“MIB II” director Barry Sonnenfeld first told MTV he would make sure the film had a better villain. I find this a little surprising because I see Serleena, the film’s main antagonist, as a carbon copy of the original’s villain, who worked out just fine. In the first film, the Bug, a giant alien insect, lands on earth and disguises itself in the body of a wife-abusing farmer and spends much of the film searching to steal the Arquilian Galaxy. In “MIB II,” the villain is another alien who drops down to earth and disguises itself, this time as a seductive Victoria’s Secret model. Again, the villain spends much of the film searching for something important; in this case, it’s the Light of Zartha.

However, while both villains don’t have a problem taking out anyone who gets in their way, the Bug is more of a loose cannon. Taking out an innocent exterminator by shoving his own pest control sprayer in his mouth and leaving a short-order cook folded up like a pretzel is absolutely unhinged. That said, the Bug isn’t necessarily revered as one of the best sci-fi movie villains of all time, so it’s not like the villain left big shoes for its successor to fill.

Sure, Sonnenfeld could have beefed up some of Serleena’s personality traits (the Bug is one grouchy son of a gun who gets ticked off if you squish a cockroach). But as a villain who disrupts the status quo and makes life difficult for the protagonists, Serleena is pretty much on par with the Bug. Perhaps Sonnenfeld wished a different actor were cast to play the villain. Lara Flynn Boyle picked up criticism and a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.