1.) The Joker : He deserves to be on any villain list! I love him because there are so many great versions out there! Many writers, artists and actors have had the chance to put their mark on this evil icon and it has only made him more rich, interesting and evil! What you have to love and fear about the Joker is his joy! I mean people always say it's good to have a sense of humor about things, but he takes it to a whole new level, which of course is very disturbing! But you have to respect a man who loves his work... even if it is murder, chaos and crime! The real question that people always go back and forth about is whether the Joker is completely "bat shit" crazy or if in reality he is fully sane and in control wearing the mask of insanity. I will let you decide.
2.) Lex Luthor : Love him or hate him "he is only a man" who makes it his mission to bring down a "Superman!" He just happens to be a super genius too! It is the finest example of brains vs brawn! He is the classic evil genius, perhaps one of the very first, in comics at least! He even manages to the become President for a period of time in the DC universe! The fact that he convinces the world he is a good guy is definitely pure evil! He even declares Superman and Batman Enemies of the State! Nice work sir!
3.) Galactus : I love Galactus! I think he is so cool and to is the apex of what Jack Kirby could do if you left him alone and let him make cool things! The creation of Galactus came from a discussion between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby... In Fact, the legend has it the script for the Galactus story was "the Fantastic 4 fight God." The rest is "the Kings" history! Galactus is to me the classic misunderstood bad guy. I don't think he thinks about good or evil at all actually... he is simply a force of nature that we see as evil! He isn't thinking about destroying a planet and a civilization... he is thinking "Man, I am hungry as hell... Surfer find my big ass a Planet to eat!" ( Galactus is very sassy) He is also the oldest being in the Marvel universe! He was around before the big bang... he is the only one of his kind and is maybe the most powerful being in the Marvel universe... how lonely would you become? And how much does the average person feel when they crush a colony of ants? Sure, to us Galactus is a villain but he is just trying to survive like the rest of us! But as villains go they don't get any more epic than him! ( Kirby drew a G on his chest... I think instead of God or Galactus it stands for GREAT!)
4.) Hans Gruber (Die Hard) : He is a Terrorist! But really he is just trying to get paid! This dude is cold, calculating, smug and well spoken! I absolutely love his dedication to accomplishing his mission at all cost! He does not hesitate to kill when he says he is going to, which we find out very early in the film! Hans is so evil that his last thought before dying is to kill John McClane and then he is even shocked when he falls to his death! I even was as a kid! How could someone so bad ass be killed? Definitely one of my favorites!
( I read recently that Alan Rickman was supposed to be dropped on the count 3 for his death seen, but the crew dropped him on 2 which is actually why he looked so surprised when he fell on film. Awesome!)
5.) Darkseid : How can you not respect a villain who can slap Superman down and make him feel pain! This is another Jack Kirby creation and he just happens to be maybe the most evil Villain in any universe! He is a vengeful God who rules his people w/ fear, torture and mind control! He destroys worlds before breakfast... if he even eats it! Plus he looks scary as hell! He was inspired by the Mysterious Easter Island statues and man does it work for creeping people out, while still looking bad ass! Darkseid is not to be trifled with!
I will do a part 2 next week! I want to hear your comments! Who are your favorites!!!