10 Most Evil TV And Movie Politicians

3. Emperor Palpatine - Star Wars

Richard Nixon Black Dynamite
Lucasfilm

No list of despotic rulers would be complete without the inclusion of Star Wars' Emperor Palpatine, head honcho of The Empire, and responsible for the utter defeat of the Jedi in Episodes I-III. In terms of scale and ambition, it's hard to beat Palpatine, who had an actual planet destroying Death Star built, and one Darth Vader at his beck and call.

How tough is Palpatine? Those scars come as a result of a fight with Samuel L. Jackson (alright, Mace Windu), and successfully winning young Anakin over to the Dark Side to finish the fight on his behalf.

He may have ultimately gone out like a bit of a chump (thrown down a pit by Vader) but there's no denying the dark brilliance of Emperor Palpatine.

Contributor
Contributor

A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.