As a writer, I find that a good villain can make or break a project. I thought that this might prove for a fun topic to write about, so here is a small, unordered list of villains, and why I think they are particularly effective. I think I’ll probably do this as a series rather than one long article.

So who is first?

Lex Luthor (DCAU)

Lex Luthor is a classic, iconic villain in the DC canon, but by far the best version of him (along with many other DC properties) was his DC Animated Universe form.

First off, Clancy Brown needs to be given credit for his amazing, villainous voice, as animated Luthor would not have worked as well without it.

But, what about the character? On the surface, Luthor look like a jerk, sure, but ultimately not very dangerous. By the time you’ve reached this conclusion, however, he’s bought your company you work for has shoved you in a basement somewhere doing a really unfortunate job.

The DCAU version of Luthor was a blend of the Machiavellian philosophy and mad science, and it worked beautifully. He ran his businesses with a ruthless quality, and used those massive profits to fund secret projects and his various schemes. He also proved to be popular with the public, eventually almost winning the White House and constantly jumping in and out of the public’s favor.

Arrogant, capable, and intelligent, Luthor was probably one of the only truly great Superman villains, alongside Braniac, to make my list of favorite villains. He is not physically powerful, but in the DC canon he has what is referred to as a “12th level intellect”, and amongst all of those who have been described as such, he is probably, still, the smartest, or at least the most clever when it comes to taking advantage of his abilities.

Ultimately, Luthor shows that perhaps to be a great villain, you don’t need to have bigger guns or stronger punches, but rather the intelligence to manipulate the world around you and get others to do that work for you.

You can read more on Lex Luthor here.

Tags: Analysis, comics, DCAU, Lex Luthor, Superman, villains