We all know that a movie is only as good as its villain. And so is the hero. To make the hero memorable, the villain needs to be even more memorable and leave a huge impact on the audience. And science fiction is the perfect genre to explore this. The villains that make you remember them even in your sleep are not easy to come by, which is why we all value a well-written evil doctor/ ambitious dictator or a terrifying warlord. Here are some of the Sci-Fi villains that managed to leave a huge impact on the audience.
Doctor Zaius from Planet Of The Apes
A villain need not be furious and loud all the time in order to be evil. The calmer he is, the scarier he seems. Dr. Zaius is the prime example of that. The character of Doctor Zaius is the antagonist of 1968’s Planet of the Apes, and one of the main antagonists in its sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Played by Maurice Evans, he is a law-abiding scientist and a leading figure in Ape Assembly. He’s a traditionalist who wants to help ape society progress. Maurice truly did an excellent job in making this villain unforgettable.
The Thing from, well, The Thing
John Carpenter’s rendition of The Thing is a sci-fi horror movie of dreams, or should we say nightmares. With excellent special effects and shock value, it manages to leave you in chills. The Thing instills a distinct fear in the audience as we realize that danger can come in a simple form of a human and we cannot know until it’s too late.
In spite of the fact that the Thing isn’t portrayed by a single actor, it remains a terrifying presence throughout the film. The monster is able to take the form of any person, and the Antarctic research base lacks any hope of help.
Darth Vader from Star Wars, the baddest of all
Can any science fiction villain really top Darth Vader’s impact? We doubt it. And even though we later discover that he has some humanity left in him after all, the legacy of Vader remained haunting long after Vader’s death. Darth Vader’s mystique persisted until In “The Empire Strikes Back,” this relentless figure was revealed to be a father. David Prowse portrays a towering villain as well as the deep baritone voice, vocal performance by James Earl Jones, and his fierce treatment of allies and enemies makes him that much more menacing.
The Predator, the main character of The Predator
Kevin Peter Hall portrays the Predator, an alien hunter who selects prey from across the galaxy to hunt and kill. In the original 1987 film, which has a certain charm about it, Dutch, Dillon, and the others have no idea about the origin of the predator and only know that it’s out to kill them. Even the tough and battle-hardened Dutch and Dillon are horrified by its eagerness and ruthlessness when it kills.
Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek
Khan first appeared as the main antagonist in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Space Seed”, but in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, he becomes a well-known villain. As played by Ricardo Montalban, Khan Noonien Singh is a villain who loves to be grand and expansive with his violence as well as talk.
He was an extremely intelligent and dangerous superhuman and an excellent foil for Captain Kirk, due to his over-the-top personality. A legendary performance by Ricardo Montalban left an impact that made him an unforgettable villain.
