Five characters everyone hates

A real achievement is to unite the audience behind, or against, any one individualRisking sounding like an old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn, they just don’t make villains like they used to. Antagonists today in films generally fall under two categories: borderline antiheroes with tragic backstories – Killmonger from Black Panther is a perfect example – or cookie-cutter evil for the sake of being evil. Insert any antagonist from the Fast & Furious series. But it is a true achievement to create a character that absolutely everyone despises. A character absolutely irredeemable and universally hated. Here are five. Calvin Candie (Django Unchained) Sometimes it’s not just the character. It is the way the character is portrayed and how the actor manages to lower him to a truly detestable level. Hatefully played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Calvin Candie is the owner of a slave plantation and is the living, walking, talking stereotype of the worst excesses of slavery in the US. Forcing people to fight to the death for his own amusement, celebrating slaves’ misfortune and possibly having an incestuous relationship with his sister, Candie is a man who would rather see the whole world burn before giving in. Candie is made to look all the more monstrous when juxtaposed with Christoph Waltz’s Dr Schultz. Kind, thoughtful, courteous and civilized, Schultz makes the barbaric Candie appear even worse by comparison. Mrs Carmody (The Mist) Interestingly enough, this won’t be the only Frank Darabont-Stephen King collaboration entry on our list. Everyone, even those of a more religious disposition, actively despises over-the-top religious zealots. They are loud, obnoxious and everyone steers well clear of them. What happens, though, when escape is not an option? When you are stuck with that person somewhere and can’t go outside because it is infested with Lovecraftian horror creatures? Mrs Carmody, played by Marcia Gay Harden, is trapped along with others in a supermarket while a murderous mist surrounds the store. As panic spreads, she copes by dialing the religiosity up to 11 and turns into a fanatical cult leader. She manipulates frightened survivors, weaponises faith and convinces ordinary people to commit increasingly horrific acts in the name of divine salvation. Mrs Carmody embodies everything wrong with religion. Captain Vidal (Pan’s Labyrinth) When considering troubled times in history, we tend to overlook truly horrific actions perpetrated by ordinary people, which is why it is really hard to comprehend true fascists, people who would murder hundreds or thousands simply because they do not fit their worldview. Captain Vidal, played by Sergi López in Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece, is a fascist military officer during Franco’s rule in Spain. Ruthless, intelligent and, most importantly, completely devoid of empathy, he believes every problem can be solved with violence and relishes administering it. Del Toro frames Vidal beautifully, as Pan’s Labyrinth moves between the real world and the fairy-tale one. The fantasy world contains terrifying monsters, but none of them are as scary as him. Percy Wetmore (The Green Mile) Our second entry from a Stephen King-Frank Darabont collaboration. What makes Percy such a hated character is how close he comes to the real thing: every single one of us knows a Percy. Privileged, connected and accustomed to getting everything he wants from life not because of hard work but because he knows the right people. Moreover, both our Percy and the film’s Percy are completely incompetent, devoid of charisma and amazingly unintelligent. And he knows it. In The Green Mile, Percy Wetmore is a prison guard working on death row with a single ambition: to be the one who pulls the switch and executes a prisoner in the electric chair. The scene where his wish is granted will forever haunt my dreams. I am not ashamed to admit that I cheered when he ultimately got what he deserved. Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter) The undisputed queen of hated characters, Dolores Umbridge manages the impossible: in a universe full of dark wizards, soul-sucking spirits and a genocidal Dark Lord, she somehow becomes the most disliked character of them all. In the Harry Potter universe, Dolores Umbridge is a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic who comes to Hogwarts as a representative of the minister, using her influence to bend students and faculty to her will. Much like Percy, Dolores is someone we encounter in our everyday lives. A petty, close-minded bigot who hides behind bureaucracy to mask her cruelty. She outwardly appears gentle and loving, showing an affinity for the colour pink and kittens. She administers punishments gleefully, crushing anyone who dares oppose her. When she finally receives her truly horrific comeuppance, our collective reaction is one of unbridled celebration.