Unarguably one of the biggest names in Hollywood, Samuel L. Jackson has had a rich and full acting career playing both heroes and villains. With his movies collectively grossing over $27 billion, Jackson is considered one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. Jackson’s professional career began in 1972 after he picked up an interest in acting while studying at Atlanta’s Morehouse College.
Samuel L. Jackson is one of his generation’s most versatile actors, having been cast in a wide range of roles. Although Jackson is famous today for portraying Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), he has had his fair share of villainy roles throughout his decades-long career. Besides his good-guy roles, these are 8 times Samuel L. Jackson played a major villain in a movie.
Pulp Fiction
Samuel L. Jackson was one of the supporting cast members in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 independent crime film Pulp Fiction. Although not the film’s main villain, Jackson and John Travolta’s characters were crime boss Marsellus Wallace’s (Ving Rhames) enforcers. Samuel L. Jackson played Jules Winnfield, a philosophical hitman. Jackson’s character stood out in Pulp Fiction with his distinctive look, wearing a jheri-curled wig and reciting a Bible verse before killing his targets. Interestingly, Jackson’s performance earned him critical acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Unbreakable
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Samuel L. Jackson’s performance as Elijah Price/Mr. Glass in the 2000 Unbreakable is one of his memorable villainy roles. His reveal as the villain is one of cinema’s greatest villain reveals. Elijah Price was a comic book art dealer with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare condition that makes his bones extremely fragile and prone to fracture. Price became obsessed with finding someone he considered his opposite—strong and unbreakable.
After watching David Dunn (Bruce Willis) survive a devastating train crash without injury. As the movie progresses, Price’s role shifts from a mentor-like figure to a more sinister one. This culminates in his revelation that he orchestrated several tragic accidents, including the train crash, to find a superhuman like David Dunn. Unbreakable received generally positive reviews and was a Box Office success, grossing $248.1 million against its production budget of $75 million. Samuel L. Jackson reprised his role in the 2019 crossover and sequel Glass.
Jumper
In the 2008 Jumper, Samuel L. Jackson plays the main antagonist, Agent Roland Cox. Roland Cox is the leader of a secret organization known as the Paladins. The organization’s mission is to track and put down people with the superhuman ability to “jump” (teleport). Agent Roland Cox believes jumpers are too powerful and dangerous to live with other humans. Throughout the film, Roland relentlessly pursues David Rice (Hayden Christensen), the protagonist. The movie also starred Rachel Bilson, Jamie Bell, Diane Lane, and Kristen Stewart.
Lakeview Terrace
In the 2008 crime thriller Lakeview Terrace, Samuel L. Jackson was cast as Abel Turner, a strict and troubled LAPD officer. Jackson plays a racist officer who becomes hostile and increasingly aggressive towards his new neighbors. The neighbors, a young interracial couple, initially try to downplay Abel Turner’s hostility. Jackson’s character, driven by personal issues and deep-seated prejudices, uses his position of authority to intimidate and harass the couple. Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington played the interracial couple, Chris Mattson and Lisa Mattson.
The Spirit
Frank Miller’s 2008 neo-noir superhero movie The Spirit was adapted from Will Eisner’s comic book. In the movie, Samuel L. Jackson played the supervillain The Octopus. He’s known for his bizarre outfits and obsession with immortality. The Octopus is at odds with The Spirit (Gabriel Macht), the movie’s protagonist. However, Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal of The Octopus is exaggerated and over-the-top, adding a humorous tone to the character. The Spirit also starred Scarlett Johansson and Eva Mendes. It was panned by critics and was a box-office disappointment.
Django Unchained
Although not the movie’s main villain, Samuel L. Jackson’s Stephen Warren was one of Django Unchained’s iconic and memorable characters. Stephen was a house slave and loyal servant to Calvin J. Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Although a black man, he has a close relationship with Candie and helps to maintain control over the slaves on the plantation.
After realizing Django (Jamie Foxx) and Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) know each other, Stephen informs Candie. An altercation between Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and Candie lead to their death. Stephen’s betrayal made him one of Django Unchained’s most complex and antagonistic characters. Django Unchained was a critical and commercial success, grossing $426 million against a $100 million budget.
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Samuel L. Jackson played the main villain in the first installment of the Kingsman film series Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015). In the Matthew Vaughn spy-action comedy, Jackson was cast as Richmond Valentine, a billionaire tech mogul with a quirky personality. Valentine, a philanthropist, becomes disillusioned with humanity and decides on a sinister plan to combat overpopulation.
His scheme involved distributing free SIM cards that would cause people to become uncontrollably violent. The success of his plan hinged on mass chaos that would result in deaths. Jackson’s villain portrayal received praise for his eccentric behavior and aversion to violence, which added to the film’s humor. Kingsman: The Secret Service was a commercial success, grossing $414.4 million from a production budget of $81–94 million.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
As of 2024, the last time Samuel L. Jackson played a major villain in a movie was the 2016 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. This proves Jackson has played good-guy/hero characters more often in his career. In Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Jackson was cast as Mr. Frederick “Fred” Barron. His villainous character is a Wight, a creature that used to be a Hollowgast that hunts peculiars. Unlike these Hollowgasts, Wights have a human appearance but with white eyes.
Jackson’s Barron character is the leader of the Wights and Hollows. They seek out Peculiars to eat the eyes to help them maintain a human form. Jackson’s Barron also has shape-shifting abilities that allow him to disguise himself as another person. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children received mixed reviews from critics and performed moderately at the Box Office. While Samuel L. Jackson has had a fantastic run playing a villain in movies, these actors have never been cast as movie villains.
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