.
Yes: Agent Smith From The Matrix (1999)
Agent Smith is the kind of rogue AI the Man in Black would love to see in action, and this duplicating Matrix agent cum computer program with superhuman strength moves way too fast for Westworld's resident rogue cowboy.
With his black sunglasses and extensive martial arts training, Agent Smith is a stylish cyberpunk opponent. While his demeanor may seem a little out of place in Westworld, Agent Sith knows how to blend into his environment. All he would need to do to defeat the Man in Black is dodge a few bullets and punch his adversary into kingdom come.
No Way: Hal 9000 From 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
HAL 9000 is the sentient computer system designed to assist the crew of Discovery. The calm-voiced AI turns into a malevolent machine after turning on the astronauts, who want to shut down HAL after he shows signs of malfunctioning. HAL is a vengeful, resilient AI, the kind of mainframe device that could shut down everything in Westworld, but his functionality is a bit outdated and inflexible for the Man in Black's world.
The Man in Black is well-versed in sentient computers, and while HAL is an ultimate computational system with a much more impactful reach than a host, he's eons behind other technology.
Yep: The Borg Queen From Star Trek: First Contact (1986)
The Borgs are annoying space colonizers who co-opt the technologies and knowledge of other species through a process they refer to as assimilation. The Borgs function like bugs, with hive controlled by a queen. The Borg Queen is more advanced and polished than her loyal Drones, and like the Xenomorph Queen, she will do whatever it takes to protect the future of her kind.
With a legion of dedicated cyborgs, who are altered nanoprobes and cybernetic components, the Man in Black wouldn't fare well in a Borg uprising. Plus, the Borg Queen always survives.
No Way: General Grievous From Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith (2005)
Cough, cough. Wheeze, wheeze. As Supreme Commander of the Confederacy of Independent Systems' Droid Armies during the Clone Wars, General Grievous knows combat. He's a talented fighter who wields multiple lightsabers at once. This cyborg Separatist has one major weakness, though: he still retains some of his human parts, including a pair of asthmatic lungs.
All the Man in Black needs to do is let General Grievous wear himself out and then go in for the kill, using a weapon to reach the organs underneath his opponent's exoskeleton.
Yep: Aunty Entity From Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Can anyone really compete with Tina Turner? As the ferocious ruler of Bartertown in Post-Apocalyptic Australia, Aunty Entity is always in self-preservation mode. Aunty Entity wanted to establish an egalitarian and just new society after the collapse, but when she got a taste of power, she used her status to become a tyrant.
The Man in Black knows all about letting power get to one's head, but Aunty Entity is really the master manipulator and dictator here. From hatching political assassination plots to donning chainmail dresses, Aunty Entity is much more vivacious and resilient than the Man in Black. Survival isn't just a game for her; it's everything.
No Way: Dr. Arliss Loveless From Wild Wild West (1999)
A sister film to Westworld in theme alone, Wild Wild West is a steampunk western that takes place in an alternate post-Civil War America. Acclaimed British stage actor Kenneth Branagh plays a goofy ex-Confederate doctor missing his legs, Dr. Arliss Loveless. Fortunately, Loveless can switch out his mechanical lower torso into any number of industrial mobility devices he schemes up, including a giant spider.
Thanks to his outlandish appearance, the Man in Black would see Loveless coming from a mile away. He'd have plenty of time to prep while the steam-powered half-machine lumbered toward him.