The ‘brother vs brother’ story is a trope that has been used in films for decades. It has also evolved into ‘brother vs sister,’ ‘sister vs sister’ and ‘weird step-brother vs weird step-sister who sort of hate each other but also kinda wanna bang’ (more on that, later). It’s been said that blood is thicker than water, but it’s also been said that family is the tie that binds us. We’re not sure what either of those sayings means, but we’re pretty sure it means that you should check out our list of the Top 5 Cinematic Sibling Rivalries.
5) Mufasa and Scar – The Lion King
The Lion King from Disney was basically MacBeth for families. The film sees Mufasa, the King of the Jungle, in the height of his power. He was beloved and respected by all creatures…except for his brother Scar. Scar believed he was the rightful king, so he did what anybody would do in his situation. He pushed Mufasa off of a cliff and seized the throne. The plan would work but only until Mufasa’s exiled son, Simba, returned to seek vengeance for his father’s death.
4) Thor and Loki – Thor, The Avengers
Similarly, Thor and Loki’s relationship is…dysfunctional, to say the least. Thor was the biological son of Oden while Loki was adopted. Loki didn’t know this. That is, until the day Loki found out he had the blood of the frost giants flowing through his veins. While Loki was always a bit jealous of Thor, this revelation caused him to embrace his evil side and swear vengeance against his brother. While Loki believes that he truly is the rightful king of Asgard and has tried, multiple times, to kill his brother, there are still some redeeming qualities to him. Especially in recent film translations, Loki has become a bit of an anti-hero. He’s the god of mischief, to be sure. But he’s charismatic and snarky and, despite his resentment, he does care about his brother.
3) Brennan and Dale – Step Brothers
Starting a new family can be tough. When your mom or dad marries somebody else, there are a lot of emotions to be felt. This is especially true if the kids in the family are young and don’t exactly understand what’s happening to them. Even if those kids aren’t young, however, it could still come as quite a bit of a shock. Such was the case in the film Step Brothers. Brennan and Dale are both 40-something’s who still live at home with their parents. When Brennan’s mom and Dale’s dad meet and fall in love, the two are forced to co-exist. This does not happen right away, and the results are hilarious.
2) Sebastian and Kathryn – Cruel Intentions
Speaking of step-siblings, there is no odder set of them than Sebastian (Ryan Phillippe) and Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Geller) in the film, Cruel Intentions. Sebastian is a conniving, manipulative, kind of rapey playboy who, somehow, becomes the hero of the film by the end of it. Kathryn, meanwhile, is a conniving, manipulative, kind of rapey playgirl who snorts lots of coke. The two are step-siblings, but that doesn’t stop them from having the weirdest “will they/won’t they” sexual chemistry of all time. While Sebastian is trying to seduce the girl next door, Kathryn is trying to seduce everybody. Both Sebastian and Kathryn also want to bang each other, even though they’re kind of related.
1) Michael Myers and Laurie Strode – Halloween
Any time a brother is trying to murder his sister, it counts as a pretty hardcore sibling rivalry. Such was the case with Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. Though the most recent Halloween movie has retconned their relationship, Michal and Laurie were, for years, said to be brother and sister. The plot of at least half of the movies saw Michael trying to track down Laurie and kill her. Laurie was the prototypical “one that got away,” but at least part of Michael’s motivation was his because of his relationship with her.
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