The Jurassic Park franchise is known for its dinosaurs, but throughout the Park and Jurassic World movies, plenty of compelling human villains have been introduced as well. While the massive reptiles are the biggest threats in each movie, their ability to harm humans is often brought about by villains like these.
The villains in the Jurassic Park movies have all kinds of motivations, but most of them are rooted in their desire to use dinosaurs for nefarious purposes. Some want to profit from their illegal sale, some want to experiment on them, and some even want to militarize them. So, here are the seven best human villains from the movies, ranked.
7) Vic Hoskins
2015’s Jurassic World updated the franchise for a new era, and with it came a new villain: Vic Hoskins. Played by Vincent D’Onofrio, Vic was the head of security at the original Jurassic World. However, he was secretly working on deals to weaponize raptors as well as the hybrid dinosaur Indominus rex. Although he met his end in the first film, this theme of weaponized and militarized dinosaurs continued throughout the series.
6) Peter Ludlow
Played by Arliss Howard, Peter Ludlow is the main antagonist of The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Ludlow is the nephew of John Hammond, and he is one of the franchise’s most competent and threatening businessmen. Ludlow ousts his uncle and takes over InGen, and in an attempt to save the company from bankruptcy, he decides to kidnap dinosaurs from Isla Sorna and take them to a venue in San Diego.
Ludlow wheels and deals throughout the second Jurassic Park movie, with him acting as a more villainous version of Hammond. While he hasn’t had the same cultural impact as his uncle, The Lost World proves that he is a force to be reckoned with.
5) Eli Mills
Rafe Spall’s Eli Mills is the main antagonist of the second Jurassic World film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Unlike many of the franchise’s other villains, Mills isn’t a geneticist or dinosaur specialist. Instead, he is simply a financial manager who hopes to make his money by putting on illegal dinosaur auctions. On top of that, Mills used his money to finance one of the franchise’s most dangerous creatures: the Indoraptor. Although the scale of Fallen Kingdom is smaller than the two films it is sandwiched between, Mills is the film’s standout character.
4) The Kirbys
Jurassic Park III put Alan Grant back in the spotlight, and he was pulled in by a new set of antagonists: Paul and Amanda Kirby. The wealthy couple makes a deal with Grant, saying that they will fund his research in exchange for a private aerial tour of Isla Sorna. Upon their arrival, however, the group lands the plane against Alan’s wishes, revealing that they are on the island searching for their missing son.
The Kirbys’ understandable familial motivations make them a bit more complex than many other Jurassic Park villains. On top of that, they aren’t as straightforwardly antagonistic, as they end up having to work together with Alan to get off the island. William H. Macy and Téa Leoni give fantastic performances as the couple, further elevating their reception.
3) Lewis Dodgson
Lewis Dodgson is one of the few recurring antagonists in the franchise, with him appearing in Jurassic Park (portrayed by Cameron Thor) and Jurassic World Dominion (portrayed by Campbell Scott). Dodgson is so interesting because he is the puppetmaster of much of the franchise, pulling the strings of characters like Dennis Nedry and the Biosyn scientists.
While Dodgson is great in the movies, he is even better for fans of the extended universe. Dodgson appears in several seasons of Netflix’s various Jurassic Park animated shows, fleshing out the antagonist even further.
2) Dennis Nedry
Wayne Knight plays Dennis Nedry in the first Jurassic Park, and he is obviously one of the franchise’s best human villains. The underpaid computer scientist accepts a deal to bring Dodgson frozen dinosaur embryos, leading to the first Jurassic Park disaster. Knight’s performance is absolutely hilarious, but despite the comedy, he is still a major threat. His competence is proven throughout the film, with his actions leading to several lives being lost – including his own.
1) John Hammond
Although he often isn’t thought of as a villain, John Hammond is easily the best antagonist in the Jurassic Park franchise. Played by Richard Attenborough, the optimistic businessman doesn’t explicitly come off as evil. However, his ego and abandonment of morals led to all of the deaths and destruction from throughout the franchise, as Ian Malcolm points out. Hammond is easily the most iconic and beloved human villain in Jurassic Park, but he is also one of the most consequential.
