1. The Joker

The mysteries of Joker’s origins can best be summed up in his own words, “Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another…if I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!”

This guy is so fucking insane, it borders on genius. But the best thing about The Joker is that he doesn’t have a singular objective. Granted, he enjoys attempting to murder Batman as much as the next guy. But he genuinely delights in carnage, mayhem and mass-murder. His intricate plans and unpredictability make him a dangerous arch nemesis.

2. Green Goblin

While Sam Raimi’s film may have slightly exaggerated Norman Osborn’s relationship with Spider-Man. The Green Goblin was an enduring force to be reckoned with. Osborn may have been benevolent, but his alter ego was completely batshit crazy and out to kill Spider-Man. Rich, smart and strong as hell (thanks to his patented drugs), he spawned several imitators, but none could match.

3. Magneto

Magneto is possibly the most respectable and sympathetic villain out there. When he was a child, his family was taken to Auschwitz, where he was forced to operate the gas chamber controls. He later befriended Charles Xavier (leader of the X-Men), both men being very intelligent and devoted to preserving mutant life. However, his experience with the Nazis led Magneto to lead a preemptive strike against humanity. Fearing another holocaust, he will stop at nothing to protect his Brotherhood.

4. Venom/Carnage/Toxin

We put these three together because they’re essentially the same thing. Venom was the original, an alien symbiote who first bonded with Spider-Man, making him a little evil, then with Eddie Brock, the anti-Peter Parker. Brock’s murderous tendencies turned the alien into a nasty Spider-Man doppelganger, with all of his powers and agility. The same symbiote was responsible for turning a serial killer into Carnage, basically Venom except more insane and dangerous. Carnage then begat Toxin, who, despite being labeled as a villain, was actually a good guy with a Jekyll and Hyde kind of dichotomy. Venom helped stop Carnage, Toxin helped stop Carnage and Venom…

5. Dr. Doom

He’s the usurped heir to an eastern European gypsy empire. He’s an expert in sorcery, alchemy, and metallurgy. He’s rich, strong, made of metal, and shoots sparkly things out of his fingertips. And he’s really pissed off. Sure, the Fantastic Four isn’t the coolest superhero group ever, but one on four, and he still holds his own. That and his actual name is Victor Von Doom…how can he not be a badass?

Honorable Mentions

The Riddler

An obsessive compulsive with a question mark painted on his chest may not be the greatest villain ever (especially after Jim Carrey and Joel Schumacher got done with him), but The Riddler is an interesting character. Most of his crimes are non-violent, and he never tries to outright kill Batman. Instead, he attempts to beat him in a game of wit, always giving Batman a way out should he solve the puzzle, and he nearly outsmarts him every time. He’s crazy, but in a One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest kinda way, not a Dahmer kinda way.

Brainiac

Since his introduction in 1958, Brainiac’s origin story has been changed several times, but the essentials stay the same. He is basically a brain and nervous system who finds host bodies. He also controls computers, which, added to his psychic abilities, makes him a formidable foe for Superman (he’s big and strong, but not all that bright). He’s more of a nuisance, but he’s more tenacious than Doomsday (whose body he actually controlled in an epic battle for earth…nerdy).

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