10 Greatest Action Movie Villains of the 2020s, Ranked

Cinema, by its very definition, is all about movement, and there's no genre more movement-based than the action genre. Throughout the 2020s, there have been some exceptional action films, both funny and serious. But no matter what kind of action film is in the conversation, it usually needs a formidable enough villain to pose a compelling threat to our beloved heroes.

Thankfully for action fans, the decade so far has offered more than enough antagonists to join the ranks of the genre's greatest. From the goofy and over-the-top to the scary and elegant, these characters prove that any kind of antagonist can be strong enough for a great action film when anchored by a good script and a good actor.

10 The Beavers — 'Hundreds of Beavers' (2022)

The semi-silent indie comedy Hundreds of Beavers is by no means your typical action film. Part Buster Keaton, part Bugs Bunny, part Metroidvania, this love letter to slapstick comedy is one of the most absurd comedy movies of all time—in the most positive sense possible. It's a parody of the survival genre with enough hysterical set pieces to make anyone laugh, as well as countless beavers.

It's these beavers (who are all played by actors in cheap costumes) who serve as the antagonistic force that the protagonist must hunt in order to gain the love of a woman. There are regular beavers, astronaut beavers, Sherlock and Watson beavers, and all manner of other variations that are impossible not to cackle at. For those who like action comedies, this one's a must-see for its villains alone.

9 Governor Buxton (Ray Stevenson) — 'RRR' (2022)

The world of Indian cinema is one as vast and as prolific as Hollywood, and as such, entering that world opens up a window to some of the most entertaining movies made on the other side of the pond. RRR immediately became one of the most mainstream Indian movies of recent years, and for good reason. It's far and away one of the most entertaining action epics of the decade so far.

The movie's villain is the authoritarian Delhi governor Scott Buxton, played by a flawless Ray Stevenson. He's oppressive, cruel, and racist just because he can, serving as a perfectly menacing force for the heroes to reckon with. There isn't much complexity to his character, but his moustache-twirling kind of pure evil is exactly the kind of thing that a thrilling spectacle like RRR needed.

8 Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) — 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' (2024)

With Mad Max: Fury Road, the same George Miller who had revolutionized low-budget action filmmaking back in 1979 with the original Mad Max proved that he still had the sauce. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Miller's prequel to Fury Road, was eagerly anticipated by fans as soon as it was announced. Though its box office performance ended up being infamously lackluster, it was nevertheless a fantastic movie, bolstered by a man who's perhaps the franchise's best villain.

Played by an unhinged Chris Hemsworth, who's clearly having the time of his life chewing the scenery with his role, Dementus is the perfect foil for Furiosa's quieter, more pragmatic personality. If Furiosa is one of the best action movies of the last 10 years, it's largely because it has a villain that's so remarkably easy to hate yet so charismatic that he's also hard not to love.

7 Death (Wagner Moura) — 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' (2022)

By the time the 2020s rolled in, the Shrek franchise had become more of a meme than anything else. Even 2011's spin-off Puss in Boots hadn't wowed fans, so the announcement of a sequel wasn't exactly something to lose one's mind about. In the end, though, much to everyone's surprise, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish turned out to be one of the greatest films in DreamWorks Animation's filmography.

Surprisingly profound and existentialist, The Last Wish embarks on a thrilling study of mortality and existential dread that's a delight to follow for kids and grown-ups alike. This approach includes one of the best personifications of Death in cinematic history. Voiced by Wagner Moura, the menacing wolf who follows Puss around in his quest for the titular Last Wish is as terrifying as he is compelling, and every action sequence featuring him is a blast.

6 Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) — 'John Wick: Chapter 4' (2023)

Ever since it delighted action movie fans back in 2014, the John Wick franchise has been full of memorable and imposing antagonists, but none have been more compelling than Bill Skarsgård's Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont. This French aristocrat is appointed by the High Table to deal with John, and quite fittingly, he becomes the hitman's most threatening obstacle yet in John Wick: Chapter 4.

The Marquis sees himself as above getting his hands dirty, so he doesn't involve himself in any of the franchise's best action scenes, but that's exactly what makes him such an effective villain. He's a force acting behind the scenes, a looming threat whose presence is felt even when he isn't there. His leadership is what eventually leads to John being killed (or was he?), and that alone makes him worthy of recognition.

5 Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) — 'Dune: Part Two' (2024)

With Dune and Dune: Part Two, Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's one of the most talented directors currently working, turning one of the most groundbreaking sci-fi novels in history into two of the best sci-fi films of the 2020s. Part Two, in particular, is one of the most perfect epic movies of all time, and that's in no small part because it has one of the action genre's best villains of the decade.

Cunning, unpredictable, and dangerously violent, Austin Butler's Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen is the perfect foil to Timothée Chalamet's messianic Paul Atreides. Aside from Butler's over-the-top performance being phenomenal, Feyd-Rautha's visual design is a masterpiece in itself, striking and instantly unforgettable, and the way the character is written is just as engaging.

4 Peacemaker (John Cena) — 'The Suicide Squad' (2021)

With how the show that carries his name has turned him into a compelling antihero who most often acts in heroic ways, it's perhaps easy to forget that Peacemaker was undeniably a villain in The Suicide Squad. James Gunn's phenomenally fun take on the iconic lineup of rogues (a massive upgrade over David Ayer's Suicide Squad) is full of great characters, and one of the most welcome surprises upon release was John Cena's Peacemaker.

The reveal that Peacemaker is working for Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to cover up the U.S.' crimes against humanity in Corto Maltese is one of the best superhero movie twists of the decade, and it allows just enough time to see Peacemaker act as a full-on antagonist. "Evil" isn't a word that properly describes him, but that complexity (which the show continues to explore in fascinating ways) is exactly why he's a great villain.

3 Godzilla — 'Godzilla Minus One' (2023)

There are a handful of Godzilla movies where he's the villain, and there's an argument to be made that the kaiju's most recent outing, Godzilla Minus One, is the best of the bunch. Here, the monster is an embodiment of everything he's ever represented in his filmography: nuclear paranoia, the pointlessness of bureaucracy, the inefficacy of the government, and the importance of people coming together during a time of crisis.

But aside from this thematic meaningfulness, Godzilla in Minus One is a terrifying force of nature like no other. Visually, he's phenomenally designed despite the movie's low budget, coupled with some excellent sound design and a haunting score; and plot-wise, he poses such a large threat to the characters that when he's finally defeated, it's a cathartic moment truly worthy of celebration.

2 Jobu Topaki (Stephanie Hsu) — 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' (2022)

One of the biggest indie darlings of the decade so far, seven-Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once is easily one of the most creative and entertaining sci-fi action movies of recent times. But of course, a movie of this nature can only be as great as its villain, and thankfully, Stephanie Hsu's Jobu Topaki is more than compelling enough to make this one of the best sci-fi movies of the 2020s.

It's the duality of Jobu Topaki, the multiversal threat, and Joy Wang, the pained daughter, that makes this character work as well as it does. Joy is by no means a villain, but Jobu is a genuinely scary one, both in her nihilistic motivations and in how indestructible she seems during action sequences. Hsu also does a commendable job playing this challenging dual role, making Jobu one of the decade's most memorable antagonists overall.

1 Col. Lockjaw — 'One Battle After Another' (2025)

There has never been any room for doubt that Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most gifted filmmakers of modern times, but One Battle After Another leaves even less room for doubt. Part political satire, part father-daughter drama, part relentless action thriller, this masterpiece can already be considered one of the best movies of the 21st century.

Of course, a big reason for that success is Sean Penn's Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, the genre's best antagonist of the 2020s so far, who single-handedly makes One Battle After Another one of the best action thrillers of the last 10 years. Aside from Penn's performance being one of the most entertaining and nuanced of his career, Lockjaw as a character brilliantly straddles the line of being a cruel and racist monster and a deeply pathetic man full of insecurities. There's a profound absurdity to this villain that's a delight to unpack upon further rewatches. It's the kind of character whose layers keep peeling back the more you think about him.