The strength of any memorable movie lies with its chief antagonist. Yes, we all like to cheer for Luke Skywalker, Batman, or Professor Van Helsing. But what kind of movies might these heroes find themselves in without the constant meddling of Darth Vader, the Joker, or the blood-sucking Transylvanian Count Dracula?
While great movies often employ strong antagonists, viewers shouldn’t underestimate the appeal of more comic villains as well. Foiling their heroic counterparts’ plans with their hilarious antics, these villains prove themselves as troublesome as Vader, Hannibal Lecter, or the original Terminator — perhaps even more so, in some cases.
Meet the funniest movie villains to hit the screen.
1. Doctor Evil (Austin Powers)
What started off as a parody of James Bond’s Ernst Stavro Blofeld soon took on a life of its own with Mike Myers’ villainous alter ego, Doctor Evil. The sworn arch-enemy of Myers’ suave and dashing Austin Powers, Doctor Evil’s over-the-top plans for world conquest never failed to trigger incessant laughter from audiences, making him the perfect caricature of the traditional 007 baddies.
Whether bickering with his disobedient son or demanding that his subordinates find him “sharks with fricking laser beams attached to their heads,” almost every word out of Doctor Evil’s mouth remains pure comedic gold. Add in his fan-favorite sidekick Mini-Me (Verne Troyer), and audiences have the makings for an antagonistic duo as hilarious as an evil Groucho and Harpo Marx.
2. Betelgeuse (Beetlejuice)
Before he jumped from rooftop to rooftop in Batman, Michael Keaton made his first collaboration with Tim Burton courtesy of the cult classic comedy, Beetlejuice. Despite appearing in the movie for a total of 10 minutes, Keaton stole the show when it came to Beetlejuice’s title character, stealing almost every scene he appeared in.
Hurling himself through the film like a demented cross between an evil clown and Captain Jack Sparrow, Betelgeuse could leave viewers doubled over in laughter through his cartoonish body language alone. Between his persistent sleaziness, laugh-out-loud one-liners, and opportunistic personality, Keaton helped establish this raunchy bio-exorcist as one of the most unforgettable creations from Tim Burton yet.
3. Marv and Harry (Home Alone)
Also known by their professional moniker of “The Wet Bandits” (later “The Sticky Bandits”), Marv Murchins and Harry Lyme (Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci) remain the best thing about the initial two Home Alone movies. Suburban thieves-turned-runaway fugitives, these two professional criminals always seem to find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time (I.E., typically at the mercy of Macaulay Culkin’s booby trap connoisseur, Kevin McCallister).
Stumbling through each of Kevin’s traps with the ease of crash test dummies, most audiences will sympathize with Marv and Harry’s painful plight. Yet at the end of the day, it remains impossible not to chuckle at their shrill screams or awkward reactions, whether in the form of Marv suffering a brick to the face or Harry having his head lit ablaze by a fiery blow torch.
4. Shooter McGavin (Happy Gilmore)
For whatever reason, Christopher McDonald excels at portraying self-satisfied, smug antagonists. Case in point with McDonald’s character in Happy Gilmore — a talented if elitist pro golfer who goes up against Adam Sandler’s up-and-coming title character.
Resorting to every trick in the book to secure the coveted Golden Jacket, Shooter McGavin may come across as a hard-working athlete, striving to win the most esteemed prize in his sport’s competition. Yet beneath his cool smile and signature finger-gun taunts, Shooter establishes himself as a desperate, insecure golfer who audiences might hate if they didn’t find him so darned funny.
5. Bill Lumbergh (Office Space)
If Doctor Evil serves as the ideal epitome of the stereotypical James Bond villain, Bill Lumbergh appears as the definitive personification of all corporate workplace employers. A condescending micromanager who prefers criticizing his own employees instead of actually working, everything about Bill Lumbergh just screams “heartless, bureaucratic office drone — and proud of it.”
Threatening his employees through his passive aggressive remarks while droning on about T.P.S. reports, anyone who has ever worked in an office setting has come across someone like Lumbergh in their professional misadventures. As a result, viewers might feel themselves wanting to punch their screen every time he appears, making him the perfect satire of the American office manager.
6. White Goodman (Dodgeball)
Next to Shooter McGavin, few villains possess as punchable a face as Dodgeball’s White Goodman (Ben Stiller). The founder and owner of Globo Gym, White comes across as an unhinged, health-obsessed jock who values his physical fitness almost to a fault.
Perhaps the pettiest character in the entire sports genre, White goes to extreme lengths to gain revenge against any one who wrongs him, including his former friend-turned-business rival, Peter LaFleur. With Stiller hamming it up as the co*cky health guru, White’s bloated ego and strange fitness practices make him one of the most creative characters in the entirety of Dodgeball.
7. Regina George (Mean Girls)
The queen bee of North Shore High School, Regina George (Rachel McAdams) defies all kinds of social norms surrounding her character. Whereas most audiences have an easy time hating the stereotypical popular girl, Regina’s humor, superficial personality, and overwhelming air of superiority somehow make her a villain impossible to hate.
Terrorizing her fellow North Shore students alongside her lackeys in The Plastics, Regina somehow always managed to appear fresh and funny in almost every scene–especially when it came to putting down her classmates via her unique, biting insults.
8. Hades (Hercules)
What makes Hades, God of the Underworld, so hilarious when it comes to Disney’s Hercules? Simple: in no uncertain terms, James Woods’ demonic character stands in sharp contrast to the period settings of mythological Ancient Greece.
Whereas Rip Torn’s Zeus might sound like a grandiose Greek god, Woods’ Hades sounds anything but, adopting a fast-talking, stream-of-consciousness speaking pattern like some sleazy used car salesman. Alternating between explosive fits of anger and a grim, confident sense of humor, Hades makes for one of the funniest Disney villains in the company’s entire history (as well as one of the most memorable).
9. Hedley Lamarr (Blazing Saddles)
Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman) has the odd distinction of not only existing as Mel Brooks’ finest villain — but he also appears as one of Brooks’ overall greatest character creations. An egomaniacal territorial district attorney, Hedy — sorry, Hedley — tries to figure out ways to demolish the frontier town of Rock Ridge, allowing the land to default over to Lamarr’s sinister clutches.
A mustache-twirling baddie who takes over-acting to new heights, Hedley somehow manages to outshine almost every actor he appears alongside in Blazing Saddles, from silver screen legends like Slim Pickens to such talented comics as Madeline Kahn. Whether arguing with Brooks’ absent-minded state governor or speaking directly to the audience, nary a dull word ever comes from Hedley’s manipulative lips.
10. Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
Anyone who has seen Disney’s animated classic Peter Pan knows that Captain Hook (Hans Conried) appears as the real star of the film. A far more human (and perhaps even more likable) character than Peter Pan, Hook’s antics come across as more childish than threatening, leading to constant tantrums aimed at his long-suffering first mate, Mr. Smee.
Despite his hilarious fits of rage, however, Hook’s unending battles with his sworn enemy, Tick-Tock, the crocodile, provides the most buoyant number of laughs in the film. Struggling to stay one step ahead of the croc's snapping jaws, Hook’s tireless game of cat and mouse with Tick-Tock rivals the wacky hijinks of Tom and Jerry or Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny.
11. Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)
The second greatest Mel Brooks villain after Blazing Saddles’ Hedley Lamarr, Dark Helmet’s fan-favorite popularity results from Rick Moranis’ indelible performance. Perhaps the crowning achievement of Moranis’ career, he managed to tailor Dark Helmet into his own three-dimensional character, making it almost impossible to imagine anyone else playing the short-statured intergalactic dictator.
A direct parody of Star Wars’ Darth Vader, Dark Helmet bears little resemblance to his fictional counterpart other than his villainous status. Childish, immature, and demanding to no end, Dark Helmet more closely resembles the Prequel Trilogy’s Anakin Skywalker than he does the dark and foreboding Vader of the Original Trilogy, providing Spaceballswith an ample supply of outlandish sequences.
12. Ernie McCracken (Kingpin)
More often than not, Bill Murray tends to portray more sympathetic or heroic characters, as seen with his portrayal of Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters or John Winger in Stripes. With 1996’s Kingpin, on the other hand, Murray has his chance to shine as a more conventional comedic villain with his professional bowler, Ernie “Big Ern” McCracken.
As with most sports comedy antagonists, Ernie always finds a way to dupe his fellow competitors, resorting to a variety of cheap tricks to gain the upper hand. Sabotaging the career of his young rival Roy Munson, Big Ern shows no signs of remorse when it comes to holding onto his accomplished place in professional bowling, resulting in plenty of humorous sequences each time McCracken wanders on-screen.
13. Biff Tannen (Back to the Future)
The stereotypical high school bully, Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) comes across as the last classmate we’d want to pass in the hallway. Terrorizing the McFly family in 1955, 1985, an alternative version of 1985, and 2015, Biff somehow also claws himself back from the brink of humility, doing whatever he can to torment the McFlys and improve his underwhelming existence.
Whether creating his own corporate dystopia or harassing Lorraine as a teenager, audiences have little to sympathize with when it comes to Biff’s character. Yet, for all his nastiness, viewers can’t help but laugh every time one of Biff’s lame attempts at intimidation fails, especially when it comes to his botched one-liners. (“Now why don’t you make like a tree… and get out of here.”)
14. Judge Smails (Caddyshack)
In a perfect world, Judge Smails (Ted Knight) might appear as the dramatic precursor to Happy Gilmore’s Shooter McGavin. A smug, condescending, and pretentious representative of the judicial system, Smails holds a conservative view of his esteemed country club, working hard to keep the more unconventional members of the club out.
Berating his nouveau rich counterparts for their less-than-serious lifestyles, Smails’ elitist view of golf and social classes makes him a snooty character audiences love to hate — even if they find themselves chuckling at his wide-eyed expressions and almost maniacal angry outbursts.
15. The Sanderson Sisters (Hocus Pocus)
The fact that Disney decided to retool the Sanderson Sisters as more sympathetic anti-heroes in the long-belated sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, tells audiences all they need to know about this trio of Puritan New England witches.
Led by eldest sister Winifred (Bette Middler) and rounded out by her youngest sisters Mary (Kathy Najimy) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), the Sandersons may appear as devil-worshiping witches who feast on the souls of children. Yet through their zany behavior, unending arguments, and catchy musical dance numbers, viewers might have a hard time not chortling any time their villainous plans go awry.
16. Mugatu (Zoolander)
One of the earliest breakthrough performances for Will Ferrell, Zoolander helped Ferrell transition from a respected SNL cast member into a comedic performer with legitimate star potential — something that soon became evident with movies like Elf, Old School, and Anchorman.
Before all those films, though, Ferrell left quite an impression through his portrayal of the morally bankrupt fashion mogul, Jacobim Mugatu. A heartless businessman with a flamboyant personality and bold fashion sense, Ferrell’s signature brand of physical comedy fits well with a character like Mugatu, leading to plenty of hilarious moments between Ferrell and Ben Stiller’s titular Derek Zoolander.
17. Derek (Step Brothers)
Deep down, everyone dreads the idea of having a brother like Step Brothers' Derek (Adam Scott). Checking off every potential requirement when it comes to the cliched evil sibling, Derek takes every opportunity he can to humiliate and demean his older brother, Brennan, and his eventual step-brother, Dale.
While he grows into a more sympathetic character by the movie’s conclusion, Derek’s role as the vain and demeaning younger brother never wears thin on audiences. Entering to the subtle beat of “Ice Ice Baby,” Derek has no shortage of fantastic lines and wonderful insults, with very few people free from his biting comedic barbs (including his own wife).
18. Dean Wormer (Animal House)
As expected, it takes a straight-laced character to stand up to the anarchic behavior of Animal House’s Delta Tau Chi fraternity. Enter Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon), the authoritarian ruler of Faber College, who presides over his university with an iron fist.
Possessing an unrelenting vendetta against Delta for their rowdy antics, Wormer makes it his personal goal to “kick those punks off campus,” colluding with Delta’s rivals (the sycophantic Omega Theta Pi) in order to do so. Drifting into each scene with the elegance of a looming vulture, Wormer’s tyrannical attempts at thwarting the Deltas makes him a persistent threat to the frat’s carefree pranks and lifestyle, with Wormer standing in as the complete opposite of everything the Deltas represents.
19. The Sheriff of Rottingham (Robin Hood: Men in Tights)
While most audience members gravitate towards Blazing Saddles’ Hedley Lamarr or Spaceballs’ Dark Helmet, one shouldn’t look past the utter hilarity that comes with Robin Hood: Men in Tights’ Sheriff of Rottingham (Roger Rees).
A direct parody of Alan Rickman’s over-the-top rendition of Robin Hood’s arch-nemesis in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Rees’ version of the character comes with his own set of humorous characteristics. From his constant mispronounced threats to his fruitless attempts to pull one over on Cary Elwes’ Robin of Loxley, the Sheriff of Rottingham proves himself every bit as laugh-out-loud funny as Mel Brooks’ other villainous creations.
20. Lord Farquaad (Shrek)
The pint-sized ruler of the kingdom of Duloc, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) may not appear as the fiercest antagonist in the Shrek universe, but that doesn’t make him any less hilarious when it comes to his appearance in Shrek. A merciless, magic-hating tyrant who longs to earn the title of king, Farquaad’s power-hungry plans for the future rivals his Napoleon-like short stature.
With Lithgow delivering each of his lines in a theatrical bravado, Farquaad comes across as the perfect counterpart to the down-and-dirty attitude of Shrek. Whether harassing an injured Gingerbread Man or threatening to crack the Magic Mirror, audiences can’t help but hate Duloc’s leader, even as they chuckle at his self-aggrandizing attempts at lording his superiority over others.
