13. Dark Phoenix
FIRST APPEARANCE: THE X-MEN #129 (1980) Jean Grey is one of the most famous X-Men characters, and upon her initial death (of several) in which she exposed herself to fatal levels of radiation to save the other mutants, she transformed into the Phoenix, wearing a new costume and gaining a considerable amount of power. When the Hellfire Club attempted to control Phoenix's mind for their own evil intentions, she became overwhelmed, and transformed into an even more powerful and destructive force, Dark Phoenix. Her powers by this point were so vast that she was able to consume a star, though this had unforseen consequences, and led to Dark Phoenix putting the entire universe at risk. As a result, she ultimately committed suicide in an attempt to save those who remain. In terms of sheer, cosmic power, there are few villains as iconic and unforgettable as Dark Phoenix, and the entire Dark Phoenix Saga is considered a landmark of comic book lore. Jean Grey and a variant of Phoenix was played by Famke Janssen in the Bryan Singer/Brett Ratner X-Men movies.
12. Kingpin
FIRST APPEARANCE: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #50 (1967) Of all the crime bosses in comic book history, Kingpin is without question one of the most memorable and fearsome, serving as an enemy of both Spider-Man and Daredevil. Kingpin is not superhuman, and doesn't outwardly appear to be a physical threat, yet his battle conditioning is not to be underestimated, for he is an expert in martial arts and has held his own against not just the aforementioned superheroes, but also Captain America for one. Accompanying his extremely muscular body is a layer of Kevlar armour, and also his signature "obliterator cane", which fires a laser blast capable of removing the victim's head at close enough range. In addition to all this, Kingpin is also an exceptionally, savagely intelligent villain, a master strategist who will often manipulate superheroes into taking down his mob rivals, so that his business can thrive. He was played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan in the 2002 Daredevil movie.
11. Bane
FIRST APPEARANCE: BATMAN: VENGEANCE OF BANE #1 (1993) Despite what his depiction in Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin might have told us, Bane is one of Batman's most intelligent adversaries, having taught himself scientific expertise in a number of disciplines, knowing numerous languages, and figuring out Batman's identity in around a year. Furthermore, he is a skilled tactician, and prides himself on his own form of meditation, which helps him to constantly outfox his opponents both physically and mentally. Bane's enormous strength and healing potential is accentuated by Venom, often shown as being pumped into his head via his mask. His watershed moment, however, came in the Knightfall comic arc, where he literally "broke the Bat", by breaking his back, a moment that was iconically recreated in The Dark Knight Rises (where Bane was played superbly by Tom Hardy). Those less-versed in comic lore may have expected that Bane would be all brawn and no brains, but he really is the best of both words - intimidating in every way that a villain can be.