With spooky season well and truly upon us, there is no better time to cosy up with a movie to watch villains wreak fictional terror. But from Palpatine to Pinhead, which movie villain is truly the most dangerous?
Film enthusiasts at CasinoTop3 analysed kill count, intelligence, strength, speed, durability, power AND combat to determine the overall danger score, revealing which movie villain poses the biggest threat.
The most dangerous movie villains
| Ranking | Villain | Movie/ Franchise | Kill Count | Intelligence /100 | Power /100 | Combat /100 | Overall danger score |
| 1 | Palpatine | Star Wars | 874 | 72.5 | 92.5 | 75 | 8.5 |
| 2 | Darth Vader | Star Wars | 287 | 85 | 85 | 100 | 8.2 |
| 3 | Sauron | Lord of the Rings | 32 | 100 | 95 | 65 | 7.7 |
| 4 | Pennywise | It | 10 | 87.5 | 100 | 62.5 | 7.4 |
| =5 | Agent Smith | The Matrix | 7 | 95 | 90 | 100 | 6.6 |
| =5 | Pinhead | Hellraiser | 321 | 67.5 | 77.5 | 47.5 | 6.6 |
| 7 | Kylo Ren | Star Wars | 81 | 67.5 | 70 | 80 | 6.4 |
| 8 | Boba Fett | Star Wars | 178 | 70 | 32.5 | 90 | 5.8 |
| 9 | Lord Voldemort | Harry Potter | 44 | 75 | 60 | 55 | 5.7 |
| 10 | Ra’s Al Ghul | Batman | 18 | 90 | 28 | 100 | 5.2 |
1st – Palpatine
With a huge kill count of 874, it is no surprise that the infamous Star Wars villain Palpatine ranks as the number one most dangerous movie villain. Also known as The Emperor or Darth Sidious, this villain has become a symbol of evil among Star Wars fans, and pop culture as a whole.
2nd – Darth Vader
Another Star Wars supervillain, Darth Vader, takes second place in the most dangerous villain rankings, with a combat score of 100/100. Though his kill count of 287 doesn’t match that of Palpatine, Darth Vader remains one of the most iconic, loved, and dangerous villains of all time.
3rd – Sauron
Next in the rankings is another iconic villain: Sauron, the primary antagonist of The Lord of the Rings series. Sauron’s otherworldly intelligence and unrestrained power make him a scarily dangerous force, even when he did not possess the ring.
4th – Pennywise
Ranking as the fourth most dangerous villain is the hair-raising Pennywise of the horror novel and film It. This monster’s ability to shapeshift and manipulate reality makes him incredibly dangerous, and gives him a perfect score across the categories of strength, speed, durability, and power.
=5th – Agent Smith
Next in the rankings is a villain who takes a less scary form at first glance: Agent Smith of The Matrix franchise. Though he may not appear as terrifying on the surface, Smith’s ability to bend the rules of the matrix gives him superhuman capabilities and makes him a highly dangerous force.
=5th – Pinhead
Also coming in fifth, is a figure who may be the first to come to mind for many when thinking of a terrifying villain: Pinhead of the Hellraiser franchise. Also known as the Hell Priest, this villain’s kill count of 321 proves just how dangerous he is.