Zeeguy91
01-03-2012, 12:30 AM
Okay, so this is probably been done before, but: Who do you think has the best rogues gallery? We all know the usual suspects for this title: Batman and Spider-Man. But I kinda just wanted to talk about it but then again, I also didn't want it to devolve into the same old discussion of Batman vs. Spider-Man or just another hero and somebody saying "oh, his/her villains are awesome" without really explaining why or how they're "awesome". So, I thought, it might be fun to delineate each heroes' villains based in specific categories. In a response, choose the villains that you think represent the best of six categories:
Most Character Complexity
Most Unconventional
Most Colorful
Most Threatening
Most Underrated
Most Overrated
And also, give your reasons for your choices in each category. I'll give mine as an example:
Most Character Complexity: Batman's Villains
----I mean, how can you not love Batman's villains. All of them are extremely layered and complex, with relatable motives and characterizations. Whether its Ra's al Ghul and Poison Ivy, who seek to "save the world" from the onslaught of mankind, or the Joker, who is constantly reminding us that it only takes one bad day to drive us over the edge, Batman's villains take the cake when it comes to realistic and layered character development. And not only that, but most of them reflect something within the Batman himself. Bane, for example, at least for me represents brute strength and reminded Batman of his limitations as a man by breaking his back.
Most Unconventional: The Hulk's Villains
----In this decision, I didn't so much look at the Hulk's whole rogues gallery, but at one specific villain he has. While Hulk has to battle a throng of monster-like villains, which are after all, unconventional, such as Abomination and the Leader, but there's one that makes his villain the most unconventional of all. Who is that villain, you ask? Why....its the US Military. Yes, in addition to facing off against gamma baddies, throughout much of his history, they Hulk has been seen as a villain himself. Therefore, he regularly has to fight the US Army. Its a really weird and cool concept, if I have to say so myself. Not only that, but the Hulk also squares off regularly against other heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America. Therefore, he becomes their villain and vice-versa. I always though that was unique and special.
Most Colorful: Flash's Villains
----This is pretty much a no-brainer. I mean how could you even look at Flash's villains and not think that they are some of the most colorful and off-beat characters in all of comics. Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heatwave, Captain Boomerang, The Trickster, Professor Zoom, Weather Wizard, Gorilla Grodd, Golden Glider. I mean, they are all so colorful and weird and unique (one of his main villains is a talking gorilla, nuff said), which is why I even like Flash's villains more than I like Batman's. Even this newest addition, Mob Rule, is proving to be unique and cool, and one of the most personal villains I've read.
Most Threatening: Green Lantern's Villains
----Again, pretty much a no-brainer. I mean, Hal's villains take the cake in this category. Its simply because of the way that the Green Lantern Corps is set up. Its a police force of 7,200 officers. So, anybody who is going to fight them has to have a LOT of juice. To fight an intergalactic organization, it basically requires that you have to be like a cosmic force. I mean, almost every time something big happens in the Green Lantern books, the rest of the DC heroes have to get involved cuz its so big. Whether its Sinestro Corps War, War of the Green Lanterns, or...Blackest Night, every time a big GL baddie comes to town, almost the entire DCU are present in the ensuing melee. GL does have his earthly bad guys like Hector Hammond, Goldface, Professor Ojo, and Black Hand (although he did play a big part in Blackest Night). But the majority of them, Sinestro, Krona, Parallax, Atrocitus, The Star Sapphires, the Manhunters, Mongul, Nekron, are major leaguers that are among the most powerful players in the DCU.
Most Underrated: Wonder Woman's Villains
----I never got why Wonder Woman's villains got such a bad rap. I've seen people just downright bash them for no reason. I mean, they're not the best in comics, but they're definitely not the worst. And I see some really good ones that deserve props for being so bad. I mean, Ares is IMO, one of the major villains in the DCU, and Maxwell Lord (yes, I count him as a WW villain cuz she killed him and he had a vendetta against her) made the entire DCU forget his existence just so he could try to kill Wonder Woman: that's some major league bad-assery. And I think Cheetah, Silver Swan, Dr. Psycho, and Giganta are all good villains. They just aren't given enough props and I hope that, after this current arc is over in her comics (which I'm loving, btw) that they bring back one of her classic baddies.
Most Overrated: Spider-Man's Villains
----Okay, some of you may have my head for this, but...yeah. I think Spidey's bad guys are overrated. It's not that I don't think that they're good villains, they are. Its just that, idk, they're not as good as everyone makes them out to be. I mean, what is with the animal motif? The majority of Spidey's rogues are freakin animals: The Rhino, The Vulture, The Scorpion, The Lizard, The Jackal, Doctor Octopus. You could even make the connection that Electro is based off an electric eel and Kraven is definitely based on a lion. None of them just really seemed personal to Spider-Man, except for Green Goblin. Don't get me wrong, Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, and The Jackal are ALL great villains, but I just think that they don't deserve to be called THE BEST, as a lot of people have insisted. They're definitely great, awesome even, but IMO they don't deserve the #1 spot that a lot of people give them, which is why in my book they're overrated
So, what do you guys think? You don't have to go into paragraphs like I did, but, at least try to explain your choices.
Most Character Complexity
Most Unconventional
Most Colorful
Most Threatening
Most Underrated
Most Overrated
And also, give your reasons for your choices in each category. I'll give mine as an example:
Most Character Complexity: Batman's Villains
----I mean, how can you not love Batman's villains. All of them are extremely layered and complex, with relatable motives and characterizations. Whether its Ra's al Ghul and Poison Ivy, who seek to "save the world" from the onslaught of mankind, or the Joker, who is constantly reminding us that it only takes one bad day to drive us over the edge, Batman's villains take the cake when it comes to realistic and layered character development. And not only that, but most of them reflect something within the Batman himself. Bane, for example, at least for me represents brute strength and reminded Batman of his limitations as a man by breaking his back.
Most Unconventional: The Hulk's Villains
----In this decision, I didn't so much look at the Hulk's whole rogues gallery, but at one specific villain he has. While Hulk has to battle a throng of monster-like villains, which are after all, unconventional, such as Abomination and the Leader, but there's one that makes his villain the most unconventional of all. Who is that villain, you ask? Why....its the US Military. Yes, in addition to facing off against gamma baddies, throughout much of his history, they Hulk has been seen as a villain himself. Therefore, he regularly has to fight the US Army. Its a really weird and cool concept, if I have to say so myself. Not only that, but the Hulk also squares off regularly against other heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Captain America. Therefore, he becomes their villain and vice-versa. I always though that was unique and special.
Most Colorful: Flash's Villains
----This is pretty much a no-brainer. I mean how could you even look at Flash's villains and not think that they are some of the most colorful and off-beat characters in all of comics. Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heatwave, Captain Boomerang, The Trickster, Professor Zoom, Weather Wizard, Gorilla Grodd, Golden Glider. I mean, they are all so colorful and weird and unique (one of his main villains is a talking gorilla, nuff said), which is why I even like Flash's villains more than I like Batman's. Even this newest addition, Mob Rule, is proving to be unique and cool, and one of the most personal villains I've read.
Most Threatening: Green Lantern's Villains
----Again, pretty much a no-brainer. I mean, Hal's villains take the cake in this category. Its simply because of the way that the Green Lantern Corps is set up. Its a police force of 7,200 officers. So, anybody who is going to fight them has to have a LOT of juice. To fight an intergalactic organization, it basically requires that you have to be like a cosmic force. I mean, almost every time something big happens in the Green Lantern books, the rest of the DC heroes have to get involved cuz its so big. Whether its Sinestro Corps War, War of the Green Lanterns, or...Blackest Night, every time a big GL baddie comes to town, almost the entire DCU are present in the ensuing melee. GL does have his earthly bad guys like Hector Hammond, Goldface, Professor Ojo, and Black Hand (although he did play a big part in Blackest Night). But the majority of them, Sinestro, Krona, Parallax, Atrocitus, The Star Sapphires, the Manhunters, Mongul, Nekron, are major leaguers that are among the most powerful players in the DCU.
Most Underrated: Wonder Woman's Villains
----I never got why Wonder Woman's villains got such a bad rap. I've seen people just downright bash them for no reason. I mean, they're not the best in comics, but they're definitely not the worst. And I see some really good ones that deserve props for being so bad. I mean, Ares is IMO, one of the major villains in the DCU, and Maxwell Lord (yes, I count him as a WW villain cuz she killed him and he had a vendetta against her) made the entire DCU forget his existence just so he could try to kill Wonder Woman: that's some major league bad-assery. And I think Cheetah, Silver Swan, Dr. Psycho, and Giganta are all good villains. They just aren't given enough props and I hope that, after this current arc is over in her comics (which I'm loving, btw) that they bring back one of her classic baddies.
Most Overrated: Spider-Man's Villains
----Okay, some of you may have my head for this, but...yeah. I think Spidey's bad guys are overrated. It's not that I don't think that they're good villains, they are. Its just that, idk, they're not as good as everyone makes them out to be. I mean, what is with the animal motif? The majority of Spidey's rogues are freakin animals: The Rhino, The Vulture, The Scorpion, The Lizard, The Jackal, Doctor Octopus. You could even make the connection that Electro is based off an electric eel and Kraven is definitely based on a lion. None of them just really seemed personal to Spider-Man, except for Green Goblin. Don't get me wrong, Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, and The Jackal are ALL great villains, but I just think that they don't deserve to be called THE BEST, as a lot of people have insisted. They're definitely great, awesome even, but IMO they don't deserve the #1 spot that a lot of people give them, which is why in my book they're overrated
So, what do you guys think? You don't have to go into paragraphs like I did, but, at least try to explain your choices.