Part 1, #10-6.
[Almost certainly contains spoilers for some characters, continue at your own discretion]
So, after re-reading Green Lantern: Rebirth and Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, I decided that my next blog would be about comic book characters. After the glorious turn of Superboy Prime in Legion of 3 Worlds, my mind was set on villains, and thus I created a top 10. I’m sure many people will disagree with my selection, or the order in which they appear, but this was a personal call, so please, just enjoy. (And if you have any comments about the choices, feel free to add them...)
Anyway, without further ado, the first 5, numbers 10-6 of my top 10 DC villains...
10) Brainiac:
One of Superman’s most prodigious and recurring foes, Brainiac’s past has been subject to many revisions, but one thing remains a constant – his overriding aim to destroy Superman. In his initial incarnation in Action Comics #242 (July 1958), Brainiac was a super intelligent humanoid with a penchant for shrinking cities. Indeed, when Superman tried to save Metropolis he discovered that Kandor, capital of his homeworld Krypton, was one of Brainiac’s miniature conquests. Superman may have rescued them, but the image of Kandor in a bottle is quite a striking one in the Superman mythology and would have a huge impact – New Krypton was grown from the bottled city (it’s also referenced in an episode of the popular show The Big Bang Theory).
Brainiac himself was changed to become an android, rather than an alien, although this has not changed his role in Superman’s adventures, as he constantly seeks to better himself and destroy Superman. He has been responsible for dozens of nefarious acts, such as trying to use Warworld to destroy Superman, to once inhabiting Superman’s body by transferring his mind. However, these stories are not the sole reason he makes the list.
Indeed, perhaps his most lasting impact on Superman occurred in the 2008 Brainiac story arc. It is revealed (via a retcon) that all other Brainiacs have been drones of the true Brainiac, and that his drones are a foreboding presence on Earth. Indeed, Superman sets out to find him, eventually discovering him aboard his spaceship – which contains the shrunken cities of dozens of planets that Brainiac then destroys. Not wanting this to happen to Earth, Superman and Supergirl are able to stop Brainiac’s attempts to destroy Earth’s sun, and then defeat Brainiac. However, the lasting legacies of this are twofold – shrunken Kandor is released onto the Earth around the Fortress of solitude and, most importantly, Brainiac, in his rage, fires a missile at Kent farm, resulting in the death of Jonathan Kent.
It is this that marks Brainiac as special in the DC villain-verse, he keeps coming back, and the impact of his actions, past and present, are always carried by the Man of Steel.
(On a side note, his name has also become a common usage word to describe, well, a brainiac. Nothing says legacy like etymological immortality.)
Why? Because he killed Superman. Really, I think I could stop there... but let’s embellish slightly. Created by the scientist Bertron on Krypton (years before Superman et al.) he was pitched against all of the creatures of the world and, when he died, was cloned as a stronger version, until he became basically unstoppable. Eventually he got of Krypton and came to face Darkseid, but did not fight him, instead being fired through space – killing hundreds of Green Lanterns on the way – until a Guardian died to send him through a tear in space. On the planet Calaton he killed almost everyone, until he was defeated by the combined Lifeforce of the Calatonians – The Radiant. They shot his body into space, not wanting to bury the monster, and he hurtled through space until he crashed onto Earth.
After digging his way from the crash site, Doomsday, with one arm shackled behind him, defeated the entire Justice League – before turning his sights on Superman. Eventually the two battle in Metropolis – killing each other with their final blows. His remains are then hurled into space by one of the new ‘Supermen’ in the wake of the Man of Steel’s death.
However, he was found by a space ship and ended up on Apokolips, where he beat Darkseid himself in a battle, before Superman tried to defeat him again – but he could not, instead he trapped him at the end of time.
Eventually, however he was freed by an underling of Brainiac who wanted to combine Brainiac’s mind with Doomsday’s strength – again however Superman prevailed, trapping him by continually teleporting him between four teleporters.Lex Luthor then freed him however, in an attempt to kill Imperiex, however he could not and was destroyed. Lex then cloned him again, this time with sentience – but this proved to be a hindrance as he was not as strong, and Superman was able to defeat him.
He appears once more, setting upon the representatives of Kandor during negotiations between the Kryptonians and humanity. However the presence of many Kryptonians was too much; and he was destroyed. His remains however are taken by a Human General who wishes to halt the Kryptonian’s attempts to live on Earth, and Doomsday’s corpse is given to Lex Luthor once more, in an attempt to improve him further...
Doomsday makes this list then because not only did he kill Superman, but he repeatedly returns, more powerful than before, and is consequently an ever present threat to the entire DC universe.
8) Ra’s al Ghul
Ra’s al Ghul, whose name means ‘The Demon’s Head’ in Arabic, is one of Batman’s most ever present and threatening foes. Described as an ‘eco-terrorist’, he has lived for over 600 years due to immersing himself in Lazarus Pits – vessels that rejuvenate the body.
Initially an Arabic nomad, Ra’s was a successful physician who found himself accused of his wife’s murder, and he was left to die in the desert. However he was rescued and launched an attack against those who had tried to punish him wrongly. It is this that set him upon his ultimate path: cleansing humanity’s ills. To this end, he founded the sinister society known as ‘the Demon’, of which he was the ‘head.’ He also formed the League of Assassins in order to remove any who stood before him.His goal of committing global genocide to restart humanity almost comes to fruition when he releases the plague known as ‘the Clench’ upon Gotham city. Batman however, is able to thwart him, but Ra’s escapes.
Perhaps Ra’s most dastardly ploy, however, was his theft of the bodies of Batman’s parents. Whilst Batman is distracted, Ra’s uses Batman’s fail safes to temporarily defeat the Justice League of America. Although the members recover, Batman is forced from the group in light of his plans. Ra’s then tries to thwart Batman’s adoption of Dick Grayson, blaming them for his poor relationship with his own daughter. He is, ultimately, unsuccessful.
Ra’s is then defeated by one of his daughters, Nyssa, angry at him for abandoning her during World War Two. During Nyssa’s attacks, Ra’s, in true megalomaniac villain form, reveals that it is all part of his master plan that this has happened. Indeed, even after his death and cremation, Ra’s could not be kept at bay for long.
In fact, it turns out the Ra’s has survived death by transferring his consciousness into a vessel body, searching for a new host. He then chooses Damien Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, and thus his grandson. Although thwarted here, he is able to transfer into a new body and once again escapes Batman’s clutches. After taking up residence in Gotham City, Batman defeats him once more, placing him in Arkham Asylum. Ra’s, however, is a canny foe, and manages to escape imprisonment again.
After Batman’s apparent demise at the hands of Darkseid, Ra’s sets out to prove that his nemesis is not dead, as the world would have him believe. Indeed, in doing so he finds himself involved in Tim Drake’s quest to find Bruce Wayne, when the former Robin destroys the League of Assassins. Trying to defeat Tim in retaliation, Ra’s eventually secedes and goes into hiding, musing that all his actions against Tim Drake were simple tests, to see if the former Boy Wonder could prove man enough to be the father of another heir to Ra’s’ legacy.
Ra’s then makes the list because of his dastardly cunning. Even when he appears beaten, it turns out that he had planned everything all along, making him a truly slippery customer. When coupled with his almost understandable plan, to perfect Humanity, this megalomaniac side twists his goals into something greater than the usual super villain fare, a twisted reflection of humanity’s desire for perfection. And, in an ironic twist of fate, his personal influence on Batman can never wane, as he is the grandfather of Bruce’s own son, Damien. Thus, for his twisted goals and cunning, and personal influence over one of the biggest superheroes around, Ra’s makes the list.
7) Two Face
Harvey Dent is often cited as one of Batman’s greatest villains for the sole reason that he is the result of Batman’s failure, and a constant reminder of the fact that, under the cowl, Bruce Wayne is but a man.
Initially the finest District Attorney in Gotham, Dent fought alongside Batman and Commissioner Gordon. However, during a trial of crime boss Sal Maroni he has a bottle of acid thrown in his face, and Batman is unable to deflect it in time. The hideous reflection that Dent soon sees drives him insane, and he scars one side of a coin – using this to decide the outcomes of his actions. Initially this was seized upon as a gimmick – focusing on the number two. However, he soon emerged as a great character – a scarred (literally) shadow of his former self that always seemed to follow Batman.
Further to this is the continuing theme of Dent’s redemption. There are repeated attempts to cure his scarring, such as in Batman: Hush, however these all end with the madness breaking through – once again bringing the tragedy of his fall to light. Indeed, in Two Face: Crime and Punishment it seems that the Dent persona has won through, as he attempts to kill himself. Once again, however, he falls back to becoming Two Face. Indeed, Batman’s role in Dent’s fall is emphasised in Batman: Face the Face, in which the Dent persona is charged with being Gotham’s protector in the absence of Bruce Wayne. However, after a series of murders, and questioning by Batman, Dent goes crazy again, scarring his face and rising as Two Face.
Indeed, this tragic tale is magnificently portrayed in the film The Dark Knight by Aaron Eckhart, bringing the layered character to light from ‘White Knight’ of Gotham, to one of the darkest stars of its criminal underbelly.
Two Face thus makes this list for his recurring role as a great villain, and as a tragic hero. For a comic book character, his history is remarkably twisted and complex. The repeated attempts to redeem him by Batman and others shows just how deeply the loss of Harvey Dent affected the ‘good guys’ of Gotham, and how big a role he could have played in saving the city itself. This underlying sentiment of loss and Two Face’s continuing battle against himself is what makes him just so interesting as a character, and cemented his place on this list.
6) Professor Zoom
How can I compile this list without including the main antagonist to one of my favourite heroes, the Flash? Even with his own Rogues gallery (see what I did there), in my mind the Flash only has one villain who could stand up to the others on this list, and that man is Eobard Thawne, aka, Professor Zoom.
Initially a criminal time traveller who reverse engineered Barry Allen’s costume to create his striking colour reversed costume, and grant him powers of Super Speed, Thawne’s background was amended following the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, becoming more sinister as a result.
Eobard Thawne’s background moves to that of an obsessed fan, recreating the electrochemical event that gave Barry Allen his powers, and even altering his appearance to look like his hero. Travelling back in time to meet his hero, he becomes unhinged to discover that he is fated to become a villain. Exacerbated by his time travel, Thawne goes mad and attacks Central City, only to be stopped by the combined Flash family, and sent back to the future where he belongs.
However, by this point Zoom was too unstable to remain. Hating Barry Allen for being the hero he was not, Thawne used his time travelling to return to points in Barry Allen’s life, attempting to destroy him, and claim victory. Indeed, he targets Allen’s family, apparently killing Iris West by vibrating his hand through her head. Devastated by this, it takes years for Allen to overcome it, but even when he does and falls in love again, Zoom appears to thwart him. In the ensuing struggle however, Barry snaps Zoom’s neck, killing him. Despite being acquitted of murder, Allen retires to the future, desperate to get away with a resurrected Iris. However, he wasn’t able to stay out of the DC limelight long, and soon met his end during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Zoom’s legacy does not end here however. His placement on the list is largely due to his influence on the returned Barry Allen, in the aftermath of Final Crisis.
After his return, Barry is afflicted by what appears to be the curse of the Black Flash – every speedster he touches dies. Deciding to run into the Speed Force to save his family, he then discovers that he is not responsible, it was Zoom who had orchestrated these events. Drawing Barry Allen from the Speed Force in the Final Crisis event, he reveals that he has poisoned the Speed Force with his own energy, causing Barry to kill those he touches. Barry and the other speedsters are able to escape the Speed Force, and take off after Zoom after he announces that he will stop Barry once and for all, killing Iris before they even meet – removing Barry’s one love and reason for fighting. Barry gives chase with Wally West, racing through time after Zoom.
It is during this race that the most important legacy of Zoom comes apparent. During the flight, Barry and Wally become the lightning bolt of energy that gives Barry his powers in the past, showing how without Zoom’s ever present hatred, his nemesis would not have come into being. Eventually, Barry catches Zoom, running him through time before returning him to the Justice League, who imprison Zoom in a device to sever him from his Negative Speed Force. However, the third Professor Zoom then approaches him, in an effort to improve both of their skills.
Zoom even has a role in Blackest Night. His broken necked corpse is brought to life, declaring itself the Black Flash. However, upon meeting the living Flash it stops, before being frozen by Captain Cold. After the conclusion of Blackest Night, Zoom is reanimated by the White Light of creation, before slipping away...
Thus, Zoom makes the Top 10 for numerous reasons. His nature as a time traveller, and rejuvenation after Blackest Night, render him a villain that appears ever present. When coupled with his resounding hatred of Barry Allen, this makes him a determined foe indeed, and one that will consistently try to thwart the Flash.
However, his vitriolic hatred of the Flash has also granted him a more important legacy. It was he, out of a desire to see Barry destroyed by his hand, that drew him back during the events of Final Crisis and more importantly, it becomes apparent that without Zoom’s attempts to kill Iris, Barry Allen would not have become the Flash, as it was his run through time that gave him his powers initially. Clearly, with such momentous events bearing Zoom’s stamp, he has earned his place on this list.
