Comics
Kingpin
The Amazing Spider-Man #50 · 1967
A crime boss who beat a superhero by hiring lawyers
Threat index 80
Crime Lord · Film
Hans Gruber
The gentleman thief who rewrote the action movie antagonist
Attribute scores
Power44
Intellect90
Menace76
Fear factor62
Cultural impact86
Charisma93
Editorial estimates on a 0–100 scale, calibrated against every other character in the index. Not official canon.
Who they are
Gruber pretends to be a terrorist so that the authorities will do exactly what he needs while he robs a vault. He is impeccably dressed, genuinely funny, and the smartest person in the building until one off-duty cop refuses to follow the script. Every witty, well-tailored action villain of the last thirty-five years is standing in his shadow.
Defining traits
Elaborate misdirectionMultilingual improvisationDry witCold pragmatismImpeccable presentation
What makes them dangerous
He has planned for the police, the FBI and the media, and he uses all three as tools.
And what undoes them
He cannot account for one unlisted variable, and his contempt for it costs him everything.
Things you might not know
- It was Alan Rickman's first feature film role, cast off a stage performance.
- The moment where he drops his accent to impersonate a hostage was Rickman's own suggestion.
- The final fall was filmed by dropping the actor early without warning, and the shock on his face is real.
Why number 11 in Best in Film
Every charming, well-dressed action villain of the last thirty-five years is imitating a first-time film actor from 1988.
Why number 13 in Most Charismatic
Impeccably dressed, genuinely witty, and the reason every action film since has tried to cast a theatre actor as the antagonist.
If you like this villain
Film
Keyser Söze
The Usual Suspects · 1995
A rumor that turned out to be sitting in the interrogation room
Threat index 75
TV