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The Best Movie Villains of 2018

Who is the greatest villain of 2018?
Rewind Villains
By  · Published on December 8th, 2018

9. Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) in Ready Player One

Ben Mendelsohn Ready Player One
Warner Bros.

Ready Player One proved divisive among audiences. One thing most audiences can agree upon though is that Ben Mendelsohn is the greatest part of the movie. Mendelsohn plays Nolan Sorrento, the head of IOI, a rival company that seeks to gain control of the OASIS. He has little concern for those in his way and that includes Parzival (Tye Sheridan) and his friends. He does have his faults. For being the head of tech company he isn’t too bright. Leaving his password on a sticky note and being unable to defeat a group of teenagers, just makes Sorrento look bad. Thankfully, Mendelsohn is game for the role and adds a lot to the character with his performance that would otherwise be comical.


8. August Walker (Henry Cavill) in Mission: Impossible — Fallout

Henry Cavill Fallout

August Walker, also known in the film as John Lark, is an undercover spy. Walker works for the CIA and is given the mission of following Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) after Hunt fails to obtain three plutonium cores. At the same time, he is working for The Apostles, a terrorist organization headed by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Cavill as Walker is one those rough and tough villains that it is so easy to hate. He double-crosses Ethan Hunt and has the advantage every step of the way. He is a villain that can go toe-to-toe with Hunt and the Mission: Impossible franchise hasn’t had a villain like that in a long time.


7. David Duke (Topher Grace) in BlackKklansman

Topher Grace Blackkklansman

A shirt-and-tie. Seemingly good mannered. A conversationalist. A white supremacist. These are all terms that can be used to describe Topher Grace’s performance of David Duke. While many villains on this list are fictional, this one is unfortunately all too real. David Duke uses his sway as the head of the KKK to gain political influence and put a “respectable” face on an organization that solely stands for hate. It was an unusual role for Grace, who is best known for That ’70s Show, but he is game in depicting this monster. It’s hard to imagine anyone, let along Topher Grace, uttering the words that come out of that man’s mouth.


6. Jatemme Manning (Daniel Kaluuya) in Widows

Daniel Kaluuya Widows

Despite appearing in TV series and a few movies, Daniel Kaluuya had his big breakout with Get Out. In that film, he is the protagonist, very much in danger from his girlfriend’s family. In Widows, he is the danger. Kaluuya plays Jatemme Manning, a brother and enforcer for political candidate Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry). He enjoys terrifying those who have done wrong, making them dance or perform for him before he takes their lives. What makes him even scarier is the fact that we never know exactly what he is going to do next. He is a villain in-control and one the highlight performances in a film full of them.


5. Ben (Steven Yeun) in Burning

Ben Burning

Is Ben really a villain or is it all in the head of Jong-su (Ah-In Yoo)? That is one of the main conceits of Burning, but even if Ben isn’t as bad as the film makes him out to be, he is one terrifying dude. Handsome, rich, and worldly, Ben inserts himself into the lives of Jong-su and Hae-mi (Jong-seo Jeon). Behind his winning smile, lies a wickedness. Not only does Ben believe he is above reproach, he has a strange hobby. He likes to find randomly abandoned greenhouses and burn them every so often. The only question is whether or not he burns young women in these greenhouses as well.


4. Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) in Paddington 2

Hugh Grant Paddington

Few villains go through as much effort as Phoenix Buchanan. He is a washed-up actor who must assume multiple roles to find a treasure. How does he know about this treasure? Non-other than Paddington and a rare pop-up book. Buchanan frames Paddington for stealing the book and then uses his collection of costumes to find locations detailed in the book. It is a gloriously, devilish role for a performer who has been known for the better part of his career as a love interest in romantic comedies.


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

Michael B Jordan Black Panther

We’ve discussed our love of Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger multiple times this year, so it should be no surprise that he places so high here. Film School Rejects writer Ciara Wardlow puts it better than I could. When talking about why it takes him so long to appear in Black Panther the answer is “Perhaps it’s because once he does show up, he steals the show.” Killmonger is forced into his situation by his Uncle. He is an outcast among his own people, in a world that is already difficult. When he challenges T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) it isn’t simply for power, but for a need to be praised and worshiped by the same people who tossed him aside. Deep stuff for a “comic book” film.


2. Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War

Thanos Avengers

The big purple alien sure made his appearance worthwhile. Always watching over the events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thanos was simply waiting for the right moment to strike. And once he did, he was successful. Thanos is willing to give up everything to save the universe. He believes that he is truly righteous in collecting the Infinity Stones and removing half of the inhabitants in the universe. He believes this so intensely that he kills the person closest to him. With the power of the Infinity Stones and the universe change within a snap of his fingers, no being has had as much power as Thanos in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


1. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) in Avengers: Infinity War

Star Lord Avengers

Except for Peter Quill. Better known as Star-Lord, Quill is responsible for the destruction of half the universe. Not only does he deliver his love, Gamora, to her evil father, but his temper also becomes the downfall of everything. When he learns that Thanos killed Gamora, he isn’t willing to go through with the plan to remove the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos grasp. Instead, he chooses to act on his impulses and be selfish. Which is par for the course for Star-Lord. Instead of saving Gamora, he ended up killing a whole bunch of his other friends. If (when) he comes back, he’s going to have to repent for all eternity.

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News Writer/Columnist for Film School Rejects. It’s the Pictures Co-host. Bylines Playboy, ZAM, Paste Magazine and more.