The comedy genre underwent a lot of change in the 2010s, and the roles of villains started to shift too. As opposed to the optimistic, broad comedies that dominated the 2000s, many of thebest comedy movies of the 2010sare rather dark and cynical. This change meant that a lot of comedies went without villains in the 2010s, choosing to explore anti-heroes, villain protagonists, or stories without clear man vs. man conflict.
Despite the changes in the comedy genre, there are still some great villains from the 2010s who stand out. In some cases, these villains aren’t supposed to be funny, but they create tension and conflict which brings the best out of the hero. The days of Dr. Evil, White Goodman and Jacobim Mugatu faded before the 2010s, but the decade still produced a few hilarious movie villains.
10Loner Leader
The Lobster (2015)
The Lobsteris as strange and foreboding as any of Yorgos Lanthimos' movies, but it’s also arguably his funniest. WhileThe FavouriteandPoor Thingsare the critical darlings,The Lobsteruses the director’s idiosyncratic atmosphere and intentionally clunky dialogue for comedic effect. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz and John C. Reilly all master deadpan humor inThe Lobster.One actor who doesn’t get any laughs is Léa Seydoux, who plays the violent leader of a band of society’s outcasts.
Thanks to Seydoux’s intensity, the character managed to inject some real jeopardy into a world which feels utterly alien.
The Loner Leader - who is never given a name - doesn’t gel withThe Lobster’s peculiar sense of humor. Thanks to Seydoux’s intensity, the character managed to inject some real jeopardy into a world which feels utterly alien.She proves that her philosophy is just as bizarre and discordant with human life as the rest of society.She also shows that she can be just as violent and oppressive, blinding David’s lover to drive her away from him.
9Richmond Valentine
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
TheKingsmanfranchise has stumbled a little as it has tried to develop, but the first movie is still a great spy comedy that satirizesJames Bondwithout being so overt that it hampers the storytelling. In keeping with the movie’s subtle nods to theBondfranchise, Samuel L. Jackson’s eccentric, world-conquering bad guy seems to borrow parts from many greatBondvillains. He’s a little bit Goldfinger, a little bit Stromberg and a little bit Raoul Silva.
In keeping with the movie’s subtle nods to theBondfranchise, Samuel L. Jackson’s eccentric, world-conquering bad guy seems to borrow parts from many greatBondvillains.
Jackson adds several theatrical flourishes to the character of Richmond Valentine, such as a pronounced lisp and an unshakable swagger. The character could become generic in the hands of another actor, but Jackson’s vision of Valentine is always fun to watch.By choice, he often jars withKingsman’s tone, bumbling into the pristine world of tailored suits and impeccable manners with a brashness that hints at his extreme power.
8Lotso
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Toy Story 3looked like it would be the last movie in the franchise at the time, and it’s fitting that it produced the best villain so far. Lotso - or Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, to give him his full title - welcomes Andy’s toys to Sunnyside daycare when they first arrive. He is friendly and kind when he shows them around their new home, promising that there will be plenty of time to play in their future. It doesn’t take long for Lotso to show his true colors, however.
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Lotso runs Sunnyside like a prison camp, exerting his influence as the de facto leader to punish those who go against him. Not only does Lotso brainwash Buzz and imprison the rest of Andy’s toys, but he even leaves them to die later at the incinerator.Toy Story 3delves into Lotso’s backstory, and this fleshes out his character without making him seem too sympathetic. WithToy Story 5on the way, the franchise will struggle to come up with another villain quite so terrifying, even if he is a strawberry-scented teddy bear.
7Lavrentiy Beria
The Death Of Stalin (2017)
The Death of Stalinis teeming with villains of various kinds, all colliding and colluding with one another to fill the power vacuum caused by Stalin’s demise. The main villain, if there is one, is Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin’s secret police chief who exerts his considerable influence to eradicate his political opponents. Ultimately, Beria is the one vestige of Russia’s past who must be purged for the remaining contenders to feel any sense of peace.
Simon Russell Beale presents Beria as a small man who has come into a large amount of power, and this makes him a much more interesting villain than a mere brute.
The characters inThe Death of Stalinare all based on real people, and many of the details are completely true. There are a lot of comedic embellishments and imagined conversations, butBeria was every bit as repugnant in real life as he appears to be in the movie. Simon Russell Beale animates Beria’s vile personality with aplomb, but he also presents him as a small man who has come into a large amount of power, and this makes him a much more interesting villain than a mere brute.
6Lord Business
The Lego Movie (2014)
The Lego Moviesurprised a lot of people with how original and entertaining it is, considering that it was written off in some quarters as a corporate cash-grab.The Lego Moviepokes fun at such a business-oriented mentality with its villain. Lord Business is the antithesis of Lego’s creative, free-flowing spirit. He’s a corrupt ruler who wants to bend his entire existence to his will.
Lord Business is the antithesis of Lego’s creative, free-flowing spirit.
The Lego Moviedraws some funny parallels between what happens in the world of Lego and what happens in the real world above. Lord Business is revealed to be an embodiment of an adult Lego collector in the real world who refuses to let his son play with his model city.Will Ferrell is entertaining in both Lego and human form, and his role seems to presage his villain turn inBarbiealmost a decade later.The Lego Moviefranchise is continuing, but it may never find a better villain than Lord Business.
5Ransom
Knives Out (2019)
Rian Johnson’sKnives Outputs a comedic spin on a seemingly conventional whodunnit story. While Daniel Craig’s eccentric southern detective Benoit Blanc hoovers up most of the jokes, there are a few other characters who can be just as funny. In most cases, humor is linked to power and comfort inKnives Out.Marta isn’t funny at all, because she’s so ill at ease and deep in grief. Ransom, on the other hand, has time to crack wise when he feels like it.
Among all the slimy characters in the Thrombey household, Ransom initially seems like a surprisingly down-to-Earth person
Among all the slimy characters in the Thrombey household, Ransom initially seems like a surprisingly down-to-Earth person. He’s charming and even helpful, both with Marta and Benoit. Before too long, this veneer of affability is shattered to reveal a snake oil salesman trying to manipulate the chaos of the investigation to his benefit.Glass Onion’s villain is rather blunt and obvious by comparison, butWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mysterywill see Benoit Blanc surrounded by a new cast of potential killers.
4Gideon
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Edgar Wright’sScott Pilgrim vs. the Worldtakes a lot of visual cues from video games, and it also uses the structure of an arcade game, with a series of battles culminating in a boss fight. After Scott manages to fight his way through an eclectic barrage of Ramona’s exes, he is faced with the leader of the League of Evil Exes and the most powerful member, Jason Schwartzman’s Gideon Graves.
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Gideon is immensely skilled with a katana, but it isn’t his fighting ability that makes him such a memorable villain. With his white suit and red shirt, Gideon cuts a striking figure, and this mirrors his overwhelming ego.He knows that he’s the boss battle for a reason, and Schwartzman plays the part with loathsome arrogance.Gideon proves when he kicks Ramona down the stairs that nothing is important to him as the glorification of his ego, so it’s hugely satisfying to see Scott getting revenge.
3Adolf Hitler
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Taika Waititi’s divisive 2019 comedyJojo Rabbitstars himself as Adolf Hitler, but it’s important to understand that he is merely the fanciful version of Adolf Hitler that exists within the mind of an indoctrinated Hitler Youth enthusiast.Jojo Rabbithas plenty of great jokeswhich highlight the gulf between Jojo’s understanding of the world around him and the brutal reality of life in Nazi Germany.
There’s a softness and a fragility to the character that somehow makes the grimmest possible topic easy to laugh at.
Waititi’s version of Hitler is like many other imaginary friends, but he shows an ugly side when Jojo starts to question his beliefs in the regime. There’s a softness and a fragility to the character that somehow makes the grimmest possible topic easy to laugh at.Hitler isn’t the only villain inJojo Rabbit,as Stephen Merchant is a more menacing and less funny Gestapo agent. He represents the cold reality that contrasts Jojo’s fantasies.
2Dmitri
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
The Grand Budapest Hotelis often cited as one ofWes Anderson’s best movies, and it showcases his talent for handling enormous ensemble casts. Among the many stars with brief roles in Anderson’s world, only the finest manage to stand out. Adrien Brody is one of these actors, and he creates a compelling villain who casts a long shadow even during the long stretches when he isn’t on screen.
Among the many stars with brief roles in Anderson’s world, only the finest manage to stand out. Adrien Brody is one of these actors.
Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis is the pampered son of Madame D., and he is hell-bent on inheriting his mother’s fortune by any means necessary. He resorts to poisoning her to expedite the process, and he goes after both Monsieur Gustave and Deputy Kovacs when they stand in his way.Dmitri is assisted by Willem Dafoe’s grisly hitman J. G. Jopling. Together, they are a powerful one-two punch of bitter malevolence and callous ruthlessness.
1Phoenix Buchanan
Paddington 2 (2017)
Hugh Grant appears to be having the time of his life as Phoenix Buchanan inPaddington 2,and his eccentric performance perfectly suits the tone of the movie.Paddington 2goes to some surprisingly dark places, as Paddington is carted off to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Grant’s strangely likable presence as the villain is part of what keeps the tone feeling light and whimsical.
Grant’s performance is a big reason whyPaddington 2is considered a big step up from its predecessor.
Phoenix Buchanan is a self-interested actor who uses his skills of deception to frame Paddington for the theft of a valuable book, all the while following the clues in the book to a hidden treasure. Grant is slimy and contemptible as Phoenix, but the villain still gets some slender form of redemption in an unforgettable dance number when he’s eventually put behind bars. Grant’s performance is a big reason whyPaddington 2is considered a big step up from its predecessor.
