In ascending order, I rank the baddest bad guys in superhero movie history. Enjoy!
10. Nomak in Blade II (2002). Underrated superhero movie. Underrated supervillain. It’s prequel Blade (1998) was probably the more well-rounded film. But Blade II was probably more fun. And Nomak and his vampire-like couture made it just that. We all know that titular characters are HIGHLY unlikely to be vanquished on-screen, but Nomak was so powerful, I did at least think the baddest day-walker would leave with a limp.
9. Obadiah Stane in Iron Man (2008). Probably the least powerful of the nemeses that I have listed, he was no less formidable for the hero. Jeff Bridges did an excellent job in convincing the audience that his character actually believed he was doing the right thing, no matter how self-serving and wicked his “profit-at-all-costs” motives were.
8. Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man II (2004). I have a hard time putting this enigmatic villain on the list, because in the Toby McGuire-starring Spider-Man sequel, he ended up being an anti-hero of sorts. However, for most of the film he was a thorn in Spidey’s side and gift-wrapped him into the vengeful hands of Harry Osborn. So for those reasons, he makes it onto the list.
7. Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins (2005). Before he was Taken by other action films, Liam Neeson, like Obadiah Stane in Iron Man, had no superpowers. But his performance was superb. His transition from mentor to friend to foe, made his final conflict with Bruce Wayne/Batman all the more complex and riveting.
6. Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie (1978). He was the first supervillain that I witnessed on the big-screen as a child. Gene Hackman was a funny yet formidable foe to still my favorite Man of Steel of all-time, the late Christopher Reeve.
5. Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014). I’m biased here. This side of Marvel’s the Avengers, this film is my favorite MCU entry to-date. And Sebastian Stan’s performance has a lot to do with that. Sporting a bionic, seemingly indestructible arm, a messy hairdo and eerie theme music, he was the epitome of bad-ass, as Captain America would find out on a few occasions.
4. Loki in Marvel’s the Avengers (2012). You can make an argument that Tom Hiddleston’s first depiction of the “God of Lightning’s” deceitful, adopted brother in Thor (2011) was on par. But in the pinnacle of the MCU thus far, Loki and his “army from outer space” didn’t disappoint.
3. General Zod in Superman II (1980). “Kneel before Zod!!” Need I say more??
2. Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Batman (1989). Simply brilliant. That’s all I can say to describe the first big-screen Joker since Cesar Romero. Nicholson was the right man for the part. I am still creeped out by his Jack Torrance character in The Shining. This film was not as dark as that one, but it showed that they picked the right guy to play such a crazy antagonist.
1. Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). If Jack Nicholson was what Sean Connery was to the James Bond films, then the late Heath Ledger is what Daniel Craig has been to the Bond franchise. Just when I thought there was no way the role could meet/reach the lofty expectations set by its predecessor, I found out that I was wrong. Ledger’s Joker is the best supervillain depiction in the best superhero movie of all-time. Enough said.
I was on the fence between Deacon Frost and Nomak. I will admit that Frost definitely had “more to him” since he was the central antagonist to Blade, not to be distracted by additional adversaries like the “Blood Pack” in Blade II. But I just thought he was a much more imposing physical presence than Frost, who looked more like an emaciated punk rocker turned hominus nocturna! lol
Awesome list agreed on everything but i think it’s a wash between Nomak and Frost, who I liked both as Blade’s villains.