20 Greatest 90s Movie Villains

The '90s were the golden age of action cinema, and as such, plenty of the genre's greatest villains come from this decade, such as this legend here. Cyrus 'The Virus' Grissom, played by John Malkovich, is a bad guy who's every bit as great as his name, which is somewhat ironic, as the movie he's in isn't the best. Sure, Con Air is a cult classic, but there's little artistry to the execution, and people do cut it an awful lot of slack. 

Cyrus the Virus, a criminally insane prison veteran who hijacks a plane transporting him and his fellow prisoners, is the one truly great element in the film. He's a campy, scenery-chewing, maniacal diva who, like all the best action antagonists, puts everyone who tries to stop him through absolute hell. Not only is he a psychopathic killer, but he's also an extremely clever manipulator who is said to have murdered 11 inmates, incited three riots, and escaped prison twice before the film's events. 

Cyrus is also blessed by a tremendous performance from John Malkovich, who absolutely kills it in the role and hams it up while also bringing the right level of sincerity to the table. Thanks in no small part to Malkovich's sublime work, Cyrus the Virus is one of the coolest action movie big bads of them all, even if he deserved a better flick.