Best CBM villain ever?

[Doctor Octopus]

Ra's Al Ghul and Red Skull could have been all-time classic movie villains if they had been kept for at least another movie. There's still hope at least for Red Skull. I think its possible that they'll bring him back for a future film.

I don't think Hugo Weaving want to do another comic book film.

 

[DACrowe]

1.

And that is by a major margin. Then the rest:

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

That's a nice list DACrowe.

I'd add Stamp's Zod to round out the top ten.

 

[DACrowe]

Thanks! I could not decide between Stamp and Dafoe. But yeah, there have been some great ones. I also think Anne Hathaway's Catwoman is vastly underrated. It is a great interpretation of the character and she slays it. But I do not consider the Hathaway version a villain, so no dice here.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Totally agree. Really, these three are far superior to anything else.

Spoiler

I liked Michael Shannon's Zod, as I felt he captured the character's obsession well and felt like a legitimate menace (as distinct from Stamp's somewhat campy Zod).

I wonder if the success of these three villains is more about the fact that they are great characters in their own right or that they have been portrayed by superb actors ?

The Joker is an iconic character who symbolizes chaos and madness,
he's really not that complex a character because the only thing certain about him is .....well, uncertainty.

He's the antithesis of Batman - so really he's interesting for what he reveals about the hero.

Magneto is a guy who I've always thought deserved his own stories, because he's more complicated and as the X-Men's regular "frenemy" I've always felt he added more to their stories (well, more than the Joker adds to Batman).

I have always found Magneto a really compelling character - which I attribute to his backstory, really a bit of writing genius (from Chris Claremont, I think).

He's that rare villain with whom we can sympathize (despite abhorring his methods). Magneto is a monster, who's contemplated genocide - which I guess is part of
the irony of his character, that as a near-victim of genocide he's now willing to commit it to prevent it. Complex and compelling.

I suppose if DC killed off the Joker permanently, I could live with that (in fact, I've often thought that at some point it has to happen) - but I would be very sad to hear of a permanent end to Magneto. In some ways I see the Joker as replaceable, in that another colourful maniac who's obsessed with Batman could come along. But Magneto's a bit more than that.

Anyway, this is just me rambling. As for Loki, I've never really had a lot of time for him in the comics, although he's a good character - kind of epitomizes the utterly self-serving bad-guy. Probably my favorite panel in a Thor book is when Odin, Thor and Loki confront Surtur, who's out to destroy the universe:
Odin cries "For Asgard!" Thor shouts "For Midgard!" and of course Loki "For myself !"

I've never rated him as highly as either the Joker or Magneto, but he certainly is one of Marvel comics' great villains, and by far the best Marvel cbm villain. Hiddleston (supported by good writing) has really elevated the character - I must admit I haven't kept track of Thor stories recently, but I know that in the 2000s Thor writers have given him (and her) good service.

Nice little paraphrasing of "Horatius at the Bridge."

To my mind, the other great Marvel villains - Red Skull and Dr Doom have never been done Justice ( I blame the writing in TFA - because Hugo Weaving is great with villains, as for Doom, well in the first 2 FF films I blame casting as Julian McMahon was a whiny ***** as Doom, and in FF 2015, well....the less said about Dr Doom the better).

I mean, how hard is it to get Dr Doom right ? He's a mad scientist who hates Reed Richards, wears an iron mask, and refers to himself in the 3rd person.
I love that last bit, because it's unintentionally hilarious, especially when he refers to himself and uses CAPITAL LETTERS !

"But time is endless...as is my hatred! When he least expects it, when he's most unprepared; Doom will strike again!!"

I mean, that stuff just used to make me laugh and laugh. I love Doom, because while he's despciable and tragic, at the same time he's really (unintentionally ) funny. I always thought the FF writers played that aspect of him for laughs. And of course, often his hatred of Reed, arrogance and ambition are the very reasons why he fails. Sheldon Cooper (in the early BBT seasons) is kind of the sesame street-G rated version of Dr Doom (minus the mask).

Is that so hard to get right ? I mean, if they can make Loki such a great onscreen villain, why not Doom ?

Great post man, we are in full agreement. Other than Joker/Magneto, Doom probably *deserves* the most on screen justice compared to any other villains and just hasn't gotten it.

Magneto has been done justice time and time again because it's easy to see how he is such an amazing character. Even for non-comic fans/non-comic writers. He is not "wrong" and that's why its so hard to completely villainize him. It's really easy for the audience to relate to his actions.

Loki was quite the surprise hit, because he could've so easily been one-dimensional. This is also why i've been so surprised at the rest of the one-dimensional MCU villains. So many amazing actors (Bridges, Rourke, Kingsley, Pearce, Spader) who just kinda flickered out due to poor writing in otherwise decent to great movies.

Shannon's Zod was indeed good, as well as Dinklage's Trask. Eckhart's Two-Face and Hardy's Bane had their moments. I also think Dafoe and Molina did great work with what they were given (though I wouldve personally tweaked what they were given).

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Lex Luthor deserve to be done well too but last two times in movies were so bad. Especially in BvS. Worst of all.

 

[Erzengel]

Honestly, I'd rank the Luthor's accordingly:

Clancy Brown (S:TAS and JL)
Hackman
Rosenbaum
Spacey
Shea
Eisenberg

 

[The Joker]

Nice list, DACrowe

I'm glad you included both versions of Magneto in there. I think they are both terrific and compliment each other as different phases in the character's life.

 

[Guard82]

I love your list, DACrowe. You made some great choices.

I'm really glad that you included Bane and Doc Ock. They are two of my favorite CBM villains.

 

[Brother Jack]

This may be unpopular but I really think Hardy's Bane is, for what he was, as good as Ledger's Joker. They're very much opposites as villains in many ways. The only thing missing from Bane is a proper exit from the story. He felt way too discarded after his death.

 

[Guard82]

Magneto has been done justice time and time again because it's easy to see how he is such an amazing character. Even for non-comic fans/non-comic writers. He is not "wrong" and that's why its so hard to completely villainize him. It's really easy for the audience to relate to his actions.

Yes, Magneto has truly been masterfully adapted for the big screen with all of his essential character traits and personality facets intact.

Loki was quite the surprise hit, because he could've so easily been one-dimensional. This is also why i've been so surprised at the rest of the one-dimensional MCU villains. So many amazing actors (Bridges, Rourke, Kingsley, Pearce, Spader) who just kinda flickered out due to poor writing in otherwise decent to great movies.

Loki has been done great thanks to a combination of skilled writing by Marvel and great acting by Hiddleston. It made Loki a lot more memorable than most of the other MCU villains, even though those other villains also had some great actors portraying them.

I think Kingsley fared better than the others you mentioned, because at least he did such a good job in his movie that Marvel called him back to reprise his role in the one-shot "All Hail the King."

 

[Guard82]

This may be unpopular but I really think Hardy's Bane is, for what he was, as good as Ledger's Joker. They're very much opposites as villains in many ways. The only thing missing from Bane is a proper exit from the story. He felt way too discarded after his death.

I agree with you. Hardy's Bane displays a ton of menace and charisma in TDKR just as Ledger's Joker does in TDK. The major flaw with Bane, as you said, was a rather lackluster exit. The way his story ended felt way too mediocre. But that still didn't change the fact that Bane was awesome as an antagonist.

 

[MarvelFan]

The Joker from The Dark Knight is simply the best...
(I have not seen the new version yet, so the Dark Knight version is still hold the best villain)

Number 2, i can't choose between Loki or Magneto (Michael Fassbender ones)

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Honestly, I'd rank the Luthor's accordingly:

Clancy Brown (S:TAS and JL)
Hackman
Rosenbaum
Spacey
Shea
Eisenberg

I'd place them in this order.

Rosenbaum
Clancy Brown (S:TAS and JL)
Shea
Hackman
Spacey
Eisenberg

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Honestly, I'd rank the Luthor's accordingly:

Clancy Brown (S:TAS and JL)
Hackman
Rosenbaum
Spacey
Shea
Eisenberg

Agreed. Clancy Brown version best of all. Perfect.

 

[DACrowe]

Nice list, DACrowe

I'm glad you included both versions of Magneto in there. I think they are both terrific and compliment each other as different phases in the character's life.

I love your list, DACrowe. You made some great choices.

I'm really glad that you included Bane and Doc Ock. They are two of my favorite CBM villains.

Thanks for the kind words! And obviously agreed on Ock and Bane being overlooked these days.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Blade villains overlooked too. Frost and Nomak were really great.

 

[The Endless]

The Joker. Both 89 and TDK versions.

 

[NotNickFury]

I agree with you. Hardy's Bane displays a ton of menace and charisma in TDKR just as Ledger's Joker does in TDK. The major flaw with Bane, as you said, was a rather lackluster exit. The way his story ended felt way too mediocre. But that still didn't change the fact that Bane was awesome as an antagonist.

And the fact that, at the end of the day, behind all that menace, he ends up as being a lackey for Talia.

 

[Lantern Venom]

And the fact that, at the end of the day, behind all that menace, he ends up as being a lackey for Talia.

The questionable costume, old man voice, and garbled dialogue at times kept him from being in the upper eschalon of CBM villains. He was effective, but he could have used a couple of tweaks.

 

[The Endless]

I liked Bane quite a bit actually. But the "twist" retroactively ruined the character. He was essentially, a silver tongued lap dog.

 

[BoredGuy]

Not a bad list Crowe

I'd pull out:
Bane- Stupid Plan, Boring look, and obv the voice
Nicholson- Hasn't held up over the years, imo, still good, but too cartoony for my taste
Two Face- Barely got to become a villain, came off more "guy with problems"
Kilgrave and Kingpin- As great as they are, this is CBM villains, not CBTV

and I'd Add:
Loki- Obv, you crazy, son

I'd also lower Magneto for oversaturation

but otherwise, pretty solid, tough-to-argue-with list

 

[Adhesive Boy]

There's some disappointing villain issues in all the three movies in my view. In Begins we finally get to the point where Scarecrow has his perfect chance to shine in an environment of true horror, but he gets tasered and rides away literally screaming like a girl.

In TDK I think Two-Face looks absolutely terrible and the character transformation doesn't fit the tone of the movie whatsoever with how hugely rushed it is and how he just gets past extremely grievous wounds. Worst villain of the series by far for me.

And of course the above mentioned twist that neutered Bane completely in TDKR, and also made the story much worse as Talia was completely uninteresting in comparison.

Despite this I think Scarecrow is the best villain in the series when it comes to concept. They had a chance to do something really unique for a superhero movie if they focused more on him and the horror element, and gave him more to do. The Joker is of course the best through Ledger's performance though, even though he had some really stupid plans that depended entirely on plot convenience (absurd levels of it for a movie that's so widely praised). Ledger was good enough to move past that though and pretty much carries the entire movie with his performance.

 

[Boom]

I'm not as high on Loki as most are. Hiddleston's performances are fine, but the character hasn't really been anything to write home about. The only reason I have him on my list is because he has the benefit of three (soon-to-be four) big-screen appearances.

And I agree about Scarecrow, Adhesive. Huge wasted opportunity there. The "fear toxin" sequences really shine a spotlight on Nolan's shortcomings when it comes to heightened visuals. Instead of getting some really trippy and horrific ****, we get people with glowing eyes and mouths and the Fight Club shutter effect. OH WHOA!

 

[BoredGuy]

I'm not as high on Loki as most are. Hiddleston's performances are fine, but the character hasn't really been anything to write home about.

Avengers, I might agree, he was a bit cackling villain type
TDW he was a supporting character and not really a villain
but for me it's the first Thor where he really knocked it out of the park, he was layered, menacing, intelligent, charismatic, and sympathetic. The scene of him and Odin in the weapons vault I put up there with the TDK interrogation room scene in terms of the quality of acting going on.