J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie trilogy introduced a slew of major-league supervillains worthy of facing Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and the Starship Enterprise. Abrams produced all three Star Trek movies from 2009-2016, and he directed Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness. Abrams shifted to directing 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Justin Lin helmed 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Each of Abrams’ Star Trek movies are action-packed, special effects extravaganzas with planetary stakes, and villains hellbent on chaos and destruction.

Ricardo Montalban’s performance as Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was the obvious model for the villains in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies. Abrams never attempted a Star Trek film with a faceless adversary pondering metaphysical questions like V’Ger in Star Trek: The Motion Picture or the whale probe in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Abrams’ Star Treks are action movies, and they all required a villain who could threaten entire worlds and best Captain Kirk physically or mentally. Abrams cast fine actors and major names as the heavies in his Star Trek movies, and here’s how their larger-than-life villainy stacks up.

4 Krall – Star Trek Beyond

Played by Idris Elba

Idris Elba played the frightening Krall in Star Trek Beyond. Krall is the most alien of the villains in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies besides the Klingons briefly seen in Star Trek Into Darkness. Behind Krall’s monstrous visage is a secret: Krall is really a mutated human. Before he was transformed by an energy transference technology that allowed him to prolong his own life, Krall was Captain Balthazar Edison of the USS Franklin.

A former Starfleet Officer and MACO space marine, Captain Edison grew dejected by the peaceful and exploratory vision of the United Federation of Planets. Edison and Jessica Wolff (Lydia Wilson) were among the few survivors when the Franklin crashed on the planet Altamid, and Wolff was similarly transformed into the alien Kalara. Using swarm technology, Krall destroyed the USS Enterprise and kidnapped Captain Kirk’s crew. Krall’s ultimate objective was the destruction of the massive Federation starbase USS Yorktown.

Elba gets lost in Krall’s elaborate prosthetics.

Despite his unique design and Idris Elba’s ferocious performance, Krall doesn’t make the lasting impression Star Trek Beyond intended. Elba gets lost in Krall’s elaborate prosthetics, and his motivation is simply revenge and destruction for muddy reasons. Krall comes off as a brutish misanthrope, and his origin as Captain Balthazar Edison and his connection to Star Trek: Enterprise are the most interesting things about him.

3 Khan Noonien Singh – Star Trek Into Darkness

Played by Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the genetically engineered Khan Noonien Singh, who is the same character Richardo Montalban played in Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan since Khan originates from the 20th century before the alternate Kelvin timeline’s creation. However, in Star Trek Into Darkness’ reality, Khan is awoken from his cryogenic sleep a decade earlier than in Star Trek’s Prime Timeline, and it’s Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller) who finds Khan, not Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the USS Enterprise.

Khan poses as Commander John Harrison and commits a terrorist bombing of Section 31’s London headquarters as well as attacking Starfleet Command, killing Admiral Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood). But Khan’s true target was his nemesis, Admiral Marcus, who was manipulating Khan’s genetically engineered intellect and savagery to militarize Starfleet and start a war with the Klingons. However, Khan ultimately murders Marcus and attempts to destroy San Francisco with the Admiral’s massive starship, the USS Dreadnought, before he’s stopped by Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto).

Khan was trying to protect his 72 genetically engineered followers who Admiral Marcus placed inside missiles to launch at the Klingons.

Coming off feature films like Atonement and his breakthrough role in Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch was a controversial choice to play Khan because he’s Caucasian. While Cumberbatch oozed menace and fierce intelligence, Star Trek Into Darkness sabotages him by making him a pawn of Alexander Marcus, and the film kneecaps itself with its unnecessary obfuscation of Khan’s true identity. Cumberbatch’s Khan inevitably invites comparison to Ricardo Montalban’s villain, but, unfortunately, Star Trek Into Darkness‘ genetically engineered madman doesn’t measure up,

2 Admiral Alexander Marcus – Star Trek Into Darkness

Played by Peter Weller

Peter Weller’s Admiral Alexander Marcus is the Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet in Star Trek Into Darkness, and he’s also one of the most evil Admirals in Star Trek. Marcus is the father of Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), who stowed away aboard the USS Enterprise under an alias because she was suspicious of the Admiral. Carol was right about her father, because Admiral Marcus was exposed as the leader of Section 31, Starfleet’s secret black ops division, and Alexander was intent on plunging Starfleet into a war with the Klingons.

Admiral Marcus was Starfleet’s leader when the time traveler Nero (Eric Bana) destroyed Vulcan and nearly annihilated Earth in Star Trek (2009). Marcus grew so fearful and paranoid that upon discovering Khan Noonien Singh, he forced the 20th century augment into indentured servitude in order to develop powerful weapons that would fulfill Marcus’ vision of a militarized Starfleet. Marcus’ ultimate weapon was the USS Dreadnought, the largest and most powerful starship in the Federation.

It was Admiral Marcus, not Khan, who pulled the strings as the true villain of Star Trek Into Darkness.

Admiral Marcus styled himself as a mentor to Captain James T. Kirk, but he was just using and manipulating the young Captain of the Enterprise. Marcus never thought twice about his plan to destroy the Enterprise and everyone aboard, and he even turned on Carol, his own daughter. It was Admiral Marcus, not Khan, who pulled the strings as the true villain of Star Trek Into Darkness, and Marcus’ plot would have devastated the Federation had Khan not exacted his revenge and killed the diabolical Admiral.

1 Nero – Star Trek (2009)

Played by Eric Bana

Eric Bana played Nero, the main villain of Star Trek (2009). Nero was a Romulan commander of a mining vessel in the 24th century who witnessed the destruction of his homeworld, Romulus, from its sun going supernova. Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) pledged to stop the supernova and save Romulus, but his attempt to use red matter failed. Instead, Nero’s starship, the Narada, and Spock’s vessel, the Jellyfish, were pulled into a singularity and emerged in the 23rd century. Nero destroying the USS Kelvin commanded by Lt. George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) inadvertently created the alternate Kelvin Timeline.

25 years later, in 2258, Nero went on a mad quest to destroy the Federation, with a special emphasis on torturing Ambassador Spock, who Nero blamed for Romulus’ destruction. Nero destroyed Spock’s homeworld of Vulcan, and he aimed to do the same to Earth. In Nero’s mind, the end of the Federation in the 23rd century would save Romulus in the 24th century. Nero also apprehended and injured Captain Christopher Pike with his torturous interrogation techniques. Ultimately, Nero was stopped by Kirk, Spock, and the USS Enterprise.

Nero stands head and shoulders above J.J. Abrams’ other Star Trek movie supervillains.

Even more so than Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, Nero comes the closest of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie villains to matching Ricardo Montalban’s Khan, and the vengeful Romulan caused far more devastation. Nero was driven by inconsolable grief toward revenge, aided by Ayel (Clifton Collins, Jr.) his First Officer. Nero destroyed multiple starships, wiped out entire planets, and his swath of terror across the galaxy spawned an entirely new alternate reality. Nero stands head and shoulders above J.J. Abrams’ other Star Trek movie supervillains.

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  Release Date

  May 8, 2009

  Writers

  Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman , Gene Roddenberry

  Runtime

  127 Minutes

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  Release Date

  May 16, 2013

  Writers

  Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman , Damon Lindelof

  Runtime

  132 Minutes

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  Release Date

  July 22, 2016

  Runtime

  122 minutes