Having taken a look at some of the most iconic hero introductions in movie history it's only fair that the other end of the spectrum gets equal coverage - after all, were it not for the villain our movie heroes would have no one to fight with in the first place. While audiences often look up to and admire the heroes, more often than not they have a soft spot for the villains, too. Cinema is all about wish fulfilment, and a great bad guy is often rooted for every bit as much as the more clean-cut protagonist. Movies offer the vicarious thrill of being engrossed in behaviour we know to be bad, but, since it's only a movie, there are no consequences for either the audience or the filmmaker to deal with once the credits roll. Whether it's cunning and deceitful criminal masterminds or murderous psychopaths, the movie villain is an enduring presence on the silver screen. Some have become every bit as culturally iconic as the heroes they fight, embedded in popular culture and much loved by millions of fans. The following list covers 20 of the most iconic villain introductions in the history of cinema, bringing to audiences timeless characters destined to live on in our imagination for decades to come. It should go without saying but we're about to enter SPOILER ALERT! territory...
