In the Die Hard franchise, Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber is considered the series’ best villain. In fact, he’s still mentioned as one of cinema’s most iconic tyrants. However, while Hans was definitely the cream of the crop in the ’80s, the mantle of the franchise’s best villains should actually be given to his brother, Simon (Jeremy Irons).
1995’s Die Hard with a Vengeance proved that Simon was smarter and someone who pushed Bruce Willis’ John McClane to the limit. Now, Hans and his colleagues in the attack on LA’s Nakatomi Plaza were quite the threat, intimidating McClane at all turns, but they turned out to be nothing but goons. In truth, Hans doesn’t cater to someone like McClane, and the fact the bonds he stole would end up being unusable later on is further proof he isn’t the best adversary in the Die Hard franchise.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
Hans never really pushed McClane mentally, not even when he tried to trick him into thinking he was an innocent civilian. McClane saw through everything and even went as far as to hand his adversary a blank gun, mocking the leader and proving he was the alpha. McClane’s confidence against Hans is really the true reason why the first Die Hard relies more on gunfights and hand-to-hand combat than the actual terrorist threat.
The third film, though, kicks it up a notch as Simon constantly has McClane close to death without even having to lift a finger. By wiring up New York with bombs, the movie becomes a wild goose chase. In addition, Simon smartly uses misdirection, learning from Hans’ arrogance and weak plan. Hans kept it relegated to one place to steal the bonds, but Simon’s all about distracting the opposition to steal gold and trick people into thinking he sunk the bullion. Hans was all about selfish motives, while Simon thinks bigger, not just going after a payday, but also trying to cripple the American economy.
However, outside of all of this, the true answer as to who’s more sinister becomes clear in how McClane beats both men. Hans lost when the cop took the direct route with him, taking his men out and throwing him off the high-rise, while Simon, who admittedly was getting revenge for Hans, only loses because he slips up and accidentally leaves pills for his adversary to use to track him down.
In that sense, McClane never beats Simon, something he admits to Samuel L. Jackson’s Zeus. Still, the fact he offered McClane a chance to live with his failures reminds the audience of how he was truly able to turn the franchise on its head. Ultimately, had Simon not been as narcissistic, he would have been in Europe with the billions he stole, which can’t be said for Hans.
About The Author
