Top 10 80s Badass Villains Part Two

So, we have already seen entries 10 through to 6 on my countdown to my personal top 10 badass villains from 1980s movies. We have seen a super villain, a badass gang leader, a bully, a Russian with hands like bricks and a guy with a ponytail who beats up kids.


Now to the serious shit though. They don't even compare to the badasses that we are going to see in part 2, so let's stop pissing about and get down to it. Here are my top 5 badass villains that made me just like....."holy shit you are one mean mother fucker!"


Number 5 - Bennet - Commando (1985)


I know what you are thinking. Commando is a ridiculous film. 80s action hero powerhouse Arnold Schwarzeneggar plays John Matrix and basically takes on a whole terrorist army. The story begins with Matrix innocently doing regular "fatherly" things (as shown by some disastrous acting by Schwarzeneggar). You all remember those scenes that make you slightly sick to your stomach, where he is feeding a deer and having ice-cream shoved in his face. Anyway, his daughter is kidnapped and what follows is 90 minutes of absolute carnage. He throws a dummy off a cliff, smacks Bill Duke about a bit and eventually takes on a whole island full of soldiers alone, surviving grenade blasts and everything. Then he meets Bennet (played by Vernon Wells), my number 5 badass character in 1980s movies.


Now, Commando is hardly a cinematic masterpiece, but villains don't come much more badass than Bennet. An ex friend of Matrix, he is hired by some corrupt politician kinda guy (Arius, played by Dan Hedaya), who wants Matrix to perform a political assassination . So what makes Bennet particularly bad ass? Well, I'm gonna tell you.

Vernon Wells as Bennet
(picture courtesy of thespop.com)

He kidnapped a guys daughter. I mean, that is pretty harsh anyway. But when the daughter happens to be an old friends daughter, that is real low. Well, he was only doing it for money, which makes him even more cold hearted.....that he would sell his old friend out for some easy cash (cash that didn't prove to be so easy after all).


He also expressed joy in wanting to kill the girl. HOLY SHIT! If kidnapping isn't bad enough, he now wants to kill the girl, and would take great pleasure in it. Okay, Bennet, what the hell.


The fight seen at the end is pretty badass too. Matrix and Bennet have a kinfe fight, and when Matrix throws Bennet into an electrical fence, he becomes stronger. eventually Bennet was defeated by taking a length of piping through the gut.....Awesome. And who could forget "I'm not gonna shoot you between the eyes, John. I'm gonna shoot you between the balls!"


And lets not forget appearances. The guy wore chain mail. Chain mail? Who even wears Chain mail apart from medieval knights? Bennet wears one. And it is too small for him, still, Chain mail.....this guy means business. He also has an awesome moustache. Nothing makes a bad ass villain more bad ass than an awesome tache. There we go, Bennet, I salute you at number 5!


Number 4 - Clubber Lang - Rocky III (1982)


 "Hey, Woman! Hey Woman! Listen here. Since your old man ain't got no heart, maybe you like to see a real man. I bet you stay up late every night dreamin' you had a real man, don't ya? I'll tell you what. Bring your pretty little self to my apartment tonight, and I'll show you a real man!"


Wow! Clubber Lang, ladies and gentlemen. What a charmer. 

Clubber Lang stares down our hero before a fight
(picture courtesy of supersatellite.com)

Anyway, Clubber Lang is the main antagonist in an earlier Rocky movie, Rocky III. Played by Mr. T, Clubber is a hard man, a mean man, a determined man.


Rocky III is the story of new world champion, Rocky. He seems to be living the high life as champion; charity events (where he fight's Hulk Hogan's Thunderlips), commercials and a statue in his honour. How lovely. Well, this fairytale isn't to last. The young Clubber wants a shot at the title, and he isn't asking nicely. What follows is Rocky losing the title to Clubber, being re-trained by ex-nemeses Apollo Creed and finally winning the belt back to become champion once again. Pretty straight forward stuff if you ask me.


However, Clubber is a right arsehole. Which is why I love his character, and why he is number 4 in my list. But what makes him so bad and mean. Well, the quote from earlier is hardly going to win him any friends is it? He has an arrogance that immediately makes him a hate able person....and you gotta admit, that's pretty bad.


His constant lack of respect for "paper champion" Rocky is full of sheer hate. He despises the champ and will do anything to win the gold he believes is rightfully his.


But what makes him so badass is his hand in Mickey's death. Rocky's long time mentor and trainer suffered a heart attack during a pre-match confrontation between Rocky and Clubber, and his actions and mannerisms show no remorse for what happened, not even any sympathy for anyone. Clubber is cold, heartless and gold hungry. That is why he is number 4 on my list....good going Clubber "I pity da fool!"


Number 3 - Predator - Predator (1987)


1987....A year that gave us The Simpsons for the very first time on the Tracy Ulman show, where Prozac made it's way into Ameridan medicine and where the Supreme Court of America made it law to teach the theory of evolution in Lousiana. It is also a year that gave us another great sci-fi action movie, and saw the creation of another hard, badass character - Predator.


Once again, not wanting to patronise your good selves, but a brief synopsis of the movie is probably a good idea, in case there are people who haven't seen it.

"You are one ugly mother fucker!" - The Predator in all
it's glory
(picture courtesy of reelmovienews.com)

The movie follows a troop of special forces soldiers, fronted by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzeneggar), who have been selected for a hostage rescue mission, deep in a Central American jungle. However, all is not what it seems. Some rather suspicious things have been sighted in the jungle, and other soldiers from various groups have mysteriously gone missing. It soon becomes apparent that the group are up against a warrior more powerful than they are, and one-by-one, each member of the group falls to the mysterious creature...until there is only Dutch left. 
With a great 80s action powerhouse cast (including wrestler Jessie "The Body" Ventura, Bill Duke and Carl Weathers), Predator had the potential to be one of the best action movies of the 80s, and it didn't disappoint. But what truly made the movie, is the ruthlessness of the villain. A being that shows no remorse for it's enemies, and travels planet to planet to challenge their best warriors, the Predator is a force to be reckoned with.


Appearance-wise, the Predator even looks massively intimidating. An ugly, alien creature with a rather bizarre mouth and dreadlocks, you would definitely not like to meet a Predator down a dark alley at night. A well deserved number 3 for the Predator......give the beast a hand ladies and gentlemen!


Number 2 - T-101 - The Terminator (1984)


1984.....The year my older brother was born, and also the year that Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, or the T-101 was born, creating one of the greatest sci-fi action flics of all time. Yeah, I said it. And it's true.


The Terminator has everything, love, war, romance, action, robots....it just reeks of awesome! Do I even need to go into the story? If you are human and have not been living away from technology for the past 27 years, then you must have seen The Terminator. If not, shame on you, and I will briefly explain what is going on.


The year is 2029, and robots have taken over a post-apocalyptic Earth, aiming for a full extermination of the human race. There is hope however. A resistance leader by the name of John Connor is leading the human resistance, with effective results. This calls for drastic actions, so a machine (T-101, played by Arnold Schwarzeneggar) is sent back through time to 1980s America to find the mother of John, and exterminate her. Her only hope is in the form of Kyle Reece (Michael  Biehn), who has been sent by John to protect his mother. What follows is a hair raising, tense battle of wits, strength and speed to preserve the life of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Things start to get a little fucked up when Sarah and Kyle sleep together, Sarah becomes pregnant and it is apparent the Reece is the father....gotta love time paradoxes, but let's not dwell on it too much.

Arnold Schwarzeneggar as the T-101
(picture courtesy of images.hollywood.com)

Behind the mind-fuck that is time travel and its time paradoxes, the film rewarded us with the first appearance of a truly iconic character. Anyone who is anyone knows The Terminator, and the role made Arnold Schwarzeneggar a house-hold name. But why so bad ass as a villain? And what gives the T-101 the edge over most other villains?

We aren't dealing with a guy here......we are dealing with a cybernetic-organism: living tissue over a metal endo-skeleton (I'm a nerd......I know I am). The T-101 is a character designed to kill. It is called a Terminator for fuck's sake! The primary motive and purpose for this machine is destruction and death, and the extinction of mankind. The machine has no feelings, no remorse, and is willing to kill Sarah Connor just for being a (future) mother.

We can't forget appearance either..........The T-101 looks badass. The leather jacket and pants....The biker boots....The sunglasses....All making this iconic image so iconic. And who can forget the part where he cuts his own eye out.

The appearance, the attidute, the lack of remorse for anything and the fact that he is programmed simply to kill is what makes the T-101 my personal number 2 badass villain from the 1980s.




So, there we have numbers 10 through till 2, and now for the moment we have all been waiting for. But just before we do, let's take a quick recap of our top ten, for those who have forgotten, or those too lazy to read all of the above.....


10) Packard Walsh - The Wraith
9)  Nuclear Man - Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
8) Biff Tannen - Back To The Future: Trilogy
7) Terry Silver - The Karate Kid: Part III
6) Ivan Drago - Rocky IV
5) Bennet - Commando
4) Clubber Lang - Rocky III
3) Predator - Predator
2) T-101 - Terminator


So, here we go, the moment you have all been waiting for....my number one villain from 1980s movies....and, if I'm honest, one of my most sinister, hard ass bad guys of all time. It will come as no surprise to some, but here he is, the number one most badass villain from 1980s Hollywood cinema.


Number One - Hans Gruber - Die Hard (1988)


Yes, from talking to people before publishing this, most people had voiced their thoughts about Hans Gruber. It seems to be a general  feeling that Hans Gruber is just a bad bad man. If you are talking villains, then you can't go further than the despicable, sinister, and quite disturbing Hans Gruber.


Before I go into details, as to why Hans Gruber is such a badass, let's bring everyone up to date with the story Die Hard.


Die Hard is the story of John McClain; a New York City cop who is in Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his family. However, Christmas wasn't going to be stress free for Mr. McClain. The Nakatomi Plaza in LA has been taken over by terrorists. Headed by the mastermind, Gruber, the terrorists have seized the building in order to steal $600 million in bonds from the building's vault. What makes matters worse for McClain is that one of the hostages being held at gunpoint is his wife, Holly. What follows is a race against time for McClain to save the hostages, his marriage and his Christmas.


Now, although Bruce Willis plays a great role as hard arse, take no shit from anyone cop McClain, one of the key performances of the movie was from Alan Rickman as Gruber. But what makes Gruber such a badass?


One of the most sinister bad guys in cinema, Rickman has it all. A sleazy look, a confident posture, an English accent.....shit, what;s more sinister than Alan Rickman's voice, c'mon? I mean, look at some of the roles he plays.....The Sheriff of Nottingham, Severous Snape, shit, even in Love Actually he plays a sinister, evil person.

Hans Gruber - Need I Say More?
(picture courtesy of flicksandbits.com)

But in regards to Hans Gruber himself, what makes him so badass is his total neglect for anyone around him. He shoots hostages for no reason, he would turn on his terrorists if it will get him the money he wants. I know I said the same about the T-101's complete disregard for anything, but what gives Gruber the edge over the T-101, is that the robot was programmed to kill and be a general bastard......Gruber wasn't, he is supposed to be human, but shows no remorse or anything for anyone.


He also uses the wife of McClain as blackmail (once he learns of Holly's relationship to John through a news reporter), so that McClain would show himself. And whilst he does it, he almost seems to be enjoying it. Holding a gun to a woman's head.....and he seems happy about it.


Anyway, he eventually meets his doom at the hands of McClain. After a shooting and a struggle with a watch, Gruber finally falls to his death from the Nakatomi Plaza.






So, there you have it. That was my top ten badass villains from 1980s cinema. Whether you agree or not is your own opinion, and I have shared mine with you. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did creating and writing, peace out, much love!




Remember, check back next time for more top 10's - NEXT TIME WILL BE TEN ICONS OF THE 1980s, to continue my 80s Bonanza trilogy! 

Top 10 80s Badass Villains Part One

I love the 80s. As an 80s child it holds that special place for me. People may moan that the 1980s was a hard time for a lot of people (government issues and economical difficulties), but alas, I was only a child. From my own memory I don't remember much from the 80s (I was born in 1986), but my image of the 80s is one of great music, awesome TV and, my personal interest, shit hot movies.

Movies are a big deal to me, and one thing that just screams "AWESOME" to me are 1980s movies. It was an era of great movies and great actors. You had the Frat Pack, who gave memorable performances in movies such as The Goonies. The 80s was a breeding ground of talent for a lot of todays top movie stars (Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Robert Downey Jr to name just a few).

However, the 1980s movie to me, was where people could kick ass, blow shit up, kill shit, take on entire armies of people and escape with just a scratch.

We always remember the hero in a 1980s movie. You have John Matrix in Commando, John McLain in Die Hard and John Rambo in Rambo (and how awesome it is that they were so creative with names....never have too many John's). However, the movies created some of the most memorable, and badass villains in movies to date.

This, my first top ten and the first in an opening 80s Bananza Trilogy of top tens is dedicated to those villains that made my favourite heroes, and even some of my favourite movies, what they are today.

So, let's get down to it.......My Top Ten 80s Movie Villains

Number 10 - Packard Walsh - The Wraith (1986)

The first time I saw The Wraith was actually pretty recently, thanks to a heads up from my brother. The story sees a motarized gang headed by Packard Walsh (played by Nick Cassavetes) terrorizing a small town in the Arizona desert. They are out of control. So bad ass and out of control that Walsh murders local teen Jamie Hankins for being seen with 'his girl'. Welcome Jake Hankins (played by Charlie Sheen), a random who just happens to show up in the town. Around the same time, an awesome, unreal, invincible car appears in the town and takes out all the guys from the gang, ending with Packard himself.

Now, Packard Walsh is badass. Not only does he have an awesome car, but he is the head of an ruthless gang. A gang who are all pretty fucked up it is fair to say. And he looks 80s badass too. The leather jacket, semi-mullet, dangling earring and 'gnarly' necklace combo make for such an appearance.



Packard with his gang (picture courtesy
of imageshack.us)



It's not just the appearance that makes him pretty bad though......he murdered a guy because Packard thought he should be with another man's girlfriend. Not just that, but he races one badass car (a 1977 Pontiac Firebird, I believe) and gets to keep defeated cars at the end of races. He does however meet a fitting end, with his final race against The Wraith himself.

So, the appearance, the cars, the stealing of girlfriends, the murdering......and all in a quiet desert town is what makes Packard Walsh my number 10 badass villain.

Number 9 - Nuclear Man - Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)



Nuclear Man with Lex Luthor....
loving the suit Big Man!
(picture courtesy of superman.nu)



Not much of a synopsis needed here. We are all familiar with the Superman movies. Superman IV sees Christopher Reeve in his fourth outing as the Man of Steel. His enemy for this movie. Well, Lex Luthor of course, but this time Lex had a new threat to Superman. And his name was Nuclear Man. A badass mother fucker powered by the sun. Like a solar power-house, Nuclear Man pulled of some seriously badass stunts that kept Supes quite firmly on his toes, including kicking the shit out of the Great Wall of China and erupting Mount Etna.

As we all know however, Superman prevails in this one. After figuring out the weakness for Nuclear Man (the fact that he is powered by the sun), Superman follows Nuclear Man into space and moves The Moon in front of the Sun, making the big guy powerless. He then puts him into a nuclear reactor, killing Nuclear Man.

Now, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace isn't really a great movie. Cheap special effects and a story full of plot holes and such make it a pretty poor outing for the Man of Steel. However, we cannot take away the fact that Nuclear Man is one seriously badass villain. Come on....he beat the shit out of one of the 7 wonders of the world. He erupted a volcano for shits and giggles (well, not his shits and giggle, but more Luthor's shits and giggles). He also tries to crush Metropolis with an icon of modern America. This guy doesn't give a shit who he hurts, what he's doing and why he's doing it. I would say he looked good doing it, but have you seen his costume? Makes Superman's blue and red look like an Armani suit. Superman IV's Nuclear Man at number 9!

Number 8 - Biff Tannen - Back To The Future series (1985, 1989 and 1990 respectively)

Now I know what you are going to say. "One of these is in the 1990's." Well, if you are going to say that, don't bother. It is a franchise born in the 1980s, and with the last film being released just as we enter the 1990s, I consider it to be an 80s trilogy. That's my opinion, and I respect yours if it is different, so respect mine!

Unless you have been stranded on Mars, or have never set foot into popular culture, you will be fully aware of the Back To The Future franchise. It is a personal favourite trilogy of mine. It has everything; sci-fi, action, romance, revenge......it is just awesome.

Anyway, for those of you who aren't familiar with the franchise, let me sum it up for you as briefly as possible. The series follows the adventures of Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doctor Emmet Brown (or Doc for short, played by Christopher Lloyd) as they travel through time to try to prevent Marty's constant interferrances in his parent's meeting, thus putting his entire existance at risk. It's pretty mind boggling, and if you have never seen it, shame on you......Go buy the trilogy and don't leave your hole until you have!

The villain in these movies is Biff Tannen. A guy who has been bullying Marty's father for like 30 years. Pretty dedicated I'd say. Anyways, I'm not gonna go into the details too much. If I spoke of all the time paradoxes and shit I'd be here for years. Basically, what makes Biff a pretty bad badass....well, there are 2 reasons......



A young Biff Tannen with his gang
(picture courtesy of the moviemind.com)



1) His persistance in bullying George McFly. 30 years of non stop bullying. That is heartless to say the least. Pretty badass I'd say.

2) There are a few incarnations and ancestors of Biff throughout the trilogy. For example, when Marty is back in 1955, he sees a young Biff Tannen. In 2015 he sees a 78 year old Biff. It also deals briefly with Biff's great-grandfather, Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen. All of these incarnations and ancestors are the same. They bully, and have a relentless thirst to do so.

Of course revenge is sweet at the end. In the new present day Marty had created, Biff was more of a kiss ass to the McFly's, and was bossed around by George (thanks to George knocking Biff out in the third movie).

Biff Tannen, a lifetime of relentless bullying has earned you the place of number 8 on my list of pretty badass villains.

Number 7 - Terry Silver - The Karate Kid: Part III (1989)


Although the Karate Kid series decreased in quality by the time we got to the third instalment, you can't deny the pretty badass nature of one of it's main antagonists, Terry Silver (played by Thomas Ian Griffith). If you don't know anything about the Karate Kid: Part III, let me just fill you in on the basics.

Terry Silver with Daniel-san. (courtesy of brainorndorff.com)

John Kreese (Martin Kove) has been completely ruined by Mr Miyagi and Daniel-san. In the first movie, Daniel defeated Kreese's best fighter, effectively ruining his reputation and his school. Fast-forward to the third movie, and Kreese wants revenge. Using the help from his buddy, Terry Silver, he leads Daniel into a false sense of security, gaining Daniel's trust and eventually coming down on his like a ton of shit.

So, what makes Silver so badass? During the movie, Silver does a shit ton to Daniel. Fakes the death of Keese, saves Daniel from a fake beating, takes him away from Miyagi to train with him and all for what.....to lead him into a false sense of security. Once Terry had accomplished it, he gave up on the charade and had Daniel beaten to within an inch of his life. Of course, Daniel and Miyagi have their revenge, but that doesn't take away the fact that he is one mean ass mother fucker! He is also a martial arts master, so you know he could probably kick your ass.

And his appearance. That ponytail just screams out 80s villain! Terry Silver, number 7!


Number 6 - Ivan Drago - Rocky IV (1985)


Ivan Drago (Played by Dolph Lundgren)......what more do you need to say. The Russian powerhouse was Rocky's nemesis in the fourth instalment of the hugely successful series. Although it isn't the best of the series (that would be Rocky I, with it's incredible tale of the American Dream at work, but that's a thought for a different day), it's the movie that saw Rocky single handedly win over the Russians and solve the problems of the Cold War.

Ivan Drago - Russian badass
(picture courtesy of amazingben.com)

Now everybody knows Rocky IV. In the movie, Rocky travels to Russia to fight one of the world's most feared and scientifically enhanced athletes in the world. Training in the Russian wilderness, with the elements as his only source of training against the superior equipment and training of Ivan Drago, Rocky steps into the ring, defeats him, and gives that awesome speech at the end about togetherness, and that everyone is the same.....completely changing the whole Russian impression of capitalism, and shredding the hatred that had built up during the course of the Cold War.

Drago is bad ass. He is huge, ripped, Russian, and has fists like concrete blocks. The early going sees the guy kill Rocky's long time nemesis/friend/mentor Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers) in the ring. He kills the guy with his fucking fists! And what makes him truly badass is that he shows no remorse for it. "If he dies, he dies." What the fuck man? Drago is a guy you don't wanna mess with, and although Rocky beats him in this movie, we find out, in Rocky V, that the fight had actually given Rocky brain damage and that he could no longer fight. Not only did he kill Creed, but gave the world champion brain damage!

Ivan Drago, you are one cold hearted, mean ass Russian! And you have a place as number 6 in my top ten bad ass 80s Villains.





Okay, so that is the end of part one. The characters that fall numbers 10-6 in my top list. Just to keep you going anyway. Keep checking back for the top 5, as they will be up on here pretty soon!

Thanks for reading, and any comments would be awesome, maybe you could throw your 2 cents into your top villains (bear in mind that this is only the first 5.....my top 5 will be revealed soon!)