The Top 50 Fictional Villains of All Time, Day 3

Warning: This blog entry is full of spoilers so if you have not seen this character in action…. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Our countdown of the greatest fictional villains of all time continues.  So far we have encountered laughable villains and minor to major threats.  As the countdown moves forward, the villains will become darker, scarier and edgier.

30. Ra’s Al Ghul (Created by Denny O’ Neil & Neal Adams; Portrayed by David Warner & Liam Neeson)

One of the greatest villains that were introduced in the 1970s was the Demon’s Head, also known as Ra’s Al Ghul.  This immortal crime lord first appeared in Batman #232 in June 1971 and has made Batman’s life a living hell ever since.  What makes Ra’s so dangerous is that he is willing to re-shape the DC Universe’s Earth in his image, which he is willing to knock out a billion people to achieve his goal.   In addition, The Demon’s Head knows Batman’s secret identity but he has not given it to other villains like the Joker because he respects his archrival.   Ghul made his first television appearance in Batman: the Animated Series voiced by British actor David Warner.  Warner brought a menacing, maniacal and supernatural depth to the character.  Liam Neeson portrayed Ra’s in Batman Begins and will reprise his role in the final Christopher Nolan Batman film in 2012.

29. Cassandra Nova (Created by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely)

When famed Scottish comic writer Grant Morrison took over New X-Men in 2001, he brought with him a terrifying villain in the form of Cassandra Nova.  This bald villainess was actually Professor Charles Xavier’s twin sister, who set wild Sentinels to kill 16 million mutants, tortured her brother and drove longtime X-Men ally Lilandra Neramani to madness.    While Nova has made a huge impact on X-Men comics, it is unknown when Xavier’s nasty sister will make her debut on the Silver Screen or their latest cartoon series.

28. Thanos (Created by Jim Starlin; Voiced by Gary Krawford & Jim Cummings)

This Marvel villain has been causing headaches for every superhero in the Marvel Universe debuted in Iron Man #55 in February 1973.  This Mad Titan nearly brought the destruction to the Marvel Universe more than once.  For a while, Thanos was fascinated with Mistress Death, the Marvel’s version of the Grim Reaper.  He always tried to impress her through destruction but every single act of carnage did not impress her and left the Mad Titan furious.   This god has only been in two Marvel animated series including the abysmal Silver Surfer and the humorous Super Hero Squad show.

27. Divatox (Portrayed by Hillary Shepard Turner & Carol Hoyt)

I know what you are thinking. Why is she on this list? The reason why this Power Rangers villain is so deep in this list is that Divatox was the first villain able to completely defeat a group of Power Rangers.  Divatox’s vengeful fascination with the Power Rangers began in the 1997 train wreck known as Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie where the Turbo Rangers defeated Divatox’s fiancé Maligore in the movie’s finale.   After countless monsters, detonators and evil zords, the Intergalactic Pirate Queen got her revenge after her minions found the location of the Power Rangers’ base at the end of Power Rangers Turbo.  After her attack, the Power Chamber was completely destroyed and the Rangers’ Turbo powers were gone.  Even though, she was purified at the end of Power Rangers in Space, Divatox has made an impact on Power Rangers fans everywhere.  While both Turner and Hoyt brought different interpretations of the Pirate Queen, Ranger fans prefer Turner’s hysterical loon approach to Hoyt’s calculating and menacing approach to the character.

26. Elle Driver (Portrayed by Daryl Hannah)

One of the most intimating figures in the Kill Bill franchise is Elle Driver.  As a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, she helped murder Beatrix Kiddo’s wedding guests and her husband.  Driver and Beatrix are intense rivals in the film because they were lovers of the main villain, Bill.   In addition to her past crimes, Driver assassinated Kiddo’s master Pei Mei and was willing to kill the Bride.  Movie viewers last saw Driver trying to find her way around a trailer after Kiddo took out her remaining eye.  Daryl Hannah brought the intensity and venom to play this part and her scenes were memorable.

25. Frieza (Created by Akira Toriyama; Voiced by Linda Young)

Prince Frieza is one of the most dangerous characters in the Dragon Ball universe for many reasons.  This alien warrior destroyed the home planet of Dragon Ball’s main protagonist Goku and nearly wipes out the Saiyan race, killed Goku’s friend Krillin and extinguished the fictional planet: Namek.   Frieza met his end at the end of  “Another Super Saiyan?” but was featured in later Dragon Ball Z episodes, films and the final Dragon Ball spin-off: GT.   Frieza’s voice actor Linda Young always gave chilling performances of the popular antagonist every time he appeared on the show.

24. Professor Zoom (Created by John Broome & Carmine Infantino; Voiced by John Wesley Shipp)

There is a typical pair when it comes to good vs. evil. Batman and Joker; Superman and Luthor; Spider-Man and the Green Goblin; but what makes the Barry Allen Flash and Professor Zoom unique from any other pairings is that Professor Zoom has been reconned so many times in the DC Universe.  With one writer, he was an obsessed fan who wanted to take his hero’s place.  Another writer wrote the malignant professor as a villain that “murders” Barry’s wife Iris that forces Barry to kill his foe.  More recently under superstar writer Geoff Johns’ penmanship, it was revealed that Professor Zoom caused the death of Barry’s mother, one of the true tragedies in the Flash’s life.   Professor Zoom has only made one appearance outside of comics in Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon series, where he voiced by Flash actor John Wesley Shipp.  The former T.V. Flash portrayed the Scarlet Speedster’s arch foe as a sinister schemer with a dark sense of humor.

23. Judge Claude Frollo (Created by Kathy Zielinski & Dominique Montfer; Voiced by Tony Jay)

One of Disney’s darkest villains came from the 1996 animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame.   Judge Claude Frollo is definitely a memorable antagonist.  His crimes include killing Quasimodo’s mother while he was a baby, almost killing him twice in the film, locked the hunchback up on top of Notre Dame for most of the protagonist’s life and nearly burned both the film’s heroine Esmeralda and the city of Paris.   Frollo met his end when he fell down the Notre Dame Cathedral at the end of the film.  The late Tony Jay’s portrayal of Claude Frollo sent chills down fans’ spines and still 15 years later remains a fan favorite villain.

22. Queen Nehelenia (Voiced by Lisa Dalbello)

Once there was a beautiful queen named Nehelenia who ruled a kingdom on the darker side of the moon.   She thought that she would retain her beauty for eternity until one day an enchanted mirror showed her ugly future self.  The queen became obsessed with keeping her beauty and stole the dreams from her people transforming them into the monstrous Dead Moon Circus.   Nehelenia tried to consume the dreams of everyone on Earth but thanks to Sailor Moon and the rest of the Sailor Scouts’ intervention, she failed.   What makes Nehelenia unique from the other Sailor Moon villains is that she is the only villain to face the Sailor Scouts twice in back-to-back seasons.    Lisa Dalbello delivered an impeccable performance as the Dark Queen and it is great to see someone bring a fresh approach to voice anime villains.

21. Grand Moff Tarkin (Portrayed by Peter Cushing & Stephen Stanton)

One of the most formidable villains in the Star Wars universe is Grand Moff Tarkin.   While Tarkin answers directly to Vader and Palpatine, this diabolical leader made a huge impact when he debuted in the 1977 classic Star Wars Episode IV-A New Hope.   The most heinous of Tarkin’s crimes is the destruction of Princess Leia’s home world of Alderaan.   His own arrogance led to his demise when Luke Skywalker fired the shot that destroyed the first Death Star at the end of A New Hope.   The late Peter Cushing played the tyrannical commander perfectly.   Recently, Stephen Stanton voiced Tarkin in the CGI cartoon series Star Wars: Clone Wars and made Tarkin his own.