Supervillains

Supervillains are distinguished villains who act as foils to superheroes. Although the villains and heroes often conflict, the villains also give heroes a purpose, forcing them to prove their worth. Supervillains’ powers, intellect, physical abilities, and ambition often surpass those in everyday villains. Supervillains typically seek to take over the world, destroy civilizations, or exterminate populations and are the ultimate bad guys or bad girls.

When the authors and artists of the Marvel Universe and DC Comics created a stable of superheroes, they need to give them nemeses. These were the supervillains. Many had backgrounds, perhaps good people turned bad or alien lifeforms intent on destruction and domination. Supervillains typically have fear-inspiring villain names and sometimes sinister real names. Some of the most recognizable come from other planets and, as a result, may have just one true name paired with an earthly alias that helps them hide.

Background

When Superman first appeared in Action Comics in 1938, his first nemesis was the Ultra-Humanite, a villain with a great intellect in a crippled body. He was eventually killed off and replaced with a similarly evil genius named Lex Luthor.

The era of the superhero in film and TV—especially in stories created by Marvel and DC comics—brought forth a notorious class of supervillains who have become household names. Both franchises have plentiful evil geniuses and world destroyers, but Marvel has used the concept of an otherworldly villain more than DC. Supervillains with extraordinary powers are Marvel’s traits, while DC Comics has opted more for a human with a brilliant mind.

Like most superheroes, supervillains have compelling origin stories, which explain the forces that shaped their world views. The details of those stories connect fans to the characters and their points of view. All respectable supervillains have pasts to which fans can relate. Readers see how a single event may have turned an otherwise good person evil, and they often understand the villains, even as they disagree with them.

Overview

Among the most recognizable supervillains of all time are:

• Marvel’s Thanos is a powerful intergalactic being who had the largest kill count of any supervillain in the comic books and subsequent films. In both media, Thanos wipes out half of all life in the universe. In the films Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame the character is played by Josh Brolin.
• The Joker has terrorized Batman and Gotham City since 1940. The clown-like character has gone through several incarnations, from the mischievously evil “Clown Prince of Crime” in the 1960s TV series Batman and the 1989 film of the same name, to a more cruel, psychotic manifestation in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, the 2019 film Joker, and the 1988 graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke.
• Killmonger is a highly trained warrior from the African kingdom of Wakanda who is bent on revenge for the death of his parents. In both comics and film, he challenges Wakanda’s King T’Challa, aka Black Panther, for the rule of the kingdom.
• Syndrome is a formidable threat in the Pixar film The Incredibles. He became the hero’s ultimate villain after his childhood dream of becoming Mr. Incredible’s sidekick was thwarted.
• Catwoman, a character who first appeared in 1940, transitioned from a young jewel thief and romantic foil to Batman to a smart, sinister supervillain. The character has been played by numerous actresses, including Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the 1960s TV series Batman, then by Michelle Pfeiffer, Halle Berry, Anne Hathaway, and Zoë Kravitz in later films.
• Lex Luthor has been Superman’s main archnemesis since 1940. Like many supervillains, he too has undergone a transformation over the decades. In the early comics, he is an evil genius/mad scientist, while in later incarnations, he is a nefarious, cunning businessman. In the 1978 film Superman, he is played by Gene Hackman, and in later films by Kevin Spacey and Jesse Eisenberg.
• In Norse mythology, Loki is a shapeshifting god known for his cunning and often malicious actions. In comics and film, he is the god of mischief and half-brother to Thor, the god of thunder. He serves as a main antagonist to Thor, at times feigning loyalty but driven by a selfish agenda, and other times in outright opposition.
• When the Penguin first appeared in 1941, he was a tuxedo and top-hat wearing mob boss known as the “Gentleman of Crime.” He used his multi-purpose umbrella as a weapon in his battles against Batman. In later comics, his awkward, bird-like appearance made him a social outcast who descended into a life of crime.

Supervillains also have come in teams. The first recorded large supervillain team was the Injustice Society of the World, which debuted in 1947. Its origin lineup consisted of the Wizard, Brain Wave, the Gambler, Per Degaton, the Thinker, and Vandal Savage. The Injustice Society battled its original namesakes, the Justice Society of America, and was defeated repeatedly. Another popular supervillain team is the Flash’s Rogues Gallery, a kind of social club known for its strict rules of acceptance as well as its evil plots.

Humans have long been fascinated with fiends, and psychologists have examined the extent to which that is healthy. Psychiatrist Carl Jung theorized that people need to confront and understand their hidden nature to grow as humans. Sigmund Freud argued for wish fulfillment, viewing human nature as inherently antisocial and biologically driven by the pleasure principle, born to be bad but constrained by society. Freudians say the id, the section of the mind driven by impulse, dwells underneath the conscious mind and would readily embrace supervillains.

Humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow held that maturation challenges people who have not met their basic needs. People who dwell on their deficits may envy and resent others who have more than they do. Some who are unable to overcome social shortcomings fantasize about obtaining any means, good or bad, to satisfy need and greed.

Researchers have theorized that supervillains satisfy our needs for freedom, power, payback, and victim-blaming. Ultimately, they note, even the worst reasons for fascination tend to arise from initially healthy and natural motivations—frustrated drives that took a wrong turn. However, it’s important to remember, they say, that fiction ultimately begins and ends with heroes, and supervillains were primarily created to reveal how heroic the comics' stars can be.

Bibliography

Dooley, David. “Supervillains and Their Real Names.” Nanny McPhee, 1 Feb. 2023, www.nannymcphee.co.uk/supervillains-and-their-real-names/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2023.

Faraci, Derek. “Tragically Evil: 10 Supervillains with Heartbreaking Origin Stories.” CBR.com, 5 Mar. 2021, www.cbr.com/supervillains-tragic-heartbreaking-origin-stories/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2023.

Langley, Travis. “Why Do Supervillains Fascinate Us? A Psychological Perspective.” Wired, 27 July 2012, www.wired.com/2012/07/why-do-supervillains-fascinate-us/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2023.

Moreau, Jordan. “The Best Super Villains of All Time.” Variety, 18 Oct. 2019, variety.com/gallery/best-movie-villains-all-time/marvels-avengers-infinity-war-film-2018-2/. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.

“Top 100 Comic Book Villains.” IGN, 2023, www.ign.com/lists/top-100-comic-book-villains. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.

Wallace, Daniel. DC Comics: Super-Villains: The Complete Visual History. Insight Comics, 2014.