The Top 10 Movie Villains of 2018

2018 was a great year for villains as movies like Widows, Black Panther, The Night Comes for Us and Bad Times at the El Royale introduced the world to some world class baddies. In honor of these jerks we decided to put together a list of the best villains of 2018. This list is very eclectic and features random villains who made each movie better with their adherence to thievery, chainsaws and total lack of world ending snaps.

Here is the list! Let us know about your favorite villains in the comments.

8-10. All three of Walton Goggins villainous characters in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Tomb Raider and Maze Runner: The Death Cure

We here at MFF love Walton Goggins and embraced all three of his villainous roles with open arms. The best thing to come out of him being a villain is a moment in Ant-Man and the Wasp when Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) asks a crowd of people “Anyone seen a southern gentleman carrying a building?” The world needs more Walton Goggins being a villainous southern gentleman.

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7. Jatemme Manning (Daniel Kaluuya) – Widows

Jatemme is the classic badass who reads books before killing his prey and embraces every villainous movie trope that comes along with being a cinematic villain (makes people dance, has many henchmen). Widows is a very good film because you believe in the menace of Jatemme and that raises the stakes to an almost unbearable level.

6. Phoenix Buchanon (Hugh Grant) – Paddington 2

Hugh Grant’s performance in Paddington 2 is award worthy and I love how he plays off his past to bring a whole lot of charm to the role of a pretentious actor. His performance is loose, fun and makes a great movie even greater (hyperbole warranted).

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5. August Walker (Henry Cavill) – Mission: Impossible – Fallout

What I like most about August Walker is that he is a bruiser who embraces blunt force tactics above all else. He is solid foil to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) because he legitimately threatening, over-confident and has a sweet mustache. You can tell Henry Cavill loved being part of the action, and embraced being a bad guy who would inevitably lose, but put up a helluva fight in the process. Also, we love the bathroom fight and appreciate how he threw massive haymakers while Hunt was more cerebral in his fighting style.

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4. The Cenobite(ish) Weirdos – Mandy

The cenobite(ish) baddies in Mandy are evil incarnate and I can’t think of the last time villains made me so uncomfortable. They are leather clad jerks who love potent LSD who can be summoned by a magical horn which gives them a mystical feel that makes them even scarier. Once they’re unleashed on their prey the results are nasty, and their brutality actually warrants a cinematic Nicolas Cage freakout. The best part about these villains is you want to see them perish, and when they bite the dust, it makes you very happy.

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3. Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) – Black Panther

Michael B. Jordan is a very good actor and he brought a welcome dose of humility and pathos to a character who could’ve come across as a stock baddie who wants to murder thousands. He is a big part of why Black Panther was a SMASH hit at the box office because his performance gave the film a formidable villain who has turned to the dark side, but is still sympathetic. Also, Jordan made you believe he could beat up pretty much everyone with ease.

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2. Arian (Iko Uwais) and Pretty Much Every Other Character – The Night Comes For Us

The Night Comes for Us is the best action film of 2018, because it features Iko Uwais (and Joe Taslim) destroying people. You will cringe, cover your eyes and yell at the screen during Iko’s fights because he stabs people with broken bottles and slices legs with shards of glass. The best part about The Night Comes for Us is that everyone is basically a terrible person, so you cheer during the insanity because they are all getting what is coming to them. I don’t know why Iko Uwais isn’t the biggest action star on the planet, hopefully this movie gets him closer to that goal.

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1. Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth) – Bad Times at the El Royale

What I love about Billy Lee is how he oozes a false sense of confidence that can shaken by a person who sees through his shit. He is dangerous to a point, and I love how he can go from uber confident to super petulant in a moments notice. A lot of credit has to go to Chris Hemsworth for understanding the fragility of the character while knowing he doesn’t mind killing people. Billy Lee is the best villain of 2018 because he is also the most layered.

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Who are your favorite 2018 villains? Let us know in the comments.