Supervillain

Supervillains, sometimes called super criminals, are fictional characters who appear in comic books and superhero movies as antagonists of superheroes. A supervillain normally has superpowers that make them a threat that only a superhero can stop. Many supervillains are enemies of specific superheroes. For example, the supervillain Lex Luthor is an enemy of Superman, The Joker is an enemy of Batman, and the Green Goblin is an enemy of Spider-Man.

Supervillains from the 1966 series Batman From left to right, they are the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, and the Joker.

Publication history

Supervillains were originally created because superheroes felt too powerful to just fight ordinary criminals without powers. The first recurring supervillain was the Ultra-Humanite, who first appeared in Action Comics #13 as an enemy of Superman. Instead of having super-strength, the Ultra-Humanite relied on his intelligence and the ability to swap bodies in order to fight Superman.

Origins

In comic books, supervillains often gain powers as a result of a disastrous accident that either leaves them bitter about their new condition or inspired to use their new abilities to benefit themselves. Other supervillains may invent technology that gives them superpowers.

Motives

A supervillain is motivated to do evil for many purposes. They may want to rob banks, rule the world, or beat a superhero to prove themselves to the world.

For example, Lex Luthor hates Superman in modern comic stories because he is everything that Lex is not, and is bitter that humanity has to rely on an alien for protection. The Joker doesn't hate Batman, but he seeks to prove that everyone is only one small mistake away from becoming crazy just like him, and sees Batman as his natural foil.

There are many popular supervillains in comic books.