When it comes to making a very good sci-fi movie, there needs to be a little give and take. There obviously needs to be some very dependable and likable protagonists. There need to be some heroes that the audience can root for to come through in the clutch. However, when talking about the very best sci-fi movies around, there also needs to be a perfect foil for the protagonist to play off of. That's why the best science fiction films around have villains that are actually compelling. Villains that appear to be on the edge of victory, even if the audience knows that eventually, the heroes are going to find a way to overcome every roadblock that's been placed in front of them.
When it came to the best science-fiction films of the 1990s, there were definitely some villains that stood out from the pack. These were villains that were lurking around every corner. They were villains that truly posed a threat to the heroes of the film and what they were trying to accomplish. It also turns out that some of the best villains in sci-fi films of this era didn't even need to be human. There were more than a few stories where the heroes had to go up against something that was so alien to mankind's way of thinking that they became harder to overcome because the usual motivations and barriers simply weren't there.
Darth Maul
This first villain is a bit tricky because Darth Maul was definitely underappreciated, but he was also misused. In the annals of Star Wars villains, there were few baddies who were as intimidating looking as Maul, mainly because the dude had actual horns coming out of his head. Even Darth Vader's imposing figure had to rely on a mask and some heavy breathing problems. When Maul first showed up, it seemed like he was going to be someone the Jedi were going to have a big problem with for a long time. Then he was dispatched before the end of the first movie where he appeared. Of course, he did take out a Jedi master before he went and for a time was more than holding his own against two Jedi at the same time. It turns out that where Darth Maul really attained stature as an underappreciated villain was after that first appearance.
While people thought Darth Maul was dead and gone in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, later movies and shows like The Clone Wars brought him back and turned him into one of the more dangerous characters in the franchise. He was even such a well-liked character that at one point there was talk of making a Darth Maul video game. That certainly qualifies him for being underappreciated after his first appearance in 1999.
T-1000
It's hard to remember that for a time there, the T-1000 Terminator was one of the most beloved villains of the modern movie era. That's partially because The Terminator movie franchise had so many sequels and spinoffs that were just plain bad that audiences soured on anyone or anything that appeared in any of the movies. That's how the baddie from Terminator 2 went from someone that was revered to someone who is now underappreciated when it comes to movie villains.
Played by Robert Patrick, this robotic villain was able to withstand almost any attack and just keep on coming. He was also able to fight every fight the same semi-blank but still very determined look on his face. It was the T-1000 Terminator's appearance in Terminator 2 that helped the film be considered one of the best science-fiction films of all time. And yet, it's a safe bet that a poll of the best baddies in science fiction today would almost certainly leave the villain off the list.
Edgar The Bug Man
The biggest reason why Edgar gets forgotten these days is that he was a villain in a comedy. Those are rarely thought of as truly imposing enemies for very obvious reasons. Nonetheless, the character played by Vincent D'Onofrio was actually plenty imposing in the original Men in Black movie.
Edgar was a farmer that had an alien bug hollow him out and put on his skin as a way of hiding from the Men in Black as he went about working on his dastardly plan. The villain stole the show whenever he was on screen thanks to his odd mannerisms and decaying flesh. It's a safe bet that the film wouldn't have been as good if he wasn't such a great villain, but he gets lost to history because of the humor surrounding both him and his movie in general.
The Raptors
It's not actually hard to understand why the raptors in Jurassic Park get overlooked when talking about the best villains from 90s movies. However, they really need to be more appreciated. These animals weren't evil and didn't hatch dastardly plots, but they were still fantastic baddies on screen as they were constantly turning up and putting the heroes of the film in mortal danger.
People tend to remember the Tyrannosaurus Rex from that film as the big baddie of Jurassic Park, but it was the raptors that were really the villains since they were quite a bit smarter than the T-Rex who was more of a battering ram than anything else.
The Strangers
The biggest reason for The Strangers to be so underappreciated is that Dark City is one of those forgotten science fiction films that had a very good and original plot with some baddies that were definitely imposing. The Strangers were an alien race that actually controlled the city at the center of the film.
At first, they seemed like they were just weirdly gaunt old men who seemed to have a real problem staring at people and butting in where they didn't belong. When the audience found out that they were basically the foreboding presence that kept the Dark City going, their plans took on a rather evil turn.