10 Comics Villains Who Had The Best Debuts
First impressions aren't everything, but these villains knew how to leave one that lasted.
Every hero needs a villain, and every great story needs the perfect balance of good and evil. Whether that's Ahab and the White Whale or Mario and Bowser, you can't expect people to get invested in a character that doesn't grab them from the outset.
Not all debuts hit the mark, but when they do, they can be the catalyst that pushes a given creation from being an interesting distraction in a comic book story through the roof, and into the stratosphere - and a genre - where longevity is paramount. There's a lot of bad guys that are still going strong today, decades after they first raised their evil little heads.
Most of the new wave of villains over the past twenty-odd years have been quite happy to introduce themselves with one form of blood bath or another, but that is not what makes a great debut.
Whether they started off in Marvel or DC, the superhero genre is home to dozens of legendary villains. Most end up making a name for themselves somewhere down the line, but the best manage to make their first impression count.
10. Ra's Al Ghul
Created by Julius Schwartz, Dennis O'Neil, and Neal Adams, Batman #232 saw the debut of Ra's Al Ghul.
With Robin captured and being held as bait, Bruce Wayne sets out to find him. When he returns to the Bat-Cave, having previously vacated Wayne manor, he is surprised to find Ra's al Ghul waiting for him with a story of how his daughter has been kidnapped as well. Together, the two journey to Calcutta, where they come face to face with the Brotherhood of the Demon.
All is not as it seems, however, and Batman uncovers the truth that it's all an elaborate ruse to see if he is fit enough to take Talia as a wife and lead the League.
Considering how important Ra's al Ghul is to Batman's world, it is fitting that his debut sets his character up perfectly. Cold and calculating, his Machiavellian plot to test the Dark Knight's suitability as an heir and a future son in law lays out the dynamic that the two are still using even to this day.
One of the few members of his rogues' gallery that are his equal both mentally and physically, al Ghul's first trial for Bruce is easily his best.