20 Greatest Movie Villains Of The 2000s

4. Saruman - The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Just because a character is the main antagonist, doesn't automatically mean they are the best. Plenty of secondary villains have outshone those above them in the pecking order, and it's no different in Middle-earth.

This shouldn't be too surprising, as Sauron hung back in the shadows while his evil was brought forth by the likes of the Ringwraiths, the Ring itself, and of course Christopher Lee's Saruman. It was the White Wizard who was the most prominent of the bad guys, and without question the best of them.

Aside from the initial shock of his siding with Sauron in the first place, abandoning reason for madness, he had the power to back it up. He was the only wizard able to take on Gandalf and win, he forced the Fellowship into the clutches of the Balrog, and he brought to life the Uruk-hai armies that, if not for two Hobbits, would have won the day for evil.

Christopher Lee has multiple great villains to his name, and though this one was robbed of a proper ending to his story, in the theatrical version of The Return of the King at least, Saruman may well be his best.