Five favorite villains, and why.

[Navarre]

By the popular demand of the High Inquisitor of the Navarre Dominion, I give you:

Who are your five favorite villains, and why?

[Gaumer]

Awesome topic idea :-)

5 Lex Luthor He represents the evil in humanity. Its a great enemy for Superman who has sworn to protect mankind.

4 Norman Osbourne He was always a psychotic wierdo, and thats appealing, but his current role is simply brilliant. I love the line being blurred between hero and villain, protector and oppressor.

3 Loki Never in it to win it, just in it to have fun and cause as much chaos as possible. Gotta love that quality.

2 Magneto But is he really a villain? If I was persecuted for being different and then I saw it happening again...I may go f*&^in' hostile to make sure it dont happen again. And he's back

1 Dr. Doom He's a scientist, a magician, a time-traveler, and a dictator. He's the bomb. And his arch nemesis are the FF: The smartest guy on the planet, a super strong guy made of rock, a guy who can control fire, and a chick who can crush a man's heart with an invisible force field...and he barely loses every damn time. That's a badass!!

Speaking of awesome teams *looks at Nav*

[chrysalis]

Gosh, I can not think of 5 so I will give you my top 3.

3. Trigon - Since Raven is one of my favorite heroes it's only fitting to have her counterpart in there. One that I love to hate.

2. The Toothfairies - from Hellboy II. Not really a villian but geeze did they give me nightmares. lol

1. Magneto - At the end of the day he is only trying to do what is best for his race, which is heroic, but he is okay with killing humans to do so, which is villainous. The contrast makes for a great character, imo. One that I can't bring myself to hate.

[Hercules in NY]

The best villains are always the ones that don't see themselves as villains.  They are the ones that have an agenda beyond complete comprehension.  They also have a palpable sense of entitlement to do what they do and hence you fear their potential all the more.

Magneto
Because were I in his position I would probably make the same mistakes he has.

Loki
Because he/she is a god; a master liar; someone who sees the whole picture and is able to distort it to any preferred view.

Joker
Because he essentially is the mortal version of Loki...  he is almost living proof of madness induced by what seems to be omniescense

Ozymandias
The man with the plan, does what it takes, and wins.

Sinestro
He's just a guy who has also tried to do the right thing by himself and his planet.  He just took things too far.

[theSuperAlbino]

5. Dr. Doom - Narcissistic doesn't even begin to describe him, he believes everything he wants belongs to him and will do what is necessary to get it

4. Green Goblin - The perfect opposite for Peter, the best example of great power and irresponsibility, oh, and he killed Peter's first love. Mephisto's got nothing on this guy

3. Magneto - Easily the most understandable villain that comes to mind, he believes so firmly in his cause that no one could make him change his mind, plus he's so downright manipulative, he always has a plan.

2. Red Skull - This spot used to be held by Baron Zemo but after reading Brubaker's Captain America I can't help but love Red Skull. He's all of these characters below him combined. He's full of himself, he's insane, and, most importantly, he always has a plan.

1. The Joker - He's the embodiment of evil, nothing can make him change. He sees life as nothing more than a game. If you need more of an explanation go watch "The Dark Knight" and write down everything anybody says about him.

[Gibralter]

5. The Joker, He’s at the bottom of my list because frankly he’s a mad dog and a dog that needs to be put down. I’m just waiting of someone to do it.

4. Thanos, the mad titan nearly killed the universe and all for love. Powerful, resourceful and poetic to a point he gathered the pieces of the Infinity Gauntlet before anyone could stop him. In the end beaten by just a mortal man, it’s enough I’m sure to make Navarre tear up.

3. Deathstroke the Terminator, The evil Batman I mean come on! Nuff said just read Identity Crisis.

2. Mr. Sinister, A super powered menance that believes in a darwinian mode of survival of the fittest. No matter the cost or who he has to go through.

1. Doctor Doom, A polymath scientific genius, powerful sorcerer, and rules his own country. You can’t touch him he’s got diplomatic immunity.  He build a freakin’ time machine! I mean come on. And yes I am a Dr. Doom fanboy.

[Navarre]

4. Thanos, the mad titan nearly killed the universe and all for love. Powerful, resourceful and poetic to a point he gathered the pieces of the Infinity Gauntlet before anyone could stop him. In the end beaten by just a mortal man, it’s enough I’m sure to make Navarre tear up.

   *sniff* .... um, maybe.   

My own list begins with, no lie:

5. Thanos:

He is amazingly calculating yet emotionally unbalanced at the same time. His obsessive need to win the favor of Death is the kind of behavior an abused child exhibits as an adult; trying to prove oneself worthy of the love of another in unrecognized hopes that they in fact learn to love themselves.

In a masterful stroke of brilliant evil he wiped half of the universe out of existence, summarily defeated the greatest heroes the universe had to offer, and stood against the physical manifestations of the esoteric universe. And he did it all with a smile. ... Wow.

4. Dark Phoenix:

Some may claim she is not a villain but I disagree. Dark Phoenix is not just Jean Grey possessed by the Phoenix Force.

Dark Phoenix is what happens when a good person is elevated so far beyond the scope of normal humanity that she no longer has a reason to care about it. That hunger that Dark Phoenix showed is Jean Grey's hunger.

We all want to control our world, cut away what doesn't work, and shape the universe to our liking. Jean Grey could do that.

And, as they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Seeing how that power changed Jean and, subsequently, seeing how she struggles to live with the knowledge of what she has done, makes her a fascinating character study in morality and redemption.

3. Magneto:

It seems no one's list is complete without Magneto. It shows what a great character he is.

I don't need to go into detail about why he is the way he is or the dichotomy of morality he shows through his perspective and actions. We get it.

We get him. And that is a real tribute to, arguably, the best villain ever created.

2. Deathstroke:

Magneto is the better villain because he is more complex. But, c'mon! Deathstroke is as cool as they get!

I have his first appearance in New Teen Titans #2 and most everything after. As was mentioned, read Identity Crisis if you want to see how good this man is.

Before someone decided to rip off Deathstroke, mix in Wolverine, and call it Deadpool, Deathstroke had already claimed a spot in villain history. His personal background, family relations, and ongoing pursuits make this villain more fun to read than just about anyone.

1. The Red Skull

Perhaps with me it is a given that this man would claim my #1 spot. He is everything Captain America is not yet.

He lacks any semblance of honor or nobility but he is far from a thug. His genius is matched by only a few of the world's greatest minds (such as Doctor Doom). His schemes are so far-reaching that Mr. Sinister would be proud.

He is the perfect villain for the noble, strategic, and straightforward Captain America. His legacy has proven itself over time.

A good hero is nothing without his arch-nemesis and the Red Skull shows us at every turn why Captain America is the hero he is. So he gets the spotlight as my favorite villain ever.

(and is it just me or is his daughter, Sin, totally bangin' hot?)

[schleicher12000]

I don't know why anyone would have favorite villains, as we are supposed to hate the enemy, but since you asked....

5.  Genghis Kahn - If it wasn't for him, the Great Wall of China would never have been built
4.  Napoleon - Isn't there an ice cream named after him?
3.  Pol Pot - well, the third spot in any list is a pretty weak one, often thrown in as a way of copping out to fill the needed space.
2.  Mussolini - Inspired Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator
1.  Hitler - designed the VW Bug

...

...

...

What?

[The Mighty King Cobra]

5. God and Frankie Avalon - Jack Kirby's original pencils for Fantastic Four #48 were done with the intent of the FF fighting God, and Frankie Avalon was hot at the time...  Jack just couldn't get the hair quite right.  Stan then dialogued it as something called a "Galacticus" and left the kid on the surfboard bald, and history was made.

4. The Evil Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight - ONE OF THESE DAYS, BABY!  MILKSHAKE!  BOOOM!

3. Joel Schumacher - Broke the Bat long before Bane.

2. Hellgrammite - A giant living cockaroach.  Awesome.

1. Richard Nixon - Not only did he get replaced by a Skrull, he was the reason Captain America quit to become Nomad back in the day.

[Navarre]

The mental image of Hitler driving around in a VW Bug is almost as frightening as the Holocaust.

5. God and Frankie Avalon - Jack Kirby's original pencils for Fantastic Four #48 were done with the intent of the FF fighting God, and Frankie Avalon was hot at the time...  Jack just couldn't get the hair quite right.  Stan then dialogued it as something called a "Galacticus" and left the kid on the surfboard bald, and history was made.

So your favorite villain is God, Frankie, Galactus, or Silver Surfer?

How do you define any (or all) of those as villains?

[The Mighty King Cobra]

<i>So your favorite villain is God, Frankie, Galactus, or Silver Surfer?

How do you define any (or all) of those as villains?</i>

Yes.

[Navarre]

Well, I can't really argue with that, can I?

My thread was sort of geared toward comic book villains. But it's my fault for not being specific.

Galactus and Silver Surfer fit that theme.

Not sure if Frankie Avalon ever made it into a comic or not. ... but I hear Magneto named his space station after him.