10 Most Likable Movie Villains Of All Time
7. Barbossa (Pirates Of The Caribbean)
Why is Barbossa a likable villain? Because he's just so damn fun.
Johnny Depp's Keith Richards-esque swashbuckler was great fun the first time around, but Captain Jack Sparrow rammed into a wall of diminishing returns about halfway through the first sequel and never quite regained his footing. Hector Barbossa, on the other hand, only gets more entertaining with each passing installment.
Over the span of three movies, Barbossa was the most entertaining character from top to bottom. His frequent battles of wits with Captain Jack are most engaging, his endless double-crossing never gets old, and his arrogance is so over-the-top that it becomes almost sublime.
This is a man who makes no bones about how much he enjoys the Big Three of pirate lore - raping, pillaging, and murdering - yet still manages to come off as affable, if not downright gentlemanly in most instances.
And Geoffrey Rush, who's on the short list of Triple Crown Actors, deserves oodles of credit for presenting Barbossa with enough gravitas to keep the character from ever becoming stale or schticky. If he wanted to finish out his career with nothing but more Barbossa, I wouldn't be mad.