10 Movie Villains Who Won AFTER They Died

10. Robert Angier - The Prestige

Christopher Nolan's The Prestige (2006) revolves around two magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) competing with each other in increasingly violent ways, particularly following the death of Angier's wife, Julia McCullough (Piper Perabo) in a water tank illusion that goes terribly wrong.

Borden and Angier establish rival versions of the same illusion, "The Transported Man", that become increasingly bizarre. Angier is so desperate to outdo Borden that he commissions Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) to construct a device that appears to physically transport him. During a performance, the curious Borden ducks backstage and witnesses Angier falling into a water tank and drowning; Borden is ultimately tried, convicted, and hanged for the perceived murder.

Content in his victory, Angier, in his true identity as Lord Caldlow is shot by a mysterious figure who is revealed to be Borden. Mortally wounded, Angier/Caldlow suddenly understands that Borden had a twin (also played by Christian Bale), who assisted him in his act and was hanged for Angier's perceived murder.

As Angier succumbs to his injuries, Borden realises that Angier's own Transported Man device literally duplicated him and, during each performance, his duplicate would be plunged into a water tank beneath the stage to drown, waiting for the day when Borden's curiosity would get the better of him.

Even though Borden is able to move on with his daughter, Jess (Samantha Mahurin), he will always know that he lost his identical twin brother in a savage game of wits with Angier.