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It took a surprisingly long time for the first superhero to meet the first supervillain.
In 1938,Action ComicsNo.
For the next dozen issues, he faced petty criminals.
We proudly present to you a definitive list of the 25 best movie supervillains of all time.
In searching for our winners, we generally looked at three criteria that are essential to top-flight mega-nasties.
And finally, they have to be played by actors who know how to light up the screen.
Lets go into the secret lair, shall we?
And then theres Col. Stryker.
Brian Cox and the team behindX2did as good a job as anyone ever has at crafting a mutant-hater.
Who wouldnt get a little monomaniacal?
The other is Jeff Bridgess turn as avuncular war profiteer Obadiah Stane.
One delights in his line readings (Tony Stark was able tobuildthis in acave!With a box ofscraps!
), but one derives extra joy from Bridgess defiance of his mainstream pigeonholing as a nice guy.
The character design is pleasantly jarring for a couple of reasons.
First of all, youre looking at Serkis outside of a motion-capture context, which is a rarity.
Second, hes frighteningly sexy with his jacked arms, well-tailored shirt/vest combo, and predatory confidence.
On top of all that, we have to talk about his vocal delivery.
However, one version of the film never gets old: theYouTube videothat removes everything except Willem Dafoes dialogue.
He is a brilliant inverse of the titular hero.
Instead of watching his rich parents die, his rich parents leave him for dead.
The character design is appropriately gut-churning and DeVito manages to play the guy as both despicable and pitiable.
Youre calling her violent and reprehensible, Thor?
Well, what about your own papa?
Beyond that, Helas plan and its execution are relatively flat, but were never not entertained.
She strides through her every scene with the confidence of a prize Spanish bull, horns and all.
When she cackles, the whole Nine Realms cackles with her.
1 with a bullet.
You do you, Otto.
Quite often, the scariest thing in an adolescents world is something common: An angry adult.
His resentment knows no bounds, and he thinks his imagined average-Joe status justifies the crimes he commits.
He wants to overthrow Gothams elites so he can then destroy the city?
Because hes in love?
And above all: Thatvoice!How on Earth did Hardy construct something so simultaneously melodic and blood-curdling?
His clownishly foppy fashion sense sears itself into your memory.
Yes, you magnificent bastard, it does.
1 because the scripts Joker elements are a little lackluster.
Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) Superman ReturnsThis is, of course, an uncomfortable entry to write.
The sexual-assaultaccusationsagainst Lex Luthor actor Kevin Spacey are horrifying, as are thoseagainstdirector Bryan Singer.
They are not to be taken lightly, and its entirely justifiable to never watch the film again.
His exquisite suits and defiantly bald pate are perfect for Luthorian iconography.
But one must cautiously admit that the linchpin is Spaceys thespian mastery.
Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) UnbreakableM.
Night ShyamalansUnbreakableis, at its core, a film about discovering who youve always been.
Its almost too perfect, isnt it?
Even the decent ones tend to be just that: decent, occasionally fun, and little more.
Despite being put in the hands of different writers over the years, his spirit has shone clear.
We swoon over his stirring combination of scheming hubris, relatable envy, and simmering sensuality.
Among the males on this list, only Killmonger comes close to the power of Hiddlestons curious sex appeal.
Hes a perfect inverse of proud, virtuous Thor.
But there is no wink here, no sense of humor.
There is merely the heady cocktail of entitlement and strength.
Oh, God, the president mutters to himself in anguish.
The villain corrects him with a single word: Zod.
is a particular favorite).
We venture to be Superman, but all too often, we empower the Zods of our own world.
Heres my vain attempt to live up to the high bar set by Angelica.
Here, Catwoman is nothing short of the return of the repressed.
Its as much a weapon as her whip and her claws.
So are her Daniel Waterspenned lines.
To wit: Lifes a bitch.
Now so am I.
When she plays off of Batman,shesthe one in control.
Her feminism is a blunt instrument (e.g., I am Catwoman, hear me roar!
), but blunt instruments, when swung right, leave quite a mark.
Extremely mild spoiler forBlack Pantherbelow.
Hes in a British museums West African wing, gazing at the artifacts contained therein.
A lesser character would have left the description there and stolen it, as is his plan.
Oh, and hes poisoned her.
His accusation against the world is more convincing, moreurgent,than any other on this list.
As the Jews say on Passover:dayenu that would be enough.
But we are also blessed with a performance for the ages from Michael B. Jordan.
He is truly sui generis.
Then, along came Heath.
He changed popular culture.
Which leaves us with a question: Why so serious?
Youll get your answer on your first viewing or your fiftieth.
Obsession is a natural response to this once-in-a-lifetime constellation of design, writing, and acting.
And as for Ledger, well, what can you say that hasnt already been said?
and the bomb-wielding Joker deadpans, Yeah.
How on earth can an actor elicit those two responses in such close proximity and in that order?
Writers are capable of giving him brilliant schemes and memorable words because he lacks limits and embraces absurdity.
Fans are seduced by his nihilism because its notthatfar from the truth.
