10 Greatest Movie Characters of the Last 10 Years, Ranked

With so many of the biggest movies released in the modern day being sequels and reboots to already beloved franchises, it wouldn't exactly be surprising if all the best characters were the same icons of the past. While this certainly is the case for a select few legends, this doesn't mean that there also haven't been a string of impactful, wildly memorable characters that have graced the silver screen in the last decade.

From fun and inventive twists on pre-existing characters given shape on the big screen to brilliant, exceptional original characters, there have been many great movie characters that have made the past few years in cinema so exceptionally memorable. While each individual is going to have their own choices for their favorite movie characters of the past decade, these 10 stand out as some of the most influential and impactful for the modern era, while also largely originating and coming to popularity within the past 10 years.

10 Barbie & Ken — 'Barbie' (2023)

While both Barbie and Ken have a long history as some of the most iconic toys out there, Greta Gerwig's blockbuster smash hit Barbie transformed the duo into one of the most creative and entertaining film duos of recent memory. A lot of this comes from the sheer likability and charm that exude from the characters, thanks to the exceptional performances by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Their performances complement the film's gender-centric messaging and comedy perfectly, creating one of the most charming and compelling comedies of recent memory.

The duo has an exceptional dynamic that builds off generations' worth of preconceptions and built-up personality dynamics that have defined these characters since their inception. It amplifies and exaggerates their most prominent attributes as a toyline to a cinematic and comedic scope, breathing new life into the characters while simultaneously reminiscing on their classic tenets.

9 Bella Baxter — 'Poor Things' (2023)

While Bella Baxter, as a character, technically existed as a part of the original 1992 novel that Poor Things adapts, Yorgos Lanthimos's wild interpretation of the story has breathed new life into the character and made her a modern cinematic icon. Portrayed by Emma Stone in an Academy Award-winning performance, Bella is a young woman brought back to life by a mad scientist, having the body of an adult woman but the mind of the unborn baby that she was carrying. As she ventures off into the world, she gets herself into all manner of mischief and adventures as she comes to understand her place and purpose, standing for equality and liberation.

It's very easy to make this type of character feel like a problematic caricature in their execution, yet there is so much earnestness and charm in Stone's performance that it easily elevates the character into being an absolute show-stopper on-screen. Her wild performance perfectly complements the wild energy of the world around her, ironically evolving to be one of the few sources of normalcy and maturity in the madness all around her.

8 Elizabeth Sparkle/Sue — 'The Substance' (2024)

While technically making up two characters in one, the wild journey that Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) goes on through The Substance in an attempt to recapture her glory days and a youthful lifestyle in the form of Sue (Margaret Qualley) has made her a definitive icon of modern horror. All different parts of her character prove to be iconic in their own way, from Elizabeth's anger and resentment towards a world that abandoned her to a joyous and carefree Sue willing to take the world by the horns and make it her own all over again.

However, things truly get kicked into high gear once Sue's lust for staying in a youthful body begins to deteriorate Elizabeth's body, resulting in horrific, body horror consequences and culminating in one of the wildest third acts in recent memory. While the body horror and overwhelming gore are enough to appease horror fans, the dichotomy between Elizabeth and Sue as a singular character dealing with the ramifications of two bodies makes The Substance an especially compelling watch.

7 Evelyn Wang — 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)

Initially serving as the source of normalcy that keeps the audience grounded amidst all the manic shenanigans and creativity of the multiverse, Evelyn Wang from Everything Everywhere All at Once soon learns to hone mastery over her multiversal selves to become a powerful, high-flying combatant. Portrayed by Michelle Yeoh in an Academy Award-winning performance, the well-meaning and loving yet misunderstood nature of Evelyn has made her a deeply relatable character for many who have experienced complicated love with family members.

It's this distinct mixture of grounded and relatable family dynamics with highly entertaining choreography and multiverse shenanigans that make the film such a blast, with Evelyn especially acting as a massive catalyst for such an enticing style of the film. The character speaks to the strengths of many other great sci-fi and kung fu protagonists of the past, honing her craft throughout the film and soon becoming an electrifying force on-screen.

6 Art the Clown — 'Terrifier' Trilogy (2016–2024)

With so many of the biggest slasher franchises being continuations of classic series of the past, it has become increasingly difficult for new slasher and horror icons to make names for themselves with all the competition. However, the past 10 years have certainly seen their fair share of new slasher icons, with the most recognizable and memorable of such being the sadistically cruel Art the Clown, portrayed by David Howard Thornton in the Terrifier series.

With each Terrifier film going above and beyond in terms of gore content and vicious kills, it's the goofy antics of Art and the disturbingly comedic performance by Thornton that elevate not just the character, but the entire series into the horror icon that it is today. Even when the kills manage to be some of the most disgusting deaths in slasher movie history, Art's wild and joyful performance manages to make them an unlikely mixture of fun and pain.

5 Miles Morales — 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' (2018) & 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (2023)

While Miles Morales as a character had existed in the comics a fair deal before his introduction to film, the widely acclaimed Spider-Verse films are what truly put the character on the map for many audiences and made him one of the most beloved cinematic Spider-Men to date. Throughout both Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse, the character is given so much personality and opportunity to shine, at points even rivaling Peter Parker in terms of being a surrogate for their themes of self-determination and rebellion.

It also helps that, with no live-action counterpart of the character to compare to, the beautiful and high-energy animation style used to bring Miles to life amplifies the character's strengths that much more. Even in just two films, there is clear growth and evolution for the character as he first learns what it takes to become Spider-Man. The character will only prove to be more iconic if the long-awaited Beyond the Spider-Verse manages to stick the landing.

4 Smoke and Stack — 'Sinners' (2025)

Easily standing as some of the most invigorating and well-crafted original blockbuster protagonists of recent memory, the dangerous criminal twins Smoke and Stack are a big part of what made Sinners such an enthralling, cinematic experience. While the twins may both be played by Michael B. Jordan, the distinct details in his performance and mannerisms make each character feel fully their own, with no point of confusion as to who is who at any point.

The twins manage to stand out among the stacked list of great Sinners characters thanks to their captivating screen presence and core connection to the film's themes and messaging. Each individual twin finds a way to elevate the scenes that they are in, even more so when they share the screen and bounce off one another. While these characters may be the most recent out of everyone on this list, they have already made an impact as defining movie characters of the modern era.

3 Thanos — 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018) & 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)

Thanos's history in the MCU can technically be traced back almost 15 years, with his second-long cliffhanger at the end of The Avengers and then yet again in Avengers: Age of Ultron, yet he didn't truly become a layered icon of a character until Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. These films delivered on the years of buildup placed on the character, making him a dominating force of power who commands respect with each moment, largely making an impact when he completes his goal of wiping out half of all life in the universe.

Infinity War is especially where the character shines the most, giving him the primary spotlight out of the entire supporting cast and allowing a real perspective into his psyche and the inner turmoil of his painful yet inevitable goals. Josh Brolin also provides a great performance for the mad titan, amplifying the character's inherent strengths while giving him new layers of depth that evolve him beyond the simplicity of his comic book iteration.

2 Benoit Blanc — 'Knives Out' Trilogy (2019–2025)

Taking inspiration from iconic long-running detective characters of the past like Hercule Poirot, Benoit Blanc from Rian Johnson's Knives Out trilogy has quickly become the defining mystery movie character of the 21st century. Much like Poirot before him, there is an inherent brilliance and limitless potential in simply placing Blanc into various murder mysteries, with his Southern charm and quirky antics making him a blast to watch on-screen.

Daniel Craig's wild performance as Blanc is half of the magic that has made the character such a captivating icon since his debut, as it's a comedic performance that is unlike anything else that Craig has done in his career. What was perceived as initially silly in the first Knives Out film has grown to be extremely charming and endearing with its sequels, transforming the entire trilogy into some of the coziest mystery movies out there. One can only hope that there will be more zany and unpredictable mysteries in store for Blanc to solve in the near future.

1 Paul Atreides — 'Dune' (2021) & 'Dune: Part Two' (2024)

Paul Atreides is an interesting case, as not only has the character existed as an icon of sci-fi for decades thanks to the legendary status of Frank Herbert's novels, but the character has even been adapted to film in the past with a performance by Kyle MacLachlan in David Lynch's Dune. However, the modern interpretation of the character from the Denis Villeneuve films portrayed by Timothée Chalamet has not only given great respect for the source material, but has catapulted the character of Atredies into all-time icon status as far as cinematic sci-fi characters are concerned.

Throughout both of the Dune films, Paul Atreides makes for one of the most compelling and layered protagonists that sci-fi storytelling has to offer, with Chalamet perfectly blending his own style into the idiosyncrasies and depth of Atreides as a literary character. Dune: Part Two, especially, is where the character truly transformed into a cultural icon, with his ruthless rise to power as the false Lisan al-Gaib hooking audiences and further cementing Paul's strengths as a character. With Dune: Part Three on the horizon, Paul's stranglehold on the culture of sci-fi filmmaking will only continue to grow into a definitive icon of modern cinematic greatness.