Anyone who grew up in the 1980s knows that it was a defining decade for movies. From Batman, Scarface, to The Karate Kid, the list of classic movies released from 1980-1989 is endless. As great as those movies were, what many people remember most about them are the villains. While most of us love rooting for the hero, they’re never as fun to root for without a great villain to root against. The villain can be so convincing and stand out so much that despite the fact that they’re evil, they end up being the most interesting part of the movie. Let’s not waste any more time as we break down Konscious Kurt’s 10 Favorite Movie Villains of the 1980s.
10. Clubber Lang – Rocky III (1982)
While Rocky Balboa does fight Apollo Creed in the first two Rocky films, the respect the two have for each other makes it hard to really call Apollo a villain. However, the Italian Stallion’s opponent in 1982’s Rocky III would leave zero doubt as to who the villain was. A hungry contender with a bad attitude, Clubber Lang lets it be known that he isn’t there to make friends as he vows to crucify Rocky once they face each other in the ring. As Rocky begins questioning his confidence after learning that he was fed easy opponents throughout his title reign, Clubber proves to be his biggest test in seeing if he really is worthy of being champion. Played by Mr. T, Clubber Lang was the first real villain of the franchise in a way that Apollo wasn’t.
9. Johnny Lawrence – The Karate Kid (1984)
While the Johnny Lawrence character is now remembered for his inspiring redemption story in Netflix’s Cobra Kai, he was anything but a hero in 1984’s The Karate Kid. The star student of the vicious Cobra Kai dojo, Johnny and his karate gang torment new kid Daniel Larusso. From attacking him at the beach after seeing his ex-girlfriend talk to him to then pushing him off a hill while he was riding a bike, Johnny makes Daniel’s life a living hell. After Daniel receives karate training from the calm but lethal Mr. Miyagi, he enters the city’s karate tournament to the set the stage for an eventual showdown with Johnny. Considering that actor William Zabka received various threats and was legitimately confronted by people in public following his performance as Johnny, it’s clear to see that he did his job in making the character so unlikable.
8. Albert “Mister” Johnson – The Color Purple (1985)
Unlike any other film director Steven Spielberg had made up to that point, 1985’s A Color Purple centers around a black woman named Celie in the rural South. Abused by her father, Celie is eventually given away as a wife to a man named Mister. The abuse doesn’t stop there as Mister proves to be no less abusive than her dad was as he uses the abuse as a way to control Celie. As Mister also attempted to rape Celie’s sister before she was able to escape and run away, Mister keeps letters written from Celie’s sister to her that Celie eventually finds out about. Played to perfection by Danny Glover, Mister plays a critical part in the film as the toxic, controlling force that Celie must build up the courage to free herself from.
7. Tony Montana – Scarface (1983)
While remembered for its flash and graphic violence, 1983’s Scarface is also famous for Al Pacino’s portrayal of Tony Montana and his quest for the “American Dream.” While he eventually does achieve that dream, it comes at a huge cost. As the film progresses, Tony starts to let all his power and success go to his head. In addition to becoming extremely paranoid stemming from his coke habit, he begins mistreating those closest to him to point that he pushes them away. While the Tony Montana character became glorified in later years because of his ambition and lavish lifestyle, it can’t be forgotten that the roots of his character throughout the movie made him anything but someone to root for.
6. Ivan Drago – Rocky IV (1985)
Although Rocky Balboa overcame the challenge of Clubber Lang in Rocky III, nothing compared to the challenge he would face in Rocky IV. Released in November of 1985, Rocky IV saw the Italian Stallion go toe to toe with the physically imposing Ivan Drago. Twice the size of Rocky and hailing from the Soviet Union, Drago sends a violent message to Rocky when he kills his friend/former rival Apollo Creed during a fight. With their upcoming fight set to take place on Drago’s home turf of Russia, Rocky must fight for his country, the honor of his late friend, and most of all, his life. As Rocky IV went on to make the most money of any film in the franchise, a big part of the film’s success can be credited to Dolph Lundgren’s strong portrayal as the Russian antagonist.
5. Hans Gruber – Die Hard (1988)
While foreign villains were a common stereotype in ‘80s action movies, there was perhaps none better than the Hans Gruber character from 1988’s Die Hard. Played by the late Alan Rickman, Hans is a German criminal mastermind who takes everyone inside of an LA skyscraper hostage. Hans along with his henchmen show that they’re not playing any games as they have no issues killing anyone who tries to get between them and what they want. As one of the hostages is his estranged wife, NYPD cop John McClane stands as the only one who has any chance of putting an end to Hans’ takeover. While everyone remembers Die Hard for its incredible action scenes and McClane’s attempt to save the day, the film wouldn’t have has the same impact without a strong villain like Hans for McClane to overcome.
4. The Terminator – The Terminator (1984)
Arguably, the movie that really put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map was 1984’s The Terminator. Although he’s mainly remembered for being the hero in the 1991 sequel, the role he played as the title character in the first film was the complete opposite. Sent from the future, The Terminator travels back to 1984 in order to kill Sarah Connor before her unborn baby is born. The entire film consists of The Terminator literally stopping at nothing to finish off Connor and complete his mission. Due to how successful and iconic Terminator 2: Judgment Day was, Schwarzenegger’s performance as the villain in the original often gets overlooked.
3. Gordon Gekko – Wall Street (1987)
The lavish and cutthroat environment of life on Wall Street was put on full display in the 1987 film of the same title. The film centers around up-and-coming stockbroker Bud Fox, who hopes to climb the ladder of success with the guidance of Wall Street tycoon Gordon Gekko. While he quickly sees the perks of being mentored by Gekko, Fox soon learns that his new mentor is only using him for his own greed. As Gekko lives by the motto that “Greed is good,” there’s no line that he won’t cross if it’ll help his bottom line. Played brilliantly by Michael Douglas, his performance as the money hungry Gekko was met with much high praise as it led to him winning an Oscar for Best Actor.
2. The Joker – Batman (1989)
For as many incarnations as there have been of The Joker, the first one that really stole the show was the character’s portrayal in 1989’s Batman. Played by Jack Nicholson, this version of The Joker was every bit as humorous as it was creepy and violent. After criminal Jack Napier falls into a vest of green chemicals following a scuffle with Batman, he survives the ordeal and morphs into the psychotic Joker. He then pulls off various acts to terrorize Gotham City for his own amusement until he publicly calls out Batman for an inevitable showdown. While many argue that this portrayal of The Joker was later topped by Heath Ledger in 2008’s The Dark Knight, that still doesn’t make this performance from Nicholson as the popular villain any less iconic.
1. Freddy Krueger – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
One of the most iconic horror movie villains of all time, audiences were first introduced to Freddy Krueger in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Originally a child murderer who killed over a dozen children in the neighborhood, a group of parents track Freddy down and set him on fire to kill him. While they believe he’s dead, a facially burned Freddy starts to invade the nightmares of their children. Using knives for fingernails, killing his victims in their nightmares strangely leads to them all dying for real. While the character would turn into more of a comedy act in the later sequels, actor Robert Englund’s portrayal of Freddy Krueger in the original is one that had audiences frightened to the point where they were afraid to fall asleep.
Honorable Mentions:
• Biff Tannen – Back to the Future (1985)
• The Predator – Predator (1987)
• John “Ace” Merrill – Stand by Me (1986)
• Arjen Rudd – Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
• Sgt. Bob Barnes – Platoon (1986)
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