Countdown to Spidey 3: The Top Supervillians (MSN)

[Brian Damage]

Magneto (Ian McKellen) -- The "X-Men" Trilogy (2000-2006)

The best villains are either an all-out embodiment of evil, or deeply flawed characters acting out of some misguided notion that brings a dimension of tragedy to their stories. Eric "Magneto" Lensherr, the arch-enemy of the "X-Men," is the latter. A survivor of Nazi concentration camps, Magneto vowed that he would never let the mutants of the world be led down the same path toward annihilation. But Magneto's devotion to his cause sends him down an equally dark road, with the destruction of the "normal" human race his ultimate objective. Not evil per se, Magneto is nevertheless ruthless, cruel and wrong-headed. Although some fans initially balked that Ian McKellen was too old and not physical enough for the role, the actor brought a dignity and stature to the part that permeated the entire "X-Men" franchise and helped revive the interest in comic-book movies.

[Brian Damage]

Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) -- "Spider-Man 2" (2004)

That's Doctor Octopus to you. Spider-Man's jokey nickname for one of his greatest foes doesn't capture the depth of fury, arrogance and evil intelligence embodied by Dr. Otto Octavius in the comics, where he started his career all the way back in the third issue of "The Amazing Spider-Man." The movie version keeps his scientific background but loses his abnormal psychology, making him a kind, married man driven into insanity by the death of his wife and the failure of the nuclear fusion experiment that welds his signature metallic arms to his body. From that point on, however, Doc Ock is the enemy we know and love, and Alfred Molina is an almost perfect visualization of the role. Along with Magneto, the (many) armed and dangerous Ock is probably the best supervillain ever realized on film.

[Brian Damage]

Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) and Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) -- "Batman Begins" (2005)

Director Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" reactivated the film franchise with a darker, grittier, more "realistic" take on the Caped Crusader, and the movie's villains followed suit. The mysterious Henri Ducard and insane Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, are two of the Bat's most powerful and long-lived opponents in the comics, and both Neeson and Murphy embodied them with restraint. Neeson brought a deadly elegance to his role as the leader of an ancient, shadowy conspiracy against all mankind, while Murphy's Crane was imbued with an oily creepiness. A drastic step away from the flamboyant Nicholson/DeVito/Carrey villains of the series' first four films (Murphy doesn't fully don his Scarecrow costume until the final scenes), this devilish duo bodes well for the sequel's reboot of the Joker (Heath Ledger) and Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart).

[Brian Damage]

Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) -- "Spider-Man" (2002)

Spider-Man/Peter Parker's best-known and most personal enemy, Norman Osborn, is a work-obsessed scientist who barely has time for son Harry (James Franco). He develops a human enhancement formula that drives him insane and gives him superhuman powers, turning him into the Green Goblin. Of course, his plans for domination are foiled by Spider-Man, making the latter's suffering of paramount importance to Norman. The first "Spider-Man" movie was pretty accurate with the origin story but took many liberties with the Goblin's appearance, substituting a demonic green armored suit for actual physical mutation. And, the pivotal moment in the Goblin and Spidey's relationship -- the killing of Peter's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy -- was altered drastically so that Peter saves Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) instead. Gwen finally shows up in "Spider-Man 3"... will Harry Osborn take his revenge for his father's death against her?

[Brian Damage]

Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey) -- "Superman" (1978) and "Superman Returns" (2006)

Almost from the beginning of Superman's long career, his greatest foe has been the evil, megalomaniacal, brilliant mad scientist and industrialist, Lex Luthor. His origins have been widely retooled throughout the years, but his cold, vengeful attitude toward humanity and his obsession with destroying Superman have always been consistent. Too bad neither cinematic incarnation got it quite right. Gene Hackman's Luthor (He appears in all the Christopher Reeve "Superman" movies, except for "Superman III") was wildly entertaining, but is more of a comic con man than a criminal mastermind. Kevin Spacey's Luthor in 2006's "Superman Returns" was meaner but shared the earlier version's peculiar passion for real estate. It might just be time to give the character a rest and introduce some new villains for the big Kryptonian -- Brainiac, anyone?

[Brian Damage]

The Joker (Jack Nicholson) -- "Batman" (1989)

Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker in Tim Burton's original 1989 "Batman" arguably set the standard for modern screen supervillains. It also established the "superstar" stunt casting and scenery-devouring performances that permeated the later "Batman" films with Danny DeVito's Penguin, Jim Carrey's Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face. But Nicholson's over-the-top performance threatened to obscure the truly homicidal nature of the Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker is regarded as Batman's deadliest foe, yet by the end of the movie he was reduced to a hapless, chubby buffoon. Something tells us that Heath Ledger's interpretation in next year's "The Dark Knight" will be darker and more murderous -- as befitting a villain who has caused Batman more personal and professional grief than just about anyone.

[Brian Damage]

Bullseye (Colin Farrell) -- "Daredevil" (2003)

Perhaps Daredevil's most infamous opponent, this psychopathic assassin's embodiment by Colin Farrell in the 2003 movie was a mixed blessing. It's safe to say that compared with the title hero (played by a wildly miscast Ben Affleck), Bullseye (and, to a lesser extent, Michael Clarke Duncan's massive crime boss, Kingpin) came off looking pretty good, with Farrell capturing the right amount of rage and insanity with which the character is known. But his uncanny powers and dark history were played down to some degree, and his uniform was jettisoned for a basic biker look that made Bullseye look less like a supervillain and more like a simple thug with a good throwing arm. We'd say this Bullseye was just off the mark.

[Brian Damage]

Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) in "Batman Returns" (1992) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) in "Batman & Robin" (1997)

Only two supervillainesses have made it to the screen, and Batman has tangled with both. Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman was probably the best thing about "Batman Returns," even if they changed her origin from a high-stakes jewel thief to a mousy secretary who's literally licked back to life by cats after being thrown from a window. The inevitable attraction between the comics' Selina Kyle was based almost on mutual respect, though the movie love affair with Michael Keaton's Batman was based more on shared psychosis. (FYI, the Halle Berry bomb of a couple of years ago had virtually nothing to do with the "real" Catwoman.) As for Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy in 1997's "Batman & Robin," the less said the better -- her ludicrous portrayal of this formidable eco-terrorist is perhaps the lowest point of the Dark Knight's entire film franchise.

[Brian Damage]

Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) -- "Batman & Robin" (1997)

It's widely documented, of course, that the "Batman" film series jumped the shark with "Batman & Robin," and no one personified this more than Schwarzenegger (with top-billing) and his ridiculous portrayal of Mr. Freeze. The comics' initially underdeveloped Mr. Zero became Dr. Victor Fries (thanks in great part to the "Batman" animated series), one of the Caped Crusader's most tragic foes, driven to crime to finance his scientific research to save his cryogenically frozen wife. While that basic background was maintained, the Schwarzenegger version of Freeze reduced the character to spouting cringe-worthy one-liners they would have cut from the "Batman" TV series. It's safe to say that this Mr. Freeze left everyone cold.

[Brian Damage]

Doctor Doom (Julian McMahon) -- "Fantastic Four" (2005)

One of Marvel Comics' most iconic villains and the arch-nemesis of the Fantastic Four, Dr. Victor von Doom is the incredibly dangerous, iron-masked sorcerer/scientist who rules the tiny country of Latveria and is fixated with destroying his one-time friend, Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards. In 2005's film, Doom (Julian McMahon) not only finances the same experiments that create the Four but he is also mutated along with them. Ultimately, McMahon's performance was so limp, and the character's origin so altered from the comics (which, to be fair, have changed Doom's story several times), that Toyfare magazine joked that Doom should "sue for defamation of character." Director Tim Story has promised that Doom will be in "full Doom" mode in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," where his biggest challenge may be fighting for screen time with the shiny title character.

[TJL]

They lost me at Bullseye.

;)

[Lex Luthor]

They lost me at Bullseye.

;)

I agree aside from Michelle Pfieffer in Batman the other 3 movies were Horrid.

I'll take movies that sucked @$$ for $200 Alex.