0 comments A great hero needs a great villain. That’s exactly what Russell Crowe’s Maximus had in Gladiator. Joaquin Phoenix‘s Commodus was a slimy, conniving monster who made our skin crawl. We still hate him more than two decades after the Best Picture winner came to theaters. Which is exactly why we still love the character. That loathsome ruler is an all-time cinematic baddie. And his short time as Rome’s ruler is a cautionary tale for other big screen tyrants and scoundrels. Here are six timeless lessons every movie villain should learn from 1. If you murder your father/emperor, don’t make it so obvious.