10 Most Iconic Villains In Movie History

9. Hans Gruber - Die Hard

Terminator 2 T-1000
Fox

John McClane is (or was) one of the great action movie protagonists. In the first movie he was an everyman, an average Joe dealing with wild circumstances. But he would be far less effective were he not butting heads with one of the all time great action baddies, as brought wonderfully to life by the late Alan Rickman.

The effervescent Brit brings an abundance of charm to the role - he looks like he’s having a blast throughout. Gruber is murderous, arrogant, and slimy, but he’s also cool as hell, an erudite master thief who remains a few steps ahead of the law for most of the film. It’s not surprising a lot of viewers want him to win.

Rickman never attempts to make Gruber a physically imposing threat. Instead he’s sharp and ruthless, dispatching his henchmen like an orchestra conductor in his un-besmirched designer suit.

Jeremy Irons tried his best as Gruber’s brother in the second sequel, but no villain in the franchise could live up to Hans. Die Hard remains the greatest action movie of all time for many reasons, and Hans Gruber is a major one.

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Contributor

Yorkshire-based writer of screenplays, essays, and fiction. Big fan of having a laugh. Read more of my stuff @ www.twotownsover.com (if you want!)