The best comic book villains are the ones who don’t see themselves as villains. They set out to achieve goals that may have horrifying consequences for society. Still, they believe such actions are beneficial in the end – even if at the sacrifice of their own humanity. In their minds, if they don’t do it, who will?
Some comic book villains view humanity as human cattle, unappreciative and undeserving of their existence; they need to be shocked back into appreciating their lives. Some become villains by force. Other comic book villains are anarchists who believe they need to be the chaos “ying” to the “yang” of societal laws and norms. After all, there is no light without dark and no love without hate.
Here are seven comic book villains whose stories challenge our morals as readers and allow us to hyper-evaluate their motivations.
1. Thanos
Thanos is arguably the greatest cinematic comic book villain of the modern era. In the comic books, Thanos is a simp – he wants to kill half the universe to impress Lady Death. MCU Thanos is a philosophical eco-terrorist who wants to kill half the universe so the other half won’t suffer or fight for resources.
MCU Thanos didn’t benefit from his plans either. He sacrificed his daughters and lived a hermetic monk’s life until Thor ended him.
Endless memes were made about Thanos’ neglecting to increase resources. That argument betrays the fact that we live in a world where no one should starve while ample resources are hoarded and controlled by the powerful. A comic book villain made society talk about this issue for years.
2. Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias)
From the 1950s to the 1990s, the world feared that nuclear war would happen at any time. 1986’s hyper-political superhero comic book, Watchmen, theorized a cynical and horrific solution to the problem. In a world where superheroes are real and Richard Nixon is still president, nuclear annihilation is imminent and unstoppable.
Former hero Ozymandias creates a hoax crisis that kills millions of people to unite the world and engender peace. Ozymandias is one of the creepiest comic book villains ever. He truly believes you must break some eggs to make an omelet. So, millions of innocent human sacrifices are nothing to him if the ends justify the means.
3. Winter Soldier (Captain America: Civil War 2016)
Introduced as an MCU villain, Bucky’s tragic history as the Winter Soldier was revealed in 2016’s Civil War. Brainwashed and repeatedly forced into suspended animation, Bucky became an assassin. The revelation that he killed Tony Stark’s parents broke up the Avengers. When he later became a hero, online fans passionately argued that Bucky deserved forgiveness and redemption.
Many argued he should have inherited Cap’s shield and not Sam’s, even though Bucky could not trust his mind. Consider – Have you ever cut someone out of your life over a petty fight? Would you really forgive someone who killed your parents via mind control? Without his backstory as Bucky, the Winter Soldier is a villain. Also, even the character said on film that mind control does not wash the blood off his hands.
4. Magneto
In the comic books, Magneto is sometimes portrayed as a mutant supremacist determined to protect mutants from humans. (In the comics, Magneto cycles between being a hero and a villain.) The X-Men were created in 1963 as a metaphor for the Civil Rights movement and the societal plague of discrimination.
In the comic books, Magneto once ruled a mutant haven called Genosha, where humans were not allowed. It was created as a metaphor for South Africa’s apartheid laws. Humans are inferior to Magneto and a threat to be controlled or nullified. In the comics, Magneto is basically a racist towards humans, not based on race or gender, but by their genetics and hatred of mutants.
5. Captain America and Iron Man (Civil War)
No, Cap and Iron Man are not villains. However, the political stances they took in the comics and MCU films are akin to the morally ambiguous beliefs of comic book villains. Stark wants superheroes to register and be controlled by state entities. Cap believes in free will and backs Winter Soldier over Stark while knowing Bucky killed Stark’s parents.
The bickering between these two powerful men breaks up the Avengers, causes the destruction of Sokovia, and allows Thanos to easily win in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. Half the universe got blipped because Rogers and Stark couldn’t squash their beef long enough to save the universe. The world was at stake, and they didn’t care; their non-action and inability to unite against Thanos when it mattered was villain-like.
6. The Punisher
The Punisher is marketed as an antihero, but let’s not mince words – he’s a serial killer of killers. He’s not a good guy, even if he is a vigilante. He’s one of the best comic book villains portrayed as a hero. If the world needs the Punisher, what does that say about the police, the law, or regular people?
What does that say about the world?
The Punisher believes every wronged person should do what he does. However, since most people float through life following laws, he does it for us. The Punisher would probably resent us seeing him as a hero. He might see passive, regular people as the sheep of society.
He’s a self-appointed necessary evil because the world accepts evil, not because he’s a hero. It’s OK for the law to never apply to the Punisher until he comes after you or someone you love.
7. The Joker
A popular theme in Batman comic books and films is the idea that Batman and Joker could not exist without each other. If Batman won’t end the Joker, like the Punisher, for example, then isn’t Batman enabling the Joker? The Joker is an anarchist who thinks societal norms are a joke. When the Joker is at war with Gotham, he’s at war with regular people just as much as Batman.
He wants you to ask yourself if life is worth living if you must share it with people like him, an insane comic book villain who could upend it at any moment. Why follow rules when you can do what you want? After all, the Joker gets away with his crimes constantly. If Batman can’t stop him, why should you follow the rules?
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The Best Comic Book Villains Make Us Ask Questions
These villains don’t see themselves as “bad guys,” and that is what makes them fascinating. If anything, they see the mediocrity of humanity or its willingness to endure suffering as evil.
They are willing to do the dirty work no one else wants to do, yet benefits everyone, like a butcher, janitor, or crime scene cleanup crew, but on a macro scale. They forcibly put a mirror in a society that judges their actions.
This does not mean that you should agree with the philosophies of Ozymandias, Thanos, or the Joker. Just because evil men don’t view themselves as evil doesn’t negate their evil actions or consequences. It’s just interesting that fans can sometimes relate to evil antagonists that make us question our morals, especially when we sometimes don’t even allow good people to do the same.
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