10 Amazing 21st-Century Movie Villains Who Aren’t Spoken About Enough

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is filled to the brim when it comes to great villains. However, one name that always goes under the radar is Denethor II. He is the father of fan-favourite brothers Boromir and Faramir. In what was once a man of honour and nobility, Denethor is consumed by overwhelming despair as his inability to find a chink in Sauron’s allegorical armour drives him to madness by the time audiences meet him in Return of the King.

In the grand scheme of all things Lord of the Rings, Denethor may only play a small part in the films, but his impression is everlasting. The bitter and cruel Steward of Gondor provides a fascinating inner conflict for our beloved heroes to overcome, and his presence is a physical reminder to them of what a man who has lost all hope looks like. John Noble depicts an incredibly complex individual whose love for one son is utterly juxtaposed with the other.

Denethor’s desperation for Faramir to be more like Boromir is heart-breaking to watch on-screen, even going as far as to send him on an all-but-guaranteed suicide mission. Though Faramir is unconscious but breathing on his return, Denethor’s dismissal to believe this sees him attempt to burn his son albeit thwarted in his efforts to do so… parents, eh?