Is there anything more frightening than a really smart villain in a movie or a TV show who always seems to be one step ahead of the hero? Whether it's TV shows like Breaking Bad and Dexter, or movies like Mission: Impossible 3, and Silence of the Lambs, a smart villain is always the most dangerous kind. This list is made up of villains just like that, the smartest ones in Hollywood.
Hannibal Lecter (Silence Of The Lambs)
you certainly can't have a list like this without Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). When we first met him (really), in Silence of the Lambs, we knew just how smart he was before Clarice (Jodie Foster) even encountered him. It only gets more pronounced as the movie goes on. He's also one of the scariest ever in just how evil he is.
Moriarty (Sherlock)
Among the most intelligent villains in all of Western culture is Moriarty. He is Sherlock Holmes' main nemesis in countless stories, movies, and TV shows. Maybe the best and smartest version of Moriarty comes from the BBC show Sherlock with Andrew Scott absolutely nailing the role of the brilliant, eccentric criminal.
Lex Luthor (Superman: The Movie)
Another classic bad guy in entertainment history is Lex Luthor. He's played foil to Superman for over 80 years and every time we see him, whether on TV, in the comics, or on the big screen like in Superman: The Movie, where he's played by Gene Hackman, we know Superman is going to be in for a wild ride. You can't beat Superman with brawn, so you better outwit him.
Tom Ripley - The Talented Mr. Ripley
There are a lot of great movies about con artists out there, and one of the smartest con men on screen has to be Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley. He's terrifyingly cold and calculating and Matt Damon's performance enhances just how scary and smart Ripley is.
John Doe - Se7en
It's hard to imagine a criminal mind as devious, patient, and scary as John Doe (Kevin Spacey) in Se7en. He takes two detectives on a wild ride, knowing exactly when and how the whole thing will end, weeks before it does. People joke about politicians playing "3-D chess" but John Doe isn't even playing chess, he's on a much higher level.
Owen Davian - Mission: Impossible III
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has faced a lot of really smart villains over the life of the Mission: Impossible series, but none are smarter - or scarier - than Philip Seymour Hoffman's Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible III. No one expects anyone to get the jump on Hunt, but from the intense opening moments of Mission: Impossible III, it's clear that Davian is a different animal.
Cersei Lannister - Game Of Thrones
In the game of thrones, you either win or you die. For most Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister wins. She is one or two or even three steps ahead of all her rivals and continues to hold on to power almost - almost - until the very end. Her death was nearly satisfying enough for most fans, as it didn't really do justice to how good she was at the game.
Blofeld - No Time To Die
There are a lot of James Bond villains that could qualify for this list, but we have to go with the one who has most often shown to be ready to take on 007. Ernst Stavro Blofeld is so iconic, he was the main inspiration for Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series - and a character who does not qualify here. Blofeld, especially the version played by Christoph Waltz in No Time To Die definitely does deserve to be here.
Kilgrave - Jessica Jones
David Tennant is mostly known for playing a hero, Dr. Who, on the classic BBC show. It turns out he's just as, and maybe even better, as a villain. Kilgrave, Jessica Jones' antagonist in the first season of the former Netflix show, is absolutely terrifying. His powers to manipulate are exceeded only by his wicked intelligence. A combination that is truly the stuff on nightmares.
Ben Linus - Lost
Lost had a few villains over the years, and sometimes it was simply The Island. The most iconic of the villains though, has to be Ben Linus, played by Michael Emerson. He's so smart that Sawyer's nickname for him is "Yoda." That's high praise.
Magneto - X-Men
When you going to be a villain who goes up against Professor X often in the X-Men universe, you better be up to the task, mentally. Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender, among others, is just the kind of villain who is ready for Charles Xavier. He meets him beat for beat as they try to outwit each other.
The Trinity Killer - Dexter
On Dexter, our anti-hero Dexter goes up against some truly diabolical killers, but none come close to matching his wits like Arthur Mitchell aka The Trinity Killer. There is an argument to be made that Mitchell may be the most brilliant villain in TV history but luckily we're not here to pick a winner.
Nina Myers - 24
The only way Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on 24 was ever going to lose was by a betrayal. Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) shocked everyone when she made her move and revealed her treachery. It almost works too. She calculated out the whole thing and almost get it right, but Jack was just too good.
Amy Dunne - Gone Girl
Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) in Gone Girl is unique on this list. One on hand, it's easy to understand why she's so vengeful against her adulterous husband (Ben Affleck). That doesn't mean she should get away with what she did to him, but she does, and its because she's stone-cold brilliant in the planning and execution of her diabolical plan.
Gus Fring - Breaking Bad
There aren't many people smarter than Walter White (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad. One of the only rivals who comes close is Gus Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito. He matches wits - and even outwits - Walter time and time again on the show and almost wins. Almost.
The Master - Doctor Who
Every great hero needs a nemesis and for Dr. Who it's most often The Master. No one knows The Doctor quite like The Master, as they've been battling each other for, well, almost forever, really. They were childhood friends, but lifelong enemies.
Ozymandias - Watchmen
Ozymandias has been the central villain of The Watchmen in the book, the movie, and on the TV show. Some fans don't think the screen version of the villain lives up to his character in the graphic novel. He's still incredibly smart, able to keep up with and sometimes ahead of Dr. Manhattan in almost every way and that's no easy feat, to say the least.
Keyser Söze - The Usual Suspects
Verbal Kint aka Keyser Söze has to be on this list. He pulls a trick that only the devil could have pulled before by convincing everyone he didn't exist. Throughout the movie, the cops and the audience are sucked into his tall tale and when the truth was revealed in the end, it instantly became one of the best moments in Hollywood history. Poof!
Khan - Star Trek
Of all the villains in Star Trek history, few have a place in Trekkie hearts like Khan, played by the great Ricardo Montalbán. Not only is his episode on the original show, called "Space Seed," considered among the best, but he returned for the second Star Trek movie and saved the entire franchise after a controversial, and often derided first movie.
HAL 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Not every brilliant villain is a person, either. In fact, one of the smartest of all time is Stanley Kubrick's early take on artificial intelligence, Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal outwits some of the smartest astronauts in the universe and toys with them as it does, leading to a wild ending. It's an idea that was pure science fiction in 1969 when the movie came out. It seems less so fantastical today. Yikes.
Wilson Fisk - Daredevil
The Netflix Marvel shows, like Daredevil were, at best, uneven. One of the real high points in that universe has to be Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. He's an imposing figure, physically and mentally, as smart as he is physically strong, making him one of the most formidable opponents a superhero would ever want to face.
Hans Gruber - Die Hard
Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) in Die Hard comes up with an unbelievable plan to rob a lot of money. He even plans it right down to counting on the FBI cutting the building's power at the right time. However, this entry comes with a caveat. Hans' brother Simon, played by Jeremy Irons in Die Hard With A Vengence actually may be more diabolical. It's a tough call.
Neil McCauley - Heat
One of the greatest cat-and-mouse games to ever play out on the big screen is between Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). McCauley's planning of the heist is meticulous and he leaves nothing to chance. It's something only years on the job and a superior mind could come up with.
Auric Goldfinger - Goldfinger
Ernest Blofeld may be James Bond's most common antagonist, but Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) might be the smartest of them all. Even Bond admits that Goldfingers plan to make all the gold in Fort Knox worthless is a stroke of genius. The plan is almost perfect, but it's tough to outwit 007.
Cyrus The Virus - Con Air
Leave it to John Malkovich to play a villain so well in a movie as over-the-top and ridiculous as Con Air that we have to include him on this list. Cyrus The Virus is truly one of the great villains in action movie history and it's all due to Malkovich's amazing performance of the brilliant but psychopathic bad guy.
The Joker - The Dark Knight
Batman is considered among the smartest of superheroes. That's what makes The Joker, especially Heath Ledger's legendary version of the Clown Prince of Crime, so critical to a list like this. Over the years, in every medium, The Joker and Batman have gone toe-to-toe in desperate bids to outwit each other.
Aaron Stampler/Roy - Primal Fear
Edward Norton's first role came as Aaron Stampler aka "Roy" in Primal Fear alongside Richard Gere. His manipulation of the trial to convince everyone that he is nuts shows just how stone-cold brilliant he is. It's scary how smart he is. Literally.
Clyde Shelton - Law Abiding Citizen
Hell hath no fury like a man coming after his family's murderer. Clyde Shelton is more of an anti-hero than a villain, but his planning and patience fit right on this list. His desire to make sure those who killed his family get the retribution they deserve is intense, and his level of planning is simply next level.
Francis Underwood - House Of Cards
Because of Kevin Spacey's legal problems, we never saw the true conclusion to Frank Underwood's story on House of Cards, but before he died, we did see him stop at nothing in his quest for absolute power. He met and vanquished all his enemies in his rise to the top and who knows where he would've gone from there.
Loki - Marvel Cinematic Universe
Let's be honest, most of the villains in the MCU aren't really that smart or really that great. In the history of the behemoth franchise, villains have often left audiences longing for more. One notable exception has always been Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. He's always great, and always up to the task when taking on all the smartest guys in the Avengers over multiple movies and his own TV show.
Marlo Stanfield - The Wire
On HBO's The Wire, it's rare that anyone wins in the end. Good guys, bad guys, and everyone in between usually don't win. The lone exception is Marlo Stanfield. His rise to power on the streets of Baltimore is a combination of his street savvy and his fearlessness. It's that savvy that keeps him on top, right up until the end.
Voldemort - Harry Potter
You knew we couldn't have this list without he who shall not be named. Lord Voldemort is the only villain in the Harry Potter series who has the abilities and smarts to conquer Harry and his allies. Sure, he fails in the end, but it's close, and matching wits with all of Hogwarts is still incredibly impressive.
Jigsaw - Saw
In a lot of horror and slasher films, the main villain is less appreciated for their brains as they are for their unrelenting desire to kill. Jigsaw in the Saw series is so much more than that. He is brilliant. Terrifyingly brilliant. His ability to come up his insane games and manipulate people is just the scariest thing in the history of horror.
