But pretty faces and the ability to empathise aren't the only factors involved. A couple of the antagonists made it onto this list because they're awful and I hate them. They are truly bad people.
He really comes into his own in Thor: Ragnarok. Although there are many opportunities to explore his character in the earlier movies, those scenes generally ended up on the cutting room floor. In Ragnarok we see his threat status diminished by Hella’s appearance, which provides an opportunity to see a more rounded personality from Loki. The big question is whether this trend will continue into Avengers: Infinity War (No, I haven’t seen it yet but you can leave spoilers in the comments—I love spoilers).
It’s important to emphasise that Magneto is an asshole. He does have his moments of altruism, but they so often coincide with his grand plans and their ultimate fruition that it’s difficult to discern how genuine his motivations are.
Yes, there’s a lot of Grandpa Vader in him. Solo or not, Kylo has inherited the sulky, poor me syndrome that pulled Anakin to the dark side and had Luke sitting on an island where he hoped he’d never be found. Skywalker men and their issues. I’m not saying Kylo’s feelings aren’t understandable, considering what happened between him and Luke, but I truly hope we’ll see a completed redemption arc in the next Star Wars movie.
As is often the case in Naruto, Itachi’s moral integrity is mainly a matter of perception.
Crazy human experimentation that resulted in agonising death, torture, a complete and utter lack of empathy, self-serving motivations, and pretty much everything else about him place Orochimaru firmly in the territory of the true villain.
If that isn’t proof enough of her malevolence then consider the fact that this woman can cast a patronus charm while wearing a Horcrux. No normal person could summon enough joy to cast this spell when constantly under the malign influence of a Horcrux, unless that evil gave them joy.
What do you think? Which villains do you think are amazing?