Heroes and protagonists are great. However, the most memorable type of character in any cinematic story usually ends up being the one—or many—that go up against them. Villains, antagonists, and bad guys inject conflict into the story, and conflict is what drives the narrative, the hero’s journey, and the engagement between the story and the audience.
Before we offer our master list, what are the differences between villains, antagonists, and bad guys?
What Is a Villain?
Villains are best defined as evil characters intent on harming the protagonist, as well as other well-meaning characters in the story. The most important word in that definition is evil. Villains always have evil intent. They are not just opposing the intentions of the protagonist. They are doing so in evil fashion with immoral and unethical intentions.
However, there is a gray area when it comes to what is defined as evil. While the Mattel board in Barbie isn’t necessarily operating with outright evil intentions, they can be looked upon as villains with evil intent through the eyes of the protagonist.
For comedic purposes, as we can see with Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, a character can be looked upon as evil through the perspective of teenagers who believe any authority figure is comedically evil. And Rooney goes about his obsession with finding Ferris in often immoral and unethical ways.
Examples of villains include:
- Darth Vader in Star Wars
- Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in Harry Potter
- Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) in A Nightmare on Elm Street
- Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in Die Hard
- Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in The Silence of the Lambs
Read More: 15 Types of Villains Screenwriters Need to Know
What Is an Antagonist?
Antagonists are characters that work in opposition to the hero or protagonist. In The Fugitive, US Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones) isn’t a villain. He doesn’t have evil, immoral, or unethical intentions. In fact, he’s merely doing his job by enforcing the law and chasing a convicted and escaped murderer. The notion that protagonist Richard Kimble is innocent doesn’t matter. Gerard is doing his job.
When a character is merely opposing the actions of the protagonist without evil, immoral, or unethical actions, they are an antagonist.
Examples of antagonists include:
- The aforementioned Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive
- Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in Rocky
- The other storm-chasing team in Twister
What Are Bad Guys?
The term bad guy is generally not gender-specific—it is an idiom in fictional storytelling that refers to characters with evil (or “bad”) intent.
While the bad guy in a story can refer to a villain, a villain is generally referred to more specifically as the main baddie, whereas the story can also have plenty of supporting bad guys looking to do harm to the hero, protagonist, and their peers.
Examples of supporting bad guys include:
- Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch) in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
- Hans Gruber’s henchmen in Die Hard
- Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) in The Matrix
- René Belloch (Paul Freeman) in Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) in Harry Potter
With those definitions in mind, here we present a list of two hundred types of villains, antagonists, and bad guys that you can use as inspiration for your stories. This list also works very well as a collection of story prompts, allowing you to start with the juiciest part of potential cinematic stories as you build narratives, stories, plots, protagonists, and supporting characters around them.
‘The Matrix’ (1999)
200 Movie/TV Villains, Antagonists, and Bad Guys
- Abductor
- Abuser
- Abusive Alcoholic
- Adulterer
- Alien Hive Queen
- Alien Invaders
- Alter-ego
- Anarchist
- Apocalyptic Cult Leader
- Arsonist
- Artificial Intelligence
- Art Thief
- Assassin
- Barbaric Warlord
- Betrayed Hero
- Betraying Best Friend
- Betraying Mentor
- Bloodthirsty Monster
- Black Widow
- Blackmailer
- Body-Swapping Trickster
- Bodyguard
- Brainwashed Person
- Brainwashing Televangelist
- Bullying Beauty Queen
- Cannibal
- Changeling
- Child Molester
- Coach
- Compulsive Liar
- Con Artist
- Conquerer
- Corrupt Business Person
- Corrupt Cop
- Corrupt Corporate CEO
- Corrupt Organization
- Corrupt Pharmaceutical CEO
- Corrupt Politician
- Creepy Motel Manager
- Criminal
- Crime Lord
- Cult Leader
- Cunning Trickster
- Cursed Ancient Artifact
- Cursed Artifact
- Cursed Mummy
- Cybercriminal
- Damned Souls
- Dangerous Animals
- Dangerous Storm
- Dark Druid
- Dark Knight
- Deceiver
- Delusional Killer
- Demented Doll Maker
- Demon
- Demonic Overlord
- Demonic Possessor
- Demigod
- Demigoddess
- Deranged Psychopath
- Devil
- Disrespectful Student
- Disturbed Genetic Engineer
- Dragon
- Drug Dealer
- Drug Lord
- Dystopian Government
- Elitist
- Environmental Extremist
- Evil Billionaire
- Evil Butcher
- Evil Clone
- Evil Clown
- Evil Creation
- Evil Doctor
- Evil Genie
- Evil King
- Evil Overlord
- Evil Queen
- Evil Robot
- Evil Sorceress
- Evil Twin
- Evil Wizard
- Ex-Husband
- Extortionist
- Extremist
- Ex-Wife
- Fallen Angel
- False Messiah
- Fanatic
- Femme Fatale
- Folklore Creature
- Guard
- Ghost
- Gladiator
- Gladiator Games Arena Master
- Goblin
- Grave Robber
- Greedy Art Collector
- Greedy Business Tycoon
- Greedy Casino Owner
- Greedy Gemstone Miner
- Greedy Oil Baron
- Greedy Relic Hunter
- Greedy Televangelist
- Greedy Treasure Hunter
- Gremlin
- Haunted Amusement Park Ghost
- Haunted House
- Haunted Lighthouse
- Haunted Ship
- Henchman
- Henchwoman
- High School Bully
- Informant
- Inhuman Experiment
- Invader
- Interrogator
- Jaded Outcast
- Jealous Rival
- Juvenile Delinquent
- Kidnapper
- Lawyer
- Lovecraftian Monster
- Love Rival
- Mad Scientist
- Malevolent AI
- Malevolent Mutant Insect
- Maniacal Clown
- Manipulative Geneticist
- Manipulative Illusionist
- Manipulative Mentor
- Manipulative Psychic
- Manipulative Reality Show Producer
- Manipulative Tattoo Artist
- Manipulative Televangelist
- Martial Artist Competitor
- Mean Boss
- Mean Principal
- Mean Teacher
- Mercenary
- Mind-Controlling Cultist
- Mind-Controlling Magician
- Mind-Controlling Parasite
- Minion
- Misogynist
- Mobster
- Mother Nature
- Murderer
- Mutated Animal
- Mutated Extraterrestrial
- Ogre
- Pervert
- Pirate Captain
- Poacher
- Possessed Doll Collection
- Possessed Object
- Possessed Person
- Power-Drunk Superhero
- Power-Hungry Immortal
- Power-Hungry Tyrant
- Psychopathic Killer
- Rapist
- Reality-Bending Anomaly
- Religious Zealot
- Robot
- Saboteur
- Sadistic Game Master
- Sadistic Nanny
- Sadistic Nurse
- Satan
- Secret Society
- Seductress
- Serial Killer
- Shooter
- Sinister Cult Leader
- Sinister Ring of Thieves
- Soul-Draining Specter
- Soul-Hunting Demon
- Space Parasite
- Spy
- Stalker
- Terrorist
- Thug
- Time-Manipulating Villain
- Time-Traveling Villain
- Traitor
- Troll
- Twisted Game Show Host
- Twisted Inventor
- Usurper
- Vampire
- Vigilante
- Voodoo Priestess
- Warlord
- Witch
- Witch Doctor
- Werewolf
- Zombie
Read More: 200 Heroic and Villainous Character Traits
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Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, and Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries BLACKOUT, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller HUNTER’S CREED, and many produced Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies and Instagram @KenMovies76.
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Author: Ken Miyamoto
