A movie is only as good as its villain. For example, Halloween would be nothing without Michael Myers and Batman's popularity would plummet without exciting and compelling villains like the Joker. Sci-fi films also have plenty of iconic antagonists who fans love to hate.
Some antagonists can outsmart and outfight the heroes at every turn, which makes them worthy of a win. Whether the villains were misunderstood or simply have the power to overwhelm the good guys, some foes deserved to defeat the heroes. Other sci-fi movie villains did win, but that victory was well-earned.
10 The Thing Infected Most Of The Researchers
The Thing
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
John Carpenter's sci-fi horror, The Thing has become a cult classic. Even decades later, buzz about this movie continues, most likely due to its ambiguous ending. The Thing is based on a dangerous alien life form that's simply referred to as the Thing and can take the form of any living creature.
Isolated in Antarctica, the Thing picks off researchers one at a time as it infects and transforms into them. Depending on how fans interpret the ending, the Thing actually won. Having infected most of the researchers and proved its incredible survival skills, the Thing showed it was a worthy adversary. The researchers had such a tough time destroying the Thing that it deserved to win.
9 The Kaiju Winning Would Be Karmic Justice
Pacific Rim
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5)
Pacific Rim brought the human war against Kaiju into the 21st century. The Kaiju began invading Earth from a fissure in the ocean. Humans were forced to resort to extreme means to protect themselves from the massive monsters, including giant walls that separated the land from the ocean and massive mechas.
The Kaiju had been waiting for millions of years to harvest the Earth for their needs. They were originally unable to sustain themselves in Earth's atmosphere, but after humans spent so much time destroying nature, they made it perfect for the Kaiju to inhabit and destroy. The Kaiju winning would just be karmic justice after humans ruined their own planet.
8 Skynet Surpassed Humanity
Terminator
When it comes to the Terminator franchise, it can be argued that the terminators deserved to win. Overarching all of them, however, is Skynet, the Neural Net-Based Artificial Intelligence system created by Cyberdyne. Skynet succeeded in destroying humanity by launching a war and creating sophisticated terminators to send back in time to destroy the people who might stand in its way.
This happened multiple times due to the Terminator franchise's tendency to rewrite history. After repeatedly proving that it could outlast and destroy humanity, Cyberdyne's Skynet actually did deserve to win.
7 Predators Live Up To Their Name
The Predator
In the Predator franchise, the Yautja, more commonly referred to as Predators or Hunters, is a group of aliens known for hunting dangerous prey for sport. As some of the most advanced and skilled hunters ever put to screen, it's difficult to argue against their efficiency. When pitting one Predator against one or more humans, it's difficult to see how humanity could ever win, given the Predators' combat ability and survival skills.
Throughout the Predator franchise, the Yautja are skilled and formidable hunters. While they may not be the group to root for, as their fierce hunting of innocent people is certainly villainous, these elite hunters are worthy adversaries.
6 The Xenomorphs Are The Perfect Life Form
Alien
The Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise are some of the most iconic sci-fi monsters ever created. The aliens' design is haunting, and they prove that they're the most dangerous killers. Given how powerful and vicious they are, to say that one Xenomorph should have no problem dealing with an entire ship of people would be an understatement.
As iconic as final girl Ellen Ripley is, she should count herself lucky for even surviving one run-in with these creatures. For their power, speed, strength, and intelligence, the Xenomorphs were incredibly formidable foes who deserved to win against a much-weaker Ellen Ripley.
5 Khan Nooien Sigh Had What It Took To Win
Star Trek
Khan is one of the most beloved villains of the Star Trek franchise. Benedict Cumberbatch revisited the character for a new generation in Star Trek Into Darkness. Although the modern Star Trek films received negative reviews, Cumberbatch was praised for being one of the best parts of the modern Star Trek films for his impressive performance.
Khan is powerful, intelligent, ruthless, and willing to do what needs to be done without letting his emotions or morals get in the way. With a backstory to back up his present state of being, he's the type of villain audiences can root for and, to a certain extent, even agree with.
4 Agent Smith Is Doing His Job
The Matrix
Agent Smith served as the main antagonist in The Matrix franchise. Originally destroyed by Neo, Agent Smith manifested himself as a computer virus with magnificent yet horrifying abilities. He created endless copies of himself across people and programs.
As an AI that isn't influenced by emotions or desires, Agent Smith can focus on his mission. Destroying all threats and maintaining the system is the only thing that he cares about. At the end of the day, he is fulfilling the purpose he was created for and in doing his job, he has true reason to come out victorious.
3 Loki Shouldn't Have Lost To The Avengers
The Avengers
Although Loki has gone through quite the character arc since his first appearance in Thor, he was the main antagonist in the original The Avengers film. When breaking down the film, though, Loki was set up to win. He's capable of powerful magic, equipped with the Mind Stone, has an army behind him, and a second Infinity Stone acquired in the Tesseract. Loki had no problem winning against the Avengers.
Loki combined his power and assets with his silver-tongued wit and ability to manipulate the people around him, which made him a beloved MCU villain. Fan theories suggest that Loki lost on purpose, which makes sense as he was totally prepared to win.
2 Magneto Was Right About Humanity
The X-Men
Magneto has always had a complicated relationship with the X-Men. He's sometimes an ally but most often an antagonist, so he can be an incredibly frustrating character to keep up with. However, given his backstory of survival, Magneto's approach to humanity makes sense. Not only has he been a victim due to his heritage, but he's also a victim because he's a mutant.
Magneto's claim that humanity will not and cannot change is hard to dispute, as racism, sexism, and homophobia are still evident in modern society. Although his methods may be questionable, he's not wrong, and fans find it difficult not to back him up.
1 Emperor Palpatine Had A Hand In Everything
Star Wars
From the very beginning, Palpatine manipulated an entire galaxy. He cultivated the Clone Wars, convinced the Senate to give him total power, and even tricked the Jedi Council. Palpatine is not only incredibly powerful, but he's also a master manipulator who brought an entire galaxy to its knees. While Darth Vader may be the most iconic Star Wars villain, Palpatine deserved to win.
If anyone deserves to win simply because he was the best, it's Emperor Palpatine. He did everything right, and he created the Empire by pulling the strings of every key player in the Star Wars universe. He should have succeeded in eradicating the Jedi and ruling over the entire galaxy, as the Sith Lord was so powerful and capable.