This is the first time I’ve done something like this. I’m participating in the Great Villain Blogathon with dozens of other bloggers. We all staked out some famous villains to talk about in our own unique ways. Since I’m such an eclectic kind of guy, I picked all sorts of villains, from the famous to the obscure and everything in-between.
In this list, we’re going to see what happens when a powerful hero goes toe to toe with a wimpy villain. Sometimes it’s satisfying to watch a hero win by a mile instead of by the skin of his teeth.
I apologize in advance for the violence and language contained in some of the following videos. I can’t help loving them despite their flaws. With that caveat, on with the list!
1. Bob Parr vs. Gilbert Huph (The Incredibles)
This demonstrates one of the dangers of superpowers. If you and I are having a bad day, we might feel like punching a wall, but the worst that would happen is we’d break our hand and have a little bit of drywall to repair. But if you’re as strong as Mr. Incredible… well, this happens.
2. Bill and Ted vs. Death (Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey)
Whether you’ve seen The Seventh Seal or not, this scene where Bill and Ted play a series of board games with Death is absolutely hilarious. Poor guy never stood a chance. I guess he should’ve stuck with chess.
3. RoboCop vs. Clarence Boddicker (RoboCop – 1987)
If RoboCop ever says you have the right to remain silent, it’s best not to sass him. Clarence Boddicker learned that the hard way.
4. RoboCop vs. Dick Jones (RoboCop – 1987)
That’s right. RoboCop is such an unstoppable force, he deserves two spots on this list. When RoboCop opens the doors to the boardroom after taking down Clarence Boddicker and ED-209, is there really any doubt that he’s going to find a way to get around his programming and kill Dick Jones? I think not.
5. Klingon Bird of Prey vs. Whaling Ship (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
I love this moment because it totally earns its payoff. First of all, the whaling ship is the only one that actually fires a weapon. The Bird of Prey just becomes visible and scares the whalers off without having to fire a single photon torpedo. Second, they don’t just become visible out of spite. It serves a real purpose because they can’t beam the whales onto the ship while cloaked. Third, between this, the woman who grew new kidneys, Gillian’s decision to leave the 20th century behind, and the invention of transparent aluminum, it just goes to show that the time-space continuum is much more resilient than you might think.
6. James Bond vs. Russian Police Force (GoldenEye)
For me, this is the pinnacle of the Pierce Brosnan Era. James Bond is surrounded by bad guys, deep inside enemy territory and he has no chance of backup or relief. Does he give up? Of course not! He simply hops into a tank and learns the controls as he goes. He demolishes walls, buildings, trucks, cars, and statues in his pursuit of a relatively tiny car. It’s over the top and it’s a ton of fun. Well played, Mr. Bond.
7. Iron Man vs. Tank (Iron Man)
It’s a good thing James Bond didn’t run into Iron Man while he was driving the tank. Things could have gotten messy.
8. Kevin McCallister vs. The Wet Bandits (Home Alone)
Maybe it’s the fact that Joe Pesci has to channel his inner Yosemite Sam to keep himself from swearing like a sailor or that Daniel Stern has the most epic grown-man scream of all time. Whatever it is, Home Alone is always delightful and charming, even as it brutally maims these poor men in cartoony ways.
9. Indiana Jones vs. Swordsman (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Possibly the most classic example of a ridiculously outmatched villain is found in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Years later, Indy’s father would sum it up nicely when he says in The Untouchables, “Isn’t that just like a wop? Brings a knife to a gunfight.”
10. Hulk vs. Loki (The Avengers – 2012)
You knew this one was coming. The Hulk’s beatdown on Loki goes down in history as the most one-sided hero-villain fight of all time. What a smashing way to end this list.
This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.
All video clips are the copyright of their respective owners.
This post is part of the Great Villain Blogathon hosted by Ruth of Silver Screenings, Karen of Shadows & Satin, and Kristina of Speakeasy — see all the movie baddies at any of these three blogs.
Deja Reviewer 
very fun survey, love Home Alone & the Loki one (“puny God”) but if I had to pick one fave it’s Indy–I read how that scene came about at the spur of the moment because Harrison Ford had a stomach bug and therefore needed something of a fast resolution.
I’ve been lurking and reading your blog for a while now and am so glad you joined us, thanks!
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Thank you so much. I really appreciate you organizing this blogathon. It was a pleasure to participate. 🙂
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It’s great when the bad guys have it coming to them. One of the most satisfying things movies can do for us.
The take-down of the wet bandits always leaves me breathless with laughter.
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Seriously. Sometimes you just want someone to get thrown through seven walls, even if the consequences aren’t the best for the hero. It feels so good for just a moment. These movies all earn their moments of unfair advantage for the hero.
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FAB-U-LOUS post! And may I add that I am super excited that “The Incredibles” made the list.
I enjoyed this very much. Brilliant post. Thanks for including it in the blogathon.
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Thank you. You’re very kind. Just doing my best to keep things fun. I’m so glad I could join this blogathon.
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A hilarious and unusual take on the hero vs. villain(s) confrontations, bravo! Fun to read and watch, my favorites are the Incredibles, Indy and Hulk/Loki.
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Your post was so much fun! And even more so, for me, because I’ve never seen any of these clips before! Good stuff.
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I’m glad I could introduce you to so many awesome movies. I hope you’ll check them out to get some context for these clips, too. This is just me having fun with them.
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Fun post! The Home Alone clip is my favourite my MILES – I’d forgotten how much that movie made me laugh. It’s still acceptable to love it as a grown up, right? 😉
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Some kids movies get even better when we’re grownups and we can appreciate them more. 🙂
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Loved this approach. Home Alone and Indiana Jones are perfect choices. When I saw your title, the first thing I thought of were those old Batman TV episodes, in which (even as a kid) there was never even a smidgen of fear the hero wouldn’t win:) Leah
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Nicely said. Those Batman episodes often ended in a cliffhanger where we’d have to wait and stay tuned at the same Bat Time, same Bat Channel, but did anyone really think they wouldn’t find some way out of the death trap?
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The funny thing about the Indiana Jones clip is that it wasn’t in the script. Harrison Ford has stated that it was supposed to be a long fight but due to a bout with intestinal distress the scene was changed (for the better in my opinion) to allow Ford to return to the bathroom.
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I love that. Mother Necessity stepped in and turned a potentially routine action sequence into something truly special.
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HAHAH I walsy laugh with that scene in Indiana Jones
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Absolutely classic. Nobody does it better than Indy. 🙂
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How about the last fight scene in Delta Force, when Chuck Norris takes out the lead terrorist without even breaking a SWEAT? First he almost runs clean over him with a motorcycle, beats him in a knife fight (beats him to a PULP really), slams his shoulder and arm shut in a car door, punches him a few more times, leaves him in the back seat and drives away on his motorbike, but not before firing a missile into the terrorist’s car.
It left the impression in many youngsters’ minds that this was just standard operating procedure for how our soldiers dealt with terrorists in the 80’s.
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So true. I also completely forgot to mention the knife fight between Steven Seagal and Tommy Lee Jones at the end of the Under Siege. There was never any doubt who was going to win that fight.
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