12 Despicable Movie Villains Who Stole Every Scene

Now iconic, the despicable Hans Gruber is a standout movie villain. Equipped with a witty charm and mischievous banter, the genius-level criminal mastermind poses a classy, well-dressed and likeable protagonist.

Alan Rickman's dulcet tones and dry humour lend themselves to someone able to control the most intense back and forth battles, and those playful moments of chatter as easily as one another.

The very appeal of Gruber is that he subverts the expectations of what many movie villains tend to be; he's charming, charismatic, seemingly bored of his own orchestrated mayhem as if to suggest he's above it all, and yet has no generic bad-guy back story. He's not out for revenge, or to avenge a death, he's sincerely using it as a means to grow his own wealth, and uses his IQ to do so.

The movie is centred around gun-slinging John McClane, and so the polar opposite Gruber - a man who values prestige, looking a million bucks, being ultimately civil while acting in a manipulative almost feline manner - is a naturally enthralling character. There's an ease and a level of comfort about the character.

Every move is calculated and performed at a leisurely canter, with Gruber even able to show off some sarcastic wit along the way as they relentlessly hunt down their adversary. He's a man with a bigger plan that we aren't all fully clued on until later, he's a fascinating villain. Combine this with Rickman's wonderful performance and it's no wonder the character became such an icon.