Bring on the bad guys!

(This is cross-posted from the BootCamp Comics blog!)

This week I thought I'd discuss something which all longer-form stories need (along with sex, violence, wickedness and suffering, of course): a quality villain. As much as we enjoy rooting for the good guys, we can only do that if they face a challenge to overcome. Now, this can be done by having your protagonist go up against an obstacle without sentience (think the man vs. nature stories), but I like it best when the hero faces a brilliant mind they need to outfox.

What makes a solid, quality villain? Obviously, the answer will vary depending on your tastes. But I think some kind of ironic juxtaposition to the hero is a good place to start. I've met people who think it's lame that the arch-enemy for someone as powerful as Superman is the powerless Lex Luthor. These people Are. Missing. The. Point. For me, it's much more interesting to watch a guy who only has his wits face off against Superman than it is to see a mindless slugfest with Doomsday. Another example of two polar opposites who share an unhealthy symbiotic relationship are Batman and the Joker.

A personal history with the hero is also good, because it sets up layers of character interaction and motivation. Dr. Doom has never been able to get over his college rivalry with Reed Richards. Magneto was always the X-Men's number one foe, but it wasn't until Chris Claremont filled in his backstory as a close friend of Professor X that things really gelled for the character. (At least, I think it was Claremont who filled in these blanks. Correct me if I'm wrong, fanboys!)

Claremont also introduced another famous aspect of Magneto: Holocaust survivor. This had the potential for coming off as tacky, but it ended up working perfectly in the context of mutant-human politics, and it's something that's been integral to the character ever since. It gave a credible motivation to why he hated humans, and why he would reject Professor X's philosophy. So let's add "pertinent backstory" to our list as well. Mind you, a little backstory can go a long way. I think everyone preferred Darth Vader when he had the simple origin of "ex-Jedi who went over to the Dark Side." Three prequels worth of Anakin's whining and angsting effectively extinguished any sympathy or respect I had for that character.

Then there are villains who are so imposing, so grand in scale they may as well be considered "forces of nature." Guys like Darkseid, Galactus and Thanos. At their best, these kinds of villains make the reader stop and think about how we define evil. Is it something in our nature, or can we rise above our station? Galactus has always been particularly terrifying for me. He's the physical embodiment of the apocalypse; beyond petty matters like our concepts of good and evil. He does what he needs to survive, like an anteater devouring the anthill.

But Galactus leads me to ask another question: are quality villains always doomed to become pale imitations of themselves through repeated use? Galactus is pretty much Exhibit A in the rule of diminishing returns. There are only so many times he can threaten to eat the world, before it gets old. And a lot of fans feel the Batman's inability to stop the Joker's homicidal rampages make him look at best foolish, and at worst, criminally irresponsible.

But perhaps the cruelest fate is watching a formerly mighty villain suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of a much lesser hero. Some people would point to the time Squirrel Girl defeated Dr. Doom as one of these examples. But those people are fools, because we all know Squirrel Girl rocks.

So what do you think? Who are some of your favourite villains and why? Are there any villains who you loved when they first appeared, but lost their impact due to overexposure and mis-management? (*cough* Venom *cough*)