10. Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part 2
In stark contrast, Michael Corleones rise to unquestioned power in the American Mafia is a villain victory that dramatically satisfies in a completely different way; the criminal succeeds in thwarting both his mobster rivals and the forces of justice, but takes absolutely no satisfaction from it in the long run and finds success to be inglorious and hollow. Michaels intelligence and drive in living up to his fathers legacy in the cut-throat world of the Cosa Nostra is objectively impressive. While his older brothers Santino and Fredo are a hothead and a fool, respectively, Michael is constantly thoughtful and rational, making sensible business decisions with the same aplomb as he arranges the murder of enemies and traitors. However, his calculations lead him to a bleak place where he is an unchallenged crime-boss who is also completely alone, with his actual family (as opposed to his business Family of thugs and crooks) all alienated or dead.