Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks 225 User-Nominated Super-Villains

(+) Yeah! (+)

That is very true.
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#177 - Mister Mxyzptlk Nominated by: Jesse
First Appearance: Superman #30 (Sept. 1944)
Created by: Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster

Fundamentals: 6/10
Track Record: 4/10
Scarlet Factor: 4/10

Mister Mxyzptlk was created in an era of lightweight characters to be the lighter villain. So, for a solid 30 years, he was a complete joke, a little person with an impish personality that made utterly silly things happy because, I don't know, he was bored, I guess. His motivations were his own, but he was kind of like Q to Superman's Jean-Luc Picard, except without actually trying to teach Superman a lesson. Q is a great character. Mxyzptlk was not for many years. The difference is simple. When Q meddled, it tended to cause something important to happen. If it didn't, it instead developed Q as a character. When Mxyzptlk did something of importance, that never happened so the front end of this sentence was pointless. He also never developed as a character.

Not until right before Infinite Crisis, that is. Mxy ended up proving that he wasn't a villain so much as exactly what he appeared to be all those years. A prankster, a comedian, a trickster. However, it just so happens that the DC Universe had all of those things, and Mxy was written out for a while. However, this write-off was fantastically good. It put some gravity in front of the guy, and he started to be quite interesting. Grant Morrison played with the fifth-dimension in his Action Comics run to great success as well, but at this point, Mxyzptlk has become a sideshow diversion, rarely appearing. He is truly a product of a bygone age, unnecessary in the cold, harsh DCU that we have now.
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What's your take on Moore's version in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

#176 - Emma Frost Nominated by: Cybat
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #129 (Jan. 1980)
Created by: Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Fundamentals: 7/10
Track Record: 3/10
Scarlet Factor: 4/10

It's tough to rate these reformed villains. Emma switched sides about fifteen years ago now, but she'll always be inextricably linked to the Hellfire Club. That said, as a member of the Hellfire Club, she was a terribly dull pair of boobs. When she flipped sides, however, she got interesting. Well, until Matt Fraction got a hold of her. Then she became a two-dimensional rack attack again.

I really have very little of compliment which I can say about Emma. She has a decent power set, but it's a little too Swiss Army Knife for me. She hangs around with Cyclops a lot, so there's really no way to separate the awfulness that is Scott Summers from her. Once you get that grime on you, it never washes away.

Ultimately, and this is maybe bigoted of me, I think mutants are terrible characters. They tend to be so two-dimensional. They have one overriding desire and they all spout nonsense about it constantly. When they're not doing that, they become bodies on a page. "People will buy this title because it has Emma Frost!" exclaim the editors of the X-Line. X-Men readers in general just have a less refined palette and are more willing to accept crap as long as said crap features characters they like.

Emma Frost was a manipulative and sly villain back in the 80s and 90s, but that was a long time ago in a Marvel continuity far, far away. Now she is a body - a hell of a body - but not much else at all.
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Jesse_Custer posted...

What's your take on Moore's version in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

A cute twist for the sake of entertainment. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but the story is great that it gets a pass. If Mxy had maintained that attitude before or after that What If story, I would be more amenable to the character.
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Haven't read Fraction's stuff (sounds like that's for the best), but Emma was my favorite character during Morrison's run.

That's when she was at her best. Imagine that! A writer with vision came in, picked up a languishing C-Lister, made them interesting... and when said writer left, so did the character as she was.

It's a constant refrain in the Marvel Universe. Just because one guy has a great idea for a character, that doesn't mean everyone can write the character. In fact, it generally means the opposite. So many terrible takes on Elektra over the years, for example.
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It's a shame, she had this ruthless, brilliant quality that I guess most writers don't get.

Uhh, scarlet. I don't think you know what you think you mean to know.

I actually noticed this when you did it the first time but at the time I thought you were trying to go for a witty statement regarding the color and art style of whatever you were talking about. But after using it again in Emma Frost's writeup, I gotta tell you that I think the word you're looking for is palate, as in, the sense of sophisticated taste or appreciation for something instead of palette, which is that thing painters use to dab colors with.

Not sure if you're doing it on purpose.


Anyways, I'm so bummed that Gideon's appearance in the finale is lackluster. I never read the final volume and I think I never will now.
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I love Emma Frost's ruthlessness, but I think I play up her ruthlessness in my mind while X-writers downplay it.
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Emma Frost is one of two X-Men I actually care about.

I seriously don't care about any of them aside from her, Cyclops, and as a distant Magneto, but I don't even know how much to count him.
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#175 - Raptor (Brenda Drago) Nominated by: davidponte
First Appearance: Spider-Girl #18 (Mar. 2000)
Created by: Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz

Fundamentals: 4/10
Track Record: 5/10
Scarlet Factor: 5/10

I'm going to be very excited when we get into the top 100 or so, since at that point I'll be able to actually give some longer and more detailed write-ups. In this case, however, there's not a lot to say, so I'll be brief.

Raptor is a character that in theory is a decent legacy character with a great internal conflict - does her nature outweight her nurture? As the child of the Vulture, Raptor is immediately raised as a future inmate of a maximum security facility, but the conflict within the character, the desire to separate herself from her father, makes her a character with a unique internal conflict. It's one that can tell fantastic stories. I remember that Spider-Girl as a series treated her overall story arc with great care, allowing the slow burn approach to take hold.

However, her dialogue was always so forgettable and there were too many instances where she came across as an afterthought. Her actual redemption is pretty weak and she was mothballed pretty hard in the end. So she loses points for that. Otherwise, she could have been pretty great. DeFalco was just more focused on about 30 other characters in his title (and that's not a bad thing).
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I was actually going for the Raptor that debuted in the current Nightwing ongoing, although I'm sure he wouldn't have placed much higher.

http://nightwing.wikia.com/wiki/Raptor_(Prime_Earth)
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davidponte posted...

I was actually going for the Raptor that debuted in the current Nightwing ongoing, although I'm sure he wouldn't have placed much higher.

http://nightwing.wikia.com/wiki/Raptor_(Prime_Earth)

Ah, well. Yeah that guy would have topped at 200 max. So enjoy the bonus :P
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#174 - Godspeed (August Heart) Nominated by: Corrik
First Appearance: Flash:Rebirth #1 (Aug. 2016)
Created by: Joshua Williamson and Carmine di Giandomenico

Fundamentals: 4/10
Track Record: 5/10
Scarlet Factor: 5/10

Don't get me wrong. I love speedsters.

August Heart is a redundant speedster that brings nothing new to the table. He's a poor man's Reverse-Flash. He's the quality of a bad Arrowverse Flash arc villain. I really don't know what to say about the guy. His costume is sort of blah and his story is pretty much a combination of a couple other super-speed villains.

But he's a speedster.
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#173 - Blight (Derek Powers) Nominated: bullhogderbaxer
First Appearance: Rebirth, Part I (Jan. 1999)
Created by: Alan Burnett and Paul Dini

Fundamentals: 4/10
Track Record: 5/10
Scarlet Factor: 5/10

Since this villain is really an animated series villain and not a comic villain, I'm giving you the bare minimum of write-up. Yes, we are still in this dreaded mid-range zone of villains I have very little opinion to express.

Blight is a rip-off of Doctor Phosphorus. He actually is pretty much exactly like Doctor Phosphorus. Doctor Phosphorus, in fact, would have been a better nomination since at least Doctor Phosphorus shows up in more than a handful of comics, most of which are animated series tie-ins (which I don't read).

This was a bad nomination despite its score and you should feel bad for making this nomination. It is against the spirit of this ranking.
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#172 - Eclipso (Terry Magnus) Nominated by: Eddv
First Appearance: Justice League 3000 #1 (Feb. 2014)
Created by: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Howard Porter

Fundamentals: 5/10
Track Record: 4/10
Scarlet Factor: 5/10

When last I read an issue of Justice League 3000, Terry had just become Eclipso. I really didn't care. Quite honestly, the entire series is just an entertaining diversion that didn't do too much for me. I couldn't really summon much of interest about this guy. He's one of the two annoying twins. They eventually became less annoying. Then he became Eclipso. Then I stopped reading the title for no real reason.
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#171 - Stilt-Man (Wilbur Day) Nominated by: Anagram
First Appearance: Daredevil #8 (Jun. 1965)
Created by: Wally Wood

Fundamentals: 5/10
Track Record: 4/10
Scarlet Factor: 5/10

Stilt-Man is marginally humorous and decently designed. However, he's a villain that exists to be a jobber or a humorous threat. He's never really gotten much in the way of development (although I think he married a member of the Serpent Society). Eventually he died.

Stilt-Man is the definition of being a career background player. He's never been taken all that seriously, and therefore I really have nothing to say about him.
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Yeah he married Princess Python.
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Snake5555555555 posted...

Yeah he married Princess Python.

!

I love both those characters as D-list villains.
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When does mediocre rank end? 101?
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Hey did anyone nominate Trapster? I love how long he stayed in the 'verse
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Really busy day at the shop. I'll get back to it tomorrow.
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scarletspeed7 posted...

#172 - Eclipso (Terry Magnus) Nominated by: Eddv
First Appearance: Justice League 3000 #1 (Feb. 2014)
Created by: Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Howard Porter

Fundamentals: 5/10
Track Record: 4/10
Scarlet Factor: 5/10

When last I read an issue of Justice League 3000, Terry had just become Eclipso. I really didn't care. Quite honestly, the entire series is just an entertaining diversion that didn't do too much for me. I couldn't really summon much of interest about this guy. He's one of the two annoying twins. They eventually became less annoying. Then he became Eclipso. Then I stopped reading the title for no real reason.

Wow you hate everything fun
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Is that in your opinion?

EDIT: I mainly didn't care about the Justice League clones and I was dropping titles left and right around that time.
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Yes, in my opinion.

Thats one of the few titles i DIDNT drop when i was on a vicious kill spree.
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I mean, I've said it before, but I don't find things cute or funny.
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#170 - Eradicator Nominated by: Eddv
First Appearance: Action Comics Annual #2 (1989)
Created by: Roger Stern

Fundamentals: 5/10
Track Record: 4/10
Scarlet Factor: 5/10

Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Does he want to revive the legacy of Krypton? Does he want to replace Earth with a Kryptonian-styled utopia? What the fuck does he want and how the fuck does he want to go about it?

Provided you enjoy characters with motivations that constantly waver, Eradicator presents an interesting piece of the past for Superman. The concept of a historical legacy being offered to Superman appeals to Superman's constant desire to understand and be a part of his heritage. But this remains at odds with the damaging effect of a Krypton on Earth. Now all of this could in fact could work as a character that allows for an exploration of Superman, but the idea that the Eradicator has to be a good guy because for about six months 20 years ago he wore ugly sunglasses and a big red S on his chest has diluted everything about the character that makes him interesting. That doesn't count the five or so attempts to rewrite everything about the character in the comic writers' constant desire to stamp their name to something in DC Comics. Eradicator is one of those characters that has been hampered constantly by these reshuffles and rewrites.

Could the Eradicator be great? If one vision of the character remained; if there was a singular approach to the character; if he had an isolated voice. But instead, we've been gifted this hodgepodge of a hero-today-villain-tomorrow, plagued by inconsistency and detestably presented as a red-headed stepchild in the Superman Family.
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#169 - MODOK (George Tarleton) Nominated by: Great_Paul
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #93 (Sep. 1967)
Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Fundamentals: 5/10
Track Record: 8/10
Scarlet Factor: 2/10

MODOK has become a fan favorite villain.

Fuck MODOK.

I find nothing in the world cute or funny. Ever. It's just Hector Hammond in the Marvel Universe.

Fuck this write-up. Fuck this nomination.
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MODOK's creepy.
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scarletspeed7 posted...

Fuck MODOK.

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what the fuck is that thing
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#168 - Killer Croc (Waylon Jones)Nominated by: Cybat
First Appearance: Detective Comics #523 (Feb. 1983)
Created by: Gerry Conway and Gene Colan

Fundamentals: 6/10
Track Record: 5/10
Scarlet Factor: 4/10

If you like characters that belong in Louisiana and wish they would show up in Gotham City, then Killer Croc is the guy for you. Croc has a great overarching story. It's the story of... um... well...

At least Croc has a great iconic and consistent design that - BAH! Sorry, I couldn't stay serious that long.

Croc is a pretty ridiculous character who is best served as a secondary antagonist in a story featuring somebody else. Croc's greatest roles are as a somewhat uncontrollable henchman, a menace in the alleys of Gotham, or the guy you beat before you beat the guy you want to beat. One could argue that Croc has a unique personality, but one would be mistaken if he visited New Orleans. One could stake the claim that Croc is a Frankenstein-like monster with a heart. One would have to explain many stories where Croc is predatory and bloodthirsty. Writers all have different takes on what makes the primordial crocodile tick, and the answer seems to range from docile at heart to rage-filled beast. Of course, the only reason a crocodile ticks is because it swallowed a clock.

Anyways, Killer Croc - useless or semi-useless? You be the judge.
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I'd say semi-useless personally, he has a use, just not as the main antagonist
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Ditto to semi-useless, definitely an alright supporting antagonist, like in Hush. When he's not being shoved into event books, I think he's definitely a part of Gotham's charm.
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I've never seen much purpose to Croc, seems like you could just swap him out with any animal-like character for Batman to fight and it wouldn't make a difference to the story.

I like that Croc exists because he adds a layer of excitement to Gotham, which works great in things like the Arkham games

He's like the underground monster parents warn their kids about to stop them from playing in the street with sewer drains, but real

Not deep but a fun, spooky creature. Also:



Snake5555555555 posted...

scarletspeed7 posted...

Fuck MODOK.

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The main thing I remember Killer Croc for is the episode of Batman TAS where the supervillain who looks like a five year-old girl falls in love with him and he doesn't know how to react.
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Anagram posted...

The main thing I remember Killer Croc for is the episode of Batman TAS where the supervillain who looks like a five year-old girl falls in love with him and he doesn't know how to react.

Did he throw a rock at her?

A big rock?
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#167 - Cameron Hodge Nominated by: Mega Mana
First Appearance: X-Factor #1 (Feb. 1986)
Created by: Bob Layton and Jackson Guice

Fundamentals: 6/10
Track Record: 5/10
Scarlet Factor: 4/10

Sometimes, an android should just stay dead. When I look back at the sum total of Hodge's career - a death, a resurrection and a pretty dull storyline following said resurrection before a subsequent second death - I see a career that sums up most X-characters in the X-verse that is X-Men. Hodge had a unique and interesting design that made him readable for about ten minutes. His death was timely and appropriate. His return years later was exactly the sort of return that is wildly unnecessary. Now, a return can be fantastic if you have something really interesting to create, but the entire Phalanx storyline is so dull that what really sticks out in my mind was reading it and hoping it ended soon so I could move on to better comics.

Androids are fun. This one was not.
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Yeah I was curious as to whether there was anything interesting about Killer Croc. Guess not. His parts in the Arkham games were fun at least.
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One thing I'm not ranking any character on is their track record outside of comics.
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And here I was so sure your low ranking of Doom was because of his pervasiveness in UMVC3
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I just thought it beared repeating since Croc is pretty funny on BTAS and pretty frightening in AA.
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I do really enjoy Croc when they go with the sympathetic approach to his character. His Joker's Asylum story was pretty good and I like seeing that sort of take pop up elsewhere. When he's just a big cannibal monster, not so much.

Although the "alligators in the sewer" gag is pretty great regardless.
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#166 - Carnage (Cletus Kasady) Nominated by: Snake
First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #344 (Mar. 1991)
Created by: David Michelinie, Erik Larsen and Mark Bagley

Fundamentals: 7/10
Track Record: 4/10
Scarlet Factor: 4/10

I know this is one of Snake's favorite characters, so I feel the need to explain quite clearly why I don't really care for Carnage. It starts with the fact that Carnage was originally presented as "He's Venom... BUT CRAZY!" I hate any character that is explained away with insanity. I really do. All insanity has a clear explanation, at least to the person who is insane. You just have to understand what that explanation is and how it affects the day-to-day life of the person dealing with it. Carnage was created and spent his heyday being crazy because that's what you do with the characters who become popular and need to be dumbed-down for mass consumption. You take your Venom, you lessen his villainy, and you replace him with someone else who is almost the same but different. Look, the black gooey thing is now a red gooey thing! And it wants to kill people!

Why does it want to kill people?

Who the fuck knows?

I also hate the concept of symbiotes. There are so damned many of them. Most of them are dull as hell, completely replaceable characters without any real depth. They are interchangeable parts. Outside of Venom, the original, every other symbiote felt like an easy attempt at a cash grab. Tell me, what makes Carnage different from any other villain? Nothing. His gimmick was Venom's and his personality is that of any B-rate serial killer. But Marvel is never finished running things into the ground, so we got more symbiotes, people who used to be symbiotes becoming new symbiotes, symbiote BOMBS!

Bombs that make symbiotes. It makes no sense.

Anyways, when Sentry killed off Carnage, I was in full support of it. Carnage was useless, just a blob of putty that liked to kill stuff. Any character development felt jarring and fake because suddenly a writer thought they could put the logic of Carnage's insanity into the comic, but that logic came about 15 years too late.

Sure, the design is great and the harder edge pleases fans on the surface, but I expect so much more.
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I will be the first to admit Carnage (and symbiotes as a whole) has had some terrible, lame, and downright boring stories (Venom/Carnage Unleashed anyone? Carnage Cosmic?). But in the hands of the right writing and amazing artwork, Carnage really springs to life for me as a really effective horror villain with some of my favorite body horror visuals in comics. I've also really liked the comedic interpretations, Warren Ellis' Mind Bomb (even if it felt a little Jokery) and especially Axis.
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tbh I didn't know there were symbiotes beyond Venom, Carnage and Black-suit Spidey (which is the same symbiote as Venom I think? I don't read Spider-Man)
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Here's all of the symbiotes I remember off the top of my head:
Scream
Lasher
Riot
Agony
Phage
Anti-Venom
Hybrid
Toxin
ZZZXX
Mania
Scorn

There's no shortage of 'em
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that is admittedly several
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