The Top 50 DC Villains (Part 5) So before we continue with this list, Ive got a confession to make. As a human, I am prone to making mistakes and while putting this list together, I somehow deleted a character that was in the draft of the list before actually putting him on the final list. Which Im ashamed about as hes one of my absolute favorite villains of all time. I considered removing one of the top 30 villains from the list and putting this guy back in, but couldnt justify doing so. Instead, Im acknowledging my error and saying that Mad Hatter is officially off the list and in at #51. So instead, we now have #50-32, and today will feature #31 through #26. #50. Despero, #49. Mr. Mxyzptlk, #48. Captain Boomerang, #47. Killer Croc, #46. Brother Blood, #45. The Anti-Monitor, #44. Killer Frost, #43. The Court of Owls, #42. Weather Wizard, #41. Lady Shiva, #40. Mongul, #39. Hugo Strange, #38. Metallo, #37. Terra, #36. Clayface, #35. Mirror Master, #34. Black Hand, #33. Mr. Freeze, and #32. Count Vertigo. #31. The Cheetah (Barbara Ann Minerva) Wonder Woman is my favorite superhero, but saying that I will be the first to admit that outside of the Greek Gods like Hades, Poseidon, and Apollo, she doesnt have a particularly strong list of antagonists that are tied to her. The one who is most iconic is The Cheetah, a role played by several women that has evolved quite a bit over the years. The first Cheetah was a thief in a spotted catsuit named Priscilla Rich, and little more than a Catwoman expy. When Cheetah debuted in the revamped Wonder Woman comic from George Perez (a fantastic run), she was Barbara Ann Minerva and instead of being a woman in a catsuit, she was transformed into an avatar for an African Cheetah Goddess. A ruthless bloodthirsty killer, Cheetah is an incredibly dangerous foe because of her strength, cunning, claws and speed that rivals The Flash. She is essentially an alpha predator and even managed to fight the Justice League singlehandedly...until Aquaman nearly drowned her. Because you dont mess with The King of Atlantis. #30. Doomsday If it werent for the current Superman: Doomed story thats being out by DC in an effort to make Doomsday more than just a one-off threat, hed be ranked a lot lower. Doomsday is probably the single most dangerous fighter in comic books, because he can never be truly killed. If someone does kill him, he comes back to life stronger and immune to whatever killed him. When the DC universe is dead, Doomsday will probably still be there ruling over nothing. Why is he so powerful? Because he was created to kill Superman, a story that broke all kinds of comic book records and even made national news because of the cultural impact Superman had made in his 50 odd years (at that point). He hasnt done much else, but really, when you kill Superman, you deserve a spot on the list. That said, one crowning moment does not a great villain make, no matter how great that accomplishment is. He does have a pretty fearsome look though. #29. Ocean Master (Orm) While Ocean Master has been a solid enough villain of Aquaman for a long time, Geoff Johns was able to work his magic with the character and make him into an A-List Villain in 2012. Pre-New 52, Orm was just a typical jealous evil brother that weve all seen a million times, wanting to take over Atlantis because he feels its his birthright. The half-brother of Aquaman, Orm is a full-blooded Atlantean who grew up mourning for his brother because Arthur had to grow on land when in Orms view, he belonged in Atlantis. He has a deep love for Arthur, which puts him at odds because he torn between his loyalty to his brother and his loyalty to Atlantis, similar to how Aquaman has loyalty to both Atlantis and the world at large. However, when Arthurs adviser Vulko orchestrates an attack on Atlantis that appears to be from humans, Orm draws a line and starts a war, flooding several coastal cities and killing millions. While Orm is guilty of war crimes, he is essentially a decent person trying to protect his people. Hes an interesting look at how someone can be a hero to one group and a terrorist to another. #28. Deadshot (Flloyd Lawton) While Flloyd Lawton rarely ever misses his target, what makes his character interesting is that hes not particularly successful when we read about him. He has a history of being one of the deadliest assassins in the world, but his most defining role in comics is being the main character in Suicide Squad, officially known as Task Force X. He spends his time between serving a jail sentence for his many crimes and trying to take years off of that sentence by working for Amanda Wallers special group of villains that take on the tasks too dangerous or politically sensitive for the normal government work to do. And ultimately, as a reader we almost want him to succeed so that he can return to his family and raise his daughter. Deadshot is a fun, layered character who we can alternately hate because of his amoral willingness to kill any target (except kids) and love because hes surrounded by even worse people. #27. General Zod Thanks to his role in Superman II and more recently in Man of Steel, General Zod is arguably the second most iconic Superman villain to the general public. However, he was a virtual non-entity in the comics until Geoff Johns decided to introduce him in his excellent Superman series. Its because of that run and his status in pop culture that I have chosen to include Zod. While I dont hate Zod as a character, I have never been a fan of the concept. I believe that one of the defining aspects of Superman is that he is the Last Son of Krypton and Zod and his band of Kryptonian War Criminals cheapen that. However, Zod is an interesting look at what someone with Clarks powers would be like if they lacked Clarks values. Zod has a god complex and when he comes to Earth and realizes that he finally has power to match his ego, he becomes a very dangerous man. And while Im sure many would disagree, I think that one of the few things Man of Steel got right was Superman killing Zod. #26. Gorilla Grodd I am a firm believer that intelligent talking apes are a good thing and make things better, when done right. There are two distinct versions of Gorilla Grodd, both of which are the leaders of a subsect of intelligent gorillas from Gorilla City. Pre-New 52, Grodd is a more sophisticated and cerebral villain who uses powerful psychic abilities to fight as well as his strength. The New 52 version is a more of a psychotic brute, though arguably an even more gifted tactician thanks to focusing his efforts on the art of war. Rather than develop any telepathic talents he may possess, Grodd pursues a much more powerful energy source: The Speed Force. One version is as good as the other, so take your pick. Either way, Gorilla Grodd is awesome and proof that Flash really does have one of the best collection of villains of any superhero.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 20:28:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015