Taking over the world has been a staple villain motivation since the beginning of storytelling. However, as our knowledge of outer space and the universe grows, so do the possible stories we can tell about them. With the possibilities seemingly infinite, eventually somebody is going to get the idea that they can rule it all. As many films and TV shows have shown, some characters have made some very notable attempts to do just that. Let’s take a look at some of the best characters to have spread their might across the universe.

6 Thanos – The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Before he began his quest for the Infinity Stones, Thanos would go about enacting his mad form of genocide the old-fashioned way: by conquering every planet he could. Once he and his armies had done so, they would slaughter exactly half of the planet’s inhabitants. His armies are quite powerful and the Black Order, in addition to Gamora and Nebula (before they switched sides, at least) mean that Thanos has quite a bit of muscle to throw around. He’s not called the Mad Titan for nothing, but what makes him so scary is that he truly believes what he says and is convinced that he’s saving the universe instead of destroying it. The trail of destruction he leaves in his wake would say otherwise.

Related: Josh Brolin Reveals Why He Wanted To Play Thanos In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

5 The Irkens – Invader ZIM

The Irken Empire has a rather unique method of conquering planets. They’ll send a specialized soldier known as an Invader, arm them with a SIR pack, to infiltrate a planet and blend in with the local inhabitants to learn the target planet’s weakness. Once the weakness has been learned and the planet’s defenses undermined, the Irken Armada is called in to finish the job. Invaders are so good at their job that just one is enough to take over a planet single-handedly. Most people bent on galactic conquest need huge amounts of backup, and while the Irken Armada does provide that, the fact that one of their soldiers can do so much on their own pretty much means the Armada is just there for clean-up duty. Good thing the Invader sent to Earth is the most incompetent Invader the Irken Empire has ever employed, isn’t it?

4 Brainiac – Superman

Brainiac is a living Kryptonian supercomputer with a very simple MO: He drains a planet dry of its knowledge, then destroys it. Brainiac has destroyed countless planets doing this. He does admit that being the only person in possession of said knowledge makes it more valuable, making him the most evil hoarder imaginable. Brainiac remains one of Superman’s deadliest foes and is notable for always coming back no matter how many times his robot body gets destroyed. As long as he downloads himself into another computer, he’ll come back. A unique conqueror, Brainiac’s conquests aren’t for money or power, but for a much different prize. Still, the sheer number of worlds he’s laid waste to definitely makes him one of the most terrifying forces to ever menace the universe.

3 Frieza – Dragonball Z

One of the most infamous planet conquerors around, Frieza and his organization will conquer planets, kill all the inhabitants, then sell the now empty planet to the highest bidder. According to Dragonball creator, Akira Toriyama, Frieza was inspired by real estate speculators during the Japanese economic bubble of 1986-1991. Frieza himself is a terrifying villain, capable of destroying a planet with one finger, as the Saiyans of Planet Vegeta found out. The Z Fighters first encounter him on Namek as he tries to find the Namekian Dragonballs to wish for immortality. Along the way, he and his minions wipe out most of the planet’s inhabitants. At first, Frieza’s content to let his minions do most of the work, but once the Z fighters defeat (or kill in Vegeta’s case) most of them, Frieza is forced into action. His fighting skills are incredible, and it takes Goku becoming a legendary Super Saiyan just to get the upper hand. In fact, that legendary fight with Goku is so destructive that Namek explodes as a result. Then again, Frieza even survives that! He gets killed off again when Trunks arrives from the future, but once Dragonball Super rolled around, the galaxy’s most feared conqueror was brought back again.

2 Sailor Galaxia – Sailor Moon

Sailor Galaxia is the main villain of the final season (known as “Sailor Moon Stars“) of the Sailor Moon anime, which ran from 1992-1997. Originally a heroic character, Galaxia sealed the living embodiment of Chaos inside herself to save the universe. Unfortunately, Chaos ended up possessing her and setting her down the path of galactic conquest. She runs the Shadow Galactica, an organization attempting to steal the starseeds of every planet’s assigned Sailor Guardian. When Galaxia first appears, she’s pretty much conquered most of the galaxy, with the notable exception of Earth, which is defended by the Sailor Guardians of our solar system. While she’s not alone, she’s done most of the conquering herself. The minions of Shadow Galactica are pretty much your standard incompetent comic relief minions. Still, it’s downright terrifying any time Galaxia decides to kill one of them off. With a vast number of starseeds in her possession, Sailor Galaxia’s power extends dangerously far, and before she turned evil, she had one other notable claim to fame: She was the strongest Sailor Guardian of them all.

Related: Star Wars: Best Villains in the Franchise, Ranked

1 Emperor Palpatine – Star Wars

Palpatine claims the top spot for the sheer brilliance of his political maneuvering. He orchestrates a war between the Separatists and the Republic: the infamous Clone Wars. Where the brilliant part comes in is that it doesn’t matter which faction wins because Palpatine will end up ruling the galaxy no matter what. If the Republic wins? He still runs it as the Chancellor. If the Separatists win? He’s Darth Sidious, their leader. As a Dark Lord of the Sith, Palpatine’s ability to use the Force makes him one of the biggest, baddest threats around. This is a man who can hold his own in a lightsaber duel with Yoda, one of the most powerful Jedi to ever live. He was able to cloud his true identity so well that the entire Jedi Council had no clue what was really going on until it was too late. A mastermind in every sense of the word.