EDIT. Which DC/ MARVEL Character Has The Best Rogue's Gallery.

The Green Lantern Corp. has faced countless intergalactic threats but their biggest enemy is often themselves. The numerous incarnations of the Green Lantern have often walked the thin line between hero and villain, yet none of them can compare to Hal Jordan’s primary antagonist. Sinestro was said to be the best of all the Green Lantern’s making his transformation into an enemy even more daunting. Unlike the traditional hero and villain complex, where the black and white is clear, the Lanterns have faced multiple threats due to their own establishment. These shades of grey arise from the Lantern institution which many of the ring bearer’s see to be unfit. The multiple Lantern Corp’s. often engage in battle, distracting the Green Lantern’s from protecting their sectors. The parasite known as Parallax could possibly be titled the greatest of all enemies as it is born out of fear and has inhabited the likes of Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner.

Having the smug, playboy personality of Tony Stark is bound to ruffle a few feathers. Whether they are after his wealth or his technology, Iron Man has accumulated a fair few foes in the past decades. One thing that does set Tony Stark’s enemies apart is their internationality. We have the Russian Anton Vanko (Whiplash) and The Mandarin, Iron Man’s primary adversary. Stark’s villains are truly interesting characters; the majority of them have their roots in politics, international affairs or multinational business, something unique to Iron Man.

It must not be easy being Thor! Not only has he earth to protect, home of his beloved Jane Foster, he also must contend with the numerous threats that lurk within the Nine Realms. Thor has faced foes on Midgard, Asgard and even Hell, but who are his deadliest adversaries? Enchantress has proven to be a thorn in the side on multiple occasions with her command of magic; yet, it is her seductive nature that makes the character compelling to Thor, Loki and many other Asgardians. Sutur the fire demons exceptional power would make you think that he is Thor’s greatest enemy but that title belongs to his brother Loki. The God of Mischief is undoubtedly Thor’s primary villain having faced him countless times but their brotherly relationship means that the conflict is hindered by this bond.

Captain America may be the product of World War Two propaganda but the character is timeless. That means most of his villains must be too. Red Skull, the personification of Nazi German, the arch typical villain was resented by generations. Many of Captain America’s villains represent pure evil, whether it is Baron Zemo or MODOK. Despite this, one antagonist presents Cap with an inner emotional battle. Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier: one time, comrade, foe, ally and friend, Captain America often struggles with defeating Bucky, who serves as a constant reminder of Cap’s past life and of his failures.


Superman is sometimes criticised for being slightly bland, lacking the compelling emotional drama that drives human superheroes. His array of villains is the assuredly quite the opposite. Superman’s status as Justice League godfather and cultural icon attracts the weird and wonderful offerings from the DC Universe. With the likes of Toyman, Mister Mxyzptlk and Prankster on his case, Supes sure has some colourful characters to contend with. Superman is also literally his own worst enemy at times; well that is Bizzaro of course. Despite being ‘The Last Son of Kyrpton,’ his birth planet sure comes to haunt him quite a lot. Zod and Doomsday have proven to be deadly, even killing Superman in the acclaimed story detailing exactly that! One villain synonymous with Superman and rightly so is Lex Luthor. The scheming CEO does not radiate Kryptonite, nor is he an advanced alien form from Colu, he simply has a cunningness and a wit unique to his bald head. Lex has navigated the worlds of politics, the military, science and business to destroy Superman yet his futile attempts prevent him from rarely harming the Man of Steel.

The Fantastic Four, the awkward cousin of the Marvel Universe that have stuck around since their formation in the sixties, representing a good ol’ family bond. Marvel’s ‘First Family’ may be getting the cold shoulder from the very publishing house where they have spent the last fifty years fighting Doom Bots and reciting catchphrases like an old fashioned radio host, but that has not stopped them from facing some truly amazing villains. The Fantastic Four have defeated every who’s who of the Marvel villain’s club at one point or another. I am talking Kang the Conqueror, Namor, Puppet Master, Mole Man, Annihilus and who could not be impressed with the almighty Galactus featuring as a main staple in their repertoire of rogues. One name notably absent from that line up is Doctor Doom, the Marvel equivalent of The Joker? Doom has an army of robots, a Nobel Prize worthy knowledge of science, international immunity and his own country, certainly a uniqueness that diversifies him from other mainstream villains. Doom has proven countlessly to be a powerful foe, not just for the Fantastic Four, but the Marvel Universe at large.

It is not often that The Flash does not win a race but in this instance he will have to contend with third prize. The Flash or Flashes (?) have a rogue gallery that puts other heroes to shame. The rogue gallery creatively called ‘The Rogues’ has given membership cards to Captain Cold, Heat wave, Mirror Master, The Pied Piper, Captain Boomerang and The Trickster. Apart from an affinity for alliteration, each member of The Rogues present a challenge that speed alone cannot solve, leaving The Flash to come up with invent ways to stop them. Perhaps the strangest of all is Gorilla Grodd, with an intellect almost as big as him; Grodd is a villain that can only exist within the realms of The Flash. Although The Flash has a number of comic book camp foes, he also has more serious contenders to deal with. Despite the hooky name, Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash has abilities that match The Flash, making his defeat a perilous task. The speedster is not be reckoned with has caused damage that other another heroes nemesis may struggle to surpass, which is of course destabilising the entire DC Universe!

Flying the flag for the Marvel Universe is Spider-Man and all the evil beings that have tried to squash him like a bug. Lizard, Rhino and Vulture make it seem like Spider-Man is after the characters of the Jungle Book, but those three are amongst a long list of Spidey haters. Kraven the Hunter, Electro, Shocker, Scorpion, Sand Man, Hobgoblin and Hydro Man feature prominently in Spider-Man’s weekly adventures. The Venom symbiote is not the new black as far as Peter Parker is concerned as the suit has engulfed and changed various people in Spider-man’s life, including him, turning them into the worst versions of themselves. Doctor Octopus with his mechanical tentacles was once regarded as Spider-Man’s primary adversary. To top it off, he is also the leader of the Spider-Man fan club known as The Sinister Six. If there is ever one comic book villain to get one up on his enemy it is The Green Goblin. Forget your Jason Todd, Green Goblin is a trendsetter for killing loved ones having been responsible for the death of Peter Parker’s high school sweetheart and first love, Gwen Stacey. This was a real turning point for Spider-Man, no longer was he fighting in just the name of Uncle Ben, he now had two legacies to protect, quite a task for the web crawling hero.

Was their ever any doubt? Ever since the death of his parents, Batman has been battling an evil inside him that has cumulated in his desire to tackle the crime spree that runs through the veins of Gotham city. Batman has faced an overwhelming variety of characters, from a coin tossing politician, a cat like jewel thief, a steroid fuelled back breaker, a shooter with a dead certain shot, a pyromaniac bug, the deadliest assassin alive, a psychiatrist turned crazy sidekick, a loving husband with a cold touch and the best umbrella wielding character since Mary Poppins. Batman has that many villains that he displays them in a gallery, known as Arkham Asylum. Yet, amongst all the strange goings on in Arkham, one prisoner prevails as the epitome of lunacy. The Joker, the polar opposite of Batman’s straight lace, no nonsense regime is perhaps the greatest comic book villain. His twisted psyche and ruthless criminal activity, accompanied by his showmanship, cement him as Batman’s hardest to overthrow adversary. The killing of former Robin protégée Jason Todd is one of many schemes that result in The Joker being the most insane and brilliant of Batman’s rogues… sorry Batmite.

With the DC and Marvel universe's being so vast, many fan favourite characters missed out on the list. Would you have picked with The Hulk for Abomination and The Absorbing Man? Or Aquaman for Black Mantra and Ocean Master? Or maybe even Daredevil for enemies Bullseye and Kingpin? Let me know your ideal list below.