Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

[Weldun]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

"For we are Geek, hear us ROFL"

Thank you, kindly.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

...It's hard to nail down a single favorite. I love to see different villains for different reasons. It's easier to pic my favorites form different categories...

 

Evil Deity: Darkseid (Special award of merit to Loki, SABBAC II and Eclipso)

Megalomaniac: Dr. Doom (But I'll always love Dr. Sivanna and Red Skull)

Total Psychopath: The Joker (Millar's Bullseye ranks high here)

Noble Villain: Black Adam (Magneto and Count Nafaria could fit in here)

Big Bad Brick: Juggernaut (Gotta love Solomon Grundy though)

Just Plain Bad: The Absorbing Man (Recent renditions of the Wrecking Crew are fun too)

 

Any more archetypes???

 

For me, this list changes daily!!!

I had a list of villainous archetypes written up based upon theiir relationship to their foremost opponent. I can't remember them all, I'll have to search for it another time. They were, for example, the Twisted Mirror, The Polar Opposition, The Challenge, The Threat, etc.

[Bismark]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Favourites: Dr Doom; Darkseid; Dormammu

 

Rarely appearing but I like them anyway: Shuma-Gorath (Elder God - 'nuff said), Zom

 

Organizations: AIM (gotta love those bucketheads! - and the wackiness that was the Cosmic Cube)

 

Comic Relief: U-Foes (HOW many dice of Unluck? - or stupidity); Bad Guy (from 'Megaton Man')

 

Sabretooth? Really? this guy got toasted by Iron Fist - in the dark! (it was, I believe, his first appearance - in the much missed [by me anyway] 'Power Man and Iron Fist')

[Lemurion]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Have to go with the Joker. He may not have the "super" but he sure has the "Villain." R'as is another definite keeper. I also have a soft spot for Deathstroke (anyone who can make Arsenal think he's Batman for a good year has definite style.) I'm not much on Luthor, even though he did get elected President.

 

Doom and Magneto are also very good, and I really like what Ed Brubaker's doing with the Red Skull these days.

 

Going Cosmic, I like Darkseid, always have.

[Dragonblade]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Doctor Doom. He's evil' date=' but he has some redeeming qualities. He's probably smarter than his nemesis, Reed, but has more passion that gets in the way. Even Sue Richards noted he was warmer than her husband when she was forced to interact with him on a personal level. He's got style -- the armor and cape rock. He's got his own country. And here's the real kicker: he defeated the beyonder in Secret Wars No. 10. If it weren't for script immunity he'd have wasted the FF a long time ago.[/quote']

 

Actually Doom has utterly defeated the FF4 before. But then he let them go after he realized that he enjoyed the thrill of defeating them and seeing them humbled before him more than he wanted to actually conquer the world.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

As long as we're bringing up personal favorite villains, I'll put in a word for my own, DC's Brother Blood. He came across as a master schemer on par with Doctor Doom, but with more patience and less arrogance; he was quite willing to accept a short-term setback if it advanced his long-term goals. And he was the first villain for a mainstream comic series to use a cult as his major schtick. I always found his approach to world conquest to be more practical and sustainable than Doom's - rather than compel service through force and fear, Blood sought to convert people to his worship so that they would be willing servants.

 

His semitragic origin, sinister costume, and that resonant name all just worked for me. I'm only sorry that he fell prey to DC's nasty habit of killing, retiring or in some other way neutering characters with the potential to become great master villains. Their stable of those is rather thin, particularly in comparison to Marvel's.

[DarkClaw]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

1st: Dr. Destroyer: He just happens to be one of those guys that could ruin your day.

 

2nd: Omega The Lord of the Terminus (Mutants & Masterminds): Pretty creepy looking and full of power.

[Amber Nytstar]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

My favourites, in no particular order

1)Kingpin: Have to agree with Crosshair Collie on this one.

2)Shiwan Khan: (I'll get back to you with a reason)

3)Captain Black / the Mysterons (OCS): Really great cryptic threats, mysterious atmosphere, and 'treacherous' agents. There's even been a few times when they've caried out their threat. (Okay, I'll admit one half of this pair is not terrestrial, but you can't really take Black without his masters.)

4)Brainiac: Again non-terrestrial, but did have some fairly nasty schemes that I liked.

5)Alva senior: (Again,I'll get back to you)

6)Vlad Masters/Plasmius: More experienced than Phantom, the hero he deals with, has a nasty obsession with the boy's mother and his fingers in as many pies as the Kingpin.

[Funksaw]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

1) Magneto. (Marvel, X-Men) Ever have one of those days where you were so cynical about humanity's infinite capacity for self-destruction? Magneto's got a lifetime full of 'em, and a tattoo to prove it. The personification of "Never again." The villian of the X-men series only because of his tactics - in the end, he may even be right.

 

2) Darkseid. (DC, Superman/New Gods) He's Doctor Doom on a universal scale.

 

3) Captain Cold: (DC, Flash)This is the supervillian you can be friends with.

 

4) The Four: (Wildstorm, Planetary) Secret Masters that could kill off half the US before lunch and get away with it. Pure unadulterated evil all the scarier by what you don't see - and the "life imitating art" that has occured as the series continues.

 

5) Rasputin: (Image, Hellboy) An Elder God's Best Friend.

[David Johnston]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

1) Magneto. (Marvel' date=' X-Men) Ever have one of those days where you were so cynical about humanity's infinite capacity for self-destruction? Magneto's got a lifetime full of 'em, and a tattoo to prove it. The personification of "Never again." .[/quote']

 

"Unless I'm the one doing it."

[Kirby]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Well, since we're reviving this thread, I might as well as one I hadn't before:

 

Foxbat!

 

Why? Well, he's a villain, and he's super fun to have show up. :wink: He's just great!

[Arkham]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Not necessarily the greatest at anything, but the recent portrayals in the Outsiders have made me a definate fan...

 

Monsieur Mallah and the Brain.

Twisted, sympathetic, sociopathic, and poetic.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

don't forget very much in love

[Guest daeudi_454]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Okay- Based off the Top Ten votes in this thread... a Poll

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48121

[st barbara]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

I agree with whoever suggested Blackie Duquesne. Utterly amoral but not "evil" in the sense that he never did anything unless there was something in it for HIM; and a genius to boot ! Another"old time" suggestion is H Rider Haggard's "She Who Must Be Obeyed"; an immortal woman who was quite happy to conquer the world on a whim ! Also Shiwan Khan, arch enemy of "The Shadow" and potential world conqueror . Some of Verne's scientiists could be considered villains too , such as Nemo from "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" and Robur from "Master Of The World".

[Kirby]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Utterly amoral but not "evil" in the sense that he never did anything unless there was something in it for HIM....

Would you explain that sentence a bit more in depth?

[Lemurion]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Would you explain that sentence a bit more in depth?

 

Dr. Marc C. "Blackie" DuQuesne was the "villain" or perhaps more properly the Anti-Hero of EE "Doc" Smith's Skylark series. In the end, he saved the universe from a true evil because the "hero" of the series did not have the stomach to do what was necessary. DuQuesne was never capriciously cruel, but he was ruthless and completely amoral.

 

It can also be argued that he was the best character Smith created in his entire career.

[st barbara]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Dr. Marc C. "Blackie" DuQuesne was the "villain" or perhaps more properly the Anti-Hero of EE "Doc" Smith's Skylark series. In the end, he saved the universe from a true evil because the "hero" of the series did not have the stomach to do what was necessary. DuQuesne was never capriciously cruel, but he was ruthless and completely amoral.

 

It can also be argued that he was the best character Smith created in his entire career.

Exactly what I was going to say. In the early part of the saga he makes a number of attempts to destroy the heros because he sees them as a threat to his plans but, in the final battle he alerts the heros to the greater threat to their universe and helps them to defeat it; displaying utter ruthlessness in the process. As I said he is utterly amoral and self interested, but not necessarily "evil" (unless there is some reason for him to be ). I have often wanted some other writer (or writers) to continur the saga of Blackie Duquesne in the same way that other writers have done "Lensman" stories. I'm not sure WHO would be the person to do it justice however.

[GhostDancer]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Obviously Ultron has an emotional capacity. But' date=' a being dedicated to ending organic life who is capable of reprogramming himself and who is smarter than a cockroach (or a comic book writer) would never be stuck working out puerile sex fantasies of forty-something year old, virgin comics writers/editors. Given everything else, for example, why would he build Jocasta with teats?[/quote']

 

Cuz he likes the movie Metropolis?

[Guest steamteck]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

I'm afraid I don't read much of the late stuff. Your examples won't have much impact on me. I chalk it up to bad writing. Also' date=' I read the later Thanos stuff and thought they were ham-handed.[/quote']

 

I prefer Darkseid but am a huge early Thanos fan also. Later Thanos became too much of Mary sue with an area effect competance drain on all the other characters for me. Both characters have had there share of bad writing unfortuanately lots of Thanos bad times were IMO under Starlin himself. They are both great more than epic villains with almost limitless story potentual if handled well. That being said Darkseid is my favorite comic villain of all time but early Thanos is 2nd.

[Orion]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Most mastermind types I dislike, because they have to act dumb in order to let the heroes win. Goofy and crazy villains I never like - characters like the Joker and Foxbat pretty much guarantee I won't like the storyline. All in all, there are few villains I really liked.

 

Magneto is probably my favorite comic villain, but it depends on the incarnation and story.

Loki is always a good one, although often not handled well.

Deadshot (DC) is probably my favorite regular villain, and all because of the Suicide Squad book. When acting as a villain of the month in some other book, he was useless.

Hobgoblin was great, and much better than the Green Goblin in the stories I read.

 

On the assumption that there was a Buffy comic, and that Spike appeared in it at least once, I'll add him to the list. I loved that character as a villain.

[Greybook PLayer]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Angelus??? for complete b*st*rdness!!

[Andrew_A]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Kid Marvelman, the only truly great Iron Age villain.

 

Mojo Jojo, for over the top cartoon villainy.

 

Cobra Commander. Just because.

 

Prometheus, before James Robinson turned him into a depraved villain-Sue.

 

Professor Zoom for having the coolest supervillain costume of all time.

 

Auric Goldfinger purely for this exchange:

 

Bond: Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?

Auric: No Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.

 

Dr. Evil, for being even better than Goldfinger.

 

Finally, General Zod (movie version). If Superman is supposed to be some kind of angel, Zod is Lucifer.

[steriaca]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

I notice no manga charaters (at least what I spoted in this thread), so I should add to that mistake.

 

Queen Berly and Queen Metalica (from Sailor Moon): A vinidate, jellous queen made imortal by a pact with what is basicly a liveing sunspot. Corupts four good men to use as her pawns, and destroys life on the Moon because the Earth Prince Endymon loves Princess Seriity of the Moon more than her.

 

Pegagess J. Crawford/Maximilian Pegasess: Acualy a playful man with a wickid sence of humor and a plan to use science and magic to reserect his dead wife. Kills "Bandit" Keith Howard in the manga by forceing him to shoot himself in the head with his powers. Almost took the puzzel from Yami Yugi. Lost his life (and magical artificial eye) via Yami Bakura. Witty, can be nasty, and funny. And almost got away with it also.

 

Yami Bakura (aka Bakura, King of Thieves): An evil spirit traped in the Milimumin Ring, able to take control of his 'host'. Has long plots invloving role playing games. Powerful magic is at his comand, othoe limited to whatever game he is playing. To make maters worse for Yugi and friends, when Yami Bakura is not in control, Bakura is sweet and nice, makeing it worce when he turns on them.

[FrankL]

Re: Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

 

Not from a comic book, but the creepiest villain I can think of is Mr. Teatime (pronounced Teh-ah-time-eh) from Hogfather. He is a complete sociopath, who kills without provocation or warning, but only when he feels necessary. He has devised ways to kill (pardon me, "inhume") the Tooth Fairy, the Hogfather, the Soul Cake Duck, and even Death. His mind is like a broken mirror (sharp, dazzling, but broken beyond repair).

 

He was an orphan, taken in by the Guild of Assassins (maybe they should have wondered a little harder about the mysterious death of his parents). He was known for high marks in all classes and excessive cruelty on the job, at times killing all members of a household and their pets when the contract was only for one member. He did check the breath with a mirror but as the head was three feet from the body, this was probably unnecessary. However, he was never called on the carpet for cruelty but for "lacking elegance" in the job.

 

He had a glass eye. Rumor (though with evidence to back it up) said he had ensorceled it as a scrying crystal. This goes quite a way to explaining his abilities such as being able to stop his knife on the skin but after penetrating all layers of clothing, stopping a blade while touching the target's eye, mid air flips, uncanny dodges, and sneak attacks.