The 19 Greatest Movie Villains from the 1970s
Daniel Bonfiglio
Published
10/16/2024
in
ftw
The 70s were a fantastic decade for movies, and it spawned some of cinema's most iconic franchises, many of which are still around today. But to make a great movie you need a great villain, and when it comes to those, no decade stacks up to the 70s.
50 years later, (yes the 70s were 50 years ago), we're still talking about iconic baddies like Darth Vader and the Xenomorph. Those two easily crack our list, but who else made the cut?
In no particular order, here are our 20 greatest movie villains from the 1970s.
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1. The Xenomorph - Alien
The most famous alien in cinema history is equal parts terrifying and awe inspiring. One of science fiction’s all time great thrillers features one of its most intimidating foes. -
2. Emilio Barzini - The Godfather
Many people consider The Godfather to be the greatest movie of all time, and it has many characters that could feature on a list like this. Emilio Barzini fits the bill in the most traditional sense, heading up the Corleones’ rival gang. -
3. Apollo Creed - Rocky
Any sports movie needs a rival team or competitor, but Sylvester Stallone’s iconic boxing thriller is no normal sports movie, and Apollo Creed is no normal competitor. -
4. Alain Charnier - The French Connection
Alain Charnier is one of the most cunning villains of the 70s, and the French villain spends his screentime stumping New York City detective “Popeye” Doyle. -
5. Lex Luthor - Superman: The Movie
Without the original Superman movie to pave the way, who knows where modern superhero movies would be? And that’s thanks in no small part to the movie’s villain, Lex Luthor. -
6. Scorpio - Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry is a police thriller loosely based on the Zodiac killer, relying heavily on a fantastically intimidating portrayal of that killer. -
7. Colonel Kurtz - Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola and Marlon Brando combine to make the psychologically intense Colonel Kurtz come to life in this dark and ambiguous thriller. -
8. Dean Wormer - Animal House
No school comedy is complete without an overbearing faculty member. Dean Wormer fits the bill perfectly. -
9. Toecutter - Mad Max
It’s easy to forget that the Mad Max franchise has been around for a long time, thanks in part to Toecutter, the original movie’s original villain. -
10. Michael Myers - Halloween
If you walk down the street long enough on Halloween, you’re sure to see a child wearing a Michael Myers mask. Why? Because he’s one of horror’s scariest villains, that’s why. -
11. Darth Vader - Star Wars
The most iconic movie villain of all time needs no introduction. -
12. Mr. Big - Live And Let Die
Not too many Bond villains live successful double lives, but Mr. Big does so compellingly in Live And Let Die. -
13. The Demon - The Exorcist
It feels like every modern day horror movie is trying to follow in The Exorcist’s footsteps, and they all fail. Why? Because nobody does The Devil quite like The Demon. -
14. Han - Enter The Dragon
You have to be quite the foe to match Bruce Lee in one of his own movies, but that’s exactly what Han does. -
15. Sheriff Buford T. Justice - Smokey And The Bandit
No race car driver getaway movie is complete without a sheriff to chase them, and Buford T. Justice delivers in both the driving, and personality departments. -
16. Francisco Scaramanga - The Man With The Golden Gun
Francisco Scaramanga IS the man with the golden gun, living up to the intrigue in this Bond movie’s title. -
17. Dr. Christian Szell - Marathon Man
Going to the dentist is scary enough on its own, but former German war criminal Dr. Christian Szell takes it to a whole new level. -
18. Damien - The Omen
No horror movie is complete without a terrifying child, and that’s Damien. -
19. Jaws - The Spy Who Loved Me/Moonraker
This chomping Bond villain bore his teeth in multiple films.
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Replay - The 19 Greatest Movie Villains from the 1970s
The Xenomorph - Alien
The most famous alien in cinema history is equal parts terrifying and awe inspiring. One of science fiction’s all time great thrillers features one of its most intimidating foes.
The most famous alien in cinema history is equal parts terrifying and awe inspiring. One of science fiction’s all time great thrillers features one of its most intimidating foes.
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