When villains like these take center stage, everyone wins. Well, maybe not the hero. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the movies starring a supervillain.
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00:00 Eric, what a pleasant surprise.
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:08 for the movie starring a supervillain.
00:11 We are focusing exclusively on films,
00:13 both live action and animated, that center bad guys,
00:17 even if they evolve from a straight up villain
00:19 into an antihero.
00:21 Murray, one small thing.
00:23 Yeah.
00:24 When you bring me out, can you introduce me as Joker?
00:29 Number 10, Brightburn.
00:31 I'm 12 years old.
00:32 I know, exactly.
00:33 You are still a child.
00:36 Give it to me.
00:38 I'm sorry, what did you just say to me?
00:39 I said, give it to me.
00:41 What if Superman was a psychopath?
00:44 Sometimes when bad things happen to people,
00:47 it's for a good reason.
00:49 That is the premise behind the James Gunn produced Brightburn.
00:52 Though the film was critically panned and not exactly
00:55 a box office smash, it presents an interesting premise.
00:58 Comic book fans would recognize the setup.
01:00 An alien spaceship crash lands on a Kansas farm,
01:03 and a baby inside is raised by a childless couple.
01:06 What is that?
01:07 There he is.
01:11 Unlike Clark Kent, Brandon Breyer
01:13 exhibits violent tendencies as his superpowers develop.
01:16 Hiding his face behind a creepy red mask,
01:19 he commits one atrocity after another.
01:21 Brandon, please stop.
01:23 When his parents try to stop him,
01:25 Brandon takes them both out.
01:26 At the very least, the film makes Lex Luthor seem much more
01:31 sympathetic in retrospect.
01:33 Brandon, I'm sorry.
01:35 Oh, Brandon.
01:36 [SCREAMING]
01:38 Number nine, Chronicle.
01:40 This one was a surprise dark horse hit
01:42 from director Josh Trank.
01:44 Listen, you hear that?
01:46 What?
01:47 [LOUD RUMBLING]
01:48 [LAUGHTER]
01:49 Oh my god.
01:50 Wait, how creepy is that?
01:51 In it, three average teens from Seattle
01:53 develop telekinetic powers after discovering
01:55 an alien object in the woods.
01:57 At first, it seems like a fun story.
01:59 Oh.
02:01 The three boys use their powers like any teenagers would,
02:04 for pranks and for fun.
02:05 What you looking at, girl?
02:06 Stay in school.
02:08 OK, so we got you in the gum.
02:09 I'm going to get the gum and pull it right out of his mouth.
02:11 OK, I got him.
02:12 Things take a dark turn when Dan DeHaan's Andrew,
02:22 a victim of bullying, uses his powers to fight back.
02:25 After he seemingly kills one of the others by accident--
02:28 Tell him you get away from me.
02:30 --Andrew's mind seems to crack.
02:32 A lion does not feel guilty when it kills itself, right?
02:37 You do not feel guilty when you squash a fly.
02:39 And I think that means something.
02:44 He gets more and more violent and sadistic,
02:46 using his powers to punish, steal, and eventually kill.
02:49 It's a cautionary tale and feels a bit like a thinly veiled
02:53 allegory for school shootings.
02:55 Huh?
02:56 Andrew!
02:58 Don't make me do this!
03:00 Number eight, Megamind.
03:02 Oh, you're a villain, all right.
03:04 It's just not a super one.
03:07 Yeah?
03:07 What's the difference?
03:09 Presentation!
03:14 Will Ferrell stars as one of the two
03:16 super-powered aliens sent to Earth.
03:18 While his nemesis, Metro Man, goes
03:20 on to become the world's greatest superhero,
03:22 Megamind was raised in a prison.
03:24 Can we keep it?
03:25 He is a victim of circumstance who takes his frustration out
03:28 on the world.
03:29 How do I look, minion?
03:30 Do I look bad?
03:31 Disgustingly horrifying, sir.
03:33 That is, until a relationship with reporter Roxanne Richie
03:37 helps turn Megamind's life around.
03:39 When his erstwhile apprentice turns against him,
03:42 Megamind is forced to become a hero and save the day.
03:45 The decidedly silly villain is actually
03:47 a surprisingly poignant reminder that the way
03:50 we choose to treat people has great bearing
03:52 on how they turn out.
03:53 All right, put your hands in the air.
03:55 Now hand over your wallets.
04:02 I'm just kidding.
04:03 Number seven, Venom.
04:05 Eyes, lungs, pancreas.
04:09 So many snacks, so little time.
04:12 Over the years, this Marvel character
04:14 has played many roles.
04:16 He's been a sadistic villain, an anti-hero,
04:18 and a dark protector of San Francisco.
04:20 If you go anywhere in this city preying on innocent people,
04:25 and we will find you and eat both your arms.
04:28 When the alien symbiote finally got his own movie in 2018,
04:32 Sony chose to go with all of the above.
04:34 I am Venom, and you are mine.
04:39 When down on his luck, reporter Eddie Brock
04:42 comes in contact with alien goo--
04:43 Eddie.
04:44 [SCREAMS]
04:46 --he transforms into an almost invincible monster
04:49 and runs rampant, happily eating any criminal stupid enough
04:53 to get in his way.
04:54 Venom is more than willing to kill anyone,
04:56 having been part of an alien mission to invade the Earth.
04:59 Are you going to eat anybody else?
05:02 Most likely.
05:03 His time with Eddie mellows Venom out,
05:06 as he eventually agrees to only eat the wicked.
05:08 On second thought--
05:09 Please.
05:10 [SLURPING]
05:14 Number six, Split.
05:16 A beast is a sentient creature who
05:21 represents the highest form of human's evolution.
05:24 M. Night Shyamalan's movie can be hit or miss,
05:26 but audiences seem to appreciate his psychological thriller
05:30 Split.
05:30 Rejoice!
05:33 James McAvoy stars as Kevin, a victim of child abuse
05:36 who developed dissociative identity disorder as a result.
05:39 I can't steal a life for too long,
05:40 or he'll know and get angry, et cetera.
05:45 McAvoy's acting chops were stretched to their limits.
05:47 We will find our purpose.
05:50 Portraying 23 separate personalities.
05:53 Miss Patricia and I, we are ridiculed.
05:58 Now, we're not perfect, but we don't deserve to be ridiculed.
06:02 While some experts were disappointed
06:04 with Shyamalan's unrealistic version of DID,
06:07 the writer and director had a purpose for the strange
06:09 direction he chose.
06:11 Kevin's version of DID isn't just a psychological condition.
06:14 It's supernatural.
06:15 He's tall.
06:17 He's very muscular.
06:20 He's got a long mane of hair, and his fingers
06:22 are twice the length of ours.
06:27 He believes we are extraordinary.
06:30 When he unleashes his most violent alter, the Beast,
06:33 he gains superhuman strength and durability.
06:35 As it turned out, he shared a universe
06:37 with Shyamalan's 2000 film Unbreakable,
06:40 which had previously proved that superheroes were real.
06:43 It all makes sense.
06:46 In a comic, you know how you can tell who
06:47 the arch villain is going to be?
06:50 He's the exact opposite of the hero.
06:53 And most times, they're friends like you and me.
06:56 Number five, V for Vendetta.
06:58 I can assure you, I mean you no harm.
07:00 Who are you?
07:01 Who?
07:02 Who is but the form following the function of what,
07:05 and what I am is a man in a mask.
07:07 Well, I can see that.
07:08 Adapting Alan Moore's classic works to film
07:11 is no small undertaking.
07:13 There are no coincidences, Delia,
07:16 only the illusion of coincidence.
07:18 But this movie is one of the more successful examples.
07:21 V for Vendetta tells the story of a dystopian Britain
07:24 where fascists took control of the government
07:26 after a false flag biological attack.
07:28 Conceal me what I am and be my aid for such disguise
07:32 as happily shall become the form of my intent.
07:35 The eponymous V is a faceless terrorist in a Guy Fawkes
07:38 mask who uses bombs and murder to undermine the regime.
07:42 Violence can be used for good.
07:44 What are you talking about?
07:45 In the current era of rising right wing nationalism,
07:48 fascism, and bigotry, it's message
07:50 is arguably even more relevant now
07:52 than it was when it was released.
07:54 Die, die!
07:55 Why won't you die?
07:58 Why won't you die?
08:01 Beneath this mask there is more than flesh.
08:06 Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy,
08:10 and ideas are bulletproof.
08:13 Number four, Despicable Me franchise.
08:16 We stole the Times Square Jumbo Drop!
08:20 (screaming)
08:22 This film series started with a simple animated movie
08:25 and exploded into a worldwide phenomenon.
08:28 (dramatic music)
08:30 It features Groot, a super villain,
08:32 and his bug-eyed yellow minions.
08:34 Minions assemble!
08:35 Okay, okay.
08:38 After adopting three orphaned girls in the first film,
08:40 he gives up the super villain life
08:42 to become a secret agent instead.
08:44 That tastes good!
08:46 I love the flavor of that!
08:49 It's horrible, isn't it?
08:50 No, no!
08:51 The remaining sequels and prequels flesh out
08:53 both Groot and his minions,
08:54 portraying deeply empathetic villains
08:56 you actually root for.
08:57 All right, all right, I'm not meaning.
09:00 Please stop calling me that.
09:01 And also, they haven't accepted me yet.
09:04 It doesn't hurt that, even as a super villain,
09:07 Groot is at odds with other bad guys
09:09 more often than not.
09:11 Get away from him!
09:12 From facing down the vicious six
09:14 as a child super villain in training,
09:16 to taking on evil former child stars in Luchadores.
09:19 (speaking in foreign language)
09:20 (screaming)
09:23 Steve Carell's Groot won the audience over
09:27 from his very first scene in 2010.
09:30 Sorry, you know dogs.
09:32 They go wherever they wanna go.
09:34 Unless they're dead.
09:35 (laughing)
09:38 I'm joking!
09:39 Although it is true.
09:41 Number three, X-Men First Class.
09:44 - If you're in there, I'd like you to know
09:46 that I agree with every word you said.
09:48 We are the future.
09:52 But,
09:56 unfortunately, you killed my mother.
10:01 - In 2011, Fox decided to try a reboot of the X-Men.
10:05 - Where's Hank?
10:06 - While it's an X-Men film in name,
10:08 First Class is also the origin story
10:11 of one of Marvel's greatest villains, Magneto.
10:14 - I'm looking for my creator.
10:15 - A victim of the Holocaust,
10:17 Eric Lynchard uses his powers as a Nazi hunter,
10:20 taking revenge on those who hurt his people.
10:22 His rage is put to a purpose when he meets Charles Xavier,
10:25 and he finds a community of other mutants.
10:28 - When he picks up a mutant,
10:30 his brain sends a signal through a relay.
10:32 - As the film progresses,
10:33 the audience get to bear witness to the schism
10:36 between the two friends.
10:37 While Charles believes in mutants
10:39 and humans living side by side,
10:41 Eric becomes convinced that humans cannot be trusted.
10:44 It's beautiful and tragic,
10:46 and sets the stage for one of Marvel's
10:48 greatest frenemy relationships.
10:50 - All of us together, protecting each other,
10:53 we want the same thing.
10:57 - My friend, I'm sorry, but we do not.
11:03 - Number two, The Suicide Squad.
11:06 After the flop of 2016's Suicide Squad,
11:09 Warner Brothers brought in James Gunn
11:11 to try his hand at a sequel.
11:12 - Starfish is a slang term for a butthole.
11:15 Think there's any connection?
11:17 - No.
11:20 - His movie brings in an absolutely massive team
11:23 of bad guys, most of whom are instantly killed
11:25 to defeat a giant alien threat
11:27 in a fictional Latin American country.
11:29 - You gotta be kidding me.
11:30 You're gonna risk the entire mission
11:32 for a mental defective dressed as a court jester.
11:34 - It's coming from a guy that wears a toilet seat
11:35 on his head.
11:36 - We don't leave one of our own behind.
11:37 - It includes a few of the first film's fan favorites,
11:40 particularly Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
11:42 ♪ And you come back to me ♪
11:45 ♪ What will they say about me ♪
11:47 - Between films, Harley got her own spinoff,
11:50 Birds of Prey.
11:51 - Where can I find Cassandra Cain?
11:53 - An absolutely wild and hilarious girl power romp.
11:56 - I'm not going soft or nothing, but gotta admit,
11:59 it's kinda nice having the kid around.
12:01 - Harley maintains her brand of insane heroism
12:04 in the Suicide Squad.
12:06 Like Harley, the film is reckless, bonkers,
12:09 and an absolute delight.
12:11 These terrible people follow their small thread
12:13 of conscience to do the right thing.
12:15 - Now it.
12:16 Munchter is num-num.
12:18 - Munchter num-num?
12:22 - Yes!
12:22 - As violently as possible.
12:24 (gunshots)
12:27 (explosion)
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12:44 - Number one, Joker.
12:48 - All that sacrifice, she must love you very much.
12:51 - She does.
12:52 She always tells me to smile and put on a happy face.
12:56 She says I was put here to spread joy and laughter.
12:59 - Starring Joaquin Phoenix, this film stands out
13:02 as one of the best supervillain movies of all time.
13:05 - I don't know why everyone is so rude.
13:07 - Ty Phillips helms this dark but compelling portrayal
13:10 of Arthur Fleck's descent into madness.
13:12 Joker delves deep into Arthur's psyche and perspective.
13:16 - Hey, Murray.
13:17 Thanks so much for having me.
13:18 Hey, Murray.
13:20 Thank you so much for having me on the show.
13:23 It's been a lifelong dream of mine.
13:25 - A failed comedian.
13:26 - I've just been working on my material.
13:28 - Arthur transforms into a deranged version
13:30 of the iconic Batman villain throughout the film.
13:33 Phoenix is at once mesmerizing, vulnerable,
13:35 sad, and rageful.
13:37 - That's very funny, Murray.
13:38 You know, I'm also a comedian.
13:42 Would you like to hear a joke?
13:43 - The world of the film is both dark and difficult,
13:46 and madness almost feels like a logical response.
13:49 Joker isn't just a comic book film.
13:51 It is a character study exploring themes
13:53 of mental illness, societal neglect,
13:55 and the consequences of a broken system.
13:57 - Good night.
13:59 And always remember, that's--
14:01 (upbeat music)
14:03 - Which super villain do you think
14:05 deserves their own franchise?
14:07 Let us know in the comments down below.
14:09 And don't forget to like and subscribe
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14:13 Did I hurt you?
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