Val Kilmer Played a Terrific Villain in This Ridiculous 2010 Gem

Published Feb 21, 2026, 6:05 PM EST

Dieter Von Cunth's Backstory Makes Him More Sympathetic

The interesting thing about the onscreen dynamic between Von Cunth and MacGruber is that Kilmer portrays the straight man versus Forte as the more screwball, funny man of the duo. It creates a hilarious juxtaposition between the two characters because the movie's main hero comes off as an even more unhinged lunatic, if not a functioning dimwit, than the movie’s designated villain. It makes the revelation of Von Cunth and MacGruber's backstory that much more amusing when it's disclosed later in the movie.

Aside from the fact that Dieter Von Cunth is a deadly, amoral terrorist and arms dealer, he murdered MacGruber's wife, Casey Janine Fitzpatrick (Maya Rudolph), which explains MacGruber's vendetta against him. However, Von Cunth's backstory amusingly reveals his path to villainy. Later on, when Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe) asks MacGruber why Von Cunth killed his wife, MacGruber expresses complete ignorance, revealing that the trio used to be friends in college. However, Casey was previously engaged to Von Cunth in their younger days, when she started having an affair with MacGruber, Von Cunth's best friend, behind his back. Additionally, Casey was pregnant with Von Cunth's child when she left him for MacGruber. As MacGruber explains to Piper, "I asked her to terminate it, obviously, so we could start fresh, and she agreed."

The script, which Forte co-wrote, achieves maximum comedic outrageousness, comically revealing to the audience why Von Cunth hates MacGruber and killed his wife. After sharing that insane backstory, MacGruber still proclaims complete obliviousness about why Von Cunth hates him, answering, "To this day, I have no idea," in one of the movie's funniest moments, followed by a crazy backstory that only grows more ridiculous with each revelation. The backstory casts the Von Cunth character in a new light, not excusing his actions, but it does explain his actions in the present. Frankly, MacGruber's actions throughout the movie make him come off like just as much of a bad guy, if not more so, than Von Cunth. That juxtaposition works marvelously well in a movie like MacGruber because it's parodying old-school, macho action movie tropes and clichés, and at other times, inverts them. Von Cunth's backstory makes him a more sympathetic character, while MacGruber looks idiotic for not recognizing his role in severing his past friendship.

'MacGruber' Proves That Val Kilmer Had a Gift for Comedies

Not to mention, at the end of the movie, when MacGruber finally kills Von Cunth, it makes the movie's hero look like a downright sadistic bully. After Von Cunth has suffered deforming burn wounds and lost his genitalia in the explosion, MacGruber throws Von Cunth off a cliff and then proceeds to shoot him multiple times as he falls to his doom, before he blows up Von Cunth with a grenade round. Then, MacGruber adds further insult to injury, or death, in this case, by urinating on Von Cunth's smoldering corpse. The wacky death scene depicts MacGruber as less than heroic. Nevertheless, it's still a hilarious death scene and a fittingly epic ending for Dieter von Cunth in a movie like MacGruber.

WatchingMacGruber, it’s somewhat sad that Kilmer did not appear in more similarly themed comedies throughout his career. However, considering he kicked offhis movie careerwith the Zucker Bros. spoof,Top Secret!,MacGruber shows Kilmer's career coming full circle in an action movie parody setting, albeit he portrays the villain this time. Kilmer also had a great role in the dark crime-comedyKiss Kiss Bang Bang, oppositeRobert Downey Jr.in 2005, where Kilmer once again flexes his comedic chops, bringinghis movie-star magnetism, wit, and charm to the role of Perry van Shrike in theShane Blackclassic.

MacGruber reinforces that Kilmer possessed a gift for comedies, and sadly, he did not get to do more of them. Kilmer plays an exceptionally strong villain as well, even in a comedic setting. Although MacGruber is Kilmer's last comedy, he made it a great one, as his presence elevates an already raucous, irreverent, and hilarious experience.

MacGruber is available to watch on HBO Max in the U.S.