20 Greatest Movie Villains Played By British Actors
17. Loki - Tom Hiddleston
...I'll split his skull. This is my bargain, you mewling quim
Film Appearance(s): Thor (2011) The Avengers (2012) Thor: The Dark World (2013) As of right now, we are almost ten films into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since 2008 we have been spoilt with big-budget summer spectacles featuring some of our favourite childhood heroes but there is one thing lacking from the majority of these films; a great bad guy. Enter Tom Hiddlestons Loki. Arguably the only entertaining villain the MCU has produced (so far), Loki is the dark heart of the Marvel franchise. This preening, arrogant God acts as antagonist but scratch the surface and you find hidden depths to the character. His cruelty hides a pain and regret which has been effectively explored across three films with more to come. London-born and classically trained, Hiddleston has made the role of the alien prince who thinks himself a king his own. When you consider some of the great actors who failed to make an impression playing villains (Tim Roth, Jeff Bridges, Hugo Weaving, Mickey Rourke, Christopher Eccleston etc) it makes you realise how good Hiddlestons performance of Loki has been and makes you wonder where the MCU would be without him. Did You Know?...Tom Hiddleston based his performance as Loki on three different actors; Peter O'Toole (enigmatic and reckless), Jack Nicholson (edgy and near-insane) and Clint Eastwood (simmering anger).
16. Ash - Ian Holm
I admire its purity. A survivor unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality
Film Appearance(s): Alien (1979) The crew of the commercial spaceship Nostromo are woken from their stasis and ordered to investigate a mysterious transmission from a nearby planet. What follows becomes a fight to survive against a highly aggressive alien life-form which kills them off one by one. The crew though are unaware of another enemy from within their own ranks; science offer Ash played by Ian Holm. After breaking quarantine by allowing an infected crew member on-board, it becomes clear that Ash is not all he seems. It's hard to watch Alien after all these years without the knowledge that Ian Holm's Ash is not human but an android with a secret agenda but that does nothing to detract from the horror that unfolds. Ian Holm is great as the duplicitous android who has no attachment to his crew mates whatsoever and will do anything to ensure the companies orders are carried out; 'Bring back alien life-form. Crew expendable.' One can only whoop with joy when Ripley finally takes a flamethrower to Ash's head. Did You Know?...The dead facehugger that Ash autopsies was made of shellfish, oysters and a sheep's kidney to recreate the internal organs.
