8. Ozymandias - Watchmen
Funnily enough recently placing highly
in Matt's list of great 21st Century villains, Ozymandias highlights how divisive Zack Snyder's 2009 movie is. He's an interesting villain with noble-ish motives, but is only really explored in the medium-defining comic book. For most of Watchmen you have no idea who's behind the evil scheme (or even what's actually afoot), but when you do it's acceptably shocking. Adrian Veidt is the least seen member of the New Minutemen, but thanks to Alan Moore's impeccable pacing his role remains a surprise. And once there's been the reveal that the smartest man alive is behind a destructive, global plot, we get to learn his past, what motivates him and why he's doing what he's doing. In Snyder's film, Veidt's motivations, along with much of the graphic novel's subtleties, are ignored, creating an overall hollow result. Many people complained about the fabricated alien being replaced with Dr Manhattan's energy, but the real crime with the grand plan is that Adrian comes across as a smart baddie, not the well rounded misled hero-cum-villain he is. Matthew Goode did a good job, but with few opportunities to show the character's depth, Ozymandias is a flat alternative to Jackie Earle Haley's Rorschach or Billy Crudup's Dr Manhattan.