Villains are an integral part of comic books. Arguably more important than their heroic counterparts at times, some consider them the real MVPs of a lot of beloved stories. Would we really be able to enjoy the heroics of our favourite superheroes if some arsehole didn't set fire to the odd building or put a bus full of puppies in danger? Maybe not. Regardless - here are my favourite villains.
Sabretooth
One of the first comics I ever bought was a compilation comic called Wolverine & Gambit. The Wolverine story in this particular issue had him getting the absolute shite pasted out of him by Sabretooth. I obviously was vaguely aware of the characters from watching the cartoon but this was way more visceral. I, like many children, assumed Wolverine was invincible. However, I was an idiot - again, much like many children. At the time I didn't know better so to witness Sabretooth slap him about like a windsock in a hurricane left a lasting impression on me. Sabretooth has been booked strangely over the years from a sadistic unstoppable killer to a joke of a villain who's seen as more of a nuisance to the X-men than anything. He's since returned to prominence in recent years even joining the X-men and the most recent incarnation of the Weapon X team. A small summary of him would be: A contentious dick with little regard for human life and a chip on his shoulder so big you could turn it into paper and print 2 copies of Stephen King's IT on that paper. Victor Creed is also just a cool name it just screams "villain."
Davos
Davos. The Steel Serpent. Mr Purple Puncher Extraordinaire. Captain Bitter-man. Sometimes you train your whole life to become the Immortal Iron Fist. Sometimes a westerner who's parents were devoured by wolves is taken in by your mentors and becomes the Immortal Iron Fist instead. If you hate Mondays - imagine his every day is Monday. He worked real hard and didn't get the big promotion and boy does he resent everyone and everything for that. Imagine being so bitter that when your hand gets cut off you can grow it back through sheer, unrelenting spite. That's existence for Davos. Willing and able to mutilate people with his bare hands including his own friends within the confines of a martial arts tournament. He's crafty, he's a diva and he loves to punch things.
Selene
Think about all the things people do in bad taste. Now rank them against this: Selene decided to use a techno-organic virus to revive a whole nation of mutants who were subjected to a genocide just so she could harvest their energy to turn herself into a God. Did I also mention she's an immortal energy vampire? The X-men hate her, Blade hates her and you should too. Remember kids: Don't desecrate mass graves to propel yourself to Godhood.
Mr. Sinister
Not a lot of villains have such outlandishly on-the-nose names and can be taken seriously. However, Mr Sinister is an elite breed of deplorable shite that leverages his silly name with atrocities against mutants and humans alike. He just can't help himself. He likes to carry out genetic experiments, clone people, steal people's powers, clone himself, kidnap children, clone the children- You get the idea. His bedside manner is terrible too, I'd imagine. You can try and kill him but he's likely just a clone of himself. He's a like an evil, flamboyant, glam-rock Nick Fury in that regard. Never goes to his own appointments - its always a decoy. A slippery rascal with no ethics. Truly sinister.
Mr. Negative
Not named, Mr. Negative because he's a general pessimist, Mr. Negative/Martin Li is an opportunistic crime lord with a love for making good things fall through. Taking joy in the corruption of other people's joy and success, Mr. Negative is one of the cooler, less appreciated villains of Spidey's villain gallery. He can empower objects with his Darkforce energy, he can corrupt people with just a touch, he can disguise himself and surprisingly his touch also has the power to heal. All of these abilities position him as a great crime boss. Not many people who run in those circles can go toe-to-toe with him apart from perhaps The Hood but that's only because The Hood doesn't have a soul so cannot be corrupted. Not only does Martin do cool stuff but he looks pretty cool. As a result of exposure to the drug that initially gave him his abilities - he looks like a negative from camera film. Fun Fact: The same drug gave Cloak and Dagger their powers.
- Gary
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