What are the best and worst live action versions of comic book super villains?
Best and worst live action versions of comic book super villains
- Thread starter The Overlord
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Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy is definitely one of the worst in my opinion. Kind of like what Aragorn said about Two Face, she's basically trying to be the hammiest actor she possibly can (although not because of Jim carrey, obviously). I've heard people say that they think that after Jack Nicholson was so popular as Joker that a lot of the later Batman villains actors tried to copy how big and ridiculous he played his character, not realizing that what worked for Joker (being over the top and chewing the scenery) wouldn't really work for any other character. I think that seems a very good explanation for why Thurman and even Tommy Lee Jones completely lost their minds and turned in the performances they did (not that the writing helped).
I put her as a bit worse then Jones because while he was basically playing The Joker with a Two face paint job, he had a few ok-ish scenes. Poison Ivy was somehow just more ridiculous and unbelievable from an acting standpoint to me.
As for a good live action villain, there are a bunch. Loki immediately comes to mind, but I think I'll go with Captain Cold from the current Flash series. He has some differences from the comic version, but he's a very solid character and I always like it when he shows up. I'd mention Heatwave because I like the character so much and he goes with Cold, but he's changed so much from the comic version that, while he's a great character he's not necessarily a great version of heatwave.
I put her as a bit worse then Jones because while he was basically playing The Joker with a Two face paint job, he had a few ok-ish scenes. Poison Ivy was somehow just more ridiculous and unbelievable from an acting standpoint to me.
As for a good live action villain, there are a bunch. Loki immediately comes to mind, but I think I'll go with Captain Cold from the current Flash series. He has some differences from the comic version, but he's a very solid character and I always like it when he shows up. I'd mention Heatwave because I like the character so much and he goes with Cold, but he's changed so much from the comic version that, while he's a great character he's not necessarily a great version of heatwave.
I know it's cliche to mention Ledger's joker (my favourite), so I'll stick with Nicholson's classic version (although Hamill's seems even superior to me, although not live action).
Was there any villain in Schumacher's films that wasn't anything but a complete mess?
I don't think there was a single acceptable villain on the Arrowverse (I blame the cheesy acting). Only Reverse-Flash and Merlyn of the first season of each series comes to mind, because they were ruined on later seasons...
I still haven't found a good live-action version of General Zod.
And I still think that Jack Nicholson gave the best performance of the Joker when compared to Ledger. Of course Ceasar Romero also did a good job with the Joker, but given how the 66 series was more of a comedy than the versions by Nicholson and Ledger, Romero kind of has to be on his own.
Oh, and Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, he is still the one that I compare all other Luthor's to. And Kevin Spacey was no Luthor!
And I still think that Jack Nicholson gave the best performance of the Joker when compared to Ledger. Of course Ceasar Romero also did a good job with the Joker, but given how the 66 series was more of a comedy than the versions by Nicholson and Ledger, Romero kind of has to be on his own.
Oh, and Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, he is still the one that I compare all other Luthor's to. And Kevin Spacey was no Luthor!
I've got to go with Heath Ledger's Joker and Tom Hiddleston's Loki as my favorites. I know they're kind of a clichéd choice at this point, but they really are that good.
There have been quite a few underwhelming villains, but none that really stick out in my mind as being exceptionally bad.
There have been quite a few underwhelming villains, but none that really stick out in my mind as being exceptionally bad.
For good, I could easily go with either Nicholson or Ledger's Joker, Hiddlestone as Loki or even Baron Zemo (though I understand he's far away from the source material, so is displeasing to many in that respect). But just to keep things different, I'll say Magneto. Either actor: both X1/X2 and FC/DofP did an absolutely fantastic job with the character.
As for bad, there are so many to choose from, but the one I hated the most was almost certainly Jamie Foxx as Electro. A performance every bit as bad as the worst of the Schumacher bat-films, yet that in the middle of the modern age of superhero movies and right in the middle of a movie that actually could've been decent if not for the horrible villains.
As for bad, there are so many to choose from, but the one I hated the most was almost certainly Jamie Foxx as Electro. A performance every bit as bad as the worst of the Schumacher bat-films, yet that in the middle of the modern age of superhero movies and right in the middle of a movie that actually could've been decent if not for the horrible villains.
Good: Ian MacKellan as Magneto, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, Thomas Haden Church as Sandman, Heath Ledger as the Joker, Robin Lord Taylor as the Penguin, Most of the cast of Gotham, except for Jerome, John Barrowman as Merlyn, Many Bennett as Deathstroke, Tom Huddleston as Loki, that guy who played Zeno.
Bad: Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko too numerous to mention.
Bad: Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko too numerous to mention.
Hamill's Trickster on The Flash is great, the only problem is he'd be even better if he were the Joker. He's excellent but I prefer the wacky, mentally ill version of the Trickster Hamill did in the JLU cartoons who was clearly distinct from the Joker in that he could be talked down and was against mass violence versus defeating the Flash in hilarious ways.
I loved Sherman Howard as Silver Age Luthor on Superboy. I think he was way better than the buffoonish Hackman Luthor.
Michael Clarke Duncan's Kingpin was awful in the Daredevil movie. Yes, worse than Colin Farrell's Bullseye.
Michael Clarke Duncan's Kingpin was awful in the Daredevil movie. Yes, worse than Colin Farrell's Bullseye.
I don't really have a "Worst" list, but the choices on my "Best" list are definitely going to get me some 'heat':
Film
The Penguin (Batman Returns)
The Riddler (Batman Forever),
The Kingpin (Daredevil)
Venom (Spider-Man 3)
Talia al Ghul (The Dark Knight Rises)
Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)
Electro (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Lex Luthor (Batman v Superman)
Enchantress (Suicide Squad)
TV
The Count (Arrow)
Huntress (Arrow)
Ra's am Ghul (Arrow)
Damien Darhk (Arrow)
Fish Mooney (Gotham)
Barbara Keene (Gotham)
The Dollmaker (Gotham)
Bizarro (Supergirl)
Non (Supergirl)
Vandal Savage (Legends of Tomorrow)
Film
The Penguin (Batman Returns)
The Riddler (Batman Forever),
The Kingpin (Daredevil)
Venom (Spider-Man 3)
Talia al Ghul (The Dark Knight Rises)
Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)
Electro (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Lex Luthor (Batman v Superman)
Enchantress (Suicide Squad)
TV
The Count (Arrow)
Huntress (Arrow)
Ra's am Ghul (Arrow)
Damien Darhk (Arrow)
Fish Mooney (Gotham)
Barbara Keene (Gotham)
The Dollmaker (Gotham)
Bizarro (Supergirl)
Non (Supergirl)
Vandal Savage (Legends of Tomorrow)
Malekith in Thor the dark world. So forgettable.
Mr. Freeze's puns were amazing (as is much of how gloriously stupid that movie is) and I will have words with those who disagree.
but I think Batman The Animated Series got there first though.
"Freeze"
"that's Mr Freize to you"
I think the Fantastic Four movies would've worked a lot better if they had even attempted to do a faithful Doom and Galactus. I'd probably throw those in as the worst based on how negatively it affected the potential of that property.
I hear TLJ and Two-Face but that take did seem to go with the movie they made. Like Gene Hackman's Luthor isn't what I remember from comics and cartoons but he worked well in the context of Superman 78.
I like Joker and Catwoman in Burton's Batman movies and Penguin works well again if you view it from the context of the movie he inhabits. I'm not as overwhelmingly impresed as some but the Ledger Joker is quality as well.
I hear TLJ and Two-Face but that take did seem to go with the movie they made. Like Gene Hackman's Luthor isn't what I remember from comics and cartoons but he worked well in the context of Superman 78.
I like Joker and Catwoman in Burton's Batman movies and Penguin works well again if you view it from the context of the movie he inhabits. I'm not as overwhelmingly impresed as some but the Ledger Joker is quality as well.
Gene Hackman is the definitive live-action Luthor.
A runner-up would be the animated version: Stan Jones from Superfriends.
A runner-up would be the animated version: Stan Jones from Superfriends.
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