Seven Evil Villains from Movies, TVs and Comics That I Secretly Admire

While every girl dreams about a hero, we can’t stop fantasizing about the villain. There’s just something about a bad boy that really gets us going. Sorry, not sorry, nice guys! It’s just the way it is. I guess that’s why I secretly rooted for the villains in many of my favorite movies. The badder they were, the more I wanted them to “win,” so to speak. Hey! Movies are the stuff of fantasy, right? Anyway, here are some evil villains from the movies that I secretly admired.

1.Frank Booth/Blue Velvet

Okay, this guy was just downright deranged and absolutely terrifying. And that’s what made Dennis Hopper’s character so intriguing in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. The whole “baby/daddy” talk when he was physically and psychologically torturing poor Dorothy Valens gave me shivers. And what was this the amyl nitrate he kept huffing with that mask? Creepy! That’s what it was. Downright creepy. One thing is for sure, no one who’s seen Blue Velvet can easily shake loose the horrifying impression Frank Booth left upon them.

2. Raven Shaddock/Streets of Fire

Some villains are just too cool no matter what they do. Take Raven Shaddock, the main baddie in Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire. Who couldn’t fall for a young Willem Dafoe with a 1950s pompadour and black leather outfit? Bonus points because he rode a Harley Davison and was the leader of a biker gang, the Bombers. While his final showdown with Tom Cody (Michael Pare) beneath the elevated train platform was classic, I couldn’t help rooting for Raven to win. Oh well. Streets of Fire is still a cult classic.

3. Dracula/Bram Stoker’s Dracula

There’s always something sexy about a vampire… at least in the movies. I’ve seen them all since Bela Lugosi, and none come close to Gary Oldman’s portrayal of history’s most famous vampire and villain. (Some consider the real Prince Vlad Tepes a hero.) Whether as the old man with the bun in the castle or the young hottie on the streets of London, Gary Oldman brought plenty of excitement and sex appeal to his role as the titular count.

4. Alex/A Clockwork Orange

Sometimes the villain is the protagonist of the story. Such is the case with Alex (Malcolm McDowell) in A Clockwork Orange. Yes, he was a violent streetfighter, rapist, and eventual killer, but he did it all with style and humor. Yeah, yeah… say what you will, but everyone who watches A Clockwork Orange ends up rooting for Alex. Guilty as charged. (What can I say? I was young.)

5. Mickey/Natural Born Killers

Like I said, sometimes the main character is a villain, but you still root for him. Such is the case with Mickey (Woody Harrelson) in Natural Born Killers. It was the hottest movie of 1994 and I, like everyone else I knew, waited in line to get our tickets. I wasn’t disappointed, either. It was like watching the most violent and bloody music video… if music videos were two hours and two minutes long, that is. Woody brought a lot to this role, which is probably why I like this villain so much. That and the theory that villains act out on the desires that most people repress for their safety and the safety of others.

6. David/The Lost Boys

I must have a thing for vampires because this is the second one on my list. While Dram Stoker’s Dracula was probably the best vampire movie of my generation, The Lost Boys comes in close second. And who could forget Kiefer Sutherland and his mullet in this 80s classic? He was mesmerizing as the leader of the motorcycle riding vampire pack. Spoiler alert: I was so sad to see him go at the end, and even sadder that he went on to do 24.

7. Cain Marko aka The Juggernaut/Marvel Universe

The Juggernaut, bitch! Seriously, I was never a big fan of comic books, but I remember this iron-helmeted thug. What girl wouldn’t want to be scooped up inside those huge arms that are rippling with muscles? I know I would. And the fact that he was an unrepentant criminal throughout most of his Marvel career made for some interesting reading.