X-Men: Apocalypse | Best Comic Book Super-Villain Ever?

After watching the great film that is X-Men: Apocalypse, I asked myself “Is En Sabah Nur/ Apocalypse the best live-action, comic book super-villain ever put on screen?”

Oscar Isaac did a great job playing a God-like being with an understandable motivation. Our world is home to a lot of weak minds after all. *Cue evil laugh* He looked pharaohonically awesome (I had to make up a word to describe how awesome he looked, minus his clunky boots. I wasn't the biggest fan of his ancient Uggs) and sounded creepy. His voice had a powerful, breathless feel to it. I also like how he gathered his followers by word, not by mind control; a trait all great leaders share, plus, he was very seductive in his pitch for a better world. Even though you know his plans are extreme, you can’t help but agree with him on certain points, thanks to his blunt truth-telling and calm, powerful voice.

If we’re talking Marvel villains, the answer is yes. He’s far better than any villain over in the Disney camp. Many have compared the character to that of the title character in Avengers: Age of Ultron, mainly due to how both characters absorbed the historical knowledge of the world in a matter of seconds. Beyond that, we have Ultron, the A.I. sentient robot with a bad sense of humour, whose beams struggle to kill a normal human being, and Apocalypse, who can decapitate beings using the elements around him, as well as engage in multiple fights simultaneously, both mentally and physically. On top of that, Apocalypse can control ANYTHING on earth. Ultron is only capable of controlling technology. In a nutshell, Ultron is a poor man’s Apocalypse.

When it comes to 20th Century Fox, it depends on how you view the character of Magneto. If we’re talking superpowers then Apocalypse is the best villain to ever grace the silver screen, regardless of the comic book universe. The character is over-powered and rightfully so. I’m so happy they didn't downgrade his power set in the film to make him an easier target for the X-Men.

Magneto in Days of Future Past portrayed by Ian Mckellen & Michael Fassbender

If we take into account “backstory” and “motivation” however, Magneto is top dog. That being said, he does benefit from development over the course of multiple films so in a sense, it’s not fair to compare the 2, but Magneto does flip-flop from being a villain to being a hero/anti-hero, so Apocalypse gets points for being a straight up villain.

Smelling what DC is cooking, the only villains I see rivalling him so far are The Dark Knight’s The Joker and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s Lex Luthor. Once again, if we’re talking superpowers, Apocalypse has no competition, but I feel that the Joker’s psychotic behaviour and Luthor’s manipulative intelligence put them in the same league.

Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight. 

For now, I’ll say that as an overall super-villain, Apocalypse is second only to the Joker, with the potential of surpassing his legend one day. Heath Ledger gave us something special in 2008, for lack of a better description, an oscar-winning performance. It’s ok En Sabah Nur. Remember, first the worst, second the best, third the one with the hairy chest. I guess Lex and Superman have something in common. Please remember that this is my opinion and that I’m not deeming it fact.

4 superhero movies down, 2 more to go in 2016. Can Jared Leto’s Joker match Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the clown prince of crime in Suicide Squad? Can Dr. Strange give us a Marvel villain under the Disney banner that will put all other villains to shame? Only time will tell.