20 Movie Villains Who Were Unbelievably Petty

There are more than a couple of comedy movies on this list that feel more easily allowed to lean into the petty villain as a concept. Here, the ridiculous can be used for comedic effect, and is done brilliantly in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

You could argue that the story didn't particularly need a villain, as the conflict between Ron and Veronica (Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate) was enough to carry the film. Such is the case that the main bad guy of the proceedings, namely Wes Mantooth, isn't exactly one of the most memorable parts of Anchorman.

And yet, Vince Vaughn's rival anchorman, who worked for the Evening News Team against Burgundy's Channel 4, hated his counterpart simply because of a rivalry over who was better at their job and who could get the most ratings. It must have been really grating to keep coming second, but was it really worth such hatred?

This, of course, came to a head with the infamous scene in which the news teams, not just Burgundy's and Mantooth's but a plethora, came together in a vicious brawl that saw deadly weapons, genuine murder, and Wes Mantooth's switchblade.

Granted, Wes eventually let his respect for Ron outweigh his hatred when he had the chance to kill him, but that doesn't change his actions throughout the rest of the story.