20 Secret Movie Villains EVERYONE Saw Coming

11. Martin Vanger - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Sony Pictures Releasing

For anyone who hadn't read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or seen the previous Swedish adaptation, it should've theoretically been pretty tricky to figure out the identity of the central serial killer.

But David Fincher arguably made things a teensy bit obvious by casting the brilliant Stellan Skarsgård in the role of murderous antagonist Martin Vanger.

Above all else, while the film does feature a number of Swedish actors in small supporting roles, Skarsgård is the only Swedish actor to play a major character with substantial screen time.

Couple this with Skarsgård being a highly respected actor with a history of playing complex characters, all while portraying a character here who is a CEO with all the resources to kill undetected, and it's easy to see him as the probable culprit.

Who knew that the superficially charming rich guy played by a member of Swedish acting royalty might be the baddie all along?

 
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.