Top Five Supervillains

There's an old saying that a hero is only as good as his villain, but when the villain himself becomes just as interesting as the hero, then you know you've got a good one. Heres a look at my top five villains of all time.

1. The Joker

The Joker is one of the most solid all around villains of all time. He's creepy, he's diabolical, and he's absolutely insane. He's responsible for the deaths of both Jason Todd (The 2nd Robin) and Jim Gordon's second wife, Sarah Essen. He also paralyzed Barbara Gordon (Batgirl). Batman's life has been constantly traumatized due to the Jokers actions. From a character design standpoint The Joker has some very unique characteristics. His green hair and sinister smile could practically pass as trademarks. The Joker will be forever remembered for his deranged laughter and his insane antics that poked at Batmans sanity. He's one of the darkest and most relentless characters ever created. If the Devil had green hair, I think he'd turn out just like the Joker.

2. Venom

There are few characters in comics that could actually give someone nightmares, and Venom is one of them. Venom is probably the most intriguing villain of all time because he's not entirely evil. Venom doesn't believe in killing innocent people, he doesn't believe in senseless violence either. Venom only wants to hurt one person, Spider-man. Venom could have easily killed Mary-Jane on several occasions, but he only wants to kill Peter Parker. Venoms design is perfect in many ways. He's big, he's got killer fangs, and that tongue is fierce. Venom is strong, agile, and fast. He's practically impenetrable. Venom currently has his own series running, and its no surprise. He's not just one of the best villains of all time, he's one of the best characters of all time.

3. Bullseye

The Joker has done his best to destroy Batman's life in anyway that he can, but even the smiling insanity that is the Joker couldn't mess up Batman's life the way Bullseye has ruined Matt Murdock's. Bullseye killed both Elektra and Karen Page, the two true loves of Matt Murdocks life. Bullseye has one of the best origins of all villains because hes a former baseball pitcher with the accuracy to hit any target. Bullseye is pretty much the only good thing that came out of that atrocity they tried to call a movie starring Ben Affleck as Dardevil. Colin Farrell was perfect as Bullseye as he showed just how insane and evil Bullseye truly is. I'm a loyalist, so when it comes to Bullseye's costume I'm a much bigger fan of the traditional blue costume with the bullseye around the head, but overall the design is fairly simple. In Bullseye's hands, anything is a weapon. I'll always remember in Kevin Smith's Guardian Devil when Bullseye ripped out his two front teeth and threw them at Daredevil. Classic.

4.Doomsday

Ok, here's the thing, DC villains as a whole are pretty weak characters. This is partly because the heroes of the DC universe are usually overpowering and far too unbeatable. However, I didn't feel right putting four straight Marvel Villains in a top five list. I'm giving the nod at number four to Doomsday solely based on the fact that he killed Superman. If Superman's the most powerful super hero, then Doomsday must be a very powerful villain. Doomsday's design is creepy enough, and he certainly looks powerful. However, it's such a shame that Batman has such a solid villain in the Joker, but Superman only has Doomsday and Lex Luthor.

5. The Green Goblin

Venom may be the best villain to come out of Spidey's web of bad guys but the most over looked is clearly the Green Goblin. The goblin has consistently been a nuisance in Peter Parkers life, but nothing tops when he killed Gwen Stacy in what is known as one of the most memorable deaths of all time. That single death has forever followed Spider-man and will always remain in his head as a reminder of what evil his villains are capable of. The Green Goblin may very well be the most underrated villain of all time, but any villain who is responsible for the most remembered death in comics deserves to be on this list.



Honorable Mentions: Dr. Doom, Magneto, Lex Luthor, The Kingpin, and the Red Skull.

Captain America: The life and death of an American Icon.

The first time I truly felt the effect of Patriotism happened two year's ago when I read The Ultimates Vol. 1, written by Mark Millar and Illustrated by Bryan Hitch. In the issue, Captain America was discovered frozen at the bottom at the ocean, and when he was unfrozen he awoke to a world he no longer understood. Almost all his friends and his allies were long dead, but he remained. There was a conversation that took place between General Nick Fury and Cap in a cemetery they were visiting. Cap was lonely as he looked around at the graves of those who had passed while he was frozen and he told Gen. Fury that everything he loved was dead. And very calmly Fury responded, "Not everything," as he pointed towards a waving American flag.

Captain America was created in the early 40's (1941, to be exact) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Steve Rogers was a scrawny arts student who was born on July 4th, 1917. Rogers, who wished to serve his country in anyway he could, was turned away from the army (No, seriously, back then they actually refused people) because of his poor condition. Rogers still wished to serve his country even after being turned away, so he enlisted in a top-secret defense project. Eventually, he was injected with Secret Soldier Serum, it was this that turned him from a scrawny arts student to the red, white, and blue avenger that America would grow to love.

He was, and forever will be, a symbol of American Patriotism. Decked out in the stars and stripes, Cap didn't just fight injustice; he represented an entire nation. From fighting off Nazis during WWII, beating down communism with an iron fist, or even slugging Hitler in the jaw, Captain America has always exemplified the American spirit.

Like most other Americans, I was shocked to see Cap's death. (And most people who tell you they weren't are most likely lying.) Marvel killing off Captain America was equal to DC killing off Superman or Disney killing off Mickey Mouse (ha, that'll be the day). Seeing a character that represented so much pass away in so many panels reminds you of how final death truly is. Once you turn the page on Cap, he'll never be 'alive' again. However, Captain America leaves behind a legacy that only few characters could even dream of.

Fortunately, the good thing about death in comics is that it provides the writers and illustrators new challenges and creative opportunities. Marvel Comics has never existed without Captain America, so it's going to be exciting to see where the franchise goes from here. Will there be another Cap? Who would it be? And what is the Winter Soldier (Cap's former sidekick gone mad, Bucky) going to do now that his idol was assassinated? Only time will tell.

But we can be sure that the repercussions that ripple off of such a strong character's death are going to cause earthquakes.

For now though, RIP, Cap.

"We are told to remember the idea, not the man. Because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 year's, later an idea can still change the world."
-Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

Captain America Leaves his Shield to Colbert

As one of his last wishes, Captain America bequeathes his precious shield to American hero, Stephen Colbert.