There’s something special about great villains. The can make an average movie amazing. The best baddies make us root for them just a little. Even when we know they’re 100 percent in the wrong and are going full on crazy, there’s a small piece of us that still wants them to win. That’s why we never really want bad guys to be dead. We want to believe there’s a chance they’ll be back. With Chukwudi Iwuji set to introduce The High Evolutionary to the MCU in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, we’re taking a look at some of the most memorable Black movie villains.
Suggested Reading
Evilene - The Wiz
Her name is Evilene, so you know what to expect right from the start.
Curtis - Dreamgirls
Jamie Foxx was such a smooth-talking, charming manipulator as Curtis. I still feel like he should’ve received a stronger punishment than ending up alone.
W’Kabi - Black Panther
Everyone talks about Killmonger, but W’Kabi turned his back on his king and his wife in the name of rage and vengeance.
Alonzo Harris - Training Day
This isn’t a ranking, but we had to start with Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning performance in Training Day. We didn’t know he could be so menacing and we’ve never forgotten his final speech.
Candyman – Candyman (1992)
Shoutout to the legendary Tony Todd, who has been ruining childhoods for 30 years.
Deebo - Friday
There’s true brilliance in the way Tommy Lister Jr. made Deebo simultaneously terrifying and funny.
Mary - Precious
Mo’Nique deserved all the awards she won for playing this disgustingly awful, vile woman.
Sho Nuff - The Last Dragon
If someone asks “Who’s the master?” and your answer isn’t “Sho’Nuff,” you should rethink your life choices.
Georgina - Get Out
Long before we knew what crazy road Jordan Peele was taking us down, we knew there was something creepy and unnatural about Betty Gabriel’s Georgina.
Killmonger - Black Panther
Killmonger may have been right about the rest of the world, but let’s not pretend that he wasn’t a narcissistic psychopath. The good news is the MCU’s multiverse gives us a chance to see other variants of him.
May Day - A View to a Kill
Grace Jones has such a captivating on-screen presence, you can’t stop yourself from paying attention to what she’s doing. Even with Christopher Walken going as over the top as possible, she steals the show.
Elijah Price - Unbreakable, Glass
Samuel L. Jackson has played a lot of morally questionable characters, but super genius Elijah Price is his most complex bad guy. He’s dangerous, selfish and sympathetic.
Stephen - Django Unchained
As awful as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Candie is, there’s something truly gut-wrenchingly evil about Samuel L. Jackson’s Stephen. The ease of his betrayal is physically painful.
Dr. Facilier - The Princess and the Frog
By Disney standards, the villainous sorcerer is shockingly bad. He turns Naveen into a frog, tries to lure Tiana into making a dark deal and kills a beloved character. That’s a lot for a Disney movie.
Amanda Waller - The Suicide Squad
What makes Amanda Waller so cool, is that she’s unapologetic about the things she does. She knows she’s the only one who’s willing to make the tough decisions, and she wears it as a badge of honor.
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