Sometimes, movies get away with lacking villains, particularly if they’re able to find more abstract things to drive conflict. Alternatively, slice-of-life movies might well be defined by a lack of conflict in the traditional sense, aiming to capture something more relaxed or grounded. Superhero movies, however, tend to have physical conflict driving the stories being told, and as such, they more often than not need a good villain or two to be engaging.

The following characters are all very compelling superhero movie villains, though they tend to be a little underrated or under-appreciated. That could be because the movie they’re in isn’t the best overall, or because they get overshadowed by the heroes/other characters. It’s safe to say they all deserve a bit more credit as characters than they tend to get, and are roughly ranked below based on how deep that sense of under-appreciation goes.

10 Jacques

'Super' (2010)

James Gunn was associated with the superhero genre well before becoming a household name with the Guardians of the Galaxy films, including being the director of the violent, shocking, and subversive Super. The plot follows a disturbed man whose life is falling apart, so he takes to being a vigilante, partly to unleash his aggression on someone/something, and partly to once more gain the affections of his wife.

At the start of Super, she leaves the (very flawed) “hero” of the film to get involved with a seedy and cruel drug dealer named Jacques, played memorably by Kevin Bacon. He’s not in the film a ton, and honestly, the protagonist of Super would probably be considered more villainous in a more traditional superhero movie, but Jacques nonetheless serves his purpose well and heightens more dramatic aspects of the movie.

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9 Frank D’Amico

'Kick-Ass' (2010)

Super wasn’t the only violent and comedic superhero/vigilante movie of 2010, because that year also saw the release of the somewhat more palatable Kick-Ass. It had a real attitude and vibrancy to it, being stylish, fast-paced, and blessed by some very memorable side characters, including Chloë Grace Moretz’s Hit Girl and Nicolas Cage’s Big Daddy. As such, the lead villain, Frank D’Amico, got a little overshadowed.

Truth be told, he’s the kind of character that might usually deserve to be overlooked, given he’s a rather generic “crime boss” and because he appears in a movie that’s prominently an origin story for a hapless young hero/vigilante, Dave Lizewski (AKA Kick-Ass). But Mark Strong does his usual reliable thing and totally succeeds in elevating Frank D’Amico as a character, and, of course, it helps that Frank’s also the father of Dave’s best friend Chris (whose villainous arc was kind of a wasted opportunity in the disappointing Kick-Ass 2, but that’s another story).

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8 Andrew Detmer

'Chronicle' (2012)

Chronicle puts a neat spin on the superhero genre, taking a low-budget and found-footage approach, thereby feeling like a more realistic depiction of what might happen to teenagers who find themselves with superhuman powers. There’s fun to be had at first, both for the characters and the audience members, but one of the boys, Andrew Detmer, soon finds his personality changing in unexpected and harmful ways.

Andrew doesn’t begin Chronicle as a villain necessarily, but he ends up being the main antagonist by the end; someone the other characters ultimately have to stop. It’s one of the better-executed villain origin stories found within the superhero genre, and Dane DeHaan really sells the entire character arc, emerging as the most memorable individual whose experiences are chronicled in Chronicle.

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7 Eli Damaskinos

'Blade II' (2002)

Shortly before making a pair of movies about a certain Boy who is Hellish, Guillermo del Toro showed he truly understood how to make a superhero movie work when he helmed Blade II. It improved the already solid Blade in many ways, being a little more consistent, pushing the fantasy/horror side of things further, and having del Toro’s signature style and attention to detail present in its best moments.

It's still very much about the title character and feels like the Wesley Snipes show, but the lead villain of Blade II does make more of an impression than he’s given credit for. Known as Eli Damaskinos, he’s a vampire overlord who’s ultimately pulling all the strings when it comes to the conflict in Blade II, due to his desire to make a supreme race of vampires rule the world. He feels a little like he stumbled off the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer during its earlier seasons, but hey, he still works.

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6 Roman Sionis

'Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)' (2020)

A victim of the COVID-19 pandemic – and perhaps also a victim of its too-long name – Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) didn’t really make a splash at the box office. That being said, it was a solid and oftentimes interesting take on the superhero genre, giving Harley Quinn the chance to shine outside the Suicide Squad and pairing her with the titular Birds of Prey.

Much of Birds of Prey is colorful and fun, yet it has a surprisingly dark lead villain: Roman Sionis (AKA) Black Mask, who’s played by a cast-against-type Ewan McGregor. Black Mask is a genuinely nasty piece of work, adding a little more menace to a film that’s otherwise one of the more comedic superhero movies in recent years. Perhaps the contrasting tones add a sense of messiness to it all, but McGregor is very good in the role, it has to be said.

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5 Ma-Ma

'Dredd' (2012)

Though it was narratively similar to the excellent 2011 martial arts movie The Raid, Dredd nevertheless had enough going for it to stand out, and feels like one of the most underrated superhero movies of its decade. Given the entire film is known for being under-appreciated, it follows that the lead villain – who’s rather ridiculously known as “Ma-Ma” – is also an underrated one.

Name aside, she’s a genuine threat to the futuristic city depicted in Dredd, being a powerful drug lord who has a hold over much of the population due to how desirable a drug she’s pushing is. Played by a reliably cold Lena Headey, Ma-Ma is immensely unlikable and easy to root against, and also serves the movie by being responsible for distributing the drug – called “Slo-Mo” – that makes many of Dredd’s best action scenes memorable (on account of all the literal slow-motion used).

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4 Justin Hammer

'Iron Man 2' (2010)

Though the movie doesn’t represent Marvel at its best, Iron Man 2 – for all its flaws – does at least have one genuinely good thing going for it: Sam Rockwell playing Justin Hammer. He really does feel like a version of Tony Stark who went down a different path and came out the wrong end, morally speaking, given he’s also snarky, fast-talking, and works as a weapons manufacturer.

The main villain, at least physically speaking, is Ivan Vanko (AKA Whiplash), but Rockwell’s performance shines in a way where Justin Hammer inevitably overshadows Whiplash, even with Mickey Rourke being a much more dominant physical presence. It’s a shame Hammer has only been used in one of the MCU’s lesser efforts, and it goes without saying that it would potentially be fun to see him return to the series in some capacity, somewhere down the line.

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3 Sandman

'Spider-Man 3' (2007)

Even if some people mostly just remember it for its meme value, Spider-Man 3 nevertheless has its strengths as a comic book movie (admittedly, a fairly messy one). It’s fair to call it over-stuffed, which makes it feel less seamless than the previous two Spider-Man movies. This is seen in the villain department, because there are three main ones here competing for attention.

That’s before considering the fact that Peter Parker himself becomes his own worst enemy, at one point, having been infected by an alien organism. Still, of the villains, it’s probably Sandman who emerges as the best, with the scenes (and action sequences) focusing on him and his powers being some of the film’s highlights. It’s telling that he was the only one of Spider-Man 3’s villains brought back for the multiversal crossover movie that was 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.

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2 Prince Nuada

'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' (2008)

Released the same year as The Dark Knight and the first Iron Man, Hellboy II: The Golden Army feels like it got overshadowed overall, perhaps in a similar way to the aforementioned Dredd. Guillermo del Toro did what he did with Blade II when it came to directing this movie as well, making it a significant improvement over 2004’s Hellboy in just about every way, including in the antagonist department.

Prince Nuada is Hellboy II’s central villain, and the being behind the titular Golden Army, which is intended to wipe out life on Earth. He is essentially a villain who wants to conquer the world, but has a sufficient enough backstory – as well as some much-needed tragic elements to his character – that make him rise above most other superhero movie villains who have similar kinds of simple, broad, and evil aspirations.

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1 Top Dollar

'The Crow' (1994)

The Crow didn't necessarily need a top-tier villain to be one of the most iconic movies of the 1990s, because it had enough visual style and memorable music to make a significant enough impact, on top of featuring Brandon Lee’s most well-remembered performance. But a top-tier villain is nonetheless what The Crow got with Top Dollar, played by Michael Wincott, an actor who has a presence on screen that screams “comic book movie villain” in the best way possible.

Top Dollar is comically evil and prone to chewing scenery, but The Crow does take place in a heightened/fantastical world, so an over-the-top villain works wonders within a film like this. He’s deliciously evil but also oddly charismatic in a way where you can kind of understand why so many have gravitated towards him and made him the kind of powerful crime boss he is. Given how most people will discuss other aspects of The Crow when talking about why it’s such a legendary superhero movie, it’s possible to call Top Dollar kind of underrated and/or overlooked.

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