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Top DC Villains

From The Comic Pages And On Screen

By Culture SlatePublished 2 years ago 5 min read
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With every great hero there is a villain that makes him/her recognized as a hero in the first place. They often came from tragic origins. There would be no stories without the villains that make life difficult for the heroes.

Let's start this off with where it all began, in the comics. This is where most of the villains got their origin.

5. Sinestro (Green Lantern)

He was obsessed with power, and creating fear to remain in control of that power. He was an absolute menace and had created havoc throughout the multiverse on multiple occasions. He had proven to be a thorn in the side of many Green Lanterns and had been captured multiple times only to escape and instill fear in the universe once again.

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4. Deathstroke (Teen Titans, Green Arrow, Justice League)

Billed as DC’s top assassin, Deathstroke had battled against the Teen Titans various times. He had also helped them out at times, but continued to blend the lines between good and evil. He always tended to lean towards the villainous side of things, which was where he was more compelling. Deathstroke was better when he was ruthless and did not stop until the kill had been achieved. DC has a tendency to try and redeem their villains, but the best stories are when they are at their most evil.

3. Reverse-Flash (The Flash)

Barry Allen was one of the most noble heroes in the DC Universe. He always chose the right thing and would always do what needed to be done. Eobard Thawne was the exact opposite of that. He constantly messed with Barry and the timeline, creating dastardly consequences that have ramifications all the way to the 30th century. Thawne had gone as far as to kill Barry's mother and even attempted to erase him from the timeline in order take over as The Flash. Thawne was about as pure evil as they came and offered the biggest threat to The Flash and his happiness.

2. Joker And Harley Quinn (Batman)

The Joker was Batman's greatest nemesis even if he had become overutilized as such. In his early days, Joker challenged Batman in ways that fans couldn't get enough of. His chaos and crazy schemes kept Batman on his toes and ever vigilant. The inclusion of Harley Quinn was one of the ways the comics enhanced Joker and added in more layers and more emotional depth. Joker used Harley in a variety of ways that showed she was just another tool for him to get what he wanted. It was hard to see these stories unfold because of what he did to her mind, but it was some of the most compelling writing that has ever occurred in Batman comics.

1. Lex Luthor (Superman)

Lex was one of the most brilliant minds in the DC Universe. However, he was selfish to a fault. He had been involved in political corruption as well as some shady science experiments. Lex was always scheming and creating challenges for Superman all while attempting to manipulate the public's perception of The Man of Steel. There had been various versions of Lex Luthor over the years, but he had always been the most memorable Superman villain because of the unlimited knowledge he had, and his choice to always use it for nefarious purposes.

DC has not always found success on the live-action front when attempting to adapt their stories. However, over the years we have been given some fairly memorable villains in both television and film.

5. Joker (The Dark Knight)

While 1989's Batman had a very over the top Joker, it was Christopher Nolan who took the character to a whole new level, and did so without making him overt. Heath Ledger was able to show his true range in this role and gave one of the most memorable villainous portrayals in recent cinematic history.

4. Oswald Cobblepot aka. The Penguin (Batman Returns)

Danny Devito had never looked less like himself and had never been better. His portrayal of The Penguin was genuinely menacing and scary in Batman Returns. Devito was part of the reason why Batman Returns outshone its predecessor in terms of visuals and story. It did not rely on Batman's most popular rogues gallery member and introduced fans to a new take on a classic comic book character.

3. Adrian Veidt (Watchmen TV Series)

The Watchmen series on HBO was far better than the film (even though the film was based on the source material). This was strictly due to casting choices. Jeremy Irons was perfect as the arrogant and insane Veidt who created the most catastrophic event the world has ever seen. It did a better job of tackling that than the film did and showed us the aftermath of what occurred due to his actions. It was a far better story with a much deeper reach than a stylized version of the events.

2. Roman Sionis aka. The Black Mask (Birds Of Prey)

Ewan McGregor was fun to watch in this zany, crazy, and off the wall role. It was a quick movie with a quick run time, and the characters never got stale. I know this movie takes a lot of heat in certain circles, but I personally love the aesthetic and the complete comic book vibe this movie had from top to bottom. That rested on both the heroes and the villain of the story being likable. Ewan was such a delight in this film.

1. General Zod (Man Of Steel)

One element of the film that Snyder got right was the portrayal of Zod. Regardless of how you feel about the outcome of the story, Zod and his motivations added a layer of tension that almost no villainous portrayal had brought to the table previously. It was engaging and he did push Superman to his ultimate limits. Zod remained one of the best adaptations of a villain to date in a DC film. Michael Shannon was the reason why the role was so believable and in some capacity I would love to see him return.

READ NEXT: The Sinister History Of The Sinister Six

Written By Kenneth Belliveau

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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