Do you ever wonder which movie bad guy has your Enneagram type? When it comes to the heinous acts committed by big-screen villains, what are their motivations, fears, and drivers? And what can we learn about ourselves by looking at the evilest on-screen examples of each Enneagram type? That’s what we’ll be exploring in today’s article!
Here’s the Movie Villain You’d Be, Based On Your Enneagram Type
Enneagram 1 – Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)
“Aren’t you ashamed?” – Nurse Ratched
Controlling and strict, Nurse Ratched from the 1975 feature film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, captures the Enneagram One at its very worst. Cruel, authoritarian, and shaming, she won’t take any kind of mutiny or insubordination. Rather than causing outright physical pain, she causes psychological pain through her cruelty and vindictiveness.
In Randle Patrick McMurphy, nurse Ratched sees chaos, disorder, and someone who could get in the way of her smoothly-running, yet oppressive, system. She manipulates and uses her patients as an excuse to keep things running exactly as she wants them. While healthy Ones are accepting, wise, and tolerant, unhealthy Ones are self-righteous, inflexible, and condemnatory.
Ratched’s reaction to any kind of insubordination is to reproach, correct, condescend, and judge. Anyone who has known an unhealthy One will likely have experienced this kind of patronizing and “all-knowing” behavior. Average Ones are plagued by an “inner critic” that chastizes what they do and demands perfection. When Ones are as unhealthy as Ratched is, they identify with the inner critic, believe it’s their right to criticize and control, and become judgmental and narrow-minded as a result.
Discover More About Enneagram Ones: The Enneagram 1- The Perfectionist
Enneagram 2 – Annie Wilkes (Misery)
“We’re put on this earth to help people Paul, like I’m trying to help you. Please, help me help you.” – Annie Wilkes
At first glance, Annie Wilkes seems to be all that is gentle and nurturing about Enneagram Twos. In the 1990 movie Misery, based on the Stephen King novel, Wilkes is a self-proclaimed “number one fan” of novelist Paul Sheldon. When he is injured in a car accident, she takes him into her home to nurse him back to health. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Wilkes is not the angel she appears to be. She’s actually a deranged psychopath who will stop at nothing to keep Sheldon under her control.
While healthy Twos are giving, generous, and compassionate, unhealthy Twos like Wilkes are self-serving, manipulative, and prideful. With one hand they give, and with another hand they take away. They feel entitled to what other people can provide them because, in their minds, they have given so much in the name of “selflessness.” Wilkes believes that Sheldon owes her everything because she nursed him back to health. In her mind, she saved his life and now he must repay her by giving her what she wants. When he doesn’t comply, she resorts to psychological and physical violence.
Discover More About Enneagram Twos: 21 Signs That You’re an Enneagram Two Type
Enneagram 3 – Calvin Candie (Django Unchained)
“Your problem right now is making a good impression!” – Calvin Candie
Calvin Candie embodies all the most repulsive qualities of an unhealthy Enneagram Three. In the 2012 movie Django Unchained, he is a plantation owner in the deep south who profits from the exploitation of slaves. He is suave, narcissistic, and completely lacking in empathy. All he cares about is appearances, profit, and what people think of him. He will do anything to maintain his image as a wealthy and knowledgeable man. As an example of this, because French culture was highly esteemed at the time, Candie adopts certain superficial qualities of French culture only so he can be admired. Yet deep down he knows hardly anything about French culture and can’t speak any French either. When certain topics of conversation come up that he knows nothing about, he pretends to understand even though he has no clue.
While healthy Threes are ambitious, hardworking, and confident, unhealthy Threes like Candie are egotistical, exploitative, and superficial. They will do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it means sacrificing their integrity or taking advantage of others. They are so focused on appearances that they often lose sight of what is truly important.
Discover More About the Enneagram Three Type: The Enneagram Type Three – The Achiever
Enneagram 4 – The Joker (Batman: The Dark Knight)
“I believe that whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you…stranger!” – The Joker
Many people type The Joker as a Seven in the Enneagram due to his chaotic and seemingly careless nature. However, while the Joker frequently implies that he has no plan, the truth is anything but. He is actually a very strategic thinker who is always has a few steps ahead of his pursuers. In the 2008 movie The Dark Knight, he creates all sorts of mayhem in Gotham City, but there is always a purpose to his madness.
Why does the Joker want chaos and destruction? It seems that this Joker is driven by the ideology of chaos more than chaos itself. This Joker wants to dismantle the establishment, and he believes that the best way to do that is by sowing discord and confusion. He wants to show people that there is no good, no purity, no true “heroes.” Ultimately, he wants people to face their own hypocrisy and darkness. This drive is something that drives most Fours; a drive to face the darkness in the self and to understand the human condition and find what’s real. Fours are consumed with discovering authentic identity – who people are, who they are, at their core.
The Joker wants to put a mirror up to society and show people how ugly they truly are.
While healthy Fours are creative, self-aware, and expressive, unhealthy Fours like the Joker are depressed, self-destructive, and melodramatic. They often feel misunderstood and alone in the world. Their creativity becomes a means of escape from their pain rather than a source of joy. The Joker’s unhealthy Four side seeks revenge on a world that never understood him. In order to further bond with his self-image he becomes detached from his humanity and exempts himself from the rules, seeing himself as a crusader for some kind of truth about human nature.
The Joker has an unusual insight into humanity, into the darkness and depravity that people try to hide. He’s not seeking fun for distraction from his fear, he’s seeking to create fear and shine a light on what he sees as the essential emptiness, vanity, and hypocrisy of people.
Discover More About Enneagram Fours: 7 Struggles of the Enneagram Four Type
Enneagram 5 – Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
“I do wish we could chat longer, but I’m having an old friend for dinner.” – Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter is one of the most famous Enneagram Fives in movie history. He is an intelligent and highly articulate man who is also a cannibalistic serial killer. In the movie Silence of the Lambs, he is able to outwit everyone around him, even though he is locked up in a prison cell.
Fives are the Enneagram type that are most in touch with their intellect. They are highly analytical and always seeking to understand how things work. This desire for understanding can extend to people as well; Lecter wants to know what makes people tick. This is why he is such a successful serial killer; he takes the time to get to know his victims before he kills them. He wants to understand them, and in doing so, he can control them.
While Fives are often intelligent, insightful, and good at problem-solving, unhealthy Fives like Hannibal Lecter are also eccentric, provocative, and obsessive. They become so fixated on thoughts and analysis that they dehumanize others (and even themselves) in the process. Lecter’s secretive nature, along with the way he hordes information, is typical of Fives. Yet as a social Five subtype, he still longs for intellectual connection. He knows how to ration out information in exchange for intellectual connection or favors.
Discover More About Enneagram Fives: The Enneagram Five – The Investigator
Enneagram 6 – Darth Vader (Star Wars)
“You don’t know the power of the dark side. I must obey my master.” – Darth Vader
As a counterphobic Six, Darth Vader appears tough, powerful, and intimidating. Counterphobic Sixes don’t appear fearful like phobic Sixes, instead they turn their fear into strength and intimidation. They go against perceived danger aggressively and focus on skill and readiness.
Darth Vader appears in Star Wars as the master henchman of the Emperor and does his bidding without question. Vader is a skilled warrior and uses his strength to crush anyone who gets in his way. And while Vader may look like a heartless villain, deep down there is some tie to the good side – his love for his son, Luke.
Counterphobic Sixes, like all Sixes, are driven by fear. And while Vader puts on a stoic and fearless exterior, he is actually quite afraid. He is afraid of losing his power, of losing Padme (as Anakin), or of angering Emperor Palpatine. In fact, his fear of Palpatine and his anger at his perceptions of the Jedi and how they have “wronged” him fuel his connection to the dark side.
Enneagram expert Beatrice Chestnut states of counterphobic Sixes, “Through denying their feelings of fear to one extent or another, Sexual Sixes go against danger from a position of strength; therefore, they have a passion for searching for or securing a position of strength. And it’s not just a strong character they seek, but the kind of strength that makes somebody else afraid-they want to assume a power strong enough to hold the enemy at a distance.”
One of the strongest traits of Enneagram Sixes is their loyalty, and Vader showcases this throughout the films. He will do anything to protect Padme, and then eventually Luke. This loyalty can also be seen in his obedience to the Emperor. Vader may not always agree with the Emperor’s orders, but he will follow them without question. Many Sixes seek out support systems or authorities that can guide them and Vader is no exception.
Like all Sixes, Vader’s ultimate fear is always rooted in losing his loved ones. As a young Anakin he feared losing his mother, as a maturing Anakin he feared that he would lose Padme, which led him to the dark side. In fact, when Anakin first arrived at the Jedi temple, Yoda sensed “much fear” in him. But as a counterphobic Six, this fear is hardly evident.
“Sexual (counterphobic) Sixes give off the impression that they could get violent with anybody at any time, but that doesn’t mean that they have no fear. It is precisely out of a sense of fear that their anticipation of an attack comes-there is a somewhat paranoid imagining of danger, a belief that anyone can turn into a threat. However, these Sixes usually do not look afraid; their visible character could hardly be called “fearful” from the outside.” – Beatrice Chestnut, The Complete Enneagram
Discover More About Enneagram Sixes: The Enneagram 6 – The Loyalist
Enneagram 7 – Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare On Elm Street)
“We got six more minutes to play.” – Freddy Krueger
Enneagram Sevens are known as the “enthusiasts” and are driven by a need for adventure and excitement. They hate feeling restricted or bored and will often do whatever it takes to avoid those feelings. Fun-loving and curious, they look for opportunities in situations that would make other types feel trapped. Unfortunately, Freddy Krueger showcases a Seven that is clearly a sociopath. Please know as you read this that Krueger is not representative of Sevens as a whole. He’s a fictional villain and sociopath who goes to extremes that lie beyond the bounds of “unhealthy” Enneatype behavior.
Freddy is the embodiment of pure evil. He takes great delight in murdering innocent people in their dreams. He loves to play with his victims and enjoys watching them suffer. Freddy is also quite creative in his murders, coming up with new and startling ways to take down each person he comes across. Krueger’s creativity shows up in his methods of killing, in the elaborate dreams he weaves, and even in the jokes he cracks as he hunts and terrifies his prey. Like most Sevens, Freddy has a sense of charm, a sense of fun, and a sense of humor. Unfortunately, he uses all these qualities to hurt people rather than help them.
One of the childhood wounds of the Seven is that they felt in some way detached from the nurturing figure in their home growing up. Average Sevens might have experienced this detachment because a new child was born or their parent had to work outside the home. In Freddy’s case, his mother put him up for adoption and he was later taken in by an abusive alcoholic. Like all Sevens, Krueger sought comfort in distraction from his pain – in fun, humor, excitement, or thrills. However, his version of this was much darker and more harmful than most.
Discover More About Enneagram Sevens: The Enneagram 7 – The Enthusiast Type
Enneagram 8 – Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)
“There is no good and evil. There is only power. And those too weak to seek it.” – Lord Voldemort
Voldemort is a villain who thinks of everything in terms of power. He is absolutely obsessed with becoming the most powerful wizard in the world and will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. His Enneagram type, the 8, is known as “The Challenger.” Eights are strong, decisive types who face risks and challenges head-on. They are often seen as forceful and intimidating, but they can also be very compassionate and generous. However, in Voldemort’s case, only the unhealthy qualities of the Eight show up.
“Much of their (8s) behavior is involved with making sure that they retain and increase whatever power they have for as long as possible…They often refuse to give in to social convention, and they can defy fear, shame, and concern about the consequences of their actions” – Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson, The Wisdom of the Enneagram
For Eights, childhood is often short and swift; they often feel like they need to “grow up” as quickly as possible. They develop the belief that it isn’t safe to be gentle or giving, because it feels vulnerable or “weak” to them. As a young child, Voldemort (then Tom Riddle), grew up in a bleak orphanage where he received little individual attention. He learned that to survive he had to become the bully – the intimidating force wielding authority and power over others. Enneagram 8s tend to be either courageous and protective or destructive and megalomaniacal, and unfortunately for the wizarding world, Voldemort chose the latter.
Discover More About Enneagram Eights: The Enneagram 8 – The Challenger
Enneagram 9 – Norman Bates (Psycho)
“We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?” – Norman Bates
Norman Bates is the Enneagram type 9, “The Peacemaker.” Nines are known for their easy-going nature, their ability to see both sides of every issue, and their capacity to remain calm in the face of adversity. They are typically very kind and compassionate people who want nothing more than to keep the peace. However, Nines can also be passive-aggressive, indecisive, and self-forgetting. In Norman’s case, he is a prime example of an Enneagram 9 that has gone “bad.”
Norman grew up with a domineering mother who constantly belittled him and made him feel worthless. As a result, he became extremely resentful and angry, but he never expressed these emotions directly. Instead, he internalized them, leading to a split in his personality. On the surface, Norman appeared to be a shy, gentle, and timid man. But underneath, he was seething with rage. This rage eventually manifested itself in the form of “Mother,” Norman’s alternate personality. “Mother” would take over whenever Norman felt threatened or upset, and he would lash out in violence.
One of the central experiences of the Nine childhood is a feeling of disappearing. Nines felt growing up that to assert their needs or themselves would create difficulties for their parents. It wasn’t allowed. Thus they struggled to actualize themselves outside of their relationship with their parents. They learned to stay in the background, go with the flow, and not cause a fuss. But underneath all of this numbness is an underlying anger. In Bates’s case, this anger showed up in his adopting his mother’s personality – in splitting into someone else entirely.
In extremely dysfunctional families, Nines dissociate in order to protect themselves from overwhelmingly negative feelings. Norman Bates’s story is a tragic example of what can happen when a Nine gets lost in their dissociation. Of course, I am not implying that unhealthy Nines will develop dissociative identity disorder (DID) or end up like Norman Bates. Like all of the examples in this article, we’re dealing with movie villains who show up in extreme ways and have qualities that are influenced by more than just Enneagram type.
Discover More About Enneagram Nines: The Enneagram Type Nine – The Peacemaker
Type Three: Authenticity which leads to the Godlike quality of Holy Harmony/Hope. When a Three does their spiritual work and accepts that they are loved not for what they do, but for who they are, they move out into the world with their authentic selves. They are able to use their high-energy and drive to motivate a group towards worthy goals. They also provide others with grounded, realistic optimism founded on the great hope of a loving God.
