80 Years of Superman: Top Five Villains

With Action Comics #1000 (FEB180142) on the horizon, everyone is talking about The Man of Steel like he’s the Big Man On Campus — and he is, bubba! There’s only one Superman…but there are, heh, many Superman villains that want Kal-El put on ice. Or blown to bits. Or crushed. Or…you get the idea. Check out our PREVIEWSworld list of shame that we think summarizes the top 5 villains that are most renowned for wanting Big Blue’s head on a plate!

Doomsday

Where were you when the news broke that Doomsday had forever altered mainstream comics continuity, and killed Superman? It was over-the-top brutal, too. Doomsday defeated The Man of Steel by simply beating him to death. Not pretty. Doomsday was killed, too, but like most things in comics...nothing is forever in comics. Doomsday later healed himself and returned to life stronger, and since we last saw him in the Batman Vs. Superman movie, it looks like the villain will forever plague Superman's life as long as the Kryptonian continus to draw breath.

Darkseid

Darkseid is one of those villains that convinces you there's no such thing as a senseless apocalypse. His intentions are clear, and he states his case eloquently, and with conviction. Bottom line: you suck. You need to either be eliminated, or you must have your back broken so that all it is good for is to act as another wheel in a chariot that carries around the grand master while he tours his trail of tears and destruction...given that he needs to level everything before he can rebuild it in his own image. Darkseid taking on Superman is one of those topics on bulletin boards that people love to see so they can leave feedback. People love to ask if Darkseid is stronger, is Superman faster, and so on.  To get a current reference on when the Man of Steel kicked Darkseid's posterior end, look for when he was fighting for the soul of John Irons (Steel) in the book Superman vs Darkseid…Apokolips Now (2003).

General Zod

"Son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!" We've been waiting a long time to shout that from our cubicles. One of the greatest lines in superhero film trivia. Who CANNOT wait to parody that famous quote from Superman II way back in 1980, when the legendary Christopher Reeve donned the cape and cowl to be the greatest incarnation of Superman the world had ever seen? You would be hard-pressed to win an argument with any fan of the Son of Krypton should you denouce the performance of British actor Terence Stamp as "hokey" or "a one-hit wonder." Such words are nothing short of blasphemy to a Superman fan! The performance is timeless, Zod was immortalized for generations because of that film, and Zod will forever be a villain in the top spot for Superman's most calculating criminal because not only was he smart...but he also had Ursa at his side.

Brainiac

Yeah, Brainiac is one of those villains you'd like to meet at a college keg party. He's the guy who tells everyone how smart he is, and brags about how he got into Yale at the age of 12, he's a techno-organic being with a twelfth-level intellect...blah, blah, blah. Yeah..well if he's so smart then how come Superman always kicks his brainy butt? Brainiac is the egghead whose face you always want to see smashed. Just wipe that smug grin off his face. C'mon, the guy travels the multiverse seeking civilizations to shrink and add to his collection of captured worlds. But does he even try to learn anything before he puts those worlds in Mylars? No. So we vote to say Brainac's a punk...even though he's...responsible for the extinction of civilizations and the deaths of billions. Uhm. Yeah. Next topic, please.

Lex Luthor

Rats. You can't leave the party without giving due to Lex Luthor. Yes, he's not a god, or have super powers that can rival the Kryptonian. But the guy's more crooked than a politician handing out candy on Easter Sunday. You know that everything he's doing is for an ulterior motive. The guy is on record for having a deep hatred of "interfering aliens." So that means he's not even for legal immigration. You want that in your town? Luthor's "ends justifies the means" mentality puts him in the league of so many dictators that will tell you that the pain you feel is for the best. He's mastered the art of smiling while he sticks the knife between your ribs. And that, friends, is what makes him Superman's most iconic villain.