My Choice For Top Underrated Movie Villain

Hannibal Lechter. Darth Vader. The Terminator. The Joker. Ben Wade (3:10 to Yuma). These are the characters that stand out to us as the archetypal villains. It is their disarming charisma, eccentricities, sociopathic tendencies, and calculating genius that captivate us as an audience.

And while I acknowledge the actors who played these roles and their stellar performances, I would like to recognize one who never shows up on any of the lists. Many of you don't recognize the actor's name (Christopher McDonald) who played him, but I assure you he is one of the most underrated villains of our time:

Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore.

What other villain has delivered a deluge of classic lines that we quote to each other all of the time?

Shooter McGavin [SM]: I eat pieces of sh** like you for breakfast.
Happy Gilmore: [laughing] you eat pieces of sh** for breakfast?
SM: No... I...

SM: I was down on 18 the other day, looked to my left, and there was two fat naked bikers having sex in the woods…how am I supposed to CHIP with that going on, Greg?!

Sm: Yeah, right! And Grizzly Adams had a beard.
Lee Trevino: Grizzly Adams did have a beard.

SM: I had to hit it off of Frankenstein's Fat foot here.

SM: Damn you people. Go back to your shanties.

SM: Let's get one thing straight, this is Shooter's tour. I've worked hard my whole life, paid my dues, and now it's Shooter's turn. And Shooter's not about to let his reign at the top be spoiled by some freak, sideshow, clown.

Here are two things to consider about the extent of his villainous-ness:

1) Would we have cheered so ardently for Happy Gilmore to win, had the anti-Happy not been there? Would the plot have been so riveting and compelling without Shooter? Do you remember the dialogue that takes place between the Joker and Batman at the end of The Dark Knight, when Joker is hanging upside down and babbling on and on?

This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object...You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I won't kill you, because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.

Can't you see Happy and Shooter having this face-to-face? No? OK, fine.

2) Any time you see Christopher McDonald in other movies, you and everyone else you're with will invariably point and shout in recognition: "It's Shooter!!" This is the rule 100% of the time, without exception. If that's not evidence for an unforgettable performance

Christopher McDonald should get a lifetime achievement award. End of story.