Top 15 Comic Book Villain Portrayals
By Connor Eyzaguirre and Caleb Leger
As Lex Luthor said, "A hero is only as great as his villain." Most of us look forward to the big comic book film of the year, and we almost always look forward to the villain. Comic book villains are in a category all their own. They have a giant legacy to live up to and a lot of them fall short. Sometimes, however, they live up to and even exceed the character in print and create their own legacies. These are 15 of the greatest comic book villains ever portrayed on the big and small screens. So slather on your clown makeup, grab your fear toxin, and let's go!
15.) Brian Cox as William Stryker in X2 (2003)
After Magneto dominated the first X-Men film, fans were very anxious about another villain being able to follow such an incredible performance. Then we met William Stryker. Brian Cox played the mutant-hating Stryker with such precision and gusto that made us hate him even more than Magneto. He didn't just want the Brotherhood and the X-Men dead. He wanted every mutant dead. Now that's evil.
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14.) Dominic West as Jigsaw in Punisher: War Zone (2008)
The Punisher films seem to be box-office cursed. They never get the credit they deserve and always fall flat. The second film, War Zone, wasn't perfect. Ray Stevenson wasn't the best Punisher, but Dominic West dominated as Billy Russotti, the gangster better known as Jigsaw. This was the first thing I ever saw West in, so I believed I was watching Jigsaw orchestrate a plot to kill the Punisher. Imagine my surprise when I discovered West was British.
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13.) Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins (2005)
Liam Neeson's cold, soothing portrayal of the immortal Ra's al Ghul in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins is one of the only times I've found myself rooting for the villain. After all, it's Liam Neeson, who rarely plays a villain. Ra's al Ghul is the man who gave Bruce Wayne the training he needed to become Batman. Good thing that didn't come back and bite him in the ass, right?
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12.) Manu Bennett as Deathstroke in Arrow (2012-2020)
From the moment Slade Wilson introduced himself to Oliver Queen, I knew things were not going to end well. Manu Bennett's epic portrayal of the expert killer Deathstroke in seasons 1 and 2 of Arrow is unbelievably good for television. I would put him on the same level as the big bads of comic book film because he is that good. You believe the darkness inside him and his quest for vengeance against Oliver is strangely justified.
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11.) Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Doc Ock was always one of my favorite Spider-Man villains and I was so excited when I learned that he would be the big bad of Spider-Man 2. Alfred Molina played him in such a tragic light that I loved every second he was on screen. The battle scenes between him and Spider-Man are incredibly cool and his overall plan actually makes sense. In the end, you kind of don't want Spider-Man to beat him.
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10.) Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor in Smallville (2001-2011)
Never before have we seen Lex Luthor like this. Hackman played him comical. Spacey played him campy but crazy. Rosenbaum became Lex. Nearly the entire run of Smallville was focused on Lex's friendship with Clark Kent evolving into a bitter rivalry that would turn them into archenemies. You can see the conflict in Lex's eyes as he turns from a decent man to a cold, unfeeling killer willing to do whatever it takes to destroy Superman. To me, Jesse Eisenberg has big shoes to fill.
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9.) Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier in Captain America:
The Winter Soldier (2014)
Other than Loki, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had yet to present a villain who presented a real threat to the hero. Then we met the Winter Soldier. Sebastian Stan's performance as the corrupted Bucky Barnes stands out as one of the best Marvel has given us and will go down as one of the greatest comic book villain portrayals of all time. Every moment he appears on screen is intense, as he shows no mercy and possesses unmatched skill. I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley.
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8.) Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin in Spider-Man (2002)
The very second you heard that psychotic laugh and saw the pumpkin bomb fly into the screen, we all knew who was coming. Dafoe's performance as Norman Osborn, the villainous Green Goblin was the best yet in a Spider-Man film. Though many gave the film grief because of his costume, I thought it was badass and memorable. Even his brief appearances in Spider-Man 2 and 3 nearly dominated the entire film. This was the perfect antithesis of Maguire's Spider-Man. He was crazy, he was a genius, and he set the bar for every villain after him.
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7.) David Morrissey as The Governor in The Walking Dead (2010-)
Fans of the comic book series had been waiting for the Governor to show up since season 1 and when he finally did, all our expectations were shattered by David Morrissey's incredible performance. He played the Governor we all wanted. Cold, unfeeling, psychotic, imposing, and most of all deadly. In a show revolving around zombies, it was easy to forget that they were even there whenever he showed up.
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6.) Tom Hiddleston as Loki in The Avengers (2012)
We'd already seen Loki in 2011's Thor, but it wasn't until he showed up in The Avengers that he took the mantle of "supervillain." Tom Hiddleston played Loki with such lovable sarcasm that we couldn't help but fall in love with the guy. While we all loved seeing the team come together, it was hard not to root for the god of mischief. He was just so likable for an evil god.
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5.) Terence Stamp as General Zod in Superman II (1980)
"Come to me, son of Jor-El! Come and kneel before Zod!" One of the greatest movie quotes of all time uttered by the infamous General Zod. After the first Superman film, it was cool to see the Man of Steel battling an enemy who could actually fight back. General Zod and his companions Ursa and Non were formidable opponents for Superman and made Superman II arguably the best in the series.
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4.) Hugo Weaving as Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
When I heard that Hugo Weaving would be playing the Red Skull, I got chills. He was the perfect person to play Captain America's archenemy and the chemistry between them was stellar. Weaving played the Red Skull with villainous gusto, making him into such a despicable Nazi villain that was so bad, he even betrayed Hitler. In my opinion, the Red Skull is the best villain to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet.
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3.) Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
When the first trailer for The Dark Knight Rises arrived and we finally got to see Bane, I don't think I've ever been more excited for a movie. Every moment he appears on screen is super tense and bonechilling, as you never know when he's going to snap and break someone's neck. Speaking of breaking, the scene where he beats Batman half to death is on its way to becoming iconic, if simply for keeping the same imagery from the comics. Bane will forever be the man who broke the bat.
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2.) Ian McKellen as Magneto in X-Men (2000)
Ian McKellen's Magneto was the supervillain you sympathized with. He was a Holocaust survivor who witnessed firsthand the cruelty of humanity. For this reason, he wants them all to suffer. Can you blame him? His performance in the X-Men films is definitely a standout and he remains a formidable opponent after all this time. While Michael Fassbender's turn as the metal-bending mutant was stellar as well, it was McKellen who made him iconic.
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1.) Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight (2008)
Were you expecting someone else? Never before has a comic book villain been portrayed so beautifully psychotic. Heath Ledger's performance as the legendary Joker is without a doubt the greatest comic book villain portrayals ever and one of the greatest performances ever filmed. The legacy he's left behind will be incredibly difficult to live up to and it's tragic he didn't live to see how iconic he would have become.
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