Howard Stambler

Howard Stambler is the primary antagonist in the 2016 psychological science fictional film 10 Cloverfield Lane. He is a survivalist, former sailor, conspiracy theorist and the kidnapper of the central protagonist, Michelle.

He is portrayed by American actor John Goodman, who also played Ocious P. Potter, Big Dan Teague, Chuck Long, Layton T. Montgomery, Bones Darley, Marshall from The Hangover.

Background
Howard Stambler served in the United States Navy, which allowed him to acquire a number of skills that would prove beneficial in a life-or-death situation. For years, he lived at 10 Cloverfield Lane in rural Louisiana with his family, where he was known for his numerous conspiracy theories, before they left him and moved to Houston. Though he corresponded through letters with his daughter, Megan, he despaired and felt desperation for restoring his father-daughter dynamic.

Howard hired a local youth, Emmet DeWitt, to help construct a bunker. After it was completed, he abducted a young girl, Brittany, and had her assume the role of Megan in the bunker. She was displeased with her predicament, however, and looked to escape, prompting Howard to murder her.

Alien invasion
One of Howard's conspiracy theories comes true, as an alien invasion force attacks, knocking out communications in the vicinity of the bunker. Emmet tries to enter the bunker, resulting in a broken arm, though Howard allows him to stay. As the invasion takes form, Howard comes across a woman in a car, Michelle, who is fleeing from her fiancé and runs her off the road. He takes her to the bunker and gives her rudimentary medical treatment for the injuries she sustained from the car crash. Michelle attempts to use the objects in her cell to escape, but Howard overpowers and sedates her.

Howard allows Michelle to roam the bunker and befriend Emmet, but keeps a strict and controlling vigil over her. During dinner, he takes issue with nuances Emmet and Michelle make and even threatens Michelle when she flirts with Emmet. Michelle smashes a bottle into Howard's forehead and uses his keys to attempt to escape. However, she sees a delirious woman with infected skin, confirming Howard and Emmet's claims about the attack. Howard confesses to Michelle that it was indeed him who ran her off the road. He shows Michelle a picture of Brittany, claiming that it was Megan, and agrees to be more amicable with his housemates.

Unknown to Howard, Michelle and Emmet uncover proof that Howard is desperate for surrogates for his daughter Megan and that he murdered Brittany. He becomes aware when he finds that his tools are missing, which were used to assemble a biosuit for escape. He threatens them with a vat of perchloric acid. Emmet takes the blame for the thievery, prompting Howard to immediately execute him with a pistol.

With Emmet gone, Howard finally has the father-daughter dynamic with Michelle. He spots her biosuit, which leads them to a violent confrontation. Michelle dumps the acid on the floor, which severely burns Howard and causes a fire. Howard attempts to stab Michelle with a knife, but she evades him. Shortly after, the fire reaches the filtration system, causing an explosion which kills Howard.