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Thanos, The Joker and the 25 greatest superhero movie villains of all-time

By Michael Patterson

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: A Joker costume from the 2008 film The Dark Knight worn by actor Heath Ledger and designed by Lindy Hemming is on display at the DC Comics Exhibition: Dawn Of Super Heroes at the O2 Arena on February 22, 2018 in London, England. The exhibition, which opens on February 23rd, features 45 original costumes, models and props used in DC Comics productions including the Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman films. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: A Joker costume from the 2008 film The Dark Knight worn by actor Heath Ledger and designed by Lindy Hemming is on display at the DC Comics Exhibition: Dawn Of Super Heroes at the O2 Arena on February 22, 2018 in London, England. The exhibition, which opens on February 23rd, features 45 original costumes, models and props used in DC Comics productions including the Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman films. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) /
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14. Ra’s al Ghul

Film: Batman Begins

They say behind every great hero is a great villain – okay, maybe they don’t explicitly say that but it is true that heroes are only as good as the villains they ultimately defeat. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why Gotham City looked so fondly upon The Dark Knight after he overcame Ra’s al Ghul in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins.

Portrayed by Liam Neeson, Ra’s was the ruthless leader of the League of Shadows who trained Bruce Wayne and helped forge him into the warrior that he eventually became. However, he did all of that as the seemingly friendly Henri Ducard – and that’s what made the relationship between the film’s hero and villain all the more compelling.

There was something of a mutual respect between the pair – so much so that Bruce actually saved “Henri” when he destroyed the League of Shadows from within and inadvertently killed the man he thought was the real Ra’s. Little did he know that by doing so, he gifted the League with the means of returning to Gotham to burn it the ground – because Henri was the real Ra’s all along.

Ra’s al Ghul had an intriguing ancient purpose – a desire to cleanse Gotham from its internal corruption – and it was that purpose that gave the city their greatest hero. He may not have known it, but the Demon’s Head ended up creating Batman. Does it get any better than that?

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