10 Best Villains John Wayne Faced In Western Movies

While John Wayne made a name for himself as one of the greatest Western movie heroes of all time, these performances would not be nearly as compelling without equally astounding villains. In countless tales of Wild West carnage, Wayne has faced off against boisterous bandits, ghastly gunslingers, and outrageous outlaws in memorable duels, standoffs, and classic shootouts. Although many will remember Wayne’s work with director John Ford and collaborations with Maureen O’Hara, it’s important not to underplay the essential nature of his greatest villains.

The best John Wayne movies all featured incredible antagonists, as classic tales of revenge and retribution would lack their essential urgency if they were not propped up by committed villainous portrayals from all-time great actors. With astounding performances from the likes of Bruce Cabot, Robert Duvall, and Lee Marvin, Wayne often faced off against fellow cinematic legends in his Western adventures. While Wayne may have been the quintessential Western leading man, a hero is only as good as the foes he faces.

10

Paul Regret

The Comancheros (1961)

Stuart Whitman played Paul Regret in the John Wayne Western The Comancheros. As a smooth-talking gambler and fugitive, Regret found himself captured by Wayne’s Captain Jake Cutter after killing a man in a duel, which he claimed got out of hand as he only planned to injure his adversary. With a cunning personality and sense of resourcefulness, Regret became a pain in Cutter’s side as he escaped after the captain’s homestead was burned by a group of Comanche natives.

While Regret started as a rival to Wayne’s character, as The Comancheros went on, he gradually redeemed himself as he assisted Cutter in taking down the Comancheros and showed off his more heroic side. While Regret was far from the most sinister villain that Wayne faced off against in Western movies, the way his character developed and changed throughout its runtime made him an interesting example of a villain-turned-anti-hero narrative.

9

John Fain

Big Jake (1971)

Big Jake was the last of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara’s five movies together, and the pair’s onscreen chemistry was only matched by the villainy of Richard Boone as John Fain. This ruthless and calculating leader of a gang of outlaws was the one responsible for the kidnapping of Little Jake McCandles, the young grandson of Wayne’s Big Jake McCandles, who was being held for ransom. As a cunning criminal who wasn’t afraid to be deceitful in the pursuit of his aims, Fain would lie, cheat, and even kill to get what he desired.

While many Western movie villains relied on brute force and intimidation to achieve their aims, John Fain was far more calculating and even pretended to be a simple hired hand in his first encounter with Big Jake. However, Fain’s arrogance was his ultimate downfall, as he underestimated the determination of those fighting to protect their family. In the end, Fain met his maker at the hands of Big Jake’s son, Michael McCandles, proving that heroism truly runs in the family.

8

Frank Pierce

The War Wagon (1967)

The War Wagon was a classic Western that was packed with star power. With John Wayne as the hero Taw Jackson, Kirk Douglas as the rival-turned-ally Lomax, and Bruce Cabot as the villainous Frank Pierce, The War Wagon boasted an impressive cast of talented actors. Among these great performances, Cabot stood out as he imbued Pierce with a vile sense of wickedness and innate arrogance that meant viewers were waiting for him to get his comeuppance.

As an underhanded and self-seeking businessman who acted like he was above the law, it was thrilling to watch Jackson and Lomax come together to rob Pierce’s stagecoach, which, although heavily armed, was also loaded with gold. In the end, it was Pierce’s overconfidence that led to his downfall, and he paid dearly for his attempts to frame Wayne’s character.

7

Lawrence Murphy

Chisum (1970)

While John Wayne and Forrest Tucker already appeared on screen together in the war movie Sands of Iwo Jima, they were allies in that film, so it was nice to see them face off against one another in Chisum. With Tucker as the amoral gunslinger Lawrence Murphy, this genuine historical figure made for a formidable foe. As an unscrupulous land grabber, Murphy was seen bribing corrupt sheriffs and hiring bandits to try and forcibly achieve his aim of buying John Chisum’s (Wayne) land.

Murphy’s characterization in Chisum made him an excellent villain, and his sinister nature ensured his ultimate defeat would be all the more satisfying. With a conclusion that saw Murphy beaten to a pulp and impaled on a bull’s horn, his death represented Western movies at their most gruesome. While the appearances of other real figures like Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid were also enjoyable, Murphy was the most engaging villain in Chisum.

6

Luke Plummer

Stagecoach (1939)

The Western acting legend Tom Tyler appeared in five John Wayne movies, including Stagecoach, The Night Riders, They Were Expendable, Red River, and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. In their first appearance together, Tyler played the villainous Luke Plummer against Wayne’s the Ringo Kid. While this was only a minor appearance, it did represent an important starting point for the villain versus hero dynamic that would play out across several classic films.

Luke Plummer was seen playing poker in the saloon near the end of Stagecoach and, with the help of his brothers, faced off against him in a showdown. As an outlaw gunned down by the Ringo Kid, Plummer’s defeat at the hands of Wayne would be repeated in many more movie appearances. As one of John Ford’s greatest Western movies, Stagecoach was packed with fantastic characters.

5

Asa Watts

The Cowboys (1972)

After already having a memorable villainous turn in The War Wagon, Bruce Dern faced off with John Wayne in the Western movie The Cowboys. As Asa Watts, Dern played a notably unhinged outlaw who tried to deceive Wayne’s Wil Andersen by pretending to be looking for work, only to end up ambushing him. Also known by the nickname Long Hair, Watts was truly one of the most despicable and ruthless villains in any Wayne Western.

As a formidable foe, Watts actually ended up gunning down Wil Andersen and was one of the few Western movie villains to actually kill a John Wayne hero. While Watts did eventually pay for his crimes, it was only after he had committed the heinous act of murder against the movie’s protagonist. This was an unusually dark turn of events for a movie starring Wayne, as he was usually the last one standing after facing off against sinister villains.

4

Chief Scar

The Searchers (1956)

While John Ford’s undisputed classic The Searchers was one of the first movies to give a more complex, three-dimensional portrayal of Native Americans, that did not stop Chief Scar from remaining a ruthless and villainous character. As the story of Ethan Edwards’ (John Wayne) years-long pursuit of his abducted niece, Chief Scar was the ruthless Comanche war leader responsible for burning down Ethan’s home, massacring his family, and kidnapping Debbie Edwards (Natalie Wood.)

As a commanding leader who lost his own son to white settlers, Chief Scar was a complex character whose sinister acts had deep-seated motivations behind them. While Chief Scar has relatively little screen time in The Searchers, his presence loomed large over the entire film, as his actions were what spearheaded Ethan’s tireless quest. In a particularly brutal ending for a movie villain, Scar was ultimately scalped by Ethan as revenge for the treatment of his family.

3

Nathan Burdette

Rio Bravo (1959)

Nathan Burdette was the main antagonist of Rio Bravo, whose brother was arrested by John Wayne’s John T. Chance. As a wealthy and powerful rancher who was fiercely protective of his younger sibling, Burdette sought to use his power and influence to get his brother freed without facing the consequences of his murderous actions. As a symbol of the innate influence of money, Nathan’s calculated tactics were in stark contrast to the reckless behavior of the younger Joe Burdette.

With an influence that extends throughout the entire town, Burdette showcased he wasn’t afraid to use brute force as he set hired hands on the prison to try and intimidate Chance into complying. Through a total disregard for law and order, Burdette’s dismissal of his brother’s wrongdoing showcased the sinister realities of wealthy people who feel like the law doesn’t apply to them. As one of Wayne’s most sophisticated villains, Nathan Burdette’s cowardice was seen in the way he often tried to get others to carry out his dirty work for him.

2

Lucky Ned Pepper

True Grit (1969)

Robert Duvall powerfully played the hardened and ruthless bandit Lucky Ned Pepper in the Western classic True Grit. As an associate of the devious Tom Chaney, together these two antagonists were central to the murder of Mattie Ross’ father and the story of retribution and revenge that subsequently took place. While Chaney was the central villain of True Grit, Pepper’s competence and unpredictability made him an even more frightening foe.

While Duvall didn’t get a lot of screen time in True Grit, he was essential in the movie’s final showdown, and had he not been shot down by Glen Campbell as La Boeuf, things could have turned out very differently. As a cocky and aggressive villain, Pepper showed incredible disrespect to Rooster Cogburn by referring to him as a “one-eyed fat man” in a particularly memorable exchange.

1

Liberty Valance

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

The greatest of all John Wayne’s movie villains was, of course, Liberty Valance from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. With an incredible performance from Lee Marvin, this legendary tough guy actor was one of the few who can claim to have killed Wayne in not one but two Western movies, an act he also carried out in The Comancheros. With a larger-than-life reputation and a ruthlessly violent nature, Liberty Valance embodied the most sinister side of the Wild West.

Although it was incredible to see Wayne and James Stewart share the screen in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, this movie would not be nearly as iconic without Marvin’s impeccable performance. As a sadistic outlaw who terrorizes the town of Shinbone, Valance was the perfect villain, whose aggressive behavior toward the lawyer Ransom Stoddard (Stewart) made him particularly unlikable. As the quintessential Western bad guy, Liberty Valance was one of the few villains whose evil ways matched John Wayne’s legendary heroism.