MarvelandDChave both made occasional missteps when introducing villains, missing the mark and creating almost a parody of what they could have been. While thesuperhero genre has enjoyed a long stretchof releasing incredibly popular films, it hasn’t been a flawless run.
And one of the major errors that can be pointed out when looking back over the last couple of decades of stories is the villains. Whetherthey felt too underdeveloped, weak, or just plain boring. And unfortunately for these movies, if the villain falls flat, the movie can follow suit.
10Gorr In Thor: Love & Thunder
Played By Christian Bale
Taika Waititi had a spectacular introduction to the MCU when he directedThor: Ragnarok, hitting all the right notes, and exploring a variety of characters in compelling detail. However,Thor: Love & Thunderproved to be less of a hit.
Despite casting Christian Bale, one of the most outstanding actors in Hollywood, and giving him the part of Gorr the God Butcher, a terrifying villain from Marvel Comics, the character ended up being a huge disappointment. For one, he wasn’t all that bad, he was just grieving, but beyond that, the God Butcher killed very few gods. It just felt likethe potential was far greater than what ended up on the screen.
9Parallax In Green Lantern
Voiced By Clancy Brown
Moving from one God Butcher to an entity that is the literal embodiment of fear itself,Parallax was the big bad ofGreen Lanternin 2011, and again, the character fell short.
The movie turned this powerful life force into a bizarre creaturewho was less the embodiment of fear, and more a weird ogre monster. On top of that, the movie could have taken so many other incredible villains from the Green Lantern catalog to take into this first story.
8Laurel Hedare In Catwoman
Played By Sharon Stone
Ok, so, if you don’t know who Larel Hedare is, don’t worry, you’re not alone.Laurel is an obscure comic book villain, and a baffling choice to serve as the primary antagonist in the 2004Catwomanmovie. Catwoman exists alongside a lot of other big-name DC superheroes, and while she isn’t the most prominent or powerful superhero on her own, she has had the opportunity to go head-to-head with dozens of incredible and iconic DC villains from across the comics.
It would have helped the movie a lot to use someone, anyone, who had a little more pull thanthis character that ultimately fell flat. Especially considering Sharon Stone was cast to play the villain.
7Dar-Benn In The Marvels
Played By Zawe Ashton
Now, there is a lot of commentary about the various shortcomings ofThe Marvels, but I think one of the most disappointing has to be the villain, Dar-Benn. The idea is there: Carol Danvers messed up life for the Kree, andDar-Benn is their champion.
In practice, positioning this character against three extremely powerful superheros who can manipulate light and energy seems like a recipe for a boring story.
But, in practice, positioning this character against three extremely powerful superheros who can manipulate light and energy seems like a recipe for a boring story.Carol proved to be able to take down Thanos' army inAvengers: Endgame, so surely, with backup from two other heroes, it would have been worthwhile to tag in a villain who actually presents a threat.
6Lex Luthor In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Played By Jesse Eisenberg
Lex Luthor is the ultimate rival to Superman. A mortal man whose genius makes him a worthy opponent for the Man of Steel. However, the DCEU had a tendency to rush their stories, and attempt to incorporate too many elements at once. And the same can be said ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicejust by looking at the title.
This movie could have been Ben Affleck’s Batman debut solo story, or it could have been a Man of Steel sequel, or it could have been the first chapter of the Justice League story. But it tried and failed to be all three. And then throwing Jesse Eisenberg in asthe worst ever version of Lex Luthorsimply added fuel to the trash fire. It was disappointing all around.
5M.O.D.O.K. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Played By Corey Stoll
It’s not just DC that gets the villain’s characters wrong though. InAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the film introduced a handful of new characters, with one being M.O.D.O.K. This character is popular in the comics, and he is known for being a terrifying killing machine.
However,in this movie, he was introduced as a kind of comic relief, and a way to resurrect Darren Cross. Unfortunately,Cross had no business being M.O.D.O.K., and the way the character’s story plays out feels inauthentic to the comic book character.
4Taskmaster In Black Widow
Played By Olga Kurylenko
I am not against changing up a character and giving them a new twist, as long as they have enough in common with the source material or inspiration as to be recognizable. For instance, Ryan Reynolds playing Deadpool inX-Men Origins: Wolverinesucked, but despite being significantly less powerful in the soloDeadpoolmovies, I like this version more.
Now, inBlack Widow, they hyped up the arrival of one of the coolest villains in Marvel Comics, Taskmaster, who is usually a wise-cracking, overconfident, elite fighter who can replicate any move. Unfortunately,the version that appeared felt less powerful, had no voice, and they became this weird silent assassin that would have played out better if they were just never given the title of Taskmaster.
3Baron Mordo In Doctor Strange
Played By Chiwetel Ejiofor
I appreciateBaron Mordo was not the primary antagonist ofDoctor Strange, but he was set up to have a big future in the MCU. I enjoyed the portrayal, and the characterization was good, but withthe lack of follow-through on the promise of this character being a villain, I’m disappointed.
Mordo did return in the sequel, but this version is from another dimension, and the original story remains unresolved. It would have been better to hold off on showing the character at all, instead of making a promise that they wouldn’t deliver on anytime soon.
2Malekith In Thor: The Dark World
Played By Christopher Eccleston
Malekith was portrayed by the absolutely outstanding Christopher Eccleston inThor: The Dark World, but there is no denying that this character and actor were wasted on that movie. While the story sets up another Infinity Stone,the villain is so forgettable, they end up feeling like a less compelling version of Ronan the Accuser, flying through space and seeking a power bump.
It was a tragic disappointment, and delivered what proved to be the least successful MCU movie for an incredibly long time before the Multiverse Saga took another dip.
1Nuclear Man In Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
Played By Mark Pillow
Now, by the timeChristopher Reeve was making his fourthSupermanmovie, it felt as though everyone had fallen out of love with the project. But while cobbling together a story and trying to make something worth putting on the big screen, they opted for Nuclear Man. Nuclear Man is a creation by Lex Luthor, formed by combining Supes' DNA and solar radiation.
While this has the potential to be a fun and intriguing exploration for the film, the way the movie is cut for the theatrical release, and the sheer number of moving pieces in the movie make this primary antagonist feel like an afterthought.
However, while this has the potential to be a fun and intriguing exploration for the film, the way the movie is cut for the theatrical release, and the sheer number of moving pieces in the movie make this primary antagonist feel like an afterthought. If there was more thought and consideration put in, or a better cut of the story that put more focus on Nuclear Man, it could have been better, butwhat came out was another example of a disappointing use of a villain in a DCstory, but at leastMarvelhas slipped up too and DC is not alone in its failings.
