I decided to make this list because a friend suggested I make it. This is a list of my personal favorite villains and not a list of the best villains ever. Also this list will change with time a I read more comics and fall in love with these villains with sinister motivations. Please enjoy.
Catwoman to some might not even be considered a villain anymore. That is how much this character has changed and become more developed. She no longer wears that simple green dress from her first appearance or calling herself simply the Cat. She has grown stronger and has developed to be a central part of Batman's mythos. She also has something that no other villain has Batman's heart. Except Talia but that's beside the point. She has developed a complicated romance with Batman that no other character can claim. She is also is one of Batman's most iconic foes appearing in almost all incarnations of media that he has. She is a truly fascinating character and looks killer with a bullwhip.
He is often called the greatest comic book villain, and it is a title I think he deserves. The purpose of a villain is to challenge the hero and he certainly done that. Many of Batman's most iconic and important stories involve the Joker in some capacity. He has caused some of Batman's greatest tragedies including the death of Jason Todd and the paralysis of Barbara Gordon. He knows how to get inside Batman's head and do some real damage. He also has a great and simple gimick, the killer clown.
When people think of Shazam villains, they generally think about Black Adam. Personally I favor Sivana. He has deeper history fighting Captain Marvel. He was his original arch nemisis. He would build crazy devices in hopes of defeating Captain Marvel and take his rightfull role as the ruler of the universe. It is this simple and classic feel to him that I like about him. The complicated relationship he has with his daughter, Beautia Sivana, is another thing that appeals to me.
What is there to say about Lex Luthor? Except for the fact that he is one of the most powerful and intimidating people in the DC Universe and he doesn't have superpowers. His has used his own intelligence to put himself in his position of power and challenge one of the most powerful superheroes. He has challenged the Justice League and was once the president of the United States. He is a man that can be both admired and feared and is everything a great villain should be.
Wonder Woman just cant catch a break. Not only has she gone through several continuity revisions and never gotten the spotlight a character of her status, but he rogues gallery is often looked down upon despite have some impressive members. Of those villains Circe has been my favorite since her appearance in JLU. She is based on the character of Greek myth and yet feels like a character fresh and new. She boasts an impressive power set including fire blasts, creating illusions, raising the dead, and transforming men into pigs. She is a seductive and destructive goddess with impressive powers that she has used to challenge Diana on multiple occasions.
He is small but deadly and cunning. He is one of the biggest gangsters in Gotham City and has one of the coolest nightclubs around. With his trick umprellas, expensive suits, and a cigarette usually in his most he comits crime in class. He is also unlike most villains of Batman as he is a sometimes ally supplying Batman with information from time to time. He is not your typical villain with plans for world domination. His goal is simple he wants the power and respect he never got as a child. It's hard not to understand why he does the things he does. He wants move out from the shadow of the name he was taunted with as a child The Penguin.
He is a character like Batman who thrived off of the pain and loss he endured. He taught himself and built himself up into one of the most powerful and intelligent criminals around. He learned to master the fear in his heart and to turn that fear on others. He is a villain so powerful and intelligent that he was able to deduce Batman's secret identity and devised a plan to break the Batman. From the moment he broke Batman he solidified his status as one of Batman's most dangerous and is among one of Batman's most recognizable villains despite being less than 30 years old. He truly is a match for Batman and a villain to be feared.
Unlike most villains, he has been able to escape the shadow of his nemesis. He has gone on to be one of the biggest and most powerful villains in the DC Universe. He like Billy Batson was blessed with the powers of Shazam. He was a champion for Egypt, but he was soon corrupted. He like many great villains is powerful, terrifying, and understandable in his goals. And just look at him he looks awesome. Another interesting thing about Black Adam was that he was only a one shot villain before DC acquired the character and built him up to be more.
How do you take on a creature of the night and a man who strikes terror into the criminals of Gotham City? You simply use his own fear against him. He uses his own fear gas to take on Batman and to study and further his reasearch. He is a man of science and money means little to him unless it can further his research and his matery of fear. He is a villain I think is very interesting.
