4. Syndrome – The Incredibles (2004)
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The Incredibles is much deeper than it seems. It’s got all the hallmarks of any great superhero movie, and it’s also entirely original. On top of that, when listing movie villains with genius plans, it’s guaranteed a place on our list.
The reveal of Syndrome’s real identity is slow, but when you boil his plan down to its constituent parts, it’s very clever. After being scorned by his childhood hero, the Super Mr. Incredible, young Buddy sets his brilliant inventive mind to the task of revenge. He creates a powerful robot capable of adapting to its enemies, then sets about killing off as many Supers as he can lure to his remote island.
With each Super the robot fights, it gets stronger by learning how to resist their powers. Buddy, now known as Syndrome, then wants to set it loose on the world, only to vanquish it (easily, because he programmed it) and become the hero he always wanted to be. As murderous and twisted as his plan is, it’s still brilliant, and would have worked had Mr. Incredible not been so stubborn.