Samuel L. Jackson’s 10 Best Characters Ranked From Heroic To Most Villainous

Few actors in Hollywood history have been as prolific and successful as Samuel L. Jackson. He has had a long career filled with some of the biggest blockbusters of all time and worked with legendary filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Steven Spielberg.

Part of Jackson’s long history of success is no doubt due to his astonishing versatility. He has fit well in every type of genre and given audiences a wide range of characters. He can play the world-saving heroes, flawed good guys, bad guys we love to hate, or truly unsettling villains. Have a look at Samuel L. Jackson’s roster of characters, from the very bad to the very good.

10 Elijah Price – Unbreakable (2000)

In M. Night Shyamalan’s unique superhero story Unbreakable, Bruce Willis plays David Dunn, a man who is the sole survivor of a deadly train accident. He is contacted by a man named Elijah Price who tells him he believes he is a true superhero.

After David accepts what Elijah has told him, he embraces his destiny as a crime fighter. However, Elijah then reveals that he was responsible for the train accident as well as a number of other horrific incidents, all of which he did in search of someone like David — killing countless innocent people in the process.

9 Valentine – Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

In the spy film Kingsman, a secret group of agents attempt to save the world from an evil tech genius named Valentine. As part of his plan, Valentine has delivered free phones to everyone in the world that will emit a frequency that turns them into violent killers.

Interestingly, Valentine’s plan to wipe out millions of people is based on noble concerns about protecting the planet. However, that does not stop his plan from being crazy and evil.

8 Stephen – Django Unchained (2012)

The Western Django Unchained features Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his rare villainous turns as a sadistic slave owner named Calvin Candie. However, Jackson provides a villain just as memorable and even more compelling with his performance as Stephen.

Stephen is one of Candie’s slaves, but he seems to run the plantation more than Candie does himself. And that position of power has made Stephen a cruel overseer who likes to watch the other slaves get punished. While he himself is a victim of slavery, it is impossible to overlook how horrible he treats the people he believes are beneath him.

7 Ordell Robbie – Jackie Brown (1997)

In Tarantino’s most underrated film, Jackson delivers one of the best performances of his career. Jackie Brown stars Pam Grier as the titular flight attendant who is caught smuggling money for her arms dealer boss, Ordell Robbie, and is made an informant for the police.

Ordell is a hilariously vain and immature for a high-level criminal. His laidback nature almost makes him charming but then he reminds the audience how dangerous he is by murdering two of his associates in cold blood and planning to kill Jackie as well.

6 Jules Winnfield – Pulp Fiction (1994)

Jackson found his breakout role as Jules Winnfield in Tarantino’s masterpiece, Pulp Fiction. Along with his partner Vincent Vega, Jules works as a hitman for a crime boss. He is a remorseless killer while on the job but seems like a pretty friendly guy apart from that.

While Jules is a killer at the beginning of the film, he goes through a life-changing event that causes him to rethink his choices and give up his life of violence. When a young punk tries to rob him, Jules could have easily killed him, but chooses to let him live so he can embark on a more spiritual path.

5 Zeus – Die Hard: With A Vengeance (1995)

While the first two Die Hard films featured John McClane as one man against a lot of bad guys, the third one turned it into a buddy action film with great results. A mad bomber threatens to detonate a hidden bomb if McClane doesn’t play his twisted game. Jackson plays Zeus, a shop owner who becomes McClane’s reluctant partner.

Zeus is not a very enthusiastic hero and tries to walk away from the situation even when it could mean innocent people die. But in the end, he is willing to put his own life on the line to help McClane save the day.

4 Nick Fury – The MCU

The moment Nick Fury emerged from of the shadows at the end of Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was born. Since then, Fury has been a key figure in the universe, appearing in a number of projects over the years.

While he is often seen as the stoic voice of reason to some of the other heroes, some of the films like The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier have shown that Fury will sometimes bend the rules too far to save the day. However, he always  seems to do the right thing — eventually.

3 Ken Carter – Coach Carter (2005)

The sports drama Coach Carter stars Jackson as a dedicated and inspiring basketball coach who expects a lot from his athletes on and off the court. He insists that all the players on the team maintain respectable grades or they will not be allowed to play.

While some see his tactics as severe, Carter is only doing it to help these kids achieve more. Even when he has a winning team, he is willing to bench them all to motivate them to apply themselves in the classroom.

2 Frozone – The Incredibles (2004)

Pixar entered the superhero genre as well with the hugely entertaining The Incredibles. The film takes place in a world where superheroes have been outlawed and the former crimefighters now live normal lives in secret.

Frozone is an ice-powered hero who used to be a prolific crimefighter. Along with his friend Mr. Incredible, he still does the occasional heroic deed even though it could get him in a lot of trouble. But when he sees the city under attack, Frozone doesn’t hesitate for a moment to jump back into action.

1 Mace Windu – Star Wars

Jackson became part of another beloved franchise when he joined the Star Wars prequels as Mace Windu. As one of the highest-ranking Jedi, Windu is a very powerful and significant figure in the fight against the Sith.

Windu is a skilled warrior and someone who stands up against evil without hesitation. He also almost brings Darth Sidious to justice and saves the galaxy — until he is betrayed and murdered by Anakin Skywalker.

About The Author

Colin McCormick
(2028 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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