Who are the greatest (?) super villains?

[Thirdbase]

Ok members of Herodom. I will admit to not being a comic book fanatic, I read a few titles about 15 years ago, but I am interested in who the greatest villains are? I would prefer those grown on earth, as opposed those like Gallactus, but all are welcome. So list you favorites and let me now why.

[Mightybec]

The Joker's my fav. I just love a looney gageteer.

 

*note: to all you batman villain haters

 

Mightybec

[Agent X]

Doctor Doom - a gypsy with a mystic background (and sorceror supreme potential), megalomaniacal supra-genius in menacing armor who conquered a small country and made the people like it, has a personal code of honor and plenty of style, a complex history rife with potential for future stories

[Vondy]

First: Pulp Villians

 

Herr Doktor Kruger (from the G-8 pulps). This is the quintessential evil german scientist. He was the first... and his evil plans were truly creative. One of my favorite was when he defrosted a band of frozen viking berserkers and loosed them on the allies.

 

Fu Manchu. There is no other. Crime Lord. Genius. Master of hypnotism. The guy had class... and he was more interesting than the hero who chased him. After all, he was the first villian to star in his own title.

 

Second: Comic Villians

 

Lex Luthor comes in at the top of my list. Who else can take on superman and have such consistent results? Whats more, he's the only villian I know to sustain a victory over a long period of time. He's the President of the United States! He's a brilliant scientist and tactitian who has leadership abilities. He's pushed the combined might of the JLA with his brain more than once. What's more: he's bald. Telley Savales never looked so good.

 

Doctor Doom. He's evil, 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.

 

Sabertooth. I just like the guy. He's nasty. He goes head to head with wolverine. Some of the best comic fights I've seen are between them... like when he came for Betsy at the Xavier Mansion.

 

Raz Gul -- unlike the Joker who has become a homicidal maniac over the years Raz Gul has style, major plans, and a hot daughter who loves the Bat. It makes sense when he comes back because its always a major story arc. He's not another serial asylum escape. What's more... he's got some cool toys. Anybody with massive zeppelins rocks in my book. I sum it up: derigible.

[Trebuchet]

Mojo Jojo! He's a classic supervillain: Bizarre overdone schemes, overinflated ego, long-standing relationship with his opponents, wonderful way of repeating himself in different ways ("Stop! Cease and desist! Do not do anything more!").

 

Of course, that means I admit actually enjoying the Powerpuff Girls on Cartoon Network. Mea culpa.

[death tribble]

I back the inclusion of the Joker. One of the great lines I saw in DC was when the villains wanted to scare themselves and each other, they told Joker stories. I have seen stuff from him when Batman started and upto date. One of the iconic and most dangerous of all villains.

 

Dr Doom. As you never know what to expect from him as countless appearances show in the FF and elsewhere.

 

Mr Sinister. I read the X-Men and have enjoyed the look of this character and his background scheming.

 

The Hellfire Club. great opponents of the X-Men.

 

Juggernaut. Has had good runs against several people including Spiderman who trapped him in cement for a while, and Thor who Juggernaut hit with his own hammer by catching a ride back on it.

 

Killer Frost. Followed a lot of her stories in Firestorm and I like her.

 

Darkseid. Uh oh.

 

Fantomas as in the books by Allain and Souvestre or in film.

 

Dr Mabuse. German arch villain again on film.

 

Fu Manchu as depicted by Christopher Lee and particularly the earlier films.

 

Moriarty. Now there is a villain. Worthy foe to Sherlock Holmes.

 

The Master in Dr Who. Particularly as played by Roger Delgado against Jon Pertwee.

[MarkusDark]

I would say that Xanatos from Gargoyles was rather sweet. The ultimate puppet master who wanted the secret of immortality. Builds himself a Gargoyle battle suit and minions, etc. All and all, a well rounded villian.

[Klytus]

A lot of good ones have been mentioned already, so I can;t avoid repeating a few.

 

1) The Joker. Hands down, he's the best of the worst. Not a trace of super-powers anywhere, but a briliant mind unhindered by ethics, morals or sanity. He can match wits with the best of them, and has even brought the DCU to its knees.

 

2) Lex Luthor. I like him much better after post-Crisis. Again, he is the example of how a normal man can shine in a universe flooded with super-powered pajama-boys.

 

3) Magneto. Not for his powers (which I do like), but his complex depth of character. His cynical disregard for normal humans is well founded once you know his story. And now that the U.S. has set a new standard for launching pre-emptive strikes against our enemies, how can we find fault with Magneto for wanting to do the same against humanity - whom he perceives to be the enemy of all mutants? He has the right idea (save the mutants) but the wrong way of going about it (conquer the humans)

 

4) Ra's al Ghul. another bad-guy with depth of character. Ra's may be irredemably evil in deed, but he truly does believe that he is working to save the world from itself. Like Magneto, right idea (save the world) wrong way to do it (purge the Earth's population).

 

5) Darkseid. No complex motives here: he's a power-mad evil despot who wants to conquer as much as possible. He has no delusions about how his genius makes him superior to others, or that he has some inherent right to rule. He wants power - needs power - because that is the only thing that pleases him. As much as I like deep characters, I find Darkside's shallowness curiously refreshing. He is also powerful he could personally take down the 5th Edition Dr. Destroyer in nothing flat if he wanted to - so you gotta love that. Yet he prefers to use slavishly loyal underlings and minions to do all his dirty work, and he has a whole world full of them - a world full of gods no less! Dr. Doom dreams of becoming Darkseid when he grows up.

[Elysea]

Let me second MarkusDark's mention of Xanatos from Gargoyles. You can't go wrong with a genius with style and unlimited resources. Nearly all of the villains from that show were quite memorable, most notably Fox, Demona, Macbeth, and Puck. One of the truly great things about them though is that they changed as the series progressed, giving them personality and character much more three-dimensional than your average Disney control. The series went downhill a bit when they started doing the crazy Avalon stuff but the series is still chock full of quality characters. Oberon's assault on the Xanatos Tower? Priceless.

 

Similarly, Mr. Freeze as portrayed in the animated Batman series gets my vote. Revenge is my favorite motivating force for any hero or villain, but Mr. Freeze really takes it to the next level. He's great; all he ever wanted was to save his wife's life, but when everything is taken away from him he ends up on a self-destructive quest for vengeance. Sympathetic villains are the greatest.

[Lord Liaden]

Thirdbase, since you mentioned comic books specifically, I'm assuming that you're not really looking for villains from pulp magazines, novels, mythology etc., so I will confine my comments to comic book villains. Although I admit that my opinions are subjective, I'll try to focus on characters that have had a major impact on the comic-buying public consciousness and/or the comic universe that they come from (barring cosmic entities as you requested):

 

The Joker. Quintessential homicidal psychopath, with a unique and vivid style all his own. He'll make you laugh 'til you scream.

 

Dr. Doom. The greatest scientific and tactical genius of all comic villains. A complex character with both despicable and noble traits, twisted and tormented by demons mostly of his own making. Undoubtedly Marvel Comics' greatest menace.

 

Darkseid. I know he's more "cosmic" than some villains, but his abiding interest in Earth makes him a persistent threat to our world. Vast power plus a subtle and patient approach to planning, he can threaten both overtly and covertly.

 

Lex Luthor. The epitome of the behind-the-scenes mastermind, he'll manipulate and destroy you before you even realize he's involved. Cunning and ruthless, and too cagey for any law-abiding hero to touch him.

 

Ra's al Ghul. In many ways the opposite number to his nemesis the Batman; brilliant and driven, with an admirable goal to protect the natural world executed through destructive means.

 

Magneto. A great man twisted by his experiences into a radical "us vs. them" mindset. Highly sympathetic in many ways, with some truly admirable qualities.

 

The Green Goblin. Spider-Man's greatest enemy, a scientific near-genius with a unique and striking motif. Almost as vicious and deranged as the Joker, only more powerful.

 

Kobra. His vast network of fanatical worshipper/followers give him the resources to threaten the world again and again.

 

Loki. Perhaps the most subtle schemer of all, Loki is ambitious but also spreads chaos for the sheer malicious joy of it.

 

Apocalypse. Vain and arrogant, but his great power, resources and scientific brilliance can't be overestimated.

 

Eclipso. The literal "dark side" of humanity, with vast powers of destruction and corruption.

 

Kang the Conqueror. Perhaps the greatest resources of any Marvel villain, obsessed with putting everyone throughout time under his rule. Because he's intervened across many timelines, stopping or even killing one Kang doesn't mean another alternate version won't appear to plague Earth in future.

 

The Kingpin. Most dangerous true organized crime lord, equally formidable behind the scenes or in a face-to-face dustup.

 

Mephisto. As close to "the Devil" as Marvel Comics usually gets, Mephisto has little interest in power for its own sake; his speciality is in deception and corruption, destroying the souls of the good and noble so that he can claim them as his toys to torment for eternity.

 

All I can call to mind right now. I'm interested in seeing who other people nominate.

[McCoy]

The Hulk. Usually presented as a protagonist, he has gone up against enough heros to qualify (IMHO). Raw destructived potential, a force of nature with an anger management problem. Symbolizes how rage unchecked can destroy a person's life and world, also embodies Cold War ambivolence about nuclear weapons (necessary, but what if they got out of control?).

 

Godzilla. Again, large scale destruction, but in later apperences not totally mindless. Apparently Gaia's enforcer, went into action when the planet was treatened by aliens or human disrespect for the enviroment. "The ecology strikes back!"

 

Ultron. A computer with it's own agenda and no off switch. Despite the ultra high tech origin, something about the character lends itself to gothic horror, dark and unrelenting. In many ways the least human villian, ruthless and remorseless. Absolutely without redemeing virtues. Embodies the fear of technology gone wild, taking over, destroying something valuable in life.

 

Apocalypse. The self appointed lifeguard of the gene pool. Loves competition, nature red of tooth and claw. "You ARE the weakest link, goodbye!" Personifies survival of the fittest.

 

Venom. A composit, Eddie Brock hates Peter Parker, the symbiote hates Spider-man. Pooling their resources, they have all of Spider-man's powers, and then some. Venom is Ahab to Spider-man's White Whale, the embodiment of Revenge at any cost.

[Arthur]

Another vote here for Doctor Doom. Don't have much to add to what was already said. Class, style, power, deviousness, code of honor, a believeable motive from the POV of his own insanity.

 

Doom was always my favorite Marvel character. Not 'favorite villain' - favorite character, period. Marvel had a short-lived series called Super-villain Team-up that starred Victor Von Doom. I collected them all, of course. This was early Bronze Age stuff, c. 1977.

 

Doom should have taken over the world long ago. Only his personal code of honor has saved the lives of the FF from his wrath more than once (that and the "script immunity" comment from someone else - nicely put).

[MarkusDark]

I do haveta admit there is a bit of 'style' with Dr. Doom that I like as well. I personally love the way Mauser's look so when I saw he carried one I liked him for that. But I found myself asking, "Why is he carrying a simple handgun when he has all those neat energy blasts, poison darts and other battle abilities in his armor. It seemed 'unintelligent' to carry extra crap around.

 

Then, I later read a writeup in a comic about Dr. Doom and it turns out he carries the pistol to use against people and idiots who don't deserve him wasting his suit's powers on.

 

Now, that is Style.

[loraxxx]

since i agree with and would second all those already suggested, i'll add some from various sources not already on the list....

 

1) frank gorshin as "the riddler'' from the batman 1960's tv series--a second rate comic villan made respectable by inventive writing, and a brilliant performance

 

gorshin's riddler was a daring madman--his crime-sprees apparently unconnected acts of mayhem--until you put all the pieces together, and learned his true motive....

mr gorshin portayed him with nimble wit, and manic energy--whenever he was on the screen you couldn't help but watch him--he was magnetic....

 

2) the magnificent ten--from ''giant robo, the animation''

besides having cool costumes and weird and mysterious powers, what made these guys rock was the fact that they didn't fall into the cliched villan behavior of in-fighting and back-stabbing (exept for 'red mask,' and 'komei'--both of whom could be accuratly described as sociopaths)

 

for once the bad guys were not their own worst enemies--in fact, these guys were best of friends and loyal comrads, united in their belief that they should be the true rulers of the world, under the leadership of 'lord bigfire'

 

as a result, they are really dangerous--their opposite numbers, 'the celestial nine' are pushed to their limits meerly keeping these guys in check--and they're losing ground against them rapidly....

[Doug McCrae]

The Joker. Combining psychopathic evil with clownish humour and appearance was an absoolute master stroke creating something truly grotesque, truly frightening. The idea has been used a number of times with success, for example, Pennywise the Clown in Stephen King's It.

 

Dr. Doom. The look (wonderful costume design by Kirby). The castle. The sinister Eastern European background. The pride. The Mauser (old school). Several of the bits added after his original appearance are good too - his mother's soul imprisoned makes us sympathetic, being ruler of Latveria gives him stature. Best of all however is his pursuit of 'forbidden knowledge' such as magic and time travel, making him the perfect nemesis for Reed Richards representing 'good science'. The dangers of such pursuit are written all over his face.

 

Darkseid. Pure evil in its most potent and powerful form. Greater gravitas and stature than Dr. Doom - he rules a whole planet. And he looks good too (Kirby again). Thanos is just an imitation, and he's a pretty good villain.

 

Kingpin, as presented in Frank Miller's Daredevil. Represents real organised crime at its most dangerous. Utterly ruthless. Stops at nothing to retain his power and then to expand his empire. He's damn good at it too, that's how he's got to this position. Physically he can be defeated, but finding the evidence to put him behind bars is tremendously difficult, making him a good foe for law abiding heroes like Daredevil (or Superman).

Note: The original strong man Kingpin, who would rob banks by smashing the walls in, was shit.

 

Doomsday or if you prefer the original, the Hulk. Unlike those previously mentioned, we're not dealing with evil here, but raw destructive fury. Rage! The Id. Each of us feels like Doomsday occasionally and wants to smash everything we see. But sadly we lack the power and must leave so much unsmashed... so, so much...

I also like the fact that (originally anyway) Doomsday's origin was left mysterious.

 

The Fury. Appeared first in Captain Britain. These have been reprinted in the X-Men Archives and also in a TPB edition which I can't recommend highly enough. Anyway the Fury is a... killer cyborg. Ho, hum, you say, so what? I've seen a hundred killer cyborgs. The Fury wasn't even the first. No, it wasn't the first. But it is by far the greatest. The killer cyborg's killer cyborg. It was created to kill superhumans and it is very good at its job. It killed all of them on its own world plus Captain Britain. No it wasn't a hoax, it wasn't a dream. It really killed him. By shooting him. Once. (Merlin resurrected him from the tiny peices that were left.) There's nothing human about the Fury. It's a combination of the best parts of animal and machine. Its brain combines the logic of a computer with the intuition of a beast. In its 'normal state' it is extremely strong, fast, tough, has a battery of super-senses and a gun-arm that can kill invulnerable superheroes. And it never gives up. Ever. But that's all minor compared to its ability to adapt. It can 'grow' the powers it needs to kill *anything*, to do anything it needs to do, taking what it requires from its environment.

 

Here's how great the Fury is. One of its last battles was against a man who could control reality. He could control everything. He made the Molecule Man look severely limited. The Fury figured out a way to kill him. And did so. No Lex Luthorish *almost* beating Superman. The Fury is no could've-been, no 'I almost had him that time'. The Fury can and has killed a whole planet's worth of superhumans and a respectable number on Marvel Earth.

 

The final thing about the Fury I really like. It's not a 'he'. It's not a 'she'. It's an It.

[Catacomb]

Thanos- Darkseid only wishes he were as cool as the Eternal gone mad. Thanos is the embodiment of psychotic behavior...and on a cosmic level at that. Too cool.

 

Dr. Doom- Perhaps the greatest villian of all time. Has anyone ever actually fought Doom face to face? The answer of course is yes, but if you didn't know that right off then there is the sign of a true uber-villian.

 

Magneto- I like torn badguys/goodguys when not overdone and Magneto is the blueprint for that angst ridden type. BTW when is he going to patent that helmet of his and sell it on super-villians.com?

 

Juggernaught- Cain is often looked on by many as 'stupid' and this has gotten lots of heroes clocked. The strongest being on earth is also my personal fav as far as mercs and underlings are concerned.

 

Bane- I though that Knightfall was one of the most well done series in comic history. Bane beat Bruce in a way that no one ever had...he outsmarted him. Not even Ra's could do that. Also while I'm an Azrael fan I thought that Bruce should have been the one to take out Bane.

 

Joker- The first and still one of the best. I happen to like his JLA the animated series persona better than his current comic incarnation however, but that's just me.

[Doug McCrae]

I'm gonna add one more as you didn't completely rule him out:

 

Galactus.

 

Why? Dude, he *eats* planets.

[loraxxx]

 

The final thing about the Fury I really like. It's not a 'he'. It's not a 'she'. It's an It. [/b]

 

i had forgotten about this character, but i strongly second it's inclusion--and offer Ozymandius, another great villan created by Allen Moore, as well--why? well, because he was too smart for his, and about 2 million other peoples own good....

 

tragic, truly tragic....

[Ranxerox]

Uhh Thirdbase, by villian do you mean bad guy or bad person? Because no one has mentioned any chicks. Some of them are worth mentioning if bad person is what you meant.

 

HarleyQuin - A playful and cheerfully amoral character unlike any other in comics or all of fiction to my knowledge.

 

PoisonIvy- Well, you've got to admit that as a speciecs we have been awfully cruel to the flora of our planet. The arguement for this is even stronger when coming from an incrediably sexy and lethal femme.

 

Mystique- Intelligent, sexy, ruthless. When she takes on the X-Men she is always out powered but never outclassed.

 

Morgan LeFay - Such a great villianess that she is found in both the Marvel and DC universes.

[Thirdbase]

I'm equal opportunity, list bad guys, evil women, amorphous blobs of an indeterminate sex, whatever.

 

I'd like to thank everyone that has posted and those that will.

Many of these I have some idea of who they are, (Go Cartoon Network), some I've just heard of in passing, and others are new to me.

 

The funny thing is even with all of the votes for The Joker, I still don't like the character.

[Crimson Arrow]

DC

 

Darkseid - I know he's not from Earth, but he's very frightening. Thanos doesn't really cut it for me. Darkseid has the Omega Beam.

 

Ra's Al Ghul - Brilliant, master planner, good motives (the means are not so nice, though) and a very attractive and sometimes helpful (to heroes) daughter. Worth mentioning as it adds another dimension often lacking in master villains.

 

Marvel

 

Doom! - There is only one. The master villain's Master Villain. See everyone else's posts for why.

 

The Fury - I have to say this is possibly the scariest villain I have ever seen in a comic. It is basically unstoppable; it will adapt to any threat (except possibly Zeitgeist), has no emotions, no conscience, no mercy. It exists to kill and it does that really rather well.

 

Two not quites are Magneto and the Joker. Both have moments of brilliance, but each has suffered from confused writing at times.

[Alien Knight]

Everybody loves DOOM!

 

Yeah, gotta include Doom. If you want a good example of why, pick up the last four issues of the Fantastic Four. It's a great Doom story and quite chilling. I think the writer really pegged Victor and his relationship with Richards.

[Bazza]

Another one for DOOM!!!

 

Another vote for Thanos. no planet is safe from a guy who worships Mistress Death.

[Klytus]

D'oh!

 

How could I have forgotten Bane and Harley Quinn??

 

Two thumbs up for these two.

[Guest Worldmaker]

The greatest supervillains are the ones who get away with it.