View Poll Results: Favorite Female Villain in the Superverse?

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  • Faora / Ursa (insane serial killer loner)

    4 12.90%
  • Ursa / Faora (Zod's subordinate/lover)

    4 12.90%
  • Maxima

    9 29.03%
  • Lena Luthor

    0 0%
  • Car-Vex

    0 0%
  • Mala

    0 0%
  • Cythonna

    1 3.23%
  • Blaze

    0 0%
  • Livewire

    8 25.81%
  • Rampage

    0 0%
  • Mercy Graves

    2 6.45%
  • Silver Banshee

    3 9.68%
  • Red Cloud

    0 0%
  • Eve Tessmacher

    0 0%
  • Other Female Villain in the Superverse (please specify)

    0 0%
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  1. #1
    Legendary Member daBronzeBomma's Avatar
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    Default Favorite Superverse Female Villain?

    Just like the title says.

    Who is your favorite female villain / antagonist in all the Superverse? And why?

    Me: pre-COIE Faora / New52 Ursa: i.e. the sociopathic killer loner, NOT Dru-Zod's subordinate paramour (i.e. New52 Faora / pre-COIE Ursa).



    I really wish the New52 and the DCEU hadn't both swapped the names because it makes this very confusing.

    But yeah, give me the cold-blooded insane murdereress with the powers of Superman who answers to no one. She is Superman's Joker. And that thought alone is terrifying.

    Poll forthcoming.

    What about you?

  2. #2
    Invincible Member Vordan's Avatar
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    Livewire but Red Cloud is really growing on me. I did like DCEU Faora though.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by daBronzeBomma View Post

    Me: pre-COIE Faora / New52 Ursa: i.e. the sociopathic killer loner, NOT Dru-Zod's subordinate paramour (i.e. New52 Faora / pre-COIE Ursa).

    I really wish the New52 and the DCEU hadn't both swapped the names because it makes this very confusing.

    But yeah, give me the cold-blooded insane murdereress with the powers of Superman who answers to no one. She is Superman's Joker. And that thought alone is terrifying.
    I agree.

    TPTB really dropped the ball with Faora.

    The same could be said of their handling of most super-heroines and super-villainesses.

    It is a shame of DC that Superman has so few distaff foes.

  4. #4
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    I have never liked the Donner influence on the PZ gang. Faora was great before then. I don't think he's had any other martial artist for a good foe and she was basically like a prototype for Fist of the North Star.

    I really like Siobhan, too, because she has has level magic up to and including an instant death power. Her rebooted form in the New 52 was also good, and unlike Faora it wasn't melded with an inferior version.

    Blaze should have come back. I sort of think she's too much of a villain for Superman but if she's going to be around the dcu, it's either Clark, Spectre, or Fate.
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  5. #5
    The Superior One Celgress's Avatar
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    Cool

    Livewire is my favorite. I love her caustic personality, unique look (especially the animated version), backstory, and powerset. She is a dynamic and fascinating character all around, IMO.
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  6. #6
    Astonishing Member stargazer01's Avatar
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    I have really liked Ursa/Faora in all the Superman movies. I don't know much about female Superman villains, but I like what I've seen so far. There is lots of potential.

    I don't see Clark/Superman as a very angsty or tormented hero. His main source of angst is that he can't save everyone despite his immense powers and that he is the last of his kind, so his villains should really test him in many ways (emotionally, intellectually and physically) to see how he reacts to those challenges. It's about how he grows as a person and how power can't corrupt him. He helps because he really cares.

  7. #7
    Legendary Member daBronzeBomma's Avatar
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    So, to be fair, the Pre-Crisis Ursa / New52 Faora / current Ursa aka Zod's subordinate paramour isn't all worthless at all, just hate the confounding name problem.

    I mean, she does look pretty badass:



    My biggest beef with her is that she kinda comes off as a hench woman with no actual agency of her own, just going with whatever Dru Zod decides.

    Even in MOS, where she was unforgettable, Zod still had most of the spotlight, right up till Kal snapped his neck.

  8. #8
    Astonishing Member Adekis's Avatar
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    The fact that Superman never had much potential romance with his villains meant that he doesn't have a lot of female villains. I mean, that's kind of nonsense, isn't it. But I think Livewire is probably the most charming and fun of his female foes. I kind of wanted to put Faora, but ultimately I decided that pure and simple, I just like Livewire more.

    Quote Originally Posted by daBronzeBomma View Post
    My biggest beef with her is that she kinda comes off as a hench woman with no actual agency of her own, just going with whatever Dru Zod decides.
    I basically agree with that problem. I'd like for Faora to have a bit more independence as a character. Not that she needs to go "full Harley" of course, I don't think there's ever been any indication that Zod is an abusive commander or boyfriend, or anything worth rebelling against. Rather, she could just stand to do more harm for herself.

    I kind of want her to return as the commander of Zod's former army in a Man of Steel sequel. Give Antje Traue a chance to stand out a little more.
    Last edited by Adekis; 04-14-2019 at 03:16 PM.
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  9. #9
    Death becomes you Osiris-Rex's Avatar
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    I'm going with Livewire. Too bad they killed her off on TV Supergirl.

    Lena Luthor is a villain in the comic books?

  10. #10
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    Maxima. I like the idea of her coming to Earth to force Superman to marry her. It's a different motivation for a "villain". In a stalker kind of way.
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  11. #11
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adekis View Post
    The fact that Superman never had much potential romance with his villains meant that he doesn't have a lot of female villains. I mean, that's kind of nonsense, isn't it.
    Putting aside the one off nature that plagues most of the villains who go against a character designed to do virtually anything, is it really that short a list compared to other superheroes? I mean we can add Obsession, Encantadora, Misa, Syrene, Circe as a loaner, Peri, several insect women, and probably a few notables from villain groups.
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  12. #12
    Legendary Member daBronzeBomma's Avatar
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    Speaking of Maxima ...




    Boy, what a magnificent beginning!

    And boy, what squandered potential!

    I mega-loathe this omnipresent practice of wanting to turn remotely interesting Female villains into heroes or Anti- heroes.

    Maxima in her Post-COIE debut, was evil. A layered sort of evil, but a stone-cold murderer as well. Very importantly, just because she was murderous didn't make her psychotic, only draconian in her response to threats.

    But then she reforms and even becomes a member of the Justice League. And the New52 had an LBGT version, I think? Can't be evil then.

    But that beginning sure was something ...

  13. #13
    Invincible Member Vordan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Osiris-Rex View Post
    I'm going with Livewire. Too bad they killed her off on TV Supergirl.

    Lena Luthor is a villain in the comic books?
    In Rebirth Superwoman I think. Wasn’t very good apparently.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adekis View Post
    The fact that Superman never had much potential romance with his villains meant that he doesn't have a lot of female villains. I mean, that's kind of nonsense, isn't it. But I think Livewire is probably the most charming and fun of his female foes. I kind of wanted to put Faora, but ultimately I decided that pure and simple, I just like Livewire more.
    Topic says "Superverse", meaning not just Superman, but Supergirl, Superboy, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Legion of Super Heroes, Nightwing and Flamebird and Krypto the Super Dog.

    That said, where's Emerald Empress of the Fatal Five on the poll?

    But really, my favorite was Nasthalthia Luthor, of Supergirl's early seventies Adventure Comics run.
    Last edited by ngroove; 04-14-2019 at 08:58 PM.

  15. #15
    Astonishing Member Adekis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kuwagaton View Post
    Putting aside the one off nature that plagues most of the villains who go against a character designed to do virtually anything, is it really that short a list compared to other superheroes? I mean we can add Obsession, Encantadora, Misa, Syrene, Circe as a loaner, Peri, several insect women, and probably a few notables from villain groups.
    You know what, you mention a couple characters who really did have a little bit of Catwoman with Superman - after he was already married to Lois! That always bugged me, haha! But yeah, I see your point. A lot of these guys are solid, too, and just underused.

    Quote Originally Posted by daBronzeBomma View Post
    Very importantly, just because she was murderous didn't make her psychotic, only draconian in her response to threats.

    But then she reforms and even becomes a member of the Justice League. And the New52 had an LBGT version, I think? Can't be evil then.

    But that beginning sure was something ...
    What a great cover! I've never read this issue before, but it's not on DC Universe. Come on! All those issues and this one isn't one of 'em? Rats!

    I don't think "draconian" equals evil. Is Mister Majestic evil? Or Jason Todd? Granted, on several occasions, Maxima doesn't seem to understand why rape is immoral, which pretty clearly marks her as evil by Earth standards! I remember her saying something along those lines to Wonder Woman at one point. So you've probably got a point in the end either way.

    Still, my favorite Maxima story is the one where Superman ends up marrying her in a timeline where Lois dies, so I don't like to think of her as irredeemable, just misguided. Well, "misguided" sounds kind of condescending, I don't know if I like writing off all the unfortunate class-based toxic cultural norms which contributed to her worldview like that... But let's say I like to think she's capable of transcending those norms, with effort.
    Last edited by Adekis; 04-14-2019 at 09:38 PM.
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