The 1980s were truly the golden age of action movies, producing some of the greatest heroes we have ever seen on the big screen. As we all know, every hero must have an equally powerful and compelling villain. One who stands out, an antagonist as memorable as the protagonist. These are the 10 best villains from 1980s action movies.
11 Lord Humungus - The Road Warrior (1981)
The second entry into the Mad Max franchise, The Road Warrior, introduced the world to the warrior of the wasteland, the Ayatollah of Rock-and-Rollah, Lord Humungus. Played by Swedish Olympian Kjell Nilsson, Humungus is the physically imposing leader of a post-apocalyptic motorcycle gang and the primary antagonist to Max Rockatansky. Donning what is a cross between a hockey mask and a medieval great helm, this classic villain struck fear into every citizen of the wasteland as well as moviegoers in 1981.
10 “They” - They Live (1988)
Based on a 1963 short story by Ray Nelson, the John Carpenter-directed action sci-fi classic, They Live, introduced us to one of the more frightening movie aliens of all time. Starring WWE Hall of Famer, Roddy Piper as Nada, he gains the ability through a pair of sunglasses to see the true alien form of some of the most powerful people in America. These visually horrifying aliens prove that the villains may be lurking right under our noses.
9 The Emperor - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Ian McDiarmid makes his first appearance as The Emperor of the Galactic Empire in the 1983 conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi. Having been teased throughout the previous two entries, this is the first time the iconic villain had a significant role on screen.
The master manipulator behind Darth Vader more than makes up for his lack of physical presence with his attachment to the dark side of the force and his power of persuasion. Ultimately overcome by Luke Skywalker and his redeemed father, The Emperor would live on to become one of the greatest villains of the 1980s and beyond.
8 Clarence Boddicker - RoboCop (1987)
Long before he was Red Forman on the hit television show, That '70s Show, Kurtwood Smith was the despicable villain and crime lord, Clarence Boddicker, in 1987's RoboCop. It is Boddicker who is responsible for the torture and murder of Detroit police officer, Alex Murphy. It is Murphy whose body goes on to become the Robocop himself, exacting his revenge on Boddicker's gang and eventually the crime lord himself.
7 General Zod - Superman II (1980)
Superman II features an all-time villainous performance by Terrence Stamp as General Zod, a fellow Kryptonian and nemesis to Superman himself. With designs on world domination alongside his criminal cohorts, Ursa and Non, Zod will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Even aligning himself with Lex Luthor before ultimately being defeated by Superman.
6 Terminator - The Terminator (1984)
Prior to becoming the hero in the follow-up to the original, The Terminator featured Arnold Schwarzenegger as the villainous form of the T-800. Hell-bent on hunting down and killing John Conner's mother, Terminator will stop at nothing to achieve his cybernetic murderous duties in one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s.
5 Mola Ram - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
The archaeologist-turned-adventurer, Indiana Jones, finds himself up against a Thuggee priest with a profound thirst for human sacrifice in this prequel-sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In addition to his ritualistic tendencies, Mola Ram is using the slave labor of abducted children of a nearby village. Ram's devilish recitation of the phrase "Kali Ma" while pulling out the still-beating heart of a victim haunted an entire generation of Indy fans
4 Joker - Batman (1989)
Real-life anarchist Jack Nicholson's take on the Joker in 1989's Batman is a perfect combination of the campiness of the '60s and the darker theme director Tim Burton was hoping to achieve with this iteration of the caped crusader. Paving the way for the likes of Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix to take on the mantle of the character in later films.
3 The Predator - Predator (1987)
Predator is about as classic 1980s action movie as you can get. A perfect recipe of pairing up '80s icons Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, and wrestler Jesse Ventura and pitting them against an alien threat in the jungles of South America. The Predator is a uniquely designed, yet horrifying villain that the movie's heroes must go up against and survive at any cost.
2 Hans Gruber - Die Hard (1988)
The late, great Alan Rickman's performance as terrorist Hans Gruber in the 1988 action movie, Die Hard, remains one of the best villain performances of all time. He carries the gravitas and charisma that every good villain should possess and proves a worthy foe to the hero of the movie, John McClane. Now that we've given Hans Gruber the credit he deserves, let's try to continue settling that Christmas movie debate.
1 Darth Vader - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
First introduced in A New Hope, it is not until The Empire Strikes Back that we begin to see the depth of evil possessed by the iconic villain Darth Vader. In what is widely considered to be the best Star Wars movie. In a broad stroke, Vader not only freezes beloved hero Han Solo in Carbonite, but makes his intentions known to Luke Skywalker when it is revealed by Vader himself that he is Luke's father and his goal is to rule the galaxy together, as father and son.
Vader is responsible for separating the core group of characters at the conclusion of the film, setting into motion the events of the thrilling conclusion, Return of the Jedi.