It's a tried and true staple of storytelling: the hero beats the villain. As such, movies emulate this formula. The antagonist naturally gets his/her comeuppance at the end of a given film. This reinforces the message of good triumphing over evil, leaving audiences satisfied as a result.
Some flicks go further with their villains, though, making audiences truly glad to see them go. Oftentimes, this comes down to their loathsome deeds. Other times, their death signifies a major milestone for the hero. Either way, these baddies emotionally scarred viewers everywhere with their evil actions. Watching such twisted terrors die is almost therapeutic after such emotional tolls.
10 Magua - The Last Of The Mohicans
This Huron spends the entire tale seeking revenge on a British family. Although this seems a sympathetic goal at first, it soon puts him at odds with the Mohican heroes. The rivalry reaches its zenith during the eleventh hour.
Magua ruthlessly kills Uncas, the noble warrior trying to rescue his love, who then commits suicide. The villain simply walks off like nothing happened.
The Mohican's father, Chingachgook, is gutted at the sight. He and adopted son Hawkeye plow through Magua's war party before reaching the leader himself. Daddy faces the baddie and swiftly cuts him down, putting an end to his trail of misery. It's the one time Magua's cold stoicism is shattered, which hammers home the impact.
9 Count Rugen - The Princess Bride
Arguably more beloved than the romantic leads of The Princess Bride is a Spanish swordsman named Inigo Montoya. As a boy, he witnessed his father slaughtered by a six-fingered man, and he's spent his life searching for revenge. This goal is so pure that it's hard not to empathize with him, and that empathy increases once audiences meet said six-fingered man.
Count Rugen is not only a cold-hearted killer, but he has an intimate interest in pain. He comes up with new and creative ways to inflict torture on prisoners for the purposes of sadistic research. After he tests his theories on Westley, viewers immediately root for Inigo to find his lifelong quarry.
Their decisive duel doesn't disappoint. You can see the passion behind Montoya's eyes as he finally makes up for his past failure. Rather than hatred, his quest comes from a place of deep love for his late father. This perfectly complements the rest of the film and comes out just as resonant.
8 Sauron - The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
Most conflict in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit goes back to this devil-like figure. Although he's never onscreen in the flesh, he has legions of servants in his thrall. He also withers away the heroes' resolve through the One Ring and other corruptive tools. Many folks lose hope, and those who remain face endless hardship. Sauron is a demonic presence who seems insurmountable.
Naturally, it's cause for overwhelming joy when the Free Peoples of Middle-earth (and unlikely Hobbit heroes) achieve victory over their common foe. An enormous weight has been lifted from the movie's atmosphere, as if all evil in the world simply vanished. Bliss like this is well-deserved after several hours of film and a few thousand years of in-universe time.
7 Colonel Tavington - The Patriot
Even his fellow redcoats frown on this guy. The villain of this (wildly inaccurate) Revolutionary War film exercises the Crown's supreme authority over the Yankee rabble. In reality, though, he only cares about his own superiority. The cruelty with which he enforces that knows no bounds.
Tavington has his own methods of stamping out rebellion. These range from cutting down soldiers for stepping out of line to burning buildings with civilians inside. These actions deprive the reluctant Benjamin Martin of several family members. When he kills Tavington in battle, it doubtless left many people cheering on both sides. It's always worthwhile to topple a tyrant. In this case, that tyrant happened to be more personal than the British Empire.
6 Arjen Rudd - Lethal Weapon 2
Few people are easier to hate than cocky, corrupt politicians, especially those who hide behind a veneer of class and civility. That sums up South African apartheid ambassador Arjen Rudd. Throughout Lethal Weapon 2, he uses "diplomatic immunity" against cops Riggs and Murtaugh time and time again. Whether he's covering up for his thugs' drug operation or sanctioning attempts on the heroes' lives, he simply pulls out his ID and smiles.
The last straw comes during the climax. After killing half the police force (and a few loved ones) and shooting Riggs, Arjen hides position once again. Murtaugh then revokes his license...with a bullet in the head.
This is beautifully ironic on two fronts. For one thing, Murtaugh is usually a stickler for procedure; seeing him throw all that to the wind to help his friend is refreshing. Second, for all Arjen's talk of racial purity in his country, how fitting that he's taken out by one of the very people he looks down on.
5 Governor Montero & Captain Love - The Mask Of Zorro
This is a tale of two Zorros. Both suffer hardship and seek retribution against those who took everything from them. That time comes at the end. Alejandro defeats Captain Love in a brutal battle, and Diego sends Governor Montero tumbling down to his underling, buried in the gold they so desperately mined through their peasant slave trade.
This goes to the heart of why it's so gratifying. Sure, it's good to see the two heroes defeat their respective nemeses. In doing so, though, they reaffirm what it means to wear the mask. They kill the villains for more than just simple revenge; they do it to save the oppressed commoners. Zorro is a folk figure who fights for the people, so such an outcome couldn't be more appropriate.
4 Archibald Cunningham - Rob Roy
Scottish rogue Robert Roy MacGregor evades the British forces several times, but most dangerous is psychotic enforcer Archibald Cunningham. Don't let his fruity name fool you; Archie is a warrior every bit as deadly as MacGregor himself. Their heated rivalry permeates the film, their hatred increasing as each deals personal blows to the other. Cunningham's tactics are decidedly more brutal, however. In hunting his quarry, the villain kills Rob's friends, burns his home, and rapes his wife. Such despicable deeds would draw anyone's ire.
Thankfully, after possibly the greatest sword fight in cinematic history, the highland hero strikes down his enemy. Their battle mirrors the rest of the tale, with Cunningham wounding MacGregor time and time again, all the while relishing his suffering. Regardless, the underdog emerges triumphant. The finishing blow carries enormous thematic weight as a result, enhancing the surface-level thrill of watching a bad guy go down.
3 Emperor Palpatine - Star Wars: Episode 6 - Return Of The Jedi
The Emperor is similar to Sauron in his overarching influence. The difference is he's usually around to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Palpatine exerts his rule over the Star Wars galaxy, playing on the dark desires of his disciples. He knows people and how to manipulate them, and he loves nothing more than basking in that hatred.
As one would imagine, he's got a constant confidence. He believes he's planned everything perfectly. He's right most of the time, but he doesn't count on Darth Vader, his most enduring servant, betraying him. To save his son, the fallen Jedi lifts Palpatine up and tosses him into an endless chasm. Here, he's engulfed by his own lightning and explodes.
It's about time someone shattered his arrogance and gave him a taste of his own medicine. More importantly, there's no better way to show he was wrong. Even someone as terrible as Darth Vader isn't beyond redemption. It's just a shame the Blu-ray special edition has to ruin this moment by having him scream, "No!". At least the Emperor's death still resonates on the older versions.
2 Bellatrix Lestrange - Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 2
It would be easy to put overarching villain Voldemort on this list. After all, he killed the title character's parents years prior and now exacts his prejudicial regime on the wizarding world. However, his top lieutenant ultimately proves a more twisted menace. One of her first acts is to murder Harry's godfather, and that's only the beginning. Bellatrix has a cult-like faith in her master's "pure-blooded" doctrine and delights in torturing those from "inferior" stock. She even inflicts this pain on Hermione, who's easily the most adept yet wholesome witch in the series. After all that, viewers badly want someone to get rid of Bellatrix, both to halt her madness and stop her maniacal laughter.
The moment finally comes in The Deathly Hallows. The villainess attacks the wrong person in Ginny Weasley. In a moment straight from the book, Molly Weasley steps in to defend her daughter and kills the crazy witch. Few things are more powerful than a parent's love. Mommy Weasley demonstrates this with her children throughout the series. Seeing it manifest here makes for a tremendous payoff, especially when wielded against someone who severs such bonds for her sick kicks.
1 Elliot Marston - Quigley Down Under
It should be no surprise seeing one of Alan Rickman's characters here. He always played an effective antagonist, and Marston is one of them. This rancher fancies himself a gunslinger, one whose job it is to keep the wild Australian outback in line. He regularly flaunts his superior skills over his incompetent underlings. This only fuels his oversized ego.
That cockiness gets the better of him in the end. Marston thinks he can beat Matthew Quigley in a close-quarters pistol shootout. The hero has only ever shown his prowess with long-range rifles. Imagine Marston's shock when his foe proves faster on the draw. This subverts both his and audiences' expectations in the best way. No one likes a poser; it's only right to knock this western baddie off his high horse (pun intended).