Who would you put on DC's Mount Rushmore of Villains?

[daBronzeBomma]

1. The Joker
2. Lex Luthor
3. Darkseid
4. Reverse-Flash

Reverse-Flash caused an entire continuity (post-COIE / pre-New52) to be undone, with the effects lasting a full 5 years real-time.

Plus, he remains the clear-cut and still-useful Alpha villain of the Flash franchise ... something the Anti-Monitor can't say.

[caj]

I guess I'm out of touch because I would definitely put Brainiac in that fourth position.

[Kingsw00d]

The first three spots are obviously Luthor, Joker, and Darkseid.

Assuming Fredric Wertham and Dan DiDio aren't eligible, I'm kind of thinking between four characters: Brainiac, Mongul, Despero, and Eclipso. Brainiac is the highest profile, but a lot of his actions boil down to an expanded take upon his programming, which isn't necessarily his fault. He's cold logic while other three seem to be entirely without conscience, something a lot of the other candidates mentioned in this thread have.

Mongul has done a lot of horrible things (Coast City, "For the Man Who Has Everything") but ultimately, from actions to appearance, he comes off as Darkseid Lite. Even Warworld could be consdiered "Your Child's First Apokolips."

Despero is a full-on Justice League villain, versus a single hero's archnemesis. But between his early days as a more calculating villain to his later days as a powerhouse villain, he's been all over the place as far as presentation.

Eclipso, though, is Silver Age possession horror turned into nightmare fuel...he even started out as a villain to himself (via Bruce Gordon). He's an ancient evil god who's killed multiple heroes, is a contemporary of Darkseid, and has evolved into something bigger and badder without entirely losing sight of his earliest appearance. While he hasn't had too much of a media presence, what he has gotten has been used to great effect. He doesn't get used as often as the others but when he is, it's definitely an event.

So yeah, I'm going to say Luthor, Joker, Darkseid, Eclipso.

You make a strong case with each of them, my compliments.

Someone else mentions above they can tell how old the thread is by Sinestro making the top 4, and they have a solid point. I must concur he's the most replaceable.

Out of your candidates, I'm leaning towards Eclipso (your argument is convincing), but just can't shake Brainiac simply because he's so iconic and most well known.


Here's one that no one seems to think really warrants any consideration and is getting no love whatsoever: Ultra-Humanite

The VERY FIRST comic book villain.

*I've always personally preferred the albino gorilla version.

In your opinion, is there any case to be made for him?

[Kingsw00d]

Updated Vote Tallies…

Lex Luthor: 66

Joker: 56

Darkseid: 49

Sinestro: 26




Black Adam: 13

Deathstroke: 12




Reverse Flash: 7

Brainiac: 6

General Zod: 6

Black Manta: 4

Riddler: 4

Penguin: 3

Cheetah: 3

Anti-Monitor: 3

Captain Cold: 3

Doomsday: 3

Ra’s al Ghul: 3

Starro: 2

Catwoman: 2

Circe: 2

Eclipso: 1

Vanda Savage: 1

Professor Ivo: 1

Dr. Freeze: 1

Despero: 1

Injustic Superman: 1

Gorilla Grodd: 1

[Kingsw00d]

It should follow Mt. Rushmore's criteria.
Birth (Golden : Fui Onyui/Chin Lung/All-Yang (Detective Comics 1)
Growth: Lex Luthor or the Joker (Iconic supervillains)
Development: Anti-Monitor or Darkseid (universe or multiversal threats)
Preservation: Superboy-Prime

Interesting take.

Please give me your definitive four and I'll add them to the tally.

[Multiverse]

Darkseid
Ultra-Humanite
Joker
Black Adam