What makes an ugly character? Is it their physical appearance? Their personality? Or is it a combination of both? There are many different interpretations of what makes a character ugly, but for the purposes of this ranking, I’ve decided to focus on those characters who are exceptionally physically unattractive. So without further ado, let’s begin because some of these characters are plain horrifying!
The top 40 ugly characters ranked!
40. Baron Harkonnen from 1984 Dune
Starting this list of ugly characters, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is a classic example of an ugly character both inside and out. He is ruthless and cruel as he is clever and cunning, and so immensely obese that he requires anti-gravity devices to support his weight. Portrayed by actor Kenneth McMillan in the 1984 movie Dune, Vladimir Harkonnen is clearly mentally unstable and covered in oozing pustules.
39. The Penguin from 1992 Batman Returns
Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, remains one of the most visually-haunting, over-the-top villain performances in movie history. The Penguin is a true freak of nature, with webbed fingers, a hooked, beak-like nose, and a penguin-like body. Raised by penguins in Gotham City’s deserted zoo after being abandoned by his parents because of his looks, Oswald plots to kill all of Gotham’s firstborn sons.
38. Eugene Root from Preacher
Aka Aesface, Eugene Root from the Preacher show has a horribly disfigured face and speech impediment, as a result of shooting himself. Consequently, he has a large hole in his face where his mouth should be and some of his noses is missing. Eugene is extremely self-conscious about his appearance and is often bullied because of it. Despite all of this, Eugene is actually a very kind and caring person. He befriends Tulip after she saves him from being beaten up by some bullies and the two become close friends. He also develops a crush on her but never tells her for fear of rejection.
37. Nemesis from Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Once a human being called Matt Addison who was a member of an environmental group crusading against Umbrella Corporation, Matt was unwillingly experimented on by Umbrella’s scientists to become a genetically-engineered super-soldier. The mutant strain of the T-virus severely twisted his body and turned him into an unstoppable engine of destruction. As you can see, Nemesis’ face is horribly warped and he has a tentacle-like addition appearing around his neck.
36. Deadpool
Ryan Reynolds is a handsome guy, but like Wade Wilson, he is pretty disfigured both in his face and body. Joining a project that would turn him into a superhero and cure him of his terminal cancer, Wade became immortal, but the mutation also damaged his look, leaving him severely flawed with burn-like scars over his entire body. In fact, his appearance changed so drastically that he was afraid to let his girlfriend Vanessa see him in that new status. He then became the masked vigilante Deadpool and started hunting down Ajax, the guy he blamed for his condition and who had the cure for his problem.
35. Fat Bastard from Austin Powers
Fat Bastard is a huge, obese man with a very repulsive appearance. He is also a very unpleasant person to be around, often behaving in a crude and offensive manner, and also shown to be quite lecherous, constantly making sexual advances on women. Despite his unsightly appearance and vile personality, Fat Bastard is a very skilled assassin. In the first Austin Powers movie, he is hired by Dr. Evil to kill Austin Powers. However, Fat Bastard ultimately fails in his mission and is killed by Austin.
34. Chet from Weird Science
Chet Donnelly is Wyatt’s cruel older brother who constantly bullies him and his best friend Gary Wallace. He may be obnoxious, but usually, he looks like a normal person. Only when he gets on Lisa’s nerves that she turns him into this disgusting talking mutant blob that catches flies with its long tongue. When he claims that he has tortured Wyatt out of love, she even threatened to give him a set of elephant balls. Only when he gives her his word that he’ll leave Wyatt and Gary alone, she changes him back to normal. Chet was portrayed by the one and only Bill Paxton.
33. Beetlejuice
While Beetlejuice may be one of the ugliest characters on screen, he’s also definitely one of the most memorable. His unique look – part human, part skeleton, with some green fuzz – is both creepy and funny. Beetlejuice is an obnoxious bio-exorcist who offers his services to Adam and Barbara Maitland, a young couple who have just died in a car accident and find themselves stuck in limbo as ghosts, unable to move on to the afterlife.
32. The Witch from Snow White
One of the best ugly Disney characters, The Witch is a scary old hag who is The Evil Queen in a disguised form. The Evil Queen transformed herself into this hideous hag and conjured a poison to destroy Snow White so she would be the fairest in the land. In her witch disguise, the Evil Queen’s physical appearance changes to an ugly, old merchant with long white hair and dark rings around her eyes. Her nose becomes long and crooked with a large lump, and she only has one tooth on her bottom jaw. Hideous indeed!
31. Darkman
After being brutally attacked, disfigured, and left for dead by ruthless crime lord Robert Durant, scientist Peyton Westlake develops superhuman abilities and decides to hunt down those who defaced him. Westlake’s face is almost skinless after his head was dipped in acid and a bomb exploded in his face. No wonder Darkman from the 1990 movie nearly lost his mind!
30. Lt. Muldoon from Planet Terror
The main antagonist of Robert Rodriguez’s 2007 zombie film, Lt. Muldoon is a military commanding officer who was infected with the deadly biochemical gas known as DC2 -codename “Project Terror”. Because he is infected with it, the only way for him and his infected men to survive is to constantly inhale the gas, which delays mutation. When the gas supply runs out, Lt. Muldoon starts mutating into this disgusting creature. Lt. Muldoon is portrayed by Bruce Willis.
29. Baraka from Mortal Kombat
Originally appearing in the Mortal Kombat 2 video game, Baraka displays a toothy smile and has enormous 10-inch blades sticking out from his forearms. Baraka is a Tarkatan, a fictional species residing in Outworld. It is said that he went mad, mutilated his face, and sharpened his teeth with a knife. Yuck!
28. Freddy Krueger from a Nightmare on Elm Street
Generally identified by his burned, disfigured face, Freddy Krueger is one of the most iconic ugly characters in all of fiction. Throughout his childhood and his teenage years, Freddy exhibited numerous violent sadistic tendencies, and upon reaching adulthood, he became a vicious serial killer. He was trialed for his horrible deeds but was later freed because some of the evidence disappeared. Knowing justice was not done, the residents of Elm Street decided to take justice into their own hands. They grouped and burned Freddy Krueger alive. However, as he was dying, dream demons appeared to him and offered him the chance to terrorize people even after death. He took their deal and terrorized the dreams of the children and teens of those that had killed him, killing each of them in turn.
27. Sloth from The Goonies
On their way to find an ancient treasure, The Goonies meet Sloth – the badly deformed son of wicked Mama Fratelli, who caused his damage by dropping Sloth on his head as a child. Sloth is very muscular and has distorted features. He seems to have only a couple of teeth, and his eyes are slanted. Played by the late actor John Matuszak, it took five hours of makeup every day to complete the transformation into the vulnerable and kind Sloth.
26. Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Quasimodo was born with several deformities including a severe hunchback, and a giant wart that covers his left eye, among other physical abnormalities. Thus, he is described as “hideous” and a “creation of the devil”. Because of his disturbing appearance, he was condemned to the cathedral’s highest tower by his cruel custodian, Judge Claude Frollo.
25. David Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China
Jinxed by Emperor Qin Shi Huang with the Curse of No Flesh, David Lo Pan is stuck in this decaying physical form for centuries. To break the curse and regain his original human form, he must marry a woman with green eyes. To perform this simple act, Lo Pan kidnaps a woman with green eyes called Miao Yin, the fiancée of Wang Chi. However, Wang and his friend Jack Burton go after Lo Pan, and big trouble starts in Little China.
24. Drizella and Anastasia Tremaine from Cinderella
Drizella Tremaine and Anastasia Tremaine are the ugly stepsisters from the classic Disney film, Cinderella. The sisters are depicted as spoiled, selfish, vain, and unkind young women who delight in making Cinderella’s life a living nightmare. Despite their less-than-favorable traits, Drizella and Anastasia have remained popular characters with fans of all ages.
23. Predator
When Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer first saw the Predator’s face, the only thing he had to say was: “You’re one ugly Mother*ucker!” The Predator is a fearsome and dangerous alien, with a distinctive appearance that has made it one of the most iconic movie monsters of all time. The Predator is often described as being ugly, with a large head, long teeth, and a hunched posture. It is also incredibly strong and fast and is armed with a variety of powerful weapons, including a wrist-mounted plasma cannon and sharp claws. The Predator is a ruthless killer, but it also seems to take pleasure in hunting down its prey.
22. Mason Verger from Hannibal Movie
We had some ugly characters on this list, but the surviving victim of Hannibal Lecter, Mason Verger is beyond horrifically disfigured character. However, don’t pity him! Verger is a sadistic man who enjoys watching children suffer and was already like that before Lecter disfigured him. The sole heir to the Verger meatpacking dynasty, Mason planned to use his vast fortune to capture and murder Hannibal in revenge. Unfortunately for him, Hannibal saw to it that Mason would die being torn apart and eaten by wild boars.
21. Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th
Yep, that’s what Jason Voorhees looks like behind his hockey mask! Well, at least in Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood, because each unmasked Jason is unique to each film. Jason first appeared in the Friday the 13th franchise in 1980 and has since become a pop culture icon. Jason is known for his signature hockey mask and his brutal killing spree. He is one of the most feared villains in horror and has inspired numerous imitators over the years. Jason is often described as an ugly character, due to his disfigured face and body. However, this only adds to his menacing aura and makes him all the more terrifying. Jason is a force to be reckoned with and has been known to dispatch his victims in brutal and creative ways.
20. Emil Antonwsky from Robocop
Emil Antonwsky was one of Clarence Boddicker’s gang members. When the gang went hunting down Robocop, Emil tried to run down Robocop in the van but lost control after dodging gunfire and smashed through the shell of a huge vat of toxic waste. The waste flooded the van and carried Emil out of the rear door. He emerged from the waste with his skin melting underneath his fingers and most of his face drooping from his head. Luckily for him, Clarence ran him down at high speed in his 6000 SUX, sending his liquefied remains in all directions.
19. Spawn
Al Simmons was a special top-secret covert ops agent in the CIA. He was murdered during a mission in Botswana at the order of CIA Director Wynn. Simmons was sent to Hell because of his life as an assassin on Earth but managed to cut a deal with the devil Malebolgia, in which Simmons agreed to become a Hellspawn in exchange for being allowed to see his wife Wanda one last time. Back on Earth, Simons has a badly disfigured body, or as the clown puts it: “Ooh. Burnt man walkin‘”! And: “Arise, Your Crispness! Arise, Duke of Deep-Fried!”
18. Seth Brundle from The Fly
Ok, that’s just disgusting! Seth Brundle was a very talented scientist who invented a machine that can teleport objects from one place to another. But when he tests it on himself, things go wrong and he starts to mutate into something… less than human. Throughout the movie, we watch as Seth slowly transforms into a repulsive fly-like creature, losing his humanity, and exhibiting some of the fly’s characteristics. By the end, he’s little more than a monster. Poor Brundlefly!
17. Zombie Taxi Driver Ghostbusters
One of the ghosts from the 1984 movie Ghostbusters escaped after the Containment Unit blew up, The Zombie Taxi Driver entered a New York City Taxi Cab through its exhaust pipe from the sewers and assumed a bodily form. When a passenger entered the cab and asked to go to 57th Street, The Zombie Taxi Driver stepped on the gas and drove like a maniac, causing cars to crash.
16. The Cronenbergs from Rick and Morty
Some of the ugliest cartoon monsters in fiction history, The Cronenbergs are hideously genetically-mutated humans who were made accidentally by Rick. It happened when Rick tried to turn the “Mantis-people” back into regular Humans but ended up making things worse. The Cronenbergs are called after filmmaker David Cronenberg who is one of the originators of the “body horror” genre in which filmmakers explore people’s fears of bodily transformation and infection.
15. Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean
Davy Jones is actually so ugly that he’s beautiful! Once a great sailor, Jones became as much an underwater character as he was human. A fearsome captain, and a heartless beast, Jones strike terror into the hearts of sailors as the devil of the deep. A crab claw for an arm and a beard made of octopus tentacles made Jones the legendary ruler of the ocean depths and one of the most iconic ugly characters out there.
14. Squidward Tentacles from Spongebob Squarepants
I like Squidward just like any of you, but you’ve got to admit that he’s unattractive. I mean, he has weird six limbs in total, two being arms, and four being legs. He has a nasal voice, a big droopy nose, a wide mouth, and yellow eyes with rectangular maroon irises. Also, did you ever noticed that when he laughs, his nose seems to deflate and inflate repeatedly? Furthermore, he is depressed, egotistical, stuck up, and rude. He never loses an opportunity to put anyone else down to not feel as terribly bad about himself. I was supposed to hate Squidward, but instead, I like him. Why? Because he is the most hilarious squid I’ve ever seen.
13. Kuato from Total Recall
Bonded to the stomach of his twin, George, Kuato is a mutant who resembles a deformed infant. Kuato has psychic abilities and leads the resistance on planet Mars. His goal is to overthrow Cohaagen, the ruthless governor of the Mars Colony, and free Mars.
12. Gollum from Lord of the Rings
We come close to our top 10 ugliest characters in fiction with one of the most iconic cringe characters Gollum from Lord of The Rings movies. He has large eyes that bulge out of his head, and he is missing teeth, he is also small and frail-looking. However, it is not just his physical appearance that makes him ugly – it is his personality as well. Gollum is selfish, manipulative, and paranoid. Gollum was once a Hobbit named Smeagol, but the Ring corrupted him over time and turned him into the hideous creature that he is today. Even though he is ugly, Gollum is a complex character who is capable of both great evil and great good. In the end, he plays a pivotal role in defeating Sauron and saving Middle-earth.
11. The Toxic Avenger
Melvin Ferd III was a stereotypical nerd, constantly harassed by bullies. One day he was chased into a drum of toxic waste that transmuted him into a disfigured, yet super-strong, super-sized being. Melvin decides to use his new powers to become the superhero Toxic Avenger, and fight evil.
10. Roy Lee “Rocky” Dennis from Mask
Entering the Tenth spot on this list, Rocky’s face has been severely mutilated since birth. However, he is determined to overcome his deformation and live like any other high school student. Luckily, he has his supportive mom and her entire biker gang on his side.
9. Gregor Clegane from Game of Thrones
Originally a knight in service of House Lannister, Gregor Clegane was a feared warrior, with a tendency toward extreme violence. Because of his immense size, he was called “The Mountain.” However, during a trial by combat against Prince Oberyn Martell. Clegane was severely injured by a poisoned spear. Gregor’s wounds start rotting, emitting an intense stench. He was “saved” by an unethical hiller, who experimented on him, but the procedure transformed Gregor into a monster with reddened eyes, surrounded by pale bluish flesh.
8. Uma from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Video Game
Yeah, Uma from HBO’s tv series The Witcher, is kind of a combination of the looks of Golum and Sloth from the Goonies. For obvious reasons, he is also called the Ugliest Man Alive. The reason for his appearance is a powerful curse that is very hard to lift. However, a ritual performed by Yennefer and Vesemir succeeded to free the person inside Uma and transform him back into who he was.
7. Bargwill Tomder from Star Wars
Ruler of the father stables at the Canto Bight racetrack, Bargwill Tomder is just as ugly on the inside as he is on the outside. He is a bad-tempered Cloddogran who likes solving problems with his whip. He is also crooked, and willing to fix races.
6. John Merrick from The Elephant Man
John Merrick from The Elephant Man is one of the most unforgettable and unique characters ever put on film. His story is one of tragedy, courage, and ultimately hope. Born with severe deformities, Merrick was treated as little more than a freak show attraction for most of his life. But through the kindness of a doctor who saw him as a human being rather than a monster, Merrick was able to find some measure of happiness and acceptance before his untimely death. Though he was physically ugly by societal standards, John Merrick had a beautiful soul. He was gentle, intelligent, and had a deep capacity for love and compassion. He was also incredibly brave, enduring years of abuse and exploitation with quiet dignity. In many ways, he was the perfect embodiment of what it means to be human – flaws and all.
5. Laryn from Dragon Age: Origins
Aka the Broodmother, Laryn is a foul creature from EA’s 2009 video game Dragon Age: Origins. She is a Darkspawn with a bad attitude and four sets of beasts. It seems like Laryn is intended to elicit a reaction of disgust at her appearance that overrules any other feelings. She’s reduced to her female body parts both through her being used as a reproductive factory and through her breasts being the most prominent physical characteristic that she has. These features are meant to be disgusting and grotesque.
4. Lord Crumb from Bad Taste
Leader of a fast-food chain run by aliens, Lord Crumb is in charge of the entire alien operation on Earth. His goal: is to return to his home planet with fresh human meat to persuade his superiors to turn Earth into a meat factory. Lord Crumb is a very sophisticated businessman, always inventing clever new ways to boost his business. He also likes eating human flesh and is responsible for slaughtering an entire town in New Zealand.
3. Long One Host from Slither
When a meteorite containing a parasitic extraterrestrial lifeform crashlands on Earth, the alien turns an entire town into an army of Zombies. The creature you see before you is The Host, who is the vessel for the alien’s awareness. It transformed a human into this fleshy, tentacle mass, composed of various body parts and organs. Now, that’s disgusting!
2. The Thing
A shapeshifting alien being, The Thing can assimilate other lifeforms to spread. It seems to have no inherent standard anatomy of its own and to be able to transform into the biology of the organism it replicated. I mean, you never get to see The Thing’s true form, and it could be it doesn’t have one. However, whatever it is, it’s disgusting and generally unpleasant!
1. Belial Bradley from Basket Case
Our number-ugliest character in fiction history is Belial a deformed Siamese twin who was separated from his brother Duane at birth. He was raised in a freak show where he was constantly ridiculed and abused by the other “freaks” and circus patrons. When Duane tracks down Belial, he is living in squalor and has become a bitter, angry person. However, Duane’s love for his brother is strong enough to overcome any obstacle, and the two set out to get revenge on those who have wronged them. Belial is an incredibly ugly character, both physically and emotionally. His deformities make him look like a monster, and his hatred for the world makes him even more repulsive. However, there is something strangely compelling about him. Perhaps it is his unbridled rage, or maybe it’s his loyalty to his brother. Whatever the reason, Belial Bradley is one of the most unforgettable characters in horror movie history.
That’s it for this list, hope it wouldn’t give you nightmares, although I can’t see how.
