Turning back to Iron
Man 3, how does that relate to our topic today? Although Iron Man is an iconic film and the role
of Tony Stark re-launched Robert Downy Jr., the series has always lacked the one
thing that makes a super hero film great: an awesome villain! Two absolutely
true story tropes: ‘You’re only as good as your villain’, and ‘Conflict is the
mother of all story.’ We need to understand who our hero is fighting, and more
importantly why in order for a film
to work. Though the Iron Man series has
lacked amazing villains so far, they’ve been able to get this far on the charm
of the rest of their cast. The only way to raise the stakes for the third
installment is to ensure that The Mandarin, played by Sir Ben Kingsley, will
bring the super-villiany to a whole new level.
So what makes a good villain? Who do we point to as the
best film (comic villains are a whole other discussion) super villains of all
time? Before we offer our list, let’s lay the ground rules.
1. The list is
limited to the superhero genre. There are many great villains in film
history but we specifically wanted to look at super villains vs. superheroes.
2. Heath Ledger’s
Joker in The Dark Knight is ruled out.
Why? Because he wins. He’s the clear
answer. He’s the only person that won an Oscar for playing a super villain, and
he reached a level of art and audience ardor that is beyond this discussion.
Since we all know he’s the forgone conclusion, we believe that makes him transcend
the smaller topic of greatest super villain and belong instead to the larger
topic of Greatest Film Villain, period. For now, let’s set him aside and take a
look at Nerd 5’s Best Film Super Villains (Not Including Heath Ledger’s Joker)
3. We are allowed
to disagree. In those instances you get to hear from us individually.
5. Aaron Eckhart’s
Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight (2008)
One of the reasons that Christopher Nolan’s The
Dark Knight is so great is the criminally overlooked performance of Aaron
Eckhart as Harvey Dent, otherwise known as Two-Face. Eckhart plays the foil to
both Bruce Wayne and Batman equally, and allows us to see a good man slowly go
bad. The layers that Eckhart adds to this character is what really makes it,
honestly he’s the person that makes this film work. He pulls all of the
fantastical elements together but is almost always overlooked when people
mention The Dark Knight. Aaron
Eckhart as Harvey Dent easily deserves to be on this list.
(Josh’s #4) Danny
DeVito’s Penguin in Batman Returns (1992)
One of the wonderful things about Tim Burton 1992 sequel to Batman is its villains. Danny DeVito
could not be more perfectly cast. As a kid he was the perfect amount of creepy
and silly and his performance still vividly sticks out in my brain as being one
of the greatest villains of all time. Watching the film as an adult I found
something interesting, Batman Returns
is really an examination of the three aspects of Batman. Catwoman represents
the thrill seeking, leather wearing, dark side of him, Max Shrek is his
billionaire business side, and finally The Penguin is the part of Batman/Bruce
Wayne that still mourns the loss of this parents and feels like a freak or outcast.
It’s this aspect that really allows The Penguin to shine. I really enjoy Batman Returns and it is, in my opinion,
the best of the non-Nolan Batman franchise.
(Jeff’s #4) Samuel L. Jackson’s Elijah Price
in Unbreakable (2000) Quick
shoutout here for the best movie M. Knight has given to our society.
Unbreakable tracks the progression of a real man discovering his own special
abilities and what it does to him and his family. As Elijah, Jackson acts as a
sage, a comic book expert guiding this new hero’s steps. The real-world aspect
of this film makes Elijah’s reveal as antagonist even more compelling and has
even more dire consequences. Plus Jackson rocks awesome Frederick Douglas hair.
(Josh’s #3) Tom
Hiddleston’s Loki in Thor (2011) &
The Avengers (2012) Speaking of
perfect casting, Tom Hiddleston is perfect as Loki. He easily steals the show
every time he’s on screen. Loki is a villain so badass that he needs an entire
team of superheroes to take him down. It’s in 2011’s Thor that we really get to know what makes him tick, and because of
the great performance from Hiddleston, you can totally empathize with him. Loki
is a relatively new addition to the film villain history but he has instantly
made a mark and will be around for a long time as one of the greatest villains
of all time.
(Jeff’s #3) Ian
McKellen’s Magneto in X-Men (2000) X-Men was the first superhero movie out
of the gate, and still one of the best. Instead of telling a sprawling, pulpy
story with too many characters (like X-Men 3) it focused on a small cast
dealing with a, though fantastic, manageable amount of daring-do. McKellen can
read the phone book and I’ll pay, how much better then to have him play a villain
with so much history and pathos. Way to set the bar high.
2. Jason Lee’s
Syndrome in The Incredibles (2004)
We’ll go off the reservation for this one, but yes Syndrome as voiced by Jason
Lee in Brad Bird’s The Incredibles is
the second greatest film villain of all time. Why? Because he was created by
the man who is now is arch nemesis. Think about (Spoiler Aler… no, whatever.
You should have seen it by now) from Syndrome’s point of view, all he ever
wanted to do was be a superhero, and his idol, Mr. Incredible, totally blows
him off. As a child Syndrome just can’t handle that type of rejection. Syndrome
is cold, calculating and a true evil genius who is not bent on world
destruction, but the destruction of one man, which makes the final battle so
personal and worthwhile to watch. The idea of creating your own worst enemy isn’t
a new one, but it’s the best when done right. I adore Syndrome, and he more
than deserves a spot on this list. Almost the top spot, but not quite. Don’t
hurt me Syndrome…
 |
| This cuddly villain has eight arms to hold onto our hearts. |
1. Alfred Molina’s
Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004)
What’s not to love about Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock? His journey from scientist,
loving husband, and all around good-guy to one of the most vicious villains of
all time is simply heartbreaking. At every turn we understand why the character
is doing what he’s doing (even if that reason is that his tentacles are driving
him a little insane) and why needs to
do it, which makes it all the more amazing when we know that Spider-Man has to
take him down. The scene with the Doctor in the in hospital still raises the
hairs on the back of my neck. In a film full of heart and hope, Molina’s
character shows how dreams can turn to pain, darkness, and anger. One of the best
moments of the film comes near the end (Spoiler… Again,
whatever, you need to catch up on your movies, buddy) when Doc Ock realizes
that he’s gone too far, and instead of completing his scheme, chooses to put other’s lives above his own.
In all honesty, I would have nominated Molina for a best
supporting actor Oscar for this role, and it’s my belief that Molina success
gives credibility to all super villains, showing that great actors can give
great performances within that type of role. Without Molina breaking this ground,
Ledger’s stunning performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight might not even have been considered for an Oscar,
let alone win. As the old saying goes “the first person through the wall,
always gets bloody.” I applaud Molina for being the first person through the
wall.
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