Inspired by Sherlock Holmes and legendary military strategists such as Alexander the Great, Grand Admiral Thrawn is the first character on this list to originate from books related to the subject. He also has the distinction of being the first major villain of the post-Return of the Jedi era. The “Thrawn” trilogy of the 1990s remains the most famous book of all, as it rejuvenated the franchise and introduced this tactical genius. While there is some debate among fans about whether Kylo Ren should continue to be considered a true villain after The Rise of Skywalker, his appearance in The Force Awakens is our favorite, and there he is firmly involved in the field of the bad guys.
From the intimidating crossed lightsaber to his chaotic nature, which makes the audience feel that even he doesn't quite know what he's going to do next, Ren's vivid characterization and volatile personality (not to mention Adam Driver's performance) helped make The Force Awakens a worthy successor to the original trilogy. Boba Fett began his career in Star Wars as a mysterious cartoon character in The Star Wars Holiday Special and as a faceless villain in The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi, before making the leap to classic Legends books and comics. Now, he returns to the Disney canon for the first time, thanks to The Mandalorian, which gives a new generation of fans every reason to love the iconic bounty hunter. While not the first actor to play Boba Fett, the veteran of the prequel trilogy Temuera Morrison brings newfound charm and power to the legendary bounty hunter, whose armor, propellant backpack and laconic personality made him a breakout star despite his relatively short screen time in the original trilogy.
In The Mandalorian, we can finally see his legendary prowess, since, with no help from anyone, he defeats stormtroopers with his bare hands before even recovering their armor. The story of Boba Fett is almost as long as Star Wars itself, which premiered in 1978, and has since been a fan favorite, living many other lives on the page beyond the movies. He worked for the Empire, joined other bounty hunters and even became the leader of the Mandalorian people. With his return to the Disney canon, he has a whole new future full of adventures that fans are looking forward to, such as The Book of Boba Fett.
While the villain of The Mandalorian hasn't spent as much time on screen as many of the others on this list, he has risen to the top thanks to the strength of his personality. Giancarlo Esposito gives a sinister life even to Moff Gideon's expository dialogue. Darth Vader is almost universally considered to be the greatest movie villain of all time. It can be safely said that without Vader, there would be no Star Wars franchise.
An imposing figure that can intimidate and inspire fear just by entering a room, Vader's deep, resounding voice and the strangulation of the Force are as legendary as the sound of his breath coming out of his black helmet. As a Jedi, Anakin had a supernatural talent, leading Qui-Gon Jinn to proclaim that he was the chosen one who would save the Jedi. Interstellar gangsters, smiling bureaucrats, corrupt politicians and the avatars of ancient and unknowable evils: you'll never find a hive of garbage and villainy more miserable than the Star Wars universe. Star Wars is a story about good triumphing over evil, heroes overcome all the challenges that come their way and defeat villains.
Presented as the acrobatic and terrifying antagonist in the first and second seasons of the Clone Wars miniseries, she confronts Anakin Skywalker several times during the galactic conflict. In my opinion, Emperor Palpatine is the best villain in Star Wars simply because he represents pure evil. As an ISB agent, he differs from most of the villains in Star Wars by not being, first and foremost, a warrior with the Force. But we especially recommend that you check out his first on-screen appearance in Genndy Tartakovsky's Clone Wars microseries.
While it was easily one of the best parts of The Phantom Menace, it's its development in The Clone Wars that really places it near the top of the list. Thrawn, the epitome of working smarter, not harder, is a wise thinker who can guess what a culture's war strategy will look like based solely on its art. When Snoke first appeared in The Force Awakens as a larger-than-life creature, it looked like he was going to become one of the greatest Star Wars villains of all time. The shared story of Palpatine, Vader and Tarkin allowed the Admiral to easily rise through the ranks of the new Empire as a trusted comrade, ultimately leading Tarkin to oversee the construction of the Death Star.
While the narrative of the Star Wars universe is diverse and encompasses several mediums, there is no doubt that the live-action projects in the franchise are the most recognizable and profitable. That mentality clashes with that of the Jedi in one of the most dramatic confrontations of The Clone War, in which Maul reveals that he knows that the Empire is coming and that the Jedi arrive too late to stop him. While Maul apparently died after Obi-Wan broke him in half, The Clone Wars revealed that Maul actually survived, as he showed up to hunt Obi-Wan with a new pair of robotic legs and conquered the planet Mandalore. Captain Phasma, one of the first female villains in the Star Wars universe, gave viewers a deeper insight into the new and insidious generation of kidnapped stormtroopers introduced in The Force Awakens.
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