50 Greatest Movie Rivalries

Harry Potter vs. Draco Malfoy (the Harry Potter franchise)

The Rivalry: Having already met Draco and heard his intolerant views on muggle-born wizards, Harry soon rejects his offer of friendship on the Hogwarts Express after Malfoy makes fun of Ron Weasley's family. Who knew this initial antagonism would eventually culminate in mass-murder?

Darkest Moment: During a showdown between the pair in Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince , Harry narrowly deflects Draco's 'unforgivable' Cruciatus Curse and retaliates with an obscure Sectumsempra spell, which causes huge gashes to open up in his rival's face and chest.

Kiss & Make Up? Following Harry's eventual defeat of Voldemort, we see an epilogue scene in which the grown-up pair politely acknowledge each other while talking to their own children. That's probably the best we could have hoped for.

The Montagues vs. The Capulets (Romeo + Juliet)

The Rivalry: Age-old hostility between two arch-rival gangs, here updated to a contemporary ‘Verona Beach’ setting.

Darkest Moment: Tybalt fatally stabs Romeo’s best friend Mercutio and, in retaliation, Romeo delivers the classic method of vengeance from Shakespearian times by gunning him down.

Kiss & Make Up? Both feuding families are forced to regret their ongoing war when it leads to the death of both Romeo and Juliet, so you’d think that some changes would then be made...

Ron Burgundy vs. Veronica Corningstone (Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy)

The Rivalry: Macho newsreader Ron is outraged when girlfriend Veronica is made co-anchor, leading to a hostile battle of one-upmanship between the two.

Darkest Moment: Veronica finding out that Ron will read anything that is placed on his autocue, leading to a stunned newsroom as he signs off with “Go fuck yourself, San Diego”.

Kiss & Make Up? Of course – the pair reconcile when Veronica is pushed into a bear enclosure and Ron jumps in to save her. Clearly all differences are set aside when you come face to face with a big grizzly.

Neo vs. Agent Smith (The Matrix trilogy)

The Rivalry: Sworn enemies at first, Neo and Agent Smith become two sides of the same coin, fighting to ultimately decide the fate of the Matrix and all of mankind.

Darkest Moment: In the real world, mysterious survivor Bane is discovered to have been assimilated by Smith and, in a fight with Neo, ends up blinding him with a power cable.

Kiss & Make Up? If there is an opposite to ‘kissing and making up’, it is probably engaging in an almost endless, evenly-matched fight until one of them gives up and allows himself to be pummelled into the ground.

Derek Zoolander vs. Hansel McDonald (Zoolander)

The Rivalry: Top model Derek is ousted by hot newcomer Hansel, sparking a professional jealousy in the Blue Steel poser.

Darkest Moment: The rivalry boils over in an underground ‘walk-off’ competition judged by David Bowie.

Kiss & Make Up? They put their differences aside when Derek is found to have been brainwashed to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia and work together to bring the criminal mastermind Mugatu to justice. But not before engaging in some group sex together...

Nina vs. Lily (Black Swan)

The Rivalry: Technically flawless dancer Nina wants to be cast as the lead in Swan Lake but the director points to Lily as more passionate, uninhibited contender for the part.

Darkest Moment: When Lily says she is to perform as the black swan, Nina flies into a rage and smashes her into a mirror, eventually grabbing a shard of glass and stabbing her in the stomach. OR DOES SHE?

Kiss & Make Up? A deadly fight is revealed to be a hallucination when Lily is seen alive and well to congratulate Nina on her performance. So really, your guess is as good as ours.

Maverick vs. Iceman (Top Gun)

The Rivalry: The reckless Maverick competes to become top of the class at Navy Fighter School, beating top student Iceman, who considers his rival's methods to be dangerous.

Darkest Moment: Maverick gets impatient with Iceman during an exercise and decides to take action against an enemy aircraft himself, endangering both their lives and ultimately resulting in an ex-Goose.

Kiss & Make Up? Not quite literally, but they both joke about being each other's wingman and the sexual tension between them is still palpable so...

Robert Angier vs. Alfred Borden (The Prestige)

The Rivalry: Former friends turned enemies when Angier blames Borden for the death of his wife in an illusion gone wrong.

Darkest Moment: Angier framing Borden for his own murder and adopting his daughter in one final bid to take everything away from him.

Kiss & Make Up? Nope. Bitter enemies to the very end, resulting in more deaths between the two than is imaginable.

Baby Jane Hudson vs. Blanche Hudson (What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?)

The Rivalry: Resentment growing between two siblings as child star Baby Jane left sister Blanche initially overshadowed until, as adult stars, Blanche’s own career surpasses her sister. Now, in old age, a mentally unstable Jane takes care of her wheelchair-bound sister with bubbling bitterness boiling over.

Darkest Moment: Jane serves dinner to her sister, who lifts up the silver serving dish to find her beloved parakeet dead underneath.

Kiss & Make Up? Almost. Blanche reveals the truth behind the accident that left her disabled and the pair don’t so much make-up as express regret at their own behaviour towards each other. Real-life warring actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford never quite resolved their differences in the same way.

Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed (Rocky I and II)

The Rivalry: Unknown boxer Rocky turns out to be more than a match for World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed's ego, and the men duke it out, both with something to prove.

Darkest Moment: After only winning their first match on points and therefore losing the public's respect, Apollo launches a smear campaign against Rocky in order to goad him into a rematch.

Kiss & Make Up? The pair end their second bout with a mutual respect for each other and become friends when, in Rocky III , Apollo agrees to train Rocky for a new vendetta. Aww, isn't it funny how brutal fighting can bring two people closer?