Moviegoers love to hate a good villain.
In a new study, largely based on Google Trends, Shane Co. has determined which live-action villains the U.S. loves to hate the most. Here are some takeaways from the research.
Who is the most popular live-action villain?
The Joker.
Specifically, the Joker from “The Dark Knight” was the most popular live-action movie villain overall, with the following nine states most frequently searching for Batman’s nemesis:
- Florida.
- Kansas.
- Kentucky.
- Mississippi.
- Nevada.
- New Mexico.
- North Carolina.
- Oklahoma.
- Texas.
Hannibal Lecter from “Silence of the Lambs” was runner-up for most popular live-action movie villain, being the most-searched baddie in the following six states:
- Iowa.
- Maine.
- Missouri.
- Montana.
- West Virginia.
- Wyoming.
Batman’s nemeses reign supreme on the internet. Bane from “The Dark Knight” rises was the third-most popular live-action movie villain, being the favorite in the following four states:
- Alaska.
- Illinois.
- New York.
- Pennsylvania.
Overall, the DC movie villains — including the Joker and Bane — were the most popular villains, being the favorites in 13 states combined. Marvel baddies — like the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus and Thanos — were the most popular villains in five states. “Star Wars” villains — specifically Kylo Ren and Darth Vader — were the most popular in two states.
What about Utah?
The award for Utah’s favorite live-action antagonist goes to Darth Vader. Utah searched for Darth Vader more than any other state.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, considering another recent study from Shane. Co determined that Utah was the No. 1 state in the country when it comes to “Star Wars” fandom, the Deseret News reported. That study also revealed that Utah’s favorite “Star Wars” hero is Yoda.
What are some other popular live-action villains?
- Calvin Candle from “Django Unchained,” Detective Alonzo Harris from “Training Day,” Hans Landa in “Inglorious Basterds” and Tyler Durden from “Fight Club” each had the hearts of three states.
- Amon Goeth from “Schindler’s List,” Dr. Octopus from the “Spider-Man” franchise, Hal 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey” and Thanos from the “Avengers” franchise each were the favorites in two states.
- The study noted several one-offs, including Mr. Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Arkansas); Kylo Ren from the “Star Wars” franchise (Arizona); Lord Voldemort from the “Harry Potter” franchise (Michigan); and Norman Bates from “Psycho” (New Hampshire).
The methodology
Shane Co. compiled a list of 37 popular live-action films and used Google Trends to analyze the search volume of the villains in these films over the past five years.