Ron Perlmanis a classically trained actor with a massive career under his belt. Born in Washington Heights, New York City, Perlman began with films likeQuest for FireandThe Name of the Rose. However,Perlman’s big break came withBeauty and the Beast, playing the role of Vincent. From there, opportunities kept coming, and he’s become well known for accepting many roles that require excessive use of makeup.
Indeed, Perlman’s most famous role is arguably the titular character inGuillermo del Toro’s superhero duologyHellboy. However, he has also made a name for himself as a voice actor, thanks to his powerful, soothing voice, perfect for playing villains or people in positions of power. Be they silly, serious, a recurring character, or a one-off,Perlman always gives his voice roles the same level of commitment, which ensures they remain memorable.
10The Devil
‘Animaniacs’ (1993-1998)
When Yakko (Rob Paulsen), Wakko (Jess Harnell), and Dot (Tress MacNeille) try to find their way to Five Flags to Flushing, they accidentally stumble into the fiery realm of Hades. Its overlord, the Devil, attempts to terrify the Warner siblings and subject them to an eternity of torment using creative methods like his dog, Cerberus, and winy protest songs from the 1960s. However, he severely underestimates the trio and their near-unlimited use of cartoon logic.
Perlman’s booming voice is ideal for such a character, and his delivery clashes wonderfully against the Warners' unhinged antics.
Perlman’s version of the Devil is one ofthe most memorable opponents the Warners went up againstinAnimaniacs. His delivery is perfect, especially when the Devil is either driven into a raging fury due to the Warners' actions or a monotone reaction to his humiliation. Perlman’s booming voice is ideal for such a character, and his delivery clashes wonderfully against the Warners' unhinged antics. In a meta sense, The Devil’s presencealmost got the episode banned, meaning that, in a way, he came the closest to defeating the Warners.
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9Firelord Sozin
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005-2008)
In his youth, Firelord Sozin was best friends with Roku (James Garrett), who was eventually revealed to be the next reincarnation of the Avatar. When Roku left to begin his training, Sozin began to see the Fire Nation as superior to the other nations of the world and believed that they should expand and conquer them. Roku tried to oppose him, but after Sozin left him for dead in the wake of a volcanic eruption, there was nobody left to stop his war of conquest.
Sozin is long dead before the events ofAvatar: The Last Airbender, but his actions cast a heavy shadow over the story since he not only began the hundred-year war but also wiped out the Air Nomads and dragons. When he appears in the episode “The Avatar and the Fire Lord,” his choice of dialogue and Perlman’s delivery help topaint him as a ruthless and complicated man. He’s someone who believes that he is doing the right thing but won’t hesitate to go to terrible extremes if it’s in the name of bettering his people’s future.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
8Optimus Primal
‘Transformers: Rise of the Beast’ (2023)
When the planet-consuming Unicron (Colman Domingo) comes to the Maximal Homeworld, Optimus Primal is forced to lead the remaining Maximals to Earth following the death of their leader, Apelinq (David Sobolov). They remain hidden and split their Transwarp Key into two pieces so that Unicron cannot use it to come to Earth. Unfortunately, the key is reassembled in 1994, forcing Primal to join forces with the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), to save the world.
While nobody can matchGarry Chalk’siconic performance, the ever-reliablePerlman does an admirable jobas Primal inTransformers: Rise of the Beasts. His lengthy position as leader has bestowed upon him great wisdom, which gives hima gentler personality that feels the weight of every loss. Still, he is by no means a pushover and is ready to fight for his friends and home to make up for his past failures.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ (2022)
When an Italian woodcarver named Geppetto (David Bradley) creates a puppet that is brought to life by a Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton), he is quickly noticed by the town’s local Podestà. Unfortunately, he is a strict man who has completely bought into Bendito Mussolini’s (Tom Kenny) fascist ideology. When it’s discovered that the puppet, Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), cannot die, the Podestà hopes to train him to be the perfect, unkillable soldier.
The Podestà may only be a minor character inGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, but he is also one of the primary reasons why this film is adark and chilling fairytale. Rather than presenting a fascist as over the top or silly, the film goes serious, showing how ruthless and hateful this ideology makes people. Even the Podestà’s son, Candlewick (Finn Wolfhard), isn’t spared as his father forces him to become what the ideology needs him to be.Perlman’s voice is perfect for the role, effortlessly standing out despite his reduced screen time.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
6Mr. Lancer
‘Danny Phantom’ (2003-2007)
As the vice-principal and teacher at Casper High Elementary, it is Mr. Lancer’s pride and joy to educate and encourage each of his students. It is easier said than done, though, as Lancer often finds himself confused and frustrated by modern trends. Still, even when he clashes with his students, he always has their best interests at heart.
Lancer was an interesting characterinDanny Phantombecause he could alternate between an antagonistic or supportive role depending on the plot. Most of the time, he is Danny’s (David Kaufman) strict teacher, but though he could be harsh on Danny when he lagged in school, it always came from a place of encouragement.Perlman embraces the show’s lighthearted natureand makes Lancer pretty funny, often finding creative ways to turn famous works of literature into exclamations.
Danny Phantom
‘Batman: The Animated Series’
Once known as the man of a million faces, actor Matt Hagenwas disfigured in a car accident. During recovery, he is approached by Roland Daggett (Ed Asner), who offers to let Hagen test a new product that allows him to re-sculpt his face but also makes him addicted to the substance. When Hagen breaks into Daggett’s lab to get more, some of Daggett’s thugs attempt to kill him with an overdose of the chemical, mutating him into a living mass of clay capable of shapeshifting.
Perlman’s take on Clayface is one of the best villains fromBatman: The Animated Seriesand continues the show’s trend of fleshing them out.Perlman taps into the tragedy of Clayface’s situationby highlighting how, at his core, he is someone desperate to regain his former life, but his pride pushes away those who want to help him. While Clayface only had a few limited appearances on the show, they were always memorable, especially thanks to the high-quality animation that went into his transformations.Batman: The Animated Seriesstrived to humanize its villains, and Clayface is the perfect example.
Batman: The Animated Series
‘The Book of Life’
Named after the Mayan underworld, the death god Xibalba rules over the Land of the Forgotten, while his wife, La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), rules the Land of the Remembered. Eager to swap realms with her, Xibalba makes a wager with La Muerte regarding whether young María Posada (Zoe Saldaña) will marry Manolo Sánchez (Diego Luna) or Joaquín Mondragon (Channing Tatum). Of course, Xibalba does everything he can to win, including giving Joaquín a medallion that makes him invincible in battle.
Xibalba isa beautiful depiction of a trickster godanda chance for Perlman to play someone who is both sinister and comedic. He’s so eager to win that he’ll use every dirty trick in the book, regardless of how many times his scheming comes back to bite him. His dynamic with La Muerte is wonderful, providing some genuinely tender moments of romantic devotion and hilarious comedy when La Muerte chews him out for his actions.
The Book of Life
‘Hellboy Animated’ (2006-2007)
Summoned to Earth as an infant by the Third Reich, the Cambion Hellboy was adopted by Trevor Bruttenholm (Sir John Hurt), who treated him with love and encouraged him to forge a new path. As an adult, Hellboy works for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, which is dedicated to taking down paranormal threats. Some of these threats include Japanese demons bent on destroying the world and creatures of the night attempting to raise their vampire mistress.
Perlman reprised his legendary performance fromGuillermo del Toro’s live-actionHellboyfilms, and his voice is still a perfect fit. He captures Hellboy’s gruff and blunt manner of speaking and sarcastic sense of humor, which adds levity to balance against the dark monsters he battles. Most importantly,Perlman taps into Hellboy’s humanity and the pathosassociated with his choice to do good despite his origins. His work in animation strengthens his legacy as the character, cementing his Hellboy as one of the most underrated superheroes in entertainment.
‘Adventure Time’ (2010-2018)
Since the beginning of time, there has existed the Lich, an immortal undead being who styles himself the last scholar of the chaos god, GOLB. Using his considerable knowledge of dark magic, he works towards his goal of eradicating all life in the multiverse. Even when struck down by legendary heroes, the Lich finds a way to come back and try again.
Adventure Timehas many memorable villains, but none fill the audience with as much fear as the Lich. The stakes were raised every time he appeared, shifting away from the show’s usual abstract humor to a more serious tone that often pushed the heroes to their limit. Perlman’s voice was what made it all work:his delivery was slow and methodical, making every word hit hard and ensuring each of his appearances ranked amongAdventure TIme’s most memorable moments.
Adventure Time
‘Teen Titans’
None of the villains who threaten Jump City are as mysterious and dangerous as Slade. This masked criminal uses an army of robots and a mastery of martial arts to challenge the city’s defenders, the Teen Titans. Though he initially wanted their leader, Robin (Scott Menville), to be his apprentice, Slade eventually settles for killing them and ruling the city with an iron fist.
Though toned down compared to his comic book counterpart, Slade remains one of the mosteffective and intelligent cartoon villains. He’s always two steps ahead of the heroes, ensuring that he can escape even when they defeat him and work towards a new plan. While able to put up a good fight against the Titans, Slade is at his worst when he gets inside their heads and uses their weaknesses and insecurities to get the upper hand. Thanks to Perlman’s sinister performance,Slade is one of the most iconic animated villains of the 2000sand arguably the best adaptation of the character.
Teen Titans
NEXT:Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Hellboy' Improves the Character With This One Change
