I would say batman easily with spider man second
Which Superhero has the biggest number of iconic villains?
Waitaminute, what makes a villain iconic? It kinda seems like applying that title to some of these guys is reaching a bit. I would argue that these are the only iconic villains in the conversation:
- Lex Luthor
- Joker
- Doctor Octopus
Of course, if you mean "recognizability among comic readers", you have yourself a very long list.
On the flipside, I'd say Magneto means more to the X-men than any of those Villains mean to their heroes... and he doesn't even make your list. So it's a complicated question.
That's a cool way to look at it. Not only does Magneto have the arch-enemy connection to Professor X, he also represents everything the X-men oppose. If the X-men represent Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a world where all groups are united regardless of differences, Magneto represents the desire for segregation and his own group's supremacy (in a word, racism). So in that regard, the X-men and Magneto's enmity transcends the comic books and is worth considering as the most iconic of all.
Lex Luthor has his arguments too though, if we're looking at it purely in terms of the human condition. He embodies several of the "seven deadly sins" that have plagued mankind since time immemorial, and also the archetype of the "individual" who refuses to be part of the flock, to relinquish his destiny to a higher power or the collective (the arrogance of free will, but also the ambitious quality of humanity).
Joker's conflict with Batman is interesting too, because it has a metaphysical quality to it. Bruce said in the Dark Knight Returns that the murder of his parents taught him that, "The world only makes sense when you force it to." He spent his entire life training himself to be a paragon of human ability so that he could impose structure on the world. Like the Gothic architecture erected by his ancestor Solomon Wayne, he wants to live forever in the hearts and minds of Gothamites, in immortal symbol of righteous authority that will compel the city to puritanism. He is an avatar of control and order, but much more than that; he employs theatrics and esoteric disciplines to become a supernatural force in the eyes of his enemies. Joker is the perfect enemy for Batman because, besides being a horrifically cunning mass murderer, he doesn't take himself or Batman seriously. He sees Batman and laughs at the absurdity of a man in a bat suit trying to create order in an inherently chaotic world. It's a struggle between iron conviction and the madness that mocks it. Crystallization and fluidity.
Batman, Spider-Man and Superman in that order.
Brainiac, Zod, Luthor and Doomsday are Superman's big four.
Waitaminute, what makes a villain iconic? It kinda seems like applying that title to some of these guys is reaching a bit. I would argue that these are the only iconic villains in the conversation:
- Lex Luthor
- Joker
- Doctor Octopus
Of course, if you mean "recognizability among comic readers", you have yourself a very long list.
On the flipside, I'd say Magneto means more to the X-men than any of those Villains mean to their heroes... and he doesn't even make your list. So it's a complicated question.
That's a cool way to look at it. Not only does Magneto have the arch-enemy connection to Professor X, he also represents everything the X-men oppose. If the X-men represent Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a world where all groups are united regardless of differences, Magneto represents the desire for segregation and his own group's supremacy (in a word, racism). So in that regard, the X-men and Magneto's enmity transcends the comic books and is worth considering as the most iconic of all.
Lex Luthor has his arguments too though, if we're looking at it purely in terms of the human condition. He embodies several of the "seven deadly sins" that have plagued mankind since time immemorial, and also the archetype of the "individual" who refuses to be part of the flock, to relinquish his destiny to a higher power or the collective (the arrogance of free will, but also the ambitious quality of humanity).
Joker's conflict with Batman is interesting too, because it has a metaphysical quality to it. Bruce said in the Dark Knight Returns that the murder of his parents taught him that, "The world only makes sense when you force it to." He spent his entire life training himself to be a paragon of human ability so that he could impose structure on the world. Like the Gothic architecture erected by his ancestor Solomon Wayne, he wants to live forever in the hearts and minds of Gothamites, in immortal symbol of righteous authority that will compel the city to puritanism. He is an avatar of control and order, but much more than that; he employs theatrics and esoteric disciplines to become a supernatural force in the eyes of his enemies. Joker is the perfect enemy for Batman because, besides being a horrifically cunning mass murderer, he doesn't take himself or Batman seriously. He sees Batman and laughs at the absurdity of a man in a bat suit trying to create order in an inherently chaotic world. It's a struggle between iron conviction and the madness that mocks it. Crystallization and fluidity.
Good points. However, if Joker never existed, Batman would still be as popular, he'd just have Two-Face or the Riddler as his archenemy. Two-Face has the personal connection, and Riddler is like the reverse of the world's greatest detective.
Same with Luthor. It's a great dichotomy to have a normal human oppose the most powerful being ever, but if he didn't exist, someone else would fill the void.
Magneto IS the reason the X-Men exist. Not only was he originally going to make the team with Charles, but when he snapped Charles used that as motivation for who they're trying to stop. He is also Xavier's best friend. He has joined the team and been their leader. He is the greatest of what they are, the public identifies them with him. Even his children are amongst their ranks. I've always felt like if the X-Men truly, genuinely convinced Magneto to join their cause, the war would be over. All other mutants look at him as a messiah. He is the key to everything. He's the most important character in the history of X-Men comics. Weird to say, but it's actually true.
@havenless: Yup. Magneto is irreplaceable as far as the X-men are concerned. If you take iconic as meaning important to their adversaries, it's gotta be him.
@x35:
heck no. Batman. which of Spiderman's villains could be more iconic than The Joker or CAtwoman? answer: NONE
Batman, easily.
Superman in second. Everyone has heard the name Brainiac even if they don't know where it comes from. Lex Luthor is pretty well known as well and used in every day speech. Those two are probably the best known villains/most heard of villains in all of comicdom.
I had no idea who Brainiac was until I watched the JL animated series a few years ago. And I've been reading comics for 20 years, just not Superman comics.
Understandable, but I'm sure you've heard someone call someone a braniac long before you became familiar vvith the character.
While the word originated from that villain, most people don't know that. Is obscure X-Men villain 'Exodus' wildly popular because people know that word?
Spiderman. Venom, Green Goblin, Sandman, Doc Ock and Carnage..
Batman. The Joker, Bane, Penguin, Two Face and Riddler..
I say a tie between Batman and Spiderman.
Thor has the worst villains though.. Only known one is Kurse or Malekith
Batman, easily.
Superman in second. Everyone has heard the name Brainiac even if they don't know where it comes from. Lex Luthor is pretty well known as well and used in every day speech. Those two are probably the best known villains/most heard of villains in all of comicdom.
Lex Luthor is definitely one of the most iconic villains out there, but "Brainiac" is used as an idiom. Sure, the word is popular but I wouldn't count that towards the characters popularity. The character himself is not really that well-known by anyone other than comic readers. I always assumed it was an idiom first. Maybe that's just me, though.
Edit; He's probably more popular than I'm giving him credit for, though. He has been in shows like JLU and Superman: TAS. Not to mention being the big bad in Superman: Unbound.
1.X-men and 2.Spiderman 3.FF 4. Batman
But Lex Luthor is more iconic,because he is father of Super-villainy.
Late to this thread but Batman easily.
Spider-Man has a lot of known villains but only some of them are iconic. The rest of his villains are b list - d list villains. His iconic list of villains would be.
1. Doc Oc.
2. Green Goblin
3. Venom
4. Kraven
5. Mysterio
6. Sandman
7. Lizard
Batman Rogue gallery cant be touched in all of comics
1. Joker
2. Bane
3. Two Face
4. Poison Ivy
5. Riddler
6. Penguin
7. Mr. Freeze
8. Ra's Al Ghul
9. Scarecrow
10. Harley Quinn
11. Catwoman
I can keep adding more too...
The thing is with Batman villains compared to Spider-Man villains is that Batman's villains are fleshed out characters and have character growth through out all these years and you can understand their actions and in some times sympathize. Spider-Man villains are whack and just are villains just to be villains. ALL these years and their characters are still the freaking same! Electro was a lineman that got struck by lightning, Lizard experimented on himself and became a lizard, Vulture put on some wings to steal jewls, and its like that for the majority of Spider-Mans villains. People know Spider-Man villains because they are named after animals so they are easy to remember but a lot of them suck honestly are really C List villains imho.
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