Villains own the comic book movie genre. It is an undeniable fact that the quality of any given comic book movie lives or dies based on the quality of its villain. After all, what is a powerful hero without an equally powerful opponent to fight? Without a menacing and well developed antagonist, many of the best superhero films would be nothing but heroes fighting hordes of nameless henchmen for two hours. That isn't a very interesting premise, is it? But villains can't be menacing all the time, especially when facing Superheroes who have other priorities (whether they are late for high school graduation, needing to diffuse a time bomb, or just tired of listening to generic "you will die" monologues) so often they find themselves undercut by these Superheroes in humiliating ways that border on comedic. This happens in every Superhero series, whether it be the gritty Christopher Nolan Batman films or the more lighthearted Marvel Cinematic Universe. The following are a handful of scenes where villains are singlehandedly humiliated in their various quests for ultimate power. If there are any scenes you can think of that we forgot to mention, be sure to mention them in the comments below (we know that there are far too many to include on only one top 10 list)! Enjoy reliving your favorite villains most humiliating moments!
Honorable Mention - Bane Gets Shot By Catwoman (The Dark Knight Rises)
Throughout the entirety of The Dark Knight Rises, Bane is an impressive force to be reckoned with - he commands numerous terrorist attacks on Gotham, holds an entire football field hostage, and even breaks Batman's back before the halfway mark of the film! However, his downfall remains one of the most embarrassing for any villain - highlighted by a last minute twist that strips him of most (if not all) of his menace. While this entry did not make the list proper, due to Bane not surviving his humiliation, it is quite impressive in its own right. For a villain who commanded so much fear and awe, it seemed he was well suited for some kind of epic final confrontation. Instead, he was blasted away by the Batpod's twin cannons by Catwoman, in a stunning instance of Deus Ex Machina. The climax soon leaves this humiliating defeat in the dust with the more bland Talia Al Ghul taking the lead villain slot - presumably an attempt to make us forget that this moment happened.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
