Sylvester Stallone often plays a hero, but when he’s been cast as a villain, the character tends to be pretty out there. Stallone has been one of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes for decades, with many of his movies becoming classics and major influences on the industry for decades after. However, despite his extensive body of work, Stallone typically only goes for the role of the hero, or protagonist.
While he is certainly a capable action star, and he exudes a natural talent for being the hero, it’s always interesting to see an actor play against their type. Comedy actors tackling dramatic roles, nerdy best friends stepping up to be the romantic lead, and so on. For Stallone, his career has seldom seen him tackle a character that is anything but heroic, but it has happened occasionally. In the last 48 years, Stallone has only played one villain, and it just so happens to be one of the silliest and most outrageous characters the actor has ever been attached to.
Spy Kids 3D’s Toymaker Is Sylvester Stallone’s Silliest Character
The Toymaker Is Not Your Average Villain
Spy Kids 3D is arguably one of the most unusual entries in a franchise that was already lauded for being different. Directed and written by Robert Rodriguez, the movies were squarely aimed at kids, to be as exciting, colorful, and imaginative as possible. As a result, the villain of the first movie is a disgruntled Tony Shalhoub who sports four heads in one, and uses a bunch of robot thumb people to act as his minions. The succeeding movies continued this wild and extravagant storytelling, and cast the incredible Stallone in the role of the villain for their third entry.
Stallone plays the Toymaker, a former OSS agent who was imprisoned in cyberspace for treason against the spy organization. However, spending 30 years in cyberspace caused him to grow increasingly unstable, creating multiple holograms of himself to talk to, and hatching a plan to capture the worlds children in a virtual reality game. The character is wacky, has frequent arguments with his holographic selves, and his evil mastermind plan is deeply flawed on every level. However, it’s a fun and unusual role for Stallone to have tackled.
The Only Other Villain In Stallone’s Career Was Very Different From The Toymaker
Although They Are Equally Quirky And Unique
While the Toymaker is the only villain that Stallone has played in nearly half a century, he was cast as a villain in an obscure 1975 dystopian dark comedy. Considering the movie was released a year before Rocky, and Stallone had yet to make a name for himself, the role of Machine Gun Joe Viterbo was less a passion project and more likely a job to pay the bills. While this movie is distinctly different, intended for a much more mature audience, and much earlier in Stallone’s career, it was also a distinctly different figure to the Toymaker.
While the Toymaker is an exiled agent, Joe is one of the best racers in the dystopian hellscape that Death Race 2000 depicts. He is aggressive, violent, and incredibly prideful. He delivers his dark plans in the light, with millions of people watching from the comfort of their homes, and he is ready to put down anyone who stands in his way. While the characters are different in many ways, they do also have a wacky, zany quality in common that stems from the films they appear in both being off beat.
I Wish Sylvester Stallone Would Play More Villains (Even If Silly Ones)
He’s Played Enough Heroes, It’s Time To Be The Villain
As wacky as the villains that Stallone has played have been, both are interesting characters. And on top of this, it is always worthwhile seeing an actor step outside their comfort zone and play a role that they don’t usually align with. Stallone has starred in numerous franchises where he plays the noble, brave, and tough hero, from Rocky, to Rambo, and into the modern era with his role in franchises like The Expendables, and Escape Plan.
While these heroes are iconic, it’s interesting to consider how Stallone would tackle a villain, especially if he were presented with one of those roles now. As an experienced actor, he has had a lot of time to get familiar with heroes, and refine how he plays them. Taking these skills and putting them into playing an imposing, terrifying villain could be an incredibly interesting premise. But even if the casting had to be in a sillier vain, it would be worthwhile seeing Stallone play another villain just to diversify his portfolio.