Iron Man 3 Favorite villain of the trilogy?

[The Joker]

So we've had Obadiah Stane, Ivan Vanko, Justin Hammer, The Mandarin, and Aldrich Killian. Who's your favorite?

For me it's not even close. It's Obadiah Stane. Jeff Bridges was terrific and felt like the most menacing of the bunch. He was that inner threat. Someone close to Tony who was really a snake in the grass waiting to stab him in the heart and take everything he owned.

I loved the scene when he paralyzed Tony with that sonic device and then removed the arc reactor from Tony's chest, all the while revealing he was the one who ordered the hit on him, he was going to kill Pepper, take his technology and his company etc.

Another gem of a scene was the one with Pepper, when she's just discovered all the incriminating evidence against Stane on his computer, she's downloading it onto a memory stick, and Stane walks in on her, and starts casually talking to her about Tony and how "happy" he was to have him back. Pepper hides the memory stick under the newspaper, and sticks the screensaver on the computer screen. What a great scene. First time I saw it I thought Stane was going to catch her and take her hostage. Probably the most intense scene of the trilogy. One of the few scenes in the Iron Man movies that has no humor at all.

Stane was just so intense once his true colors were revealed. That was another thing, the transition from friendly fatherly type business partner who is so buddy buddy with Tony, plays the piano, and brings pizza back from board meetings, to psycho murderer was amazing. Bridges is so versatile.

 

[webhead9707]

Probably Killian. I disliked him more than most superhero movies, (Dislike as in, rooted against him, which is the goal) and he seemed like the biggest threat. When he came back after being suit-self-destructed, I was just thinking "Well crap... How the heck are they going to kill him?"
Which is also something I'm a bit confused on. What truly kills someone who has Extremis? Killian's body guard guy was within about 8 feet of the exploding guy, then he got shot in the head with a repulsor blast and that didn't kill him either, but getting shot in the chest did? What's the difference? And how come being self destructed didn't kill Killian but getting hit with a bomb did? (As far as we know.)

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Raza was my favorite villain. I didn't find him on the poll.

 

[Norek]

You know that by now, but I'm in absolute agreement with you there, Joker. Obadiah Stane for me, definitely.

The scene with him and Pepper at the office is soooooooooo well played and executed that I still have the same immense enjoyment from it like when I first saw the movie. I love it from start to finish and I enjoy every moment.

Another one that I love is when he screams in the scientist's face when he's told the the arc reactor would be impossible to be built.

I think Jeff Bridges completely owns the role. Not that any of those actors that played the other villains are bad, just the opposite, I like every single one of them very much, but Jeff Bridges' performance is so amazing it completely makes me forget about the other villains.

 

[The Joker]

Raza was my favorite villain. I didn't find him on the poll.

Oh sorry, but this is for the main villains.

You know that by now, but I'm in absolute agreement with you there, Joker. Obadiah Stane for me, definitely.

The scene with him and Pepper at the office is soooooooooo well played and executed that I still have the same immense enjoyment from it like when I first saw the movie. I love it from start to finish and I enjoy every moment.

Another one that I love is when he screams in the scientist's face when he's told the the arc reactor would be impossible to be built.

I think Jeff Bridges completely owns the role. Not that any of those actors that played the other villains are bad, just the opposite, I like every single one of them very much, but Jeff Bridges' performance is so amazing it completely makes me forget about the other villains.

Couldn't agree more

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Oh sorry, but this is for the main villains.

Aw. But I feel like Raza was the only one they didnt screw up.

Fine. Main villains?

Stane was the most accurate.
Vanko was the most quotable.
Hammer had the most swag.
Killian had the biggest zit.
Mandarin #@&!^@&#!@*@&#.

 

[Quasimod0]

Killian. But I loved stane. Jeff bridges was fantastic

 

[divan]

The Mandarin. And by 'The Mandarin', I mean Aldrich Killian, who, despite being an amalgamation of different characters (Killian, Mallen - that's why he breathes fire - and Mandarin), does end up being the final threat that Tony has to face against in the movie.

And believe it or not, I voted for Killian thanks to the twist. Well, if the Mandarin seen in the TV broadcasts was the real threat, then perhaps we'd get an all-out straight battle between Good vs. Evil. With the twist, though, we got a...well, twisted and complex plot, involving a man who creates a diverting villain persona, ignites a full-scaled war under that same persona, and eventually takes advantage of all his actions under that persona for his own - all the while he keeps a personal vendetta toward the main protagonist. So yeah, I'd say it is more interesting - albeit less like the comic book typicality, which could also be a whole 'nother intriguing approach - but each to his own.

As I already said, Obadiah Stane was awesome (mainly thanks to Jeff Bridges), but I always saw him as a bit too conventional. Vanko was little more than a plot device, getting no development or even characterization; Hammer was funny but I never considered him a real villain. Raza was awesome though, I would have liked to see him in the poll and I would venture to suggest that he was an even more serious character than Stane.

If crossover villains counted though, Loki would win against any of these guys (not talking about strengh here, but about general character construction). Like easily, Hiddleston plus Whedon writing will do that to you.

 

[The Joker]

I wish I'd made the poll public now. I'd love to know who voted for Vanko lol.

 

[The Batman]

Stane and its not even close

 

[Warhammer]

Obadiah Stane.

He is far and beyond the best villain. The fact that the villains of the two sequels weren't even half as good as Stane is the tragedy of this entire franchise.

 

[DACrowe]

Stane. The only one who had any emotional stakes. Plus he is so charming in that Jeff Bridges way early that his turn, as Joker says, is surprisingly intense and unnerving late in the film.

You know this is kind of crazy. Iron Man must be the only superhero ever to have gone three films without having an amazing or iconic villain. They are all serviceable to varying degrees, with IM2's being barely passable. But the star was always Tony. After him, his suit, his toys and Pepper, the rest is just filler.

 

[Fenrir]

They could've done so much more with Vanko. Completely wasted his potential. They set him up so perfectly in the opening scenes of the film - his obsession and brilliance was exhibited with such pathos, and his conversation about Stark coming from "a family of thieves and butchers". Looking at the trailers, I thought it would be about him blowing the doors wide open on the closet of skeletons that was Tony's and his father's weapons manufacturing legacy and show that a man can't escape his past so easily. Instead, they turned him into a cartoon character. Utter disgrace.

 

[jmc]

They're all about the same level of blandness.

 

[The Joker]

They could've done so much more with Vanko. Completely wasted his potential. They set him up so perfectly in the opening scenes of the film - his obsession and brilliance was exhibited with such pathos, and his conversation about Stark coming from "a family of thieves and butchers". Looking at the trailers, I thought it would be about him blowing the doors wide open on the closet of skeletons that was Tony's and his father's weapons manufacturing legacy and show that a man can't escape his past so easily. Instead, they turned him into a cartoon character. Utter disgrace.

"I vant my burd!"

 

[Warhammer]

They could've done so much more with Vanko. Completely wasted his potential. They set him up so perfectly in the opening scenes of the film - his obsession and brilliance was exhibited with such pathos, and his conversation about Stark coming from "a family of thieves and butchers". Looking at the trailers, I thought it would be about him blowing the doors wide open on the closet of skeletons that was Tony's and his father's weapons manufacturing legacy and show that a man can't escape his past so easily. Instead, they turned him into a cartoon character. Utter disgrace.

I couldn't have said it perfectly myself. Wasted potential not only through characterization but also a waste of Mickey Rourke's talent. That man put alot of work into that role only for it to amount to nothing. Vanko could have been a counterpart to Stark.

 

[Cody2575]

Trevor lol

 

[Travesty]

Obadiah

 

[nogap87]

They're all about the same level of blandness.

This.

But I'll vote for Stane because I really do love IM1

 

[nbanflguy]

I gotta go with Senator Stern from IM2

 

[Ironfan72]

Man, thats a tough question, its close between Stane and Killian, both offered Tony challenges in different ways, one was of Tonys own making, jilting Killian and making him what he eventually became, Stane was as said a threat from inside Tonys inner circle, who showed that killing the golden boy did not bother him.
Hammer and Vanko could have been better, but lets be honest Iron Man 2 basically was not a complete Iron Man stand alone film, having Blackwidow and Nick Fury took away from developing Hammer and Vanko as real threats, Hammer in the end was a wannabe Tony but sleazier, and Vanko was underused.
Killian basically was Mandarin, yet they never tied him to Raza who was a member of the 10 rings, though they used the 10 rings symbol in IM3, so are we to assume Killian was in charge then using Raza in the first film, we may never know, if he was then who was using who was Killian using Stane or was Stane using the 10 rings to get what they wanted.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

I wish I'd made the poll public now. I'd love to know who voted for Vanko lol.

Pretty effed. Definitely doesn't make me want to vote. So instead I'll just rank them.

Vanko - For being the only villain whose adaptation I enjoy, shame he wasnt utilized better.
Stane - Second only because of his terrible dialogue and inability to pull them off. "COLLATERAL DAMAGE TONY"
Hammer/Hammer Drones - For his Swag. I love Sam Rockwell. Good fight scene.
Coldblood - Only convincingly evil thing in this film.
Raza - Played his part.
Firepower - Did a good job exploding.
Killian - For being almost identical to Hector Hammond in the GL film. Slimy ugly weasel nerdy nobody, turned into superpowerful fearmonger.
Trevor Slattery - For being a dog turd

It's too bad they haven't adapted The Mandarin yet.

They're all about the same level of blandness.

mostly I just agree with JMC. No Iron Man villain was up to snuff.

Loki was Iron Man's best villain.

 

[cherokeesam]

Killian, by a long shot.

Killian is the only decent villain to go toe to toe with Iron Man, to be an actual supervillain instead of a Guy In A Suit, to actually insinuate himself into Tony's life over a long period of time, to conceive a brilliant subterfuge that deceived not only Tony but the world, and to have aspirations toward supervillainy that all the others severely lacked.

Killian - For being almost identical to Hector Hammond in the GL film. Slimy ugly weasel nerdy nobody, turned into superpowerful fearmonger.

I'm not sure you and I watched the same IM3 and GL. The only accurate descriptor you have of Killian is "nerdy nobody." Killian was neither slimy, ugly, nor weasely. He was nerdy in 1999, and crippled, but there was nothing there to insinuate that he was slimy or ugly, or even a bad guy. In fact, you can't help but feel sorry for that guy. And then what he turned into was a suave, sophisticated, brilliant and thoroughly vicious supervillain; not a psionic monster with a giant head.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Killian, by a long shot.

Killian is the only decent villain to go toe to toe with Iron Man, to be an actual supervillain instead of a Guy In A Suit, to actually insinuate himself into Tony's life over a long period of time, to conceive a brilliant subterfuge that deceived not only Tony but the world, and to have aspirations toward supervillainy that all the others severely lacked.



I'm not sure you and I watched the same IM3 and GL. The only accurate descriptor you have of Killian is "nerdy nobody." Killian was neither slimy, ugly, nor weasely. He was nerdy in 1999, and crippled, but there was nothing there to insinuate that he was slimy or ugly, or even a bad guy. In fact, you can't help but feel sorry for that guy. And then what he turned into was a suave, sophisticated, brilliant and thoroughly vicious supervillain; not a psionic monster with a giant head.

Okay... fine I'll retract that. But he remains where he is on my list.

I've also heard the comparison to Edward Nigma from Batman Forever.

Also this is relevant: [BLACKOUT]"For comparison, the Mandarin has appeared in 181 Marvel comics since his creation (Source: Marvel Wikia). Killian has appeared in ... 1 page of 1 issue. Killian's personality was stolen from the Mandarin."[/BLACKOUT]

Just disappointing to many.

 

[psylockolussus]

I voted for Killian.