Top 5 Comic Book Movie Villains


While we all love the moments when the superhero first dons their costume or win their first battle up on the big screen, but without a seriously sinister villain the film feels flat. Of course, you’re not meant to like the villain, they’re the bad guy right? But there are some that just refuse to get out of your head at night, whether it’s because they’re devilishly cunning, relentlessly brutal or just downright scary, a great hero needs a great villain to overcome. Here are a few that have stuck with us:

5) British Government – V for Vendetta

A totalitarian government rule this dark future and their place as the villain is earned early on when we see the concentration camps they set up political prisoners, homosexuals and other ‘unwanted’ people. The underhanded dealings of the secret police enforce terror in the hearts of all civilians and the terrorism of their own country is only to obvious. They beat you, lock you up, torture you and eventually kill you if you are no longer any use to them, and it’s this sterile brutality that make them so chilling. Of course the most memorable part of V for Vendetta is the hero V, and as an embodiment of everything that’s against the state he himself is defined by the villain. That’s why they deserve their place on the list, with such an anonymous hero dedicated solely to the ruin of the government, the villain is truly centre stage.

4) Magneto – Xmen: First Class

It’s impressive that despite the fact he isn’t the main villain of the piece, Magneto completely steals the show here. Mostly down to Michael Fassbender’s fantastic performance, we see Magneto grow throughout the film, eventually into the villain that we know so well. One sign of a great antagonist is your ability to empathise with them. If you can understand why they are doing what they are doing, you can relate to them, even if you disagree with the methods that paint them as the bad guy. Seeing Magneto’s childhood and the birth of his power, you can’t help but feel sorry for them, but the ruthlessness with which he seeks his revenge is captivating. A bad guy has far more charisma when you understand the events that brought them to that place and that’s why this ‘origin’ story of sorts paints Magneto as the ultimate antivillain.

3) Kevin – Sin City

I’m filing this one under just plain creepy. A mute psychopathic cannibal who murders prostitutes to ‘consume their souls’. Everything about this guy is spine-chillingly disturbing. The dark, noir aesthetics only emphasis the eerieness of this guy, with his glowing white glasses. There’s not too much you can say about this one without getting grusome so I’ll resign myself to saying he turns the sinister up to 11 and sticks in you’re mind long after the credits roll.

2) Joker – The Dark Knight

Well we couldn’t have a villain list without including perhaps the most iconic villain in the last decade, certainly in comic book movies. Ledger’s performance is now legendary and the Joker makes that film. Yeah, everything else is pretty damn good but without the Joker it would fall apart. He has so many quotable lines, memorable appearances and the sad fact of Ledger’s passing gave the whole performance a strong resonance with those who watched it. He provides everything you could want from a villain, except the one quality that makes no.1 on this list my personal favourite comic book movie villain we’ve seen so far.

1) Doctor Octopus – Spiderman 2

The hero fallen from grace (tragic hero) has been around for centuries and centuries, just take a look at Faustus. Maybe that just means us reader’s a sadistic bunch who like to see the bright and brilliant brought down, but there is something undeniably human about trying to achieve, and the failure that can often result. Trying to create unlimited renewable energy by harnessing the power of the sun, Otto Octavius is a modern day Icarus, dealing with powers not meant for mortals. It backfires and his experiment results in the death of his wife. This tragic story makes him such an understanding character and seeing his personal grief, and his personal strength as he tries to fight his demons, perhaps he isn’t the most villianous, but he is certainly the one who had me fully invested in him as a character. Also he has big scary metal tentacles.

There we have it, of course there are loads of other memorable villains but these 5 are the ones that I think of when I’m hoping not to meet someone in a dark alley. Maybe this summer will see a shakeup to the list, will Bane or the Lizard be devious enough to take top spot? The Chitauri definitely weren’t, stupid bad guys…