10 Bad Comic Book Villains Who Were Still Better Than Steppenwolf

A rundown of the Rogue's Gallery rejects.

Steppenwolf Mr Freeze
Warner Bros.

As anyone who takes even a passing interest in blockbuster cinema will doubtless be aware by now, Justice League is in cinemas, and - as has long since been the norm with DC movies - it's proved to be a somewhat polarising movie.

Some love it, some hate it, and both sides have a lot to say on the matter, but in general it seems there's more positivity from audiences than from those dreaded critics, who seem to be regarded by a great many fans as the worst adversaries of the DC Extended Universe.

Still, if the critics are to be declared the greatest enemy of the Justice League, so be it. Goodness knows the movie itself is in dire need of an even-remotely decent villain.

While plenty can be said in favour of Justice League's heroes, there is very, very little to be said in favour of their antagonist, Steppenwolf. As if the character's motivation - find magic boxes, blow up Earth - wasn't generic and tedious enough on its own, Steppenwolf himself is so bland and forgettable it's untrue.

Pity poor CiarĂ¡n Hinds, charged with the thankless task of trying to breathe some life into that dirge of psuedo-Shakespearean monologues. And given that he's 100% CGI, couldn't they at least have animated a remotely expressive face?

Perhaps it's too early to say for sure, but it seems inevitable that film history will write off Steppenwolf as the blandest superhero movie villain ever. He's so bad, he even makes some of this lot seem good.

10. Mr Freeze - Batman & Robin

Steppenwolf Mr Freeze
Warner Bros.

Plenty can be said against 1997's Batman & Robin. It's badly written, directed and acted, it's mind-blowingly garish and dim-witted, and it set back the superhero movie format about a decade. However, one thing we can say in favour of Joel Schumacher's schlockbuster epic is that it most definitely isn't forgettable.

Put it this way: can anyone remember a single line Steppenwolf said in Justice League, beyond the occasional mutter of "mother?" Whereas if we mention Batman & Robin's Mr Freeze, just try to stop the quotes from pouring out: "You're not sending me to the cooler!" "Stay cool, bird boy!" "What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!" "Allow me to break the ice: My name is Freeze. Learn it well, for it's the chilling sound of your doom!" We could go on.

See, if Steppenwolf had at least made a few puns - preferably some about going on a magic carpet ride, and/or the fact that he was born to be wild - he wouldn't have been nearly so much of a dead loss.

Sure, we could complain about how Batman & Robin killed the Batman franchise, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's career - but less than a decade later, The Dark Knight trilogy was in motion, and Schwarzenegger was governor of California, so neither party struggled that much.

Contributor
Contributor

Ben Bussey hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.