The 10 Greatest Villains That Jean-Claude Van Damme Has Ever Faced

3) Tong Po (played by Michel Qissi) – Kickboxer (1989)

Only three spots away from the top, and I introduce one of the most iconic villains in action cinema history. The name Tong Po struck fear in the souls of every young action film junkie (including myself) and there was a very good reason for it. The very first time we get a glimpse of our villain, our hero JCVD is walking down a hall carrying an ice bucket for his brother who is about to fight Po, and he hears loud thudding. Curious, he moves closer to the sound and the camera pans to show a man kicking a pillar with his bare shins and causing the plaster to crumble. That would’ve been enough to send me running to the nearest airport and catching a one way flight to anywhere that wasn’t where Tong Po was! But alas, if our hero ran, we wouldn’t have been able to bare witness the savageness that is this beast.

Not much more needs to be said about Tong Po. He is the single most dangerous unarmed human being and can crush cement if given the opportunity. His fierce but calm eyes, his destructive Muay Thai techniques, his willingness to play dirty, it all comes to a head when he and JCVD finally face off with their fists bound in rope and dipped in broken glass. If you ask me, there’s no more badass way to have a showdown, and without spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen it, it delivers in spades.