The comic book industry has a way of creating some of the best villains around, adding believable threats and stakes to the stories we love so much. Naturally, many of these villains have become fan favorites; either people secretly root for them or they love to hate them. Either way, these villains can often steal the show. To be fair, there’s a reason people say that a villain can make or break a series. A good villain can take the story to new heights, while a lackluster one just makes for a boring superhero story. Unsurprisingly, a few villains have broken outside of the shadow, becoming just as popular, if not more popular, than their superhero counterparts.
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It isn’t every day that villains can surpass their heroes, and usually it takes years of careful storytelling for them to break these confines. We’re talking about classic villains who have been around, making a difference (in a bad way) for decades. They’ve become a huge part of pop culture, and that’s only part of the reason why people love them.
1) Kingpin
The Kingpin is a fascinating villain hailing from Marvel Comics. He’s most famous for coming up against the likes of Daredevil and Spider-Man, but it’s safe to say he’s created a legend all of his own. Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk, first appeared in Spider-Man as a villain. However, he started gaining real traction as a villain in Daredevil’s series.
Kingpin is a dangerous crime lord generally living in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. That isn’t to say he doesn’t occasionally set his sights far and wide, and those moments have created a lot of problems for other heroes. As a villain, Kingpin has made some very calculated moves, including landing himself the title of Mayor of New York City.
It’s safe to say that Kingpin has gotten a lot of attention from fans. He’s had a few live-action roles over the years. The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989) was an early example. The 2003 Daredevil movie put Michael Clarke Duncan in the hot seat as Wilson Fisk, and he portrayed a very different type of Kingpin. More recently, Vincent D’Onofrio has brought the Kingpin to life in a few live-action series, portraying the mincing villain we’ve all been fearing (and loving).
2) Black Adam
Once upon a time, Black Adam was a hero in his own right. But those days are long behind him. He used to have the powers of Shazam, but now he commonly goes up against the hero. Truthfully, Black Adam has always had a good point to make, as he’s been out there fighting for his people since day one. He never lost sight of this, and that’s an important detail to remember.
In recent years, Black Adam’s name has been getting a lot more attention. It doesn’t hurt that he’s made his way into DC Movies, even landing a solo film in 2022. He has been working hard to make a name for himself, even climbing his way up the ranks to join the Justice League for a time. As such, he does bounce back and forth between anti-hero and villain status, but we all love a complicated villain, so this works for us. He may not be the most popular villain around, but based on his track record, he’s going to keep climbing in popularity.
3) Magneto
Magneto may not always be a villain, but often his villain status is the first thing fans think of. His origin lies in years running counter to the classic X-Men. In a way, when one thinks of the X-Men, they often think of Magneto, and vice versa. While he is comparable to the X-Men as a whole, individual heroes don’t consistently stand out as much as he (with obvious exceptions including Wolverine, Phoenix, etc.).
It’s safe to say that Magneto has grown by leaps and bounds over the years. He’s gone from a flat villain to a nuanced character with an immensely powerful and complicated backstory. His motivations have grown and changed, allowing for the character to adapt to the world around him.
There was a long time running when Magneto was one of the better-known Marvel Villains. He may be changing his story now, but that is just proof that he’s a well-written character. He can play the role of villain, anti-hero, and hero, as needed. These days, Magneto is usually seen working alongside the X-Men, but we all remember the days when he was creating roadblocks left and right. No matter the role he carries, Magneto will always strive to put mutantkind above all else.
4) Darkseid
Darkseid is easily one of the most powerful antagonists in DC Comics because heroes need a big bad to team up against. He has battled countless heroes across the universe, so he may seem to some like he’s a universal villain or a Justice League villain. Neither assumption is technically wrong, given how much this villain has grown.
Darkseid has been around since the 1970s, when he originally went up against the Super Pals and The New Gods. He used to battle the likes of Orion and Highfather. If we’re going by technical standards, it’s safe to say that Darkseid is better known to readers than those two heroes (at least for modern readers).
Admittedly, Darkseid’s powerhouse was always going to make him the center of attention. When he appears in the comics, he automatically resets the scale, so fans just know that epic battles are going to follow. It’s hard not to get excited about that.
5) Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom is a fan-favorite villain, and he has been for decades. Admittedly, recent news hailing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe probably gave this villain a boost. To be fair, the idea of Robert Downey Jr. bringing this villain to life is a compelling pull.
Victor Doom is a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He’s a genius, patient, and determined. Doom has access to incredible technology, giving him his iconic Armor, not to mention plenty of other tools and weapons. He’s also a master of the dark arts, not to mention a talented psionic. His ability set is vast and sometimes strange, making him pretty unique, even from a supervillain standpoint. Throw in his ability to politic (read: control) with the best of them, and you have the ruler of Latveria.
Historically, Doctor Doom is a Fantastic Four villain. However, he hasn’t been limited by that rule in years. He’s free to go pick whatever fight he wants, and boy, does he love doing so. He’s made his way across the Marvel Universe, taking what he needs to become more powerful or otherwise complete his current mission. Notably, he has landed the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme for a time. He also tried to steal the Scarlet Witch’s powers and even carried the mantle of Iron Man (Infamous Iron Man). While he always seems content to cause problems for the Fantastic Four, his story is no longer defined by them (or vice versa).
6) Joker
The Joker is arguably one of the most famous villains from Batman’s Rogues Gallery. He’s gained an immense amount of traction since his introduction, and his repeated appearance in live-action films has only helped to increase his reach. There have been multiple events and series revolving around Joker, starting with The Killing Joke, not to mention the more recent live-action film.
Realistically, The Joker is a dangerous threat because he’s so unpredictable. Fans are always wondering about his backstory, while knowing they can’t trust anything they’re told about (lies, misdirection, and deception are the name of the game here).
It’s tempting to debate whether Joker has surpassed Batman or not. At the end of the day, the Joker increases Batman’s public reach, and vice versa. This push and pull has helped them gain new heights, pulling in fans across various media.
7) Loki
Loki and Thor are two iconic characters from the Marvel Universe. As adopted brothers, these two have consistently made their sibling squabbles everyone else’s problems, and honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Thor is always going to be a fan-favorite, but Loki has been getting a lot of ink in recent years, thanks partially to his success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Over the years, Loki has been carefully extending his reach. He’s played with the idea of being a hero (Young Avengers), ran for office (Vote Loki), became Sorcerer Supreme, and even landed his own solo television series (Loki). What makes his appearances so compelling is that fans never know what to expect from this character. Is he going to be a hero, villain, or something in between? Who knows! Sometimes Loki even surprises himself, which is quite comical.
As the God of Mischief, Loki often creates excuses to appear all over the Marvel Universe. As such, he’s not limited to simply being Thor’s antagonist. He’s gone up against countless heroes, including racing Ghost-Spider for a Cosmic Cube.
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