Live-action superhero movies might be all the rage in Hollywood today, leaving animated films of the genre to rarely get the recognition that they deserve. Even so, animated superhero movies like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Incredibles show just how terrific high-flying adventures and superpowered battles can be.

What truly makes a great superhero movie, whether live-action or animated, is a well-created supervillain. Animated superhero movies have some of the best antagonists of the entire genre, from psychopathic killers like the Joker to villains who may have a point, like Syndrome.

10 The Screenslaver Was An Obvious Villain Reveal, But Still Had A Point

• Evelyn Deavor was voiced by Catherine Keener.

The Incredibles 2 introduces a brand-new villain in the form of the Screenslaver, a terrifying entity that believes people are becoming too reliant on screens. In actuality, the Screenslaver persona was really just a front for Evelyn Deavor to execute her plan to stop superheroes from becoming legalized again. In the end, Evelyn is defeated by Mrs. Incredible and her family.

Although Evelyn Deavor's villainous reveal may have been highly telegraphed (her name is literally "Evil Endeavor"), she still makes for a compelling antagonist in The Incredibles 2. Her plan to get superheroes banned permanently by mind-controlling them to commit heinous acts was ingenious, even if it didn't work out in the end. Even so, she pales in comparison to other more memorable villains, including her predecessor Syndrome.

9 Lex Luthor And Lulu Were Comedic And Conniving

• Lex Luthor was voiced by Marc Maron
• Lulu was voiced by Kate McKinnon

DC League of Super-Pets is a fun and unique film that focuses on the animal companions of popular DC Comics characters. The main villains of the film are Lex Luthor, Superman's archnemesis from DC Comics, and Lulu, his hairless guinea pig. After being exposed to orange kryptonite, Lulu gains superpowers that make her an alarming threat to the other super-pets.

League of Super-Pets wasn't made to be taken especially seriously, including its over-the-top villains. Both Lex and Lulu have their comedic moments in the film and aren't especially intimidating. Even so, they perform their intended function quite well, posing an adequate threat to the heroes while still keeping the film fun and breezy.

8 Yokai Was Filled With Unending Rage

• Robert Callahan was voiced by James Cromwell.

Yokai is a masked menace who hijacks Hiro Hamada's nanobot technology in Big Hero 6. After tormenting Hiro and his friends throughout the film, Yokai is eventually revealed to be Dr. Robert Callahan, a presumed deceased scientist who wants revenge on a former colleague for the accidental but avoidable death of his daughter. Callahan eventually accepts his arrest upon learning that his daughter is still alive.

Yokai makes for a menacing villain in the first half of Big Hero 6 but, while Callahan's villainous reveal is a terrific moment, he becomes far less intimidating after his identity comes to light. Even so, backed by a fleet of nanobots capable of almost anything, Callahan comes frighteningly close to accomplishing his dastardly goal.

7 The Phantasm Is A Great Original Supervillain

• Andrea Beaumont was voiced by Dana Delaney.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is an animated film set in the timeline of the much-beloved Batman animated series starring Kevin Conroy as the Caped Crusader. The film introduces the Phantasm, a masked supervillain who goes on a killing spree of Mafia bosses. Eventually, Batman discovers that the Phantasm is none other than Andrea Beaumont, his lost love from years ago.

The Phantasm proves to be one of Batman's best movie foes, showing the humanity in the Caped Crusader who so often separates his vigilante life from his life as Bruce Wayne. Andrea Beaumont presents a challenge for Bruce, who can't set aside his feelings for her despite fighting her villainous alter-ego. As the DCAU so often did, the Phantasm challenges Batman like never before, giving audiences a better look at the humanity behind his cowl.

6 Kingpin Just Wanted His Family Back

• Kingpin was voiced by Liev Schreiber.

Kingpin's first appearance in a Spider-Man film was in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. After having lost his wife and son in a tragic accident, Wilson Fisk sinks his money into developing a machine capable of breaking into the multiverse in hopes of finding variants of his family.

Wilson Fisk makes for a physically imposing villain, especially given his character design. Taking notes from Fisk's larger-than-life stature in the comics, Into the Spider-Verse makes its version of Kingpin hilariously large, with a decidedly small head in comparison to the rest of his body. Though there are comedic elements to his character, Fisk is also quite tragic, as his goal is something that anyone can understand.

5 Professor Zoom Is A Great Red Herring In The Flashpoint Paradox

• Professor Zoom was voiced by C. Thomas Howell.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox is one of the Flash's best multiverse adventures of all time, as he wakes up in a very different world after going back in time to prevent his mother's murder. Along the way, Barry Allen discovers that the Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom, his archnemesis, has come along with him, leading him to believe that the villain is responsible for the havoc of this new world.

Professor Zoom has always been the Flash's greatest enemy, but in this scenario, it is the Flash who turns out to be his own greatest enemy. Zoom is nothing more than a red herring in this story, with Barry Allen himself turning out to be the cause of the world's problems. However, staying true to his villainous nature, Zoom does everything in his power to keep Barry from fixing things, knowing that the guilt of what he had done would certainly destroy him if left unchecked. Terrifyingly Zoom uses the conflict between Barry's own heroism and humanity to ruin him.

4 Megamind Has A Terrific Redemption Arc

• Megamind was voiced by Will Ferrell.

Megamind is an alien who landed on Earth after being sent away from his exploding planet. After being raised by criminals, Megamind grew up to become the world's foremost supervillain and the archnemesis of the hero Metroman. Things began to change for Megamind after seemingly killing Metroman, however, and he slowly began to realize that he didn't want to be the villain anymore.

As a villain, Megamind had undeniable style and charisma, even if he was only successful exactly once in his career. However, as a character, Megamind is wonderfully complex and relatable. His slow transition from villain to hero is one of the better redemption arcs in superhero movies, making him a more compelling protagonist than he ever was an antagonist.