Gremlins is one of the most entertaining horror/comedy/dark fantasy franchises around, and it’s all filled with creepy little critters. There are plenty of fun gremlin designs throughout the movies and TV series, with some even talking or being primary, named characters. With there being a lot of gremlins, including the Electricity Gremlin, Flasher Gremlin, and Vegetable Gremlin, we’d be here all day to rank them. There’s also not much to go off for a lot of them. So, let’s rank the named, plot-important gremlins from the franchise.
9) Lenny
Lenny is one of the main evil gremlins in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, along with George, Daffy, and Mohawk. He’s really dopey and absolutely rocks a chef hat, but that’s about it. His face has a unique expression and he does have a defined personality, which allows him to stand out from a lot of other gremlins. However, the other named gremlins in the same movie already serve the same purpose and do it better. He’s just there to be another distinct gremlin, and nothing more.
8) George
George, who is grouped in with Lenny and Daffy throughout Gremlins 2: The New Batch, is the grumpy one in the bunch. It’s weird to have a “grumpy” gremlin since they’re all evil, violent, and malicious. That being said, he’s a bit of a leader, albeit not the leader of the whole scaly green army like Mohawk is. He has plenty of good bits in the movie, but he still feels underused after the opening scenes.
7) Daffy
Daffy, another of the original members of the titular “New Batch,” is extremely wacky and zany. He’s essentially a Looney Tune in the form of a gremlin, which is both extremely entertaining and feels like a perfect setup for Joe Dante eventually directing Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Despite being a puppet, he feels like a live action cartoon character between how expressive and animated he is. There’s a point in the beginning of the sequel in which he’s mistaken for Gizmo, which actually adds a bit more to the plot than his cohorts. Still, he eventually stops feeling as important later on in the film.
6) Mohawk
Mohawk is the leader of the sequel’s “New Batch,” and is just plain awesome. He’s especially sinister and feels like a true villain, and he’s got one of the coolest gremlin designs in the entire franchise. On top of being a menacing and dangerous threat to Gizmo, his friends, and anyone else at the Clamp Center, he also transforms into a giant spider monster. Spider Mohawk is both awesome and terrifying! However, once he’s monstrous, he no longer feels like much of a leader to the other gremlins.
5) Greta
Greta is the gremlin in The New Batch that’s transformed into a female gremlin by drinking a potion. She leads to plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and has a bit of power over the other gremlins. Despite being a bit underused due to screentime going to the rest of the horde, she still manages to be recognizable, a beloved symbol of the franchise, and a bit of a trans icon. Sure, she could have done more in the film, but she’s still awesome and a favorite of collectors and cosplayers.
4) Claw
Claw was the evil leader of the gremlins in the first season of the Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai animated series on HBO Max. She’s commanding of her army, a threat to the heroes, and is even willing to stand up to a villainous warlock. She also captains a ship and becomes a freaking kaiju, literally posing as one of the biggest threats in the franchise. She’d probably be higher on this list if she were more of the primary villain of the series rather than Riley Greene.
3) Brain Gremlin / Brainy
The Brain Gremlin technically doesn’t have an official name, but he is a character with a lot of dialogue who does drive the plot so he does make this list. Some fans have taken to calling him “Brainy” in lieu of an official name, for what it’s worth. The voice acting and puppeteering for him are top-notch, and he has a fantastic character design. He ends up becoming the true mastermind of the mayhem in Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and he can sure as heck carry a tune during a musical number.
2) Stripe
Stripe, the primary antagonist of the original Gremlins movie, is nothing short of iconic. He’s just as synonymous with the Gremlins franchise as Gizmo is, and is often used as the face of the evil gremlins. He’s a bit smarter than the average gremlins (obviously not as smart as the Brain Gremlin or Noggin), which makes him a great leader. He gets enjoyment out of being sinister and violent. His hatred for Gizmo is practically tangible. He’s evil. He’s entertaining. It’s hard not to love Stripe.
1) Noggin / Algernon
This was a tough choice and hard not to stick Stripe or the Brain Gremlin in the number one spot, but it had to be the gremlin that drove the plot the most at the top. Noggin (who later changes his name to Algernon) was introduced in the first season of the animated series and becomes the primary antagonist in the second. He becomes a super genius like the Brain Gremlin, which also gives him the ability to speak. He uses this intelligence to not only lead the gremlin army, but also lead a human mob and even a small town. He’s a strategic mastermind and a lover of the arts. He’s also the only gremlin in the entire franchise who actually develops as a character. Plus, he’s voiced exceptionally well by the legendary George Takei. These creators really outdid themselves when they made this character.
Nonstop Nerd 