If anyone knows how to make a dramatic entrance... Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the most chilling, dazzling, and unforgettable introductions of supervillains in film. Some spoilers will be introduced, so this is your warning.
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00:00No one cared who I was till I put on the mask.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down art picks for the most chilling, dazzling,
00:10and unforgettable introductions of supervillains in film.
00:13Some spoilers will be introduced, so this is your warning.
00:17Ultra.
00:18In the flesh.
00:19Or no, not yet.
00:22Number 20.
00:23Darkseid, Zack Snyder's Justice League.
00:26He might not speak much, but from the get-go, Darkseid means business.
00:35As he attempts to conquer Earth, he's met with a huge amount of resistance.
00:39An alliance of men, Atlanteans, gods, Amazons, and others square off against the Apocalyptian
00:45and his army.
00:46As an extremely powerful being, he's able to cut through the attacking forces and even
00:51manages to kill a Green Lantern.
00:53He's pretty seriously wounded by Ares and is forced to retreat, suffering his only defeat
00:58when attempting to conquer a planet.
01:07His power is immense, so you're gonna have to pull out all the stops to beat him.
01:12Number 19.
01:13The Spot, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse.
01:16It's common for heroes and villains to have a symbiotic relationship with one another.
01:20However, their shared connection isn't always obvious, and that's the case here.
01:37When The Spot attempts to rob an ATM, Spider-Man naturally shows up to stop him.
01:41Their fight is awkward and humorous as Miles doesn't take his nemesis seriously.
01:46But the seemingly benign interaction masks the rising tension felt by The Spot as he
01:50tries to explain their connection.
02:00Miles' failure to acknowledge his role in his foe's plight has dire consequences once
02:04The Spot learns how to travel to different dimensions.
02:08Number 18.
02:09Apocalypse, X-Men Apocalypse.
02:11Some mutants are really old, a lot older than you might think.
02:15Apocalypse has been around since at least 3600 BC.
02:18Although he's seen briefly in the film's opening, we aren't really introduced to
02:22him.
02:23That won't happen until he's revived thousands of years later.
02:33Even though he's been in stasis for a long while, he wastes no time demonstrating his
02:38immense power.
02:39He causes a worldwide tremor, and Jean Grey is plagued with a nightmarish vision of the
02:44future death and destruction that Apocalypse will bring.
02:53Number 17.
02:54Syndrome, The Incredibles Sometimes things come back to bite you in
02:58the butt.
02:59At least that's what happens to Mr. Incredible when he finds out the true identity of his
03:03Waiting to receive his mission, Bob is suddenly attacked by the Omnidroid.
03:23We soon find out that Syndrome is responsible for controlling the robot.
03:26Not only that, but Mr. Incredible comes to realize that Syndrome is Little Buddy Pine
03:31from way back in the day.
03:42Buddy idolized Bob and wanted to partner with him but was rejected.
03:46He's come a long way from being a starry-eyed boy and now is a force to be reckoned with.
03:52Number 16.
03:53Shredder, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles There's a crime wave hitting New York City
03:57and it seems like no one's valuables are safe.
04:13It looks like the group responsible is the Foot Clan, who's been rounding teens and
04:16putting them on a path towards crime.
04:18We're introduced to the clan's lair when we finally meet their leader, the Shredder.
04:23A long shadow stretches across the frame as the camera swings down from above.
04:27Shredder slowly turns around to observe the crowd that has gathered.
04:30The slow music and use of shadow really make him an imposing figure.
04:45Number 15.
04:46Starro the Conqueror, The Suicide Squad This alien starfish is definitely a threat.
04:51But it wasn't by its own design.
04:53Starro was captured by American astronauts and subsequently held captive in the small
04:57island nation of Corto Maltese where, unfortunately, it's been experimented on for decades.
05:12When Flag and Ratcatcher 2 enter the facility where Starro is held, not only is the alien
05:17captive, but tons of people have been taken over by miniature versions of the starfish.
05:21The reveal certainly alters our understanding of the creature from the beginning of the
05:25film and makes him a tragic figure.
05:29Number 14.
05:30Ares, Wonder Woman Diana suspects that Ares is the driving force
05:33behind World War I, and to bring about peace, she must kill him.
05:51Pursuant to her mission, she tracks down General Ludendorff, who she believes is the God of
05:56War.
05:57Armed with her Godkiller sword, she ends him.
06:00She quickly learns that she was wrong and that Sir Charles is Ares.
06:04His calm diplomatic demeanor highlights his insidious ability to influence the world of
06:08man towards destruction.
06:26He tries to persuade Diana to join him, but his tricks don't work on her.
06:30Number 13.
06:31Sandman, Spider-Man 3 Flint Marco had to resort to a life of crime
06:36in order to take care of his ailing daughter.
06:38After escaping from prison, he falls into a particle accelerator, and it looks like
06:42he's done for as he seemingly disintegrates.
06:49Turns out that Marco had turned into sand.
06:51We see individual grains start to come together, and they slowly begin to take shape.
06:56It's sad in a way, since he struggles to be whole again as he falls apart only to reform
07:01and try again.
07:02It highlights the precarious situation he's in, not just in taking a corporeal form, but
07:07also in his quest to save his daughter.
07:13Number 12.
07:14Thanos, Avengers Infinity War Even though he had appearances in Guardians
07:18of the Galaxy and Age of Ultron, we didn't get a sense of Thanos.
07:21Not in any comprehensive sense.
07:23That changes with the opening of Infinity War, where the Asgardian refugee vessel is
07:28attacked by Thanos' forces.
07:45Searching for the Tesseract, he slaughtered half the occupants of the ship, and we see
07:49his calm, calculating demeanor in the aftermath.
07:53Even when fighting the Hulk, he's so precise with his attacks that he easily defeats the
07:57Green Monster.
07:58It's one thing to hear others talk about how fierce the Titan is, but it's a completely
08:02different thing to see him in action.
08:14Number 11.
08:15Hela, Thor Ragnarok She's the sister Thor and Loki never knew
08:19they had.
08:20Seriously, the pair learns of her existence from their dying father mere moments before
08:39she appears on the screen.
08:40Even though she's technically in a weakened state, she's still pretty strong.
08:45She commands Thor and Loki to kneel before her, and when Thor responds by tossing Mjolnir
08:49at her, she destroys it.
09:03Loki, realizing they're in way over their heads, attempts to return to Asgard, which
09:08has the consequence of Hela returning to her homeworld and becoming even more powerful.
09:13She quickly dispatches two of the Warriors III and sets about her conquest of other realms.
09:19Number 10.
09:20Green Goblin, Spider-Man What better way to introduce your villainous
09:23alter-ego than before a crowd of thousands at a New York fair?
09:27Rocketing through the skies on his trademark glider, Norman Osborn reveals his Green Goblin
09:32persona, commencing his swath of destruction with a few deadly pumpkin bombs.
09:46But soon, he has his first epic clash with Spider-Man.
09:49After manhandling a couple of policemen, the Green Goblin gets the upper hand on his web-slinging
09:54nemesis by using his glider's extensive weaponry and his own newly acquired super
09:59strength.
10:00Although Spider-Man ends the fight after disabling the Goblin's glider, the cackling
10:04emerald maniac certainly made a splash in his public debut.
10:11Number 9.
10:12Red Skull, Captain America The First Avenger Making his grand reveal amidst a sea of flames
10:17as his HYDRA base begins to explode, Red Skull's initial meeting with Captain America is a
10:22spectacular sight to behold.
10:31As the two arch-rivals square off astride a balcony above a widening inferno, Johan
10:35Schmidt proves he's far more than your average Nazi thug.
10:38He withstands a brutal right hook from Cap and makes a sizable dent in his shield with
10:43a single blow.
10:44After Dr. Zola separates the two, Schmidt tears off his prosthetic face and displays
10:49his true one in all its macabre glory.
10:52With a gruesome, unmasking, befitting a horror movie villain, Red Skull stills the show with
10:57this dramatic introduction.
11:10Number 8.
11:11General Zod, Man of Steel Emerging from a cloud of smoke after his men
11:15slaughtered the guards of Krypton's council, General Zod makes an entrance suitable for
11:20a hardened military commander.
11:22It's clear from the beginning that he's not a fan of civilized debate, because he
11:27murders a council elder in cold blood to make sure everyone knows who's in charge
11:33now.
11:34Having already accepted that Krypton is doomed, Zod asks Jor-El to help him rebuild their
11:38race elsewhere, with only the bloodlines that Zod deems fit to survive.
11:43When Jor-El refuses, Zod has him taken away, demonstrating his unwillingness to compromise,
11:48which in turn is indicative of his despotic mindset.
12:02Number 7.
12:03Loki, The Avengers A massive step up from his first appearance
12:06in Thor, Loki blazes into the Avengers through a tesseract portal.
12:10And from the moment we see his malevolent sneer, we know he's got some bad things
12:15in mind for the people of Earth.
12:19Declining Nick Fury's request to put down his weapon, Loki instead opts to massacre
12:24several SHIELD agents, brainwash both Hawkeye and Professor Selvig, and leave with the tesseract
12:29so he can commence his plans of world domination.
12:32This is a simple, but effective scene that captures the danger, charm, and mischievous
12:36wit of Thor's adopted brother.
12:46Number 6.
12:47Ultron, Avengers Age of Ultron
12:48Heralded by an ear-splitting noise, Ultron's first appearance in Avengers Age of Ultron
12:53is perhaps the most frightening villain entrance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
13:09Stumbling into the Avengers' get-together in the body of a decrepit drone, Ultron's
13:13terrifying accusations against Earth's mightiest heroes are made all the more unsettling
13:18when one realizes there's plenty of truth behind them.
13:21Bolstered by the haunting voice of James Spader, Ultron's initial challenge to the Avengers
13:26is a wicked combination of foreboding and dark humor, setting the stage for the carnage
13:30that ensues.
13:31That was dramatic.
13:33Number 5.
13:34Magneto, X-Men First Class
13:35Although Magneto is often portrayed as a villain in the X-Men franchise, few can deny he's
13:40nowhere near as evil as the Nazis that murdered his family during the Holocaust.
13:51While searching for Sebastian Shaw in Argentina, Magneto comes across a bar that happens to
13:55be owned by a pair of Nazis and realizes they're friends of his childhood tormentor.
14:00Upon revealing the number tattooed on his forearm in Auschwitz, Magneto decides to exact
14:04some sweet revenge on the war criminals before introducing himself in a suitably terrifying
14:09way, showing them and us how the Nazis' cruelty transformed him.
14:16Number 4.
14:17Winter Soldier, Captain America, The Winter Soldier
14:20After Nick Fury narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by HYDRA operatives disguised as cops,
14:25he finds himself headed straight towards an ominous figure in black who doesn't seem
14:29all too concerned about the rapidly approaching vehicle.
14:40Effortlessly neutralizing Fury's escape, the Winter Soldier calmly saunters towards
14:44his wounded prey like an emotionless murder machine and rips the door off his reinforced
14:49SUV before discovering Fury has escaped.
14:52Despite the close call, this grim scene immediately tells the audience that the Winter Soldier
14:57is a force to be reckoned with and is more than a match for his old friend Captain America.
15:12Number 3.
15:13Bane, The Dark Knight Rises Getting captured on purpose can be risky,
15:17but Bane has the brains and brawn to pull it off.
15:20At the mercy of CIA agents, Bane maintains an eerie coolness during the tense situation
15:25as he candidly reveals his plan to crash the plane and escape with a nuclear physicist.
15:35As a second plane arrives to retrieve Bane and his associates, the mad psychopath displays
15:40his alarming strength by breaking his handcuffs with ease and holding on for dear life with
15:45one arm as his surroundings become vertical.
15:47Despite the exhilarating nature of the aircraft action, it's the subtle hints to Bane's
15:53that immediately alert the audience to the threat he poses for Batman.
16:01Number 2.
16:02Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man 2 What begins as a presumably light-hearted
16:06surgery scene rapidly devolves into sheer horror as Otto Octavius is reborn as Doctor
16:11Octopus.
16:14As a team of doctors attempt to remove Doc Ock's new mechanical limbs via power tools,
16:18it becomes terrifyingly clear that the arms have a mind of their own and are not willing
16:23to be separated from their creator.
16:24They work together like a quartet of horror movie monsters as they murder the doctors
16:29one by one.
16:30This scene is our first indication that whatever humor was to be found in the Doctor Octopus
16:34of the comics is not to be found in Alfred Molina's tragic take on the iconic supervillain.
16:48You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
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16:59Number 1.
17:00The Joker, The Dark Knight Beginning as a fairly standard bank robbery
17:04scene, The Joker's introduction in Christopher Nolan's masterpiece is a slow burn that
17:08has one tremendous payoff.
17:12As the thieves' greed gets the better of them and they begin to kill each other off,
17:16Nolan remains silent as the heist goes off according to plan.
17:20After the timely intervention of a school bus and the elimination of its driver, a wounded
17:24bank manager asks the lone remaining thief what he believes in and gets an instantly
17:29classic answer.
17:36Lent incredible weight by Hans Zimmer's score, The Joker's introduction is a taste
17:40of the insanity and chaos that is to follow in The Dark Knight.
17:44What's your favorite supervillain introduction?
17:46Let us know in the comments down below.