Superhero films have gifted us with some legendary movie villains over the years, but which of those villains stand tall as the greatest of all time?
They say every great hero is only as great as their villains. A debatable statement no doubt, but one that can be applied to the abundance of superhero movie villains we’ve seen over the years.
Yes, throughout the past half-century, Hollywood has gifted us with our first (and, in many cases, second, third and fourth) film adaptations of some of the greatest comic book superheroes of all time. However, not all of those films succeeded because, at the end of the day, those films need to rely on a number of strong factors. And, in case it wasn’t already obvious, one of the most important factors of those films are their villains.
A good villain gives a hero a tall task to overcome, but a great villain accomplishes that and so much more. A great villain doesn’t just serve as the perfect foil to their respective hero(es), they steal the show with their strong goals, deep-rooted desires and, in some cases, surprisingly logical outlook. In the process, they become just as larger-than-life as the hero of the piece, leaving an unforgettable impression on audiences.
But just who are the greatest comic book movie villains of all time? Well, you could say that figuring that mystery out was, in a way, our villain as we had to overcome this tall task. With that in mind, prepare yourself for a trip into the dark, bizarre and the ugly as we look back the 25 greatest superhero movie villains of all time.
25. Ultron
There’s something so unnerving about the idea of technology becoming so self-aware that it ultimately replaces humans as the dominant species on the planet. We’ve seen it done on film so many times before – heck, it’s even the basis for the entire Terminator franchise. Thus, it’s hardly surprising that it eventually became a running theme in a world as technologically advanced as the MCU.
However, what stops Ultron’s origins from becoming too derivative of what we’ve seen before is the unusual case of empathy we feel for the cyborg – and how that, like his own behavior, turns to judgment, and eventually fury, when he begins his mission to essentially take control of the planet regardless of the cost.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron is far from a perfect film, and constantly finds itself listed among the more underwhelming MCU entries, but it is thematically thrilling and dabbles with more than a few thought-provoking notions, highlighting Tony Stark’s shortcomings with his reliance on technology and how that paved the way for a force-to-be-reckoned with like Ultron to emerge.
Granted, the film couldn’t exactly capitalize on all of the ideas it put forward, but Ultron stood out as a surprisingly compelling villain and elevated the film’s story. His lack of regard for humanity was unnerving due to his alarmingly positive outlook – and that made him a great villain.
24. Poison Ivy
Film: Batman & Robin
Look, Batman & Robin isn’t going to be winning any best-of awards, we all know that by now. A vibrant display of neon lights and Bat-nipples, it’s rightfully listed among the most infamous films of all time. That being said, there are a number of shining lights in there (you know, other than the fact that the film is a hoot!).
While some of the performances (particularly Arnold Schwarzenegger’s pun-derful turn as Mr. Freeze) can be appreciated for their utter campiness, Uma Thurman managed to transcend the pantomime by becoming everything that it was and, as a result, she gave us a vivacious, empowering and sensual performance as Poison Ivy that would have still been at home in a much more serious (and better) film.
She radiated on-screen, oozing charisma as she strutted her way down every corridor, winked at every admiring bystander and even danced in a pink monkey suit – giving life to some of the corniest lines of dialogue by accentuating every last word. It was every bit as over-the-top as the rest of the film, and yet it felt completely natural to the character.
Make no mistake about it, Uma Thurman thrived in the outrageous environment and, in doing so, gave life to a surprisingly comic-accurate Poison Ivy that had us all swooning. The film may have been poison to many comic book fans, but she certainly wasn’t.
23. Batman’s Rogue Gallery Of Villains
Film: Batman: The Movie (1966)
The 1966 Batman TV series introduced a lot of the Caped Crusader’s most colorful villains over the course of its first season so when the show jumped to the big-screen for Batman: The Movie, it made sense to incorporate the best of them. And with that, Batman and Robin ended up having to face off against not one, not two, not three but four conniving crooks as The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin and Catwoman all joined forces.
The mere inkling of a fishy situation led the Dynamic Duo to conclude that The Penguin was involved. But wait, that exploding shark was pulling Batman’s leg – a sign that The Joker was responsible. However, it happened at sea… or should that be C… C for Catwoman! Naturally, the pair were confounded by this huge riddle and that could only mean one thing: The Riddler was behind it too.
As that ingenious and wacky exchange of dialogue highlighted, the foul foursome was the perfectly plunderous task for the Dynamic Duo to overcome on the big-screen – emphasizing the lunacy we saw on the small one. Furthermore, The Penguin, Joker, Riddler and Catwoman’s evil plot was also appropriately huge and they served their off-the-wall purposes to perfection.
An eclectic mix of jolly, corny, evil and clever, all of these villains were brilliantly brought to life as Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero and Frank Gorshin built upon what they learned on the TV show, while Lee Meriwether was a worthy replacement for Julie Newmar.
The perfect villains for the perfect crime.
22. Hela
Film: Thor: Ragnarok
The MCU hasn’t had all that many primary female movie villains, but one that absolutely caught everyone’s attention was Thor and Loki’s long-lost sister Hela. Portrayed by Cate Blanchett, the scorned Goddess of Death showed up with the sole purpose of reclaiming her kingdom – and successfully managed to do so by intimidating the people of Asgard.
In addition, she was even more powerful than Thor and Loki – serving as an exceptional plot device to unite the warring brothers (and Valkyrie) as they attempted to take her down. But she was so much more than just a plot device.
She was a refreshingly different antagonist from those that had come before and, while Cate Blanchett channeled her inner Uma Thurman to camp the performance up to an absolutely glorious extent, Hela was also an incredibly well-developed character. And because she ultimately had something to fight for (getting revenge on her father’s kingdom after he imprisoned her all those years ago), it made her one of the MCU’s more compelling movie villains – all while positioning her as one of its most intimidating at the same time – simply because she was willing to do whatever it took to exact that vengeance.
Some villains wish they could be as sassy as Hela!
21. The Riddler
Film: Batman Forever
Another performance that outshone the rest of the film, Jim Carrey’s turn as Edward Nygma/The Riddler elevated 1995’s Batman Forever above a script that often got lost in its own broodiness. Now, given that the film in question was a neon-lit pantomime on-screen, a broody script just wouldn’t do – and that’s where The Riddler came in.
With bright orange hair, and a skin-tight one-piece bodysuit, The Riddler couldn’t have been more in-your-face if he tried. But as the villain had a history of being in-your-face (see: Frank Gorshin’s 1966 offering in the ’60s Batman TV series), he got away with it (unlike the film’s almost Joker-like portrayal of Two-Face). And this seeped into Carrey’s performance, as the usually wired actor was even more eccentric for this one – hamming up every motion, line and action with pure glee.
Humor aside, Mr. Nygma’s goals here were pretty solid, as he sought to read the brainwaves of everyone in Gotham City and ultimately become even more of a crazed genius than he already was – goals that are totally in-line with The Riddler’s M.O. and ones that would’ve been at home in a more serious film.
Though a major step down from Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, Forever was in a completely different league from its own sequel Batman & Robin and it’s a darn shame that it doesn’t receive the credit it deserves. A fun, lively film with plenty to love – it absolutely nails the Riddler for all he’s worth, allowing Carrey to produce a larger-than-life caricature that paid tribute to Frank Gorshin’s definitive portrayal.
20. Adrian Toomes
Film: Spider-Man: Homecoming
One of the best things about 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming was how unapologetically grounded it was. Yes, this writer is very well aware of the fact that he made that claim about a film that involves web-slinging teenagers and flying bird-robot gliders, but given how the out-there the MCU can get, “grounded” feels like an appropriate term for this one. That’s a philosophy that can also be applied to the film’s primary villain Adrian Toomes a.k.a. The Vulture.
One of the MCU’s shortcomings often stems from their rather one-dimensional underdeveloped villains who don’t really have a goal outside of what we see on the surface. Thus, instead of being a well-rounded character with a goal that just so happens to be evil, they are evil for the sake of being evil.
Adrian Toomes, however, was a man had been scorned one too many times by a world he was no longer capable of being in control of. Having felt increasingly powerless over a decade in which super-powered beings had taken so much from him, most importantly his own job, he decided to use his skills to create a business for himself so that he could provide for his family.
Though that job began to taint his morals, he continued to do it (and was even willing to kill Spider-Man to maintain it) because when all was said and done, he loved his family. In spite of everything he had done, his heart was (mostly) in the right place, as he was doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons – and that ultimately made him one of the MCU’s most compelling movie villains. And Michael Keaton made it rather easy to empathize with him (while also making us rather uneasy at the same time).
19. Scarecrow
Film: Batman Begins
It’s hard to believe there was ever a time when the Scarecrow was one of the Batman villains to have never appeared on the big-screen. You might think that’s a strange statement to make given how many comic book villains have yet to be adapted to live-action at all, but the reason we say that is down to the fact that Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of the character in Batman Begins was so good that it’s considered the definitive version of the character.
A psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, Dr. Jonathan Crane was something of a middle man for Ra’s Al Ghul and Carmine Falcone, smuggling his fear toxin in the latter’s drugs and then spreading them into the water supply so that he could help the former encourage fear and panic – but that doesn’t undermine his own contributions.
A mostly faithful adaptation of the character, Crane carried the middle act of the film and served as the first real obstacle that Batman had to overcome. The juxtaposition of his burlap mask over Crane’s grey work-suit was oddly terrifying while Murphy approached the role with a cold malice that managed to make the young psychiatrist come off as rather unsettling.
It was all in the eyes…
18. The Phantasm
Film: Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm
The feature-length animated movie that made it to the big screen, Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm was a deeper dive into the legendary world of the DC Animated Universe, allowing us to get more up-close and personal with the Dark Knight that we saw weekly on Batman: The Animated Series. And personal is exactly what it was.
A haunting tale, the film’s story centered on the rise of the ghoulish Phantasm who sought to kill all of the city’s former crime bosses in their old age. Ghoulish as the creature was, it – or should that be she – was driven by vengeance over the death of her father – who was murdered by these men several years before the film takes place.
What made the Phantasm’s purpose all the more enticing was the fact that Batman was helpless to stop her because she – real name Andrea Beaumont – was the former love of Bruce’s life. A villain with both a personal connection to the hero and the real villains of the piece, the unique dynamic between her and Bruce drives the story – a story that gets all the more compelling when the GCPD mistake the Phantasm as Batman and launch an all-out war on the Caped Crusader.
A foe that constantly upped the personal and the professional stakes, her final target was of course The Joker – allowing the film to end on an even more engaging note than it began. This is how you do a sympathetic villain.
17. The Winter Soldier
Film: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War
Sometimes the best kinds of enemies are those which have a personal connection to their respective hero because, on those occasions, it highlights that there’s a very fine line between love and hate. As someone as pure of heart Steve Rogers didn’t particularly have any direct enemies (especially after spending decades in the ice), it made sense that the-powers-that-be in the MCU picked from those close to him instead.
Steve’s discovery that his thought-to-be-dead best friend was actually the demon sniper he had been battling throughout Captain America: The Winter Soldier was one of those moments that sent chills up and down our spines. In a way, Bucky Barnes had died all those years ago because, after all the experiments that had been done on him in the years that followed, there were no shreds of humanity left. And yet that discovery kick-started a tale of how one man was destined to get his best friend back.
A trained fighter that physically matched Captain America at every turn and also had an emotional advantage over him, Bucky was the ultimate unstoppable soldier. But more than that, he was an emotionally complex and almost tragic character that transcended typical villainy to become so much more.
16. Bane
Film: The Dark Knight Rises
Bane may not have been around for as long as some of Batman’s more iconic villains, but in the two decades that he’s been tearing up the pages of DC Comics, the venom-pumping monster has physically bested The Dark Knight on a number of occasions. And as Christian Bale’s big-screen Caped Crusader was more of a technical combat fighter, it made sense that his biggest test would come in the form of Tom Hardy’s Bane.
There was initial concern over Bane’s return to the silver screen for a number of reasons. First, the character’s non-speaking role in 1997’s Batman & Robin left a sour taste in fans’ mouths while the character’s affinity for venom didn’t fit with the realistic world of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
That concern, however, was quickly put to bed whenever fans were introduced to a new, more realistic fighter that was incredibly cunning and yet didn’t use venom. Instead, he was just a well-built physical machine that had been trained by the League of Shadows and, as result, knew exactly how to best Batman in battle. From his naturally large muscles to his terrifying voice, Hardy’s Bane was perfectly imposing on-screen, and it goes without saying that he definitely exceeded expectations.
15. Green Goblin
Film: Spider-Man
Spider-Man‘s live-action adaptation of the Green Goblin may be rather divisive from a physical standpoint – mainly because fans and critics didn’t love the stationary mask that looked more like a clunky helmet than anything else – but it certainly wasn’t divisive from a character perspective.
The scorned CEO of Oscorp who went crazed after testing an unstable strength enhancer on himself, Norman Osborn found his personality splitting into two halves. On one hand, he was the rather submissive and harmless Norman who answered to a higher power. That higher power was, of course, the Goblin – a sinister perversion of him who sought pleasure in killing his fellow board members and made it his mission to eradicate Spider-Man.
Speaking of the titular wall-crawler, it was Osborn’s unique dynamic with Spidey that made their relationship all the more complex. In costume, the pair wanted to rip each other apart, while out of them, Norman was something of a father figure to Peter Parker and treated him more favorably than his own son Harry.
Even some of the cornier elements were enhanced by Willem Dafoe’s performance here, as the veteran actor was nothing short of exhilarating to watch as he switched between Norman’s dual personalities with ease.
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?
13. Lex Luthor
Film: Superman, Superman II, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
If you ever find yourself wanting to bellow out “Miss Teschmacher!” like there’s no tomorrow, then you’ve no doubt been influenced by Gene Hackman’s legendary portrayal of Lex Luthor in 1978’s Superman: The Movie. A line that even inspired Supergirl’s Lex (and Cat Grant), it’s just example of how larger-than-life Hackman’s Lex was.
The archetype of delicious villainy, Lex was something of a caricature, but never to the detriment of the film. He was as conniving and manipulative as his comic book counterpart, but he was also vivacious and loud in a way that would make most villains cry their eyes out with envy.
What’s even more incredible is that he managed to do all of this without even looking comic-accurate, as Hackman’s refusal to shave off his own hair resulted in the film having to write in that Lex donned wigs to conceal his bald head. A unique attempt to rewrite the Superman villain’s story, but one that absolutely fitted the tone of Richard Donner’s film – much like Hackman’s portrayal.
One of the very first superhero villains in what may just be the very first modern-day superhero movie, Lex was everything the film required him to be and much, much more. Thus, it’s hardly surprising that he returned for two sequels (though the less said about the latter, the better).
12. Mysterio
Film: Spider-Man: Far From Home
It takes some serious skill for a film to use one of the most famous comic book villains of all time and still manage to catch you off-guard with the character’s villainy. But that’s exactly what Spider-Man: Far From Home managed to do when it successfully subverted audiences’ expectations by making supervillain Mysterio the, well, villain.
Granted, that sounds a little on-the-nose but allow this writer to assure you that it was anything but. Introducing the character as an incredibly knowledgeable ally, the writers toyed with fans’ hopes of the multiverse by having him telling us all what we wanted to hear – something that made the eventual twist all the more jaw-dropping. They would further capitalize on that through the rapport Mysterio developed with Peter Parker and the on-screen chemistry between Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal.
A wronged employee of Tony Stark who sought to corrupt his legacy (and, as a result, a perfect mentor antagonist), Mysterio had Peter believing one thing when he was secretly tricking him into another. Manipulation was his strong-suit, and as he knew everything about Spider-Man, he was able to defeat him with ease, allowing him to live because of the bond that the pair had formed – a courtesy he was willing to renege when Peter came calling in London.
11. Doctor Octopus
Film: Spider-Man 2
Doctor Octopus is undoubtedly one of Spider-Man‘s most famous enemies, and after being written out of Sam Raimi’s 2002 film to make it less complex, you can bet fans were excited to see him make his debut in Spider-Man 2. What made things even better for them, however, was how expertly the film captured his characterization.
Portrayed by Alfred Molina, the 2004 movie’s iteration didn’t just look the part, he quickly made his presence felt as he waved those mechanical limbs around and spouted corny one-liners like there was absolutely no tomorrow. But that only served as a precursor to what lay below the surface, as there was so much more to him underneath the delicious villainy.
Once a scientist and loving husband, Otto Octavius’ sustained fusion experiment went horribly wrong when the arms became unstable, with the neural inhibitor chip being destroyed in the process and allowing the self-aware arms to influence and corrupt his mind. That, and the death of his wife Rosalie in the experiment, drove him to villainy.
A sympathetic character, he understandably bore similarities to the Batman character Mr. Freeze and, as a result, garnered similar reactions from fans. More to the point, Molina’s performance did a great deal to humanize the character and ultimately made us all root for Otto to overcome the Doc Ock within.
10. Magneto
Film: X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days Of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse
There are many ways in which you can view a world with metahumans, but Magneto’s view is the coldest of them all… and that might just make it the most accurate. Yes, having the ability to manipulate magnetic fields and essentially bend, move and levitate objects at his will has given him a clarity that other metas don’t have, as he seems to be fully aware of the fact that humans and metahumans can’t co-exist because one would eventually attempt to oust the other.
That clarity of sorts drives Magneto’s arc throughout Fox’s X-Men franchise as, in spite of having the ability to be a great hero, he finds himself drawn to the darkness of it all – darkness fueled by the reality that humans fear what they do not know.
We’ve seen two variations of the character throughout the franchise, as Ian McKellen gave us an almost Shakespearean tragic character that thrived on the realism of both his performance and his on-screen chemistry with Patrick Stewart’s Professor-X. Similarly, Michael Fassbender’s performance in the prequel films gave us an insight into his somewhat tragic origins, allowing us to see what ultimately forges him into the antagonistic anti-hero he inevitably becomes.
There’s a reason why Magneto is considered X-Men’s coolest character, and it has a lot to do with his presence in these films.
9. General Zod
Film: Superman, Superman II
The line “Kneel before Zod” is one that inspires fear, intimidation and yes, even a touch of reverence. It’s one that made men, no matter how powerful, reluctantly get to their knees because they knew there was no other choice. But that’s not really all that surprising when you consider the man who is renowned for speaking it.
General Zod’s arrival on planet earth resulted in a reign of terror from a dictator who quickly managed to obtain rulership over the planet. Though he didn’t do it for any particular reason, the point of his mission was simply to show earth that he could – proving what he was capable of if White House and the planet didn’t submit to his reign.
Zod is, without a doubt, one of the Man of Steel’s (and by extension, one of DC Comics’) most iconic villains of all time, but it may not have worked out that way without Terence Stamp’s portrayal. The veteran actor portrayed the role so well as he commanded the screen every time he appeared on it, presenting the general like the monarch figure that he believed himself to be – a sight that was both intimidating and majestic.
After this performance, so many more comic book fans were indeed kneeling before Zod.
8. Erik Killmonger
Film: Black Panther
Black Panther was a triumph in just about every way possible. But, like we’ve already said, every great hero’s tale needs great villains – and that’s exactly what we got in Erik Killmonger. An A.U.S. black-ops soldier, he returned to Wakanda with a vengeance – demanding to challenge his cousin King T’Challa for both the mantles of king and Black Panther.
With his own vision on how Wakanda should operate, he sought to utilize its weaponry in a bid to alert the world of just how powerful it was and ultimately fight the injustice that his people, and his father, had suffered. And it was those origins that ensured that, in spite of his questionable actions and antagonistic behavior, he remained a somewhat sympathetic character.
Michael B. Jordan was a breath of fresh air on-screen. There was a realism that he brought to the role – one which ultimately benefited the film, because it never felt like Killmonger was fighting for the leadership of a fantastical country in a superhero film, it felt like he was fighting for passion, fighting for revenge. His strong backstory complemented that performance and, together, the writers and Jordan delivered something authentic in Killmonger.
7. Thanos
Film: Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame
If somebody had told Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes when they enlisted to fight during the war that their journey would eventually lead them to an intergalactic war with a purple space monster decades in the future, they probably wouldn’t have believed them. Heck, if somebody had told you that when you first watched Captain America: The First Avenger, you probably wouldn’t have believed them. And yet, if you watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe chronologically, it’s totally plausible.
But the epic storytelling within the MCU’s 23 films is only part of what makes Thanos such a great Big Bad, as it is his characterization that ultimately makes him stand out from the rest. We’ve already discussed how limited many of the MCU’s villains have been in the past, but Thanos couldn’t have been further removed from those stereotypes if he tried.
Sure, he was big and terrifying, but his desire to eradicate half of mankind didn’t stem from any one-dimensional attempt at supremacy or even any deep-rooted revenge arc. He just saw himself as the purification that the world needed, as he sought to give humanity the chance to start again – a chance he could take if he snapped half of the human race out of existence.
That’s some damn fine storytelling for a purple alien.
6. Mr. Freeze
Film: Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
No, don’t panic, we’re not about to delve into how Arnold Schwarzenegger’s pun-filled Mr. Freeze in 1997’s Batman & Robin is secretly a Shakespearean marvel (though it was an underappreciated delight). This entry is devoted to the Mr. Freeze that inspired the story that the film would attempt to adapt – the one who showed us all that animation was capable of out doing live action. Yes, this is devoted to the legendary Mr. Freeze from Batman: The Animated Series who headlined his own feature film in Batman & Mr Freeze: Subzero.
Just like he was in the series, Freeze was a tragic character (that actually did feel somewhat Shakespearean in his characterization), driven not by hatred or revenge but by love. Yes, it was the love of his wife that ultimately transformed him into the icy villain and now, it was that love (and desperation to save that love) that was driving him to kill Barbara Gordon so that his beloved Nora might live.
The juxtaposition between him and ally Dr. Gregory Belson – who was only driven by money and gold – intentionally strengthened his character, for he wasn’t mindlessly stooping to these unbelievable depths for a thin purpose; he was, again, doing it for love. And that not only made him a sympathetic villain, it made him worthy of redemption – something he proved throughout the film.
Building upon the foundations that Batman: The Animated Series had laid, SubZero‘s release in 1998 couldn’t have come at a better time, as it reminded audiences that there was so much more to this wonderful villain than an array of ice puns, highlighting his depth of character and ultimately proving that animation can indeed be superior to live-action.
5. The Joker
Film: Batman (1989)
Batman’s first silver screen adventure in over two decades needed a villain as larger-than-life as the Dark Knight himself – and that villain was, of course, the Clown Prince of Crime: The Joker. Tasked with bringing him to life, Jack Nicholson put on one hell of a show as he intentionally over-performed his way through every ounce of material and lapped up the experience like there was no tomorrow – and it absolutely worked.
What made this Joker different to his comic book counterpart, and indeed his predecessor Cesar Romero, was the fact that he was already a mobster to begin with. As Jack Napier, he was intimidating and imposing and was used to getting his own way – so add all that to the boisterous insanity of The Joker and you have a larger-than-life supervillain.
A self-proclaimed homicidal artist, he longed to be even more famous than his creator – The Batman. And as a result, the two Gothic creatures embarked on a collision course towards their destiny as icons of the big screen – a collision course that became a heck of a lot more treacherous when it concluded atop Gotham City church.
The Joker was so much more than Batman’s first real test as a hero. Yes, he did serve that role, but he was also a representation of what was possible in Gotham (and a sign of things to come) and, more importantly, the man who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents. And that made him the ultimate nemesis of The Dark Knight – enhancing a story that was already incredibly rich without it.
4. Catwoman
Film: Batman Returns
Catwoman has always been one of Batman’s greatest villains and yet still manages to find her way into his heart as his greatest love. That’s the extent of their unique love/hate relationship – and it’s a relationship that Tim Burton’s Batman Returns captured to perfection.
Originally a mousey secretary for Max Shreck, Selina Kyle’s intelligence got her into trouble, as her boss pushed her out of a window to keep her quiet. But curiosity didn’t kill this cat, as she was mysteriously resurrected by a ton of stray cats and, in turn, became the femme fatale known as Catwoman.
What made this variation of the character stand out was just how larger-than-life she was. Now don’t get this writer wrong, Catwoman has always been a larger-than-life character, but Michelle Pfeiffer’s interpretation took on a life its own. The veteran actress embodied this new Selina to such an extent that it genuinely felt like you were watching history unfold on the screen.
Capturing every last ounce of the character’s sensual nature from the comics and imbuing it with a dark and twisted nature, Burton’s Catwoman wasn’t afraid to use her looks to get what she wanted. But when it all came down to it, she was powerful, aggressive and damn near invincible – the perfect on-screen partner and enemy for the Dark Knight – and she used these traits to take back her power and prove that she was ultimately smarter than any of the men who jeered at her in the board room.
3. Loki
Films: Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok
Loki was such an extensively great asset to the MCU that it’s rather hard to figure out which aspects of his portrayal were the strongest. If anything, that’s a testament to just how strong both the writing for the character and Tom Hiddleston’s performance really were.
Thor’s adopted brother, the character spent a lifetime feeling like he wasn’t good enough, only to turn on his family when he discovered his true origins in Jotunheim – and it was that discovery that ultimately propelled him towards villainy as he sought to destroy his adopted brother. Not only did that result him quietly becoming Thor‘s main villain, it also led to him bringing an army of aliens to earth – a moment that essentially kick-started the Thanos story and solidified himself as the threat that united The Avengers.
What made the character so compelling, however, was that upon his defeat, he didn’t disappear from the MCU. No, instead, we were continually allowed to catch up with him and watch as that longing for approval from Thor eventually led to him turning a corner, as he became Thor: The Dark World‘s unsung hero and continued to prove himself before his ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Infinity War.
Loki was never pure of heart but that is what ultimately made him so engaging. He was a slithery and slimy trickster at heart, but he eventually realized that those attributes could be used for good as well as evil. And even though he would continually revert to his mischievous ways, his buried love for his brother allowed him to learn new things about himself as he evolved.
Watching Loki in action is by far one of the most exhilarating experiences that the MCU has to offer, and Hiddleston never failed to bring him to life.
2. The Penguin
Film: Batman Returns
Danny DeVito’s turn as Oswald Cobblepot in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns was so legendary that it ended up redefining the character for a whole new generation. A veteran comic performer, he was something of an unorthodox choice for the twisted role, but that didn’t stop him from producing an unforgettably disturbing performance.
What made The Penguin such a great villain was the film’s unique interpretation of him. Unlike the comics, he wasn’t the treacherous mob boss who just so happened to have a long nose. No, he was a terrifying outcast raised in the sewers of Gotham who staged a legendary comeback 33 years later to run for mayor. And the effective way in which he managed to manipulate the people made him very, very dangerous.
Another “freak” for Batman to deal with, DeVito’s twisted Penguin was right at home in the boisterous Burton environment and is, without a doubt, the most iconic iteration of the character of all time. Terrifying in appearance and savvy in his methods, he had Gotham right in the palm of his hand and even managed to briefly turn the city against the Dark Knight.
“Things change…” he once told Batman, and oh how right he was.
Villains don’t come like this anymore…
1. The Joker
Film: The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is an esteemed piece of superhero history for many reasons, but perhaps the biggest of all those reasons is the middle installment – 2008’s The Dark Knight – which quite frankly changed comic book films forever. And one of the reasons why that film is held in such high regard revolved around its villain: The Joker.
You don’t have to be a comic book wiz to understand how iconic The Joker is, but that’s not what makes Heath Ledger’s turn as the character legendary. A more grounded take on the character, Ledger’s Joker fit the gritty and realistic world that Nolan had created with his films and it was such a revolutionary interpretation that it took on a life on its own.
An anarchist of the highest degree, it was The Joker’s desire to highlight the flaws in the system. He knew that even the whitest of knights could be corrupted and made it his mission to destroy Gotham from the inside out, utilizing every lowlife that he could along the way to make it happen.
A dangerous individual that saw the world from a surprisingly logical point-of-view, he couldn’t be bought, bargained or reasoned with and simply thrived on anarchy. And, more to the point, he was the perfect foil for Batman, as the Caped Crusader sought to promote order and justice in a city that the Joker was happy to uproot with terror and fear. The only solution to his corrupt plan was the incorruptible Dark Knight.
A masterclass performance from the late, great Heath Ledger and some of the finest writing to ever take place in any film solidified this jester as the greatest comic book movie villain of all time – a fitting place for one of the greatest comic book villains ever.
Which superhero movie villains were your favorites? Can you think of other villains who didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments below!