Regardless of the movie's genre, the traditional formula for stories both on the pages and on the big screen follows a hero of some kind as they take on a villain of some kind. There have been all kinds of unforgettable villains who have appeared in movies over the years only to be bested time and time again by the unstoppable heroes, though that isn't always the case.

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While movie fans are accustomed to seeing the hero win in the end, there is a successful trend of climactic twist endings that shatters these hopes as the villain manages to come out on top. Whether it's through the failure of the hero or the subtle manipulations of the movie's villain, they manage to take the win and get what they want in the end.

10 Hannibal Lecter Manipulated Events To Escape In The Silence Of The Lambs

Hannibal Lecter smiles at Clarice from his prison cell in Silence of the Lambs

1991's The Silence of the Lambs adapted Thomas Harris' novel of the same name, which followed FBI agent Clarice Starling's attempts to track down a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill who has kidnapped and killed a number of young women. She enlists the aid of captured cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins.

Starling is forced to give in to some of Hannibal Lecter's requests in order to dive into the mind of a serial killer like Buffalo Bill. While Lecter is ultimately helpful in the FBI's hunt for Buffalo Bill, he was also able to orchestrate events and make it easier for him to escape custody, freeing himself to dine upon the world once again.

9 Arthur Fleck Found His Calling In Joker When He Instigated A Gotham City Riot

Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker

While it might not seem like the man formerly known as Arthur Fleck won in the end considering he was incarcerated for his crimes, he still managed to get what he finally wanted in Joker. His lifelong dream of appearing on the Live With Murray Franklin show came to reality, and he used the opportunity to kill the host and finally come into his own as the titular Joker.

He also found out the truth about his upbringing and won the approval of the audience/rioters he had been craving all his life as a failed street clown and comedian. He was finally content with the dark thoughts in his head and his freedom to act on them, though it didn't bode well for his future victims.

8 The Terrorist Couple Next Door From Arlington Road Went Free To Kill Again

The terrorist couple from Arlington Road

A widowed history professor grows suspicious of his new neighbors in 1999's Arlington Road, though the loss of his wife leads to claims of paranoia when he attempts to call out the suspected terrorist plot against the government. Jeff Bridges plays the professor who scrutinizes the activities of his new neighbors, played by Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack.

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He uncovers their terrorist activities and attempts to warn the FBI, though he realizes too late that not only was he correct about his assumptions, but they have used his vehicle to strike at the FBI offices. With his death framing him, the terrorist couple is free to move on and plan another attack.

7 Jigsaw's Plans Almost Always Work In His Favor In The Horror Franchise Saw

Jigsaw laying on the floor in Saw

2004's Saw introduced an interesting new addition to the ranks of horror movie slashers with the killer known as Jigsaw, though he was unique among them as he didn't really kill his victims himself. Instead, he set them up in elaborate traps that made them fight for survival in order to learn a lesson about their alleged "wickedness."

The first Saw surprised viewers when the dead body that had been resting in the middle of the room for the entire movie stood up, revealing himself as John Kramer/Jigsaw before he trapped one of the survivors alone in the dark to die. Jigsaw stayed a step ahead of police for a number of movies in the Saw franchise while his disciples carried on his legacy.

6 Ozymandias Achieved His "Evil" Plan In Watchmen Before The Heroes Even Arrived

Ozymandias in Watchmen

Zack Snyder directed the 2009 adaptation of the iconic graphic novel Watchmen, which explored a plot against a failed team of superheroes who were forced to retire by their government during a time of civil unrest. As the world neared another World War, the retired heroes returned to investigate the murders.

They actually uncovered the real plot by their former teammate Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias. In the movie, he fabricated an attack using the energy of Doctor Manhattan, which claimed lives across the whole planet. This united the world against a larger threat, and he accomplished all of this while the superheroes were still making their way to him.

5 Anton Chigurh Came Out On Top Against All Odds In No Country For Old Men

Anton Chigurh talks to an old man in No Country for Old Men

The 2007 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men from the Coen Brothers brought the unstoppable cartel hitman Anton Chigurh to life on the big screen, portrayed by Javier Bardem. The movie followed Chigurh's hunt for the money stolen by a man who walked in on a drug deal gone wrong.

Chigurh manages to track down everyone he is looking for, survive countless attacks, and put everyone who comes in contact with him in jeopardy. The movie ends on a down note as the cartel finds and kills their man, while Chigurh ultimately gets away and serves to herald in a new dark age of crime.

4 "Gordo" Mosely From The Gift Got His Shocking Revenge On His High School Bully

Joel Edgerton in The Gift

When a man and his wife relocate for work back to his hometown, he runs into a childhood acquaintance named Gordo who quickly becomes a new constant in their lives. However, his presence begins causing issues and he is warned away from the couple, leading to a few odd events around the house.

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While the husband's professional life collapses around him his wife suffers fainting spells before becoming pregnant. She learns of her husband's past as a bully who started a devastating rumor about Gordo that ruined his life. Gordo then reveals to his old bully that he may have sexually assaulted his wife, forever forcing his enemy to question his parentage.

3 Thanos Snapped Away Half Of the Universe's Population In Avengers: Infinity War

Thanos snapping have of the universes population in Avengers Infinity War while Thor watches

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had spent ten years watching the build-up to Thanos' gathering of the Infinity Stones that culminated with his battle against the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War. The heroes attempted to stop Thanos from gathering the stones, leading to pitched battles between the Mad Titan.

Fans in theaters were shocked when Thanos overcame all odds and completed the Infinity Gauntlet, snapping his fingers and achieving his goal of wiping out half of the universe. Avengers and Guardians disappeared in puffs of ash as Thanos snapped his fingers again to disappear, retiring to his planet paradise to tend to his garden until Avengers: Endgame.

2 Amy Gained Control Over Her Husband And Got Away With Murder In Gone Girl

Amy and Nick from Gone Girl

2014's Gone Girl book adaptation followed a community dealing with the well-televised disappearance of a woman named Amy, with all suspicious signs of foul play pointing towards her husband Nick. He spends the first half of the movie following the clues she left behind that ultimately reveal she was framing him for her disappearance.

Amy wasn't happy with her new life undercover and how the media's narrative was painting her ex-husband, so she framed an old lover for raping and kidnapping her before she murdered him. She also trapped Nick into staying with her as a dutiful husband by getting pregnant using his frozen sperm, forcing him to stay in order to protect his unborn child from her.

1 The Mysterious John Doe From Se7en Manipulated Events To Get What He Wanted

Kevin Spacey as John Doe from Se7en

Morgan Freeman's Detective Somerset and Brad Pitt's Detective Mills investigate a gruesome series of murders that all seem to be themed around the seven deadly sins in 1995's Se7en. The mysterious killer known only as John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey) managed to stay one step ahead of the police as he carries out his twisted killings.

It's in the end when he finally reveals his twisted plans to carry out the final two murders that punished his envy of Mills' idyllic life and turned Mills into the final wrathful killer after he saw the head of his pregnant wife inside a mailed package. John Doe may have died in the end, but his plan was carried out to perfection and he got exactly what he wanted.

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