What Your Favorite Comic Book Villain Says About You?
While we all know we should be rooting for the hero, many of us also find a lot of resonance in the villains of the piece. What does your favorite villain say about you? Today we take a tongue-in-cheek look at some classic comic book villains, and why we love them.
The Joker
Ah, the Joker. Who doesn’t love this delightfully off-the-wall Batman villain? The Joker is entering his 8th decade in comics, and he’s continued to resonate with many souls along the way. While he and Harley Quinn don’t have the healthiest love relationship around, and probably shouldn’t be romantic goals, what does it say about you if you find this famous villain compelling?
The Joker represents our inner urge to throw structure to the wind and just do what we want. He doesn’t play by his own rules, he simply doesn’t play by any rules at all. He’ll even kill to get a laugh. This makes him the perfect foil to Batman, who has a strict moral code and loves order.
Of course, chances are you don’t want to murder and maim for fun! But it’s that carefree refusal to acknowledge the rules and simply act on a whim that attracts us to him. He thinks he’s special and likes to cause a little mayhem for fun. Plus, of course, he’s been played in the film by a host of compelling – and attractive – actors, so what’s not to love? We all have an inner Joker waiting to break free.
Batman has been seminal in the comic book genre. If you want to know more about The
Joker or any of the other beloved villains the franchise has brought us, take a look at this infographic on famous Batman villains to refresh your memory.
The Governor
If you’ve only ever watched the Walking Dead TV series, you may be surprised to learn it’s based on a very successful comic. The Governor is the ruler of the town of Woodbury and was featured as the Big Bad in Season 3 of the TV series.
What’s to love in a guy who literally feeds others to his zombie daughter? While he’s hardly a stellar guy, it’s the ease and righteousness of this character that draws some people to him. He acts without guilt or regret, dispensing his idea of justice and right with impunity. He may be scary and crazy, but that winning smile makes you forget that for a while. If you feel you have a little bit of the Governor deep inside, it’s that same certainty and care-free confidence that’s resonating with you.
The Green Goblin
Marvel’s Spider-man’s nemesis, Norman Osborn is another crazy villain we can’t help but see some of ourselves in. He’s someone who fell off the good-guy bus along the way. Once a successful businessman and scientist, and even a S.H.I.E.L.D commander, he just can’t seem to keep it together and stay on the good guy team.
He’s a perfect example of how none of us is perfect, and that is what draws us to him. All of us recognize that feeling of falling apart and not managing to live up to our goals and dreams. We all know we should be better people, but sometimes it’s just too hard. Whether it’s eating that donut even though you’re on a diet, or skipping that work deadline because it’s warm outside, the Green Goblin is a homage to our messier side. That’s why we love him!
The Guardians of the Universe
These little blue men at the center of the universe had amazing goals. They wanted to get rid of violence, evil, and greed. So why are they on the villain list?
Because they thought they knew better. Their army of android Manhunters wiped out a lot of people, even though they were trying to do good.
What draws us to them? They’re a classic example of how many good traits go wrong if taken too far. They demonstrate willpower, hard work, and wanting to be better- but by taking it too far, they did wrong instead. All of us have had a moment where we thought we were doing the right thing but forgot to remember the people on the other side of our urge to do right. If you’ve ever let your inner Karen come out to play, forgotten why emotions matter, or simply made the wrong decision for the right reasons, you’ll recognize a little of the Guardians in yourself.
The Jackal
Another Spidey villain, The Jackal, spearheaded the infamous clone sage. Also known as Professor Miles Warren, he’s a prime example of an emotion we all have, but don’t like to admit- obsession.
He clones the hero team (and himself) over and over again, thinking that this time he will get it right. Who doesn’t resonate with that? All of us have been a little obsessive and a little silly with it, be it love or life goals.
Vicente
The original villain and Father of Vampires of the 30 Days of Night comics, Vicente is a hard soul. He’s aged past thinking of right and wrong like we do and simply does what’s necessary to protect his own.
Of course, as a villain, that ends up killing a whole bunch of people. But it is his urge to protect his own and the things he loves, even when there are hard decisions afoot, that draws us to him. A lot of us feel like we’d kill to protect what we love – Vincente just took it to the max.
Which of these popular comic book villains resonates most with you? Are you a Vicente or a Joker at heart? We all have a dark side that sometimes shows its face, so let us know which villain is your favorite in the comments below. And remember – this is only a fun article for entertainment purposes! Don’t go planning to take your city hostage or create a cloned super-army after reading this.
