Category: Comics

Cassandra Nova Starter Stories

Getting Into Comics: Cassandra Nova Starter Stories

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Tomorrow is my oldest daughter’s birthday. Happy 27th birthday! She’s one year closer to 30. Eek! Anyway, I asked her which comic book character she’d like me to cover this week in our ongoing series of “Getting into Comics,” and she answered Cassandra Nova.

Yep. Yet another villain for the comic book starter stories. And yes, she first learned about Cassandra Nova in the recent Deadpool and Wolverine movie. We covered the movie a while back, here’s the link. Cassandra Nova is one of the newer X-Men villains, so she won’t have as extensive of a reading list. Here it goes.

Story Arcs

We’re continuing the trend of separating single issues stories from story arcs. This time, we’ll start with story arcs that consist of multiple comic books and then move on to single-issue stories. We’re doing it this way because Cassandra Nova’s first appearance was in a story arc.

E Is For Extinction (New X-Men #114-116; written by Grant Morrison/art by Frank Quietly and Ethan Van Sciver 2001)

E is for Extinction was the first story arc from Grant Morrison’s run on the New X-Men. Morrison insisted the series be renamed New X-Men; it retained the original series’ numbering, but he revamped the team so much that the series needed a new name. Morrison catapults the X-Men into the 21st century.

Cassandra Nova discovers a long-lost Master Mold A.I. and Sentinel production facility in Ecuador. She uses the last surviving relative of Bolivar Trask to gain control of the wild sentinels and has the man order the Sentinels to massacre the entire population of the mutant nation Genosha. The X-Men locate her by using the newly created mutant detection machine Cerebra and put an end to her reign of terror, but they’re too late. Cassandra Nova almost wipes out the entire population of the island.

If this sounds an awful lot like a plot line from the recent X-Men ’97 cartoon, you’re right. And if you haven’t yet seen X-Men ’97, what are you waiting for? E is for Extinction shows how diabolical Cassandra Nova can get. It’s no wonder that she earned the distinction as “Villain of the Year” by Wizard Magazine in 2001.

Torn (Astonishing X-Men #13-18; written by Joss Whedon/art by John Cassaday 2005)

Joss Whedon continued Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run with Astonishing X-Men. Most of the cast (heroes and most of the villains) remain the same. With that said, the Dangerous story arc that proceeds this one ties up some loose ends with E is for Extinction. Another Sentinel attacks and the culprit behind the attack is (spoilers) the Danger Room itself. The reason why this ties up loose ends found in E is for Extinction is that the Sentinel who destroyed Genosha becomes aware of its actions and ceases to attack the X-Men. It’s also revealed that Emma Frost works with the newly formed Hellfire Club. Enter Cassandra Nova.

Nova has joined this new version of the Hellfire Club. To be exact, Emma imprisoned Nova’s mind into a biological “slug.” Not all is what it seems. Cassandra Nova out mind tricks Emma Frost into doing her bidding. Nova even forces the X-Men to face their greatest fears and childhood trauma. This all leads to Shadowcat mimicking the classic pose Wolverine took in Uncanny X-Men #132.

X-Men: Red, Volume 1 (X-Men: Red #1-11; written by Tom Taylor/art by Al Ewing 2018-2019)

X-Men: Red follows the events from the December 2017 miniseries Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey written by Matthew Rosenberg with art by Leinil Francis Yu. Yes. Jean Grey died a second time, but at least this time she stayed dead for about a decade. Way longer than her first death after the Dark Phoenix Saga. Anyway, X-Men Red was promoted as part of Marvel’s Fresh Start. Part of this fresh start is the X-Men trying to create a new mutant nation.

The heroes of X-Men: Red shake up the norm. Jean, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine serve as the old guard, but new editions Honey Badger, Gentle, Trinary, and even Namor round out the rest of the X-Men.  They use Atlantis as their headquarters in part because Jean is framed for the murder of an English congresswoman. In truth, the congresswoman died at the hands of a resurfaced Cassandra Nova. Nova uses the politician’s death to alienate Jean from the public eye. This forces Jean’s team to work underground.

Marauders, Volume 2 (Marauders Vol 2 #1-12; written by Steve Orlando/art by Eleonora Carlini 2022-2023)

Not to be confused with several other versions of Marauders, this most recent group of Marauders is led by Captain Kitty Pryde. They rescue mutants, wherever they may be and no matter how dangerous the odds. The final member of her crew is none other than Cassandra Nova.

This is the first time that Cassandra Nova has been cast as a hero, albeit a reluctant one. Most of the Marauders, who were victims of Nova’s cruelty to Genosha, would rather not depend on her, and they do depend on her abilities quite a bit. The group depends on her for a while, until they plan for Nova’s eventual heel turn. Marauders is a strange read. It ends its arc with Nova being stranded 2 billion years in the past, with a mass extinction event on the horizon. That’s one way to exact your revenge.

Single Issues

“Silence: Psychic Rescue in Progress” (New X-Men #121; written by Grant Morrison/art by Frank Quietly and Ethan Van Sciver; 2002)

Charles Xavier’s mind lies imprisoned in the comatose body of Cassandra Nova. Jean Grey and Emma Frost team up on a telepathic journey into Cassandra’s consciousness to rescue Charles. The psychic trip is one for the ages. Beyond vast oceans rests a suspiciously fortified tower. Phoenix builds a bridge to cross the divide, but the tower’s defenses destroy Jean’s construct.

Traveling deeper into Cassandra Nova’s consciousness, the two learn that Cassandra Nova and Charles Xavier are twins. They engaged in psychic combat inside their mother’s womb. The fight led Charles and Cassandra’s mother to tumble down a flight of stairs. Jean and Emma learn that Charles intended to kill his sister inside the womb. Cassandra Nova left the womb stillborn.

This sequence gives much-needed context to why Cassandra Nova sicced the Sentinels on the nation of Genosha. She wants to destroy what Charles Xavier holds dear. She wants to make him pay for not showing her the same love he shows others.

The beginning of this issue’s title “Silence” holds special significance. This issue is part of the “Nuff Said” month in which no comics released at the time were allowed to use any words. The only words uttered were by Jean during the story’s conclusion.

There aren’t that many Cassandra Nova stories to choose from, but I may have left off one or two. Let me know which Cassandra Nova stories you’d choose instead. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Spider-Man Villains

Top 5 Spider-Man Villains

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with the first Top 5 Villains List of the new year. I can’t believe we lasted this long before mentioning Spider-Man’s top villains. Let’s rectify that. Here’s our list of the Top 5 Spider-Man Villains.

5: Carnage

We could’ve gone several different directions here. I wanted to put a classic Spider-Man at the fifth spot, someone like Electro, Sandman, Kraven, or even Vulture, but Carnage trumps each of them. The alien symbiote that merged with Cletus Kasady Carnage may be the offspring of another character on this list (spoilers, I guess), but Carnage is a formidable Spider-Man villain and worthy of this list. If we were to discuss Spider-Man’s most violent villains, Carnage would be atop that list.

Carnage has had some stellar storylines, some of the best Spider-Man stories in the past three decades or so since his first appearance: Absolute Carnage, Maximum Carnage, and Carnage, U.S.A. to name a few. Carnage rampages his way near the top of Spider-Man’s rogues.

4: Mysterio

I always liked Mysterio as a villain. Quentin Beck’s penchant for the dramatic and choosing to manipulate and confuse Spider-Man instead of trying to out science or beat Spidey to a pulp made Mysterio unique. Beck spent years on Spidey’s back catalog of villains. Wearing a fishbowl as a helmet couldn’t help.

Even with a ridiculous outfit—or perhaps because of a ridiculous outfit—Mysterio has been in some great Spider-Man stories. The five-issue mini-series Symbiote Spider-Man rescued Mysterio from obscurity. He even returned from the dead in “Mysterioso” (Amazing Spider-Man #618). This story bridged the gap from the goofy Silver Age version of Mysterio to the more sinister character in “Guardian Devil.” And the 2019 MCU film Spider-Man: Far From Home did a lot to improve Mysterio’s image to non-diehard Spidey fans.

3: Doctor Octopus

There was a time when Doctor Octopus would’ve dominated this list, or he’d at least be second to another character we’ll see later, but Otto Octavius finds himself in the third spot. Many comic book characters have changed their looks and even their backstory, but Doctor Octopus may be the king of makeovers. He’s been an Atlantean, an octopus-like monster, and he’s even been Spider-Man before in the storyline Superior Spider-Man.

Many of Spider-Man’s villains may know his identity as Peter Parker, but Doctor Octopus was one of the first. And he used that knowledge to torture Peter. Add in the fact that Doc Ock assembled the original Sinister Six and that makes him a no-brainer for this list.

2: Venom

Venom got teased in the Carnage write-up. When an alien symbiote merged with Eddie Brock to form Venom, it shook up the Spider-Man mythos. Since Spidey has such a great rogues gallery, Venom is the only modern Spider-Man villain who can sneak into the top three. One could argue that Venom is equal parts hero and villain, and many of Venom’s best stories cast them as a hero. Venom Vs. Carnage and Maximum Carnage pit them against their offspring Carnage. I especially liked Venom’s turn as a hero in the latter story because it forced Venom to join forces with their hated enemy Spider-Man. But I always thought Venom worked best as a villain.

Since Venom is a symbiote, more than one character has formed an alliance with the alien. Famously, Peter Parker was Venom’s first host. Other hosts include Mac Gargan (Scorpion), Flash Thompson, and even Mysterio. And since the symbiote has merged with Peter Parker Spider-Man in the past, Venom typically knows Spider-Man’s identity, which makes them even deadlier. Throw in the fact that Spidey’s spider-sense can’t detect Venom, and they’re easily a top villain.

1: Green Goblin

Could it be anyone else? Green Goblin takes a lot of what makes the villains on this list formidable and combines them into one character. Norman Osborn knows Peter’s identity. He isn’t afraid to use his knowledge of Spider-Man’s identity to his advantage and has leveraged Spider-Man’s identity on multiple occasions. He has a personal connection with Spider-Man through his son Harry Osborn being one of Peter’s friends. He can manipulate, out-science, and even overpower Spider-Man physically. Green Goblin even killed Peter Parker’s first girlfriend Gwen Stacy.

I could go into numerous Green Goblin stories here, but that may need a future list. Simply put, Green Goblin was the obvious choice for the first Spider-Man big-screen adaptation.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Richest Comic Book Characters

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Happy Tuesday! We compiled the following images and statistics to showcase the net worth of comic book characters. We threw in some real world people for reference.

The following statistics for comic book character wealth comes from Wealthy Gorilla, while the wealth of real world people comes from Forbes. These statistics were retrieved on January 13, 2025; they are subject to change.

We’ll begin with the characters/people with a net worth of $2 Billion and work our way up to the richest person or character. Can you guess who tops this list?

We may be one or two stacks short for T’Challa. Nothing beats Vibranium and other-worldly tech.

Wherever you are, we hope you’re having a great day.

Magneto Starter Stories

Getting Into Comics: Magneto Starter Stories

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Today is my youngest daughter’s birthday. Happy 24th birthday! One more year and you can rent a car. Is that still true? Anyway, I wanted to bring back the comic book starter stories and asked her which character she’d like me to cover this week. She answered Magneto.

You heard the girl. Geekly will be covering its first comic book starter stories for a supervillain. We may have some growing pains with this topic. Villains are a little more difficult to recommend starter stories for, but I’ll do my best. The following list should give you an idea of which stories you should read to get to know Magneto better.

Single Issues

We’re doing this list a little differently than prior starter comic book stories. We’ll start with single issues and then move on to story arcs that consist of multiple comic books.

Uncanny X-Men #1

(written by Stan Lee/art by Jack Kirby; 1963)

This first entry cheats a little bit. Uncanny X-Men #1 is the first appearance of Magneto and the X-Men. Since the issue does double duty and sets up Magneto and the X-Men, there’s less of a focus on him as the main villain, but Uncanny X-Men #1 does a great job of showing Magneto as a formidable foe.

You don’t have to break the bank to read the first X-Men story. Marvel has reprinted it plenty of times. You should even be able to read Uncanny X-Men #1 for free online. If you did want to own a physical copy, Uncanny X-Men #1 would cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. X-Men didn’t have the warmest of receptions when it first launched. This makes the comic rare and valuable. Ka-ching!

I, Magneto

(Uncanny X-Men #150, written by Chris Claremont/art by Glynis Wein, Dave Cockrum, Dan Crespi, and Tom Orzechowski; 1981)

Magneto started out wanting a world where mutants dominated over inferior homo sapiens, but in “I, Magneto,” Magneto sets out for what he wanted all along, to become everyone’s leader. In this story, Magneto wants no less than the planet making him the world’s leader.

Magneto enlists the help of a series of supercomputers, but when those computers begin to explode, Magneto becomes furious. Kitty Pryde has been blowing up his computers by phasing through them. In a fit of rage, Magneto nearly kills her. Magneto sees a lot of himself in Kitty Pryde, since they have a similar heritage. When Magneto sees himself as the monster he’s turned into, he realizes that he isn’t fit to lead the world.

The Trial of Magneto

(Uncanny X-Men #200, written by Chris Claremont/art John Romita Jr.; 1985)

Claremont does a great job with the Uncanny X-Men’s bicentennial issue. As the name suggests (“The Trial of Magneto”), Magneto is on trial for former acts as a “mutant terrorist.” While he stands trial, unknown terrorists leave behind a calling card, “Free Magneto – X-Men.” Professor X sees this message and suddenly falls ill. Cyclops believes Charles is possibly dying.

The terrorist acts serve as a distraction so the Von Strucker twins can attack the court and exact vengeance against Magneto. This puts everyone in the courtroom in danger. Magneto saves everyone in the building. This shows the judge Magneto’s humanity. The scuffle results in Professor X suffering a heart attack. Magneto saves Charles, but Charles insists that he can no longer care for the X-Men. He asks Magneto to take his place.

If you’ve seen the X-Men ’97 cartoon on Disney+, many of these story elements will sound familiar in “The Trial of Magneto.” This story showcases Magneto’s propensity for being a hero.

Story Arcs

X-Men: Magneto Testament #1-5

(written by Greg Pak/art by Carmine DI Giandomenico 2008-2009)

Magneto Testament fleshes out Magneto’s childhood story. This five-issue miniseries doesn’t pull any punches. It shows us Magneto as a young boy surviving the Nazi death machine. As a result, Magneto Testament is one of the bleakest stories Marvel Comics has ever published. It’s also poignant.

Magneto Testament explores what made Magneto the man he is today. X-Men: First Class may dip its toe into this origin, but Magneto Testament digs deeper. This is one of the best Magneto stories ever written and a must if you want to understand Magneto.

X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills

(written by Chris Claremont/art by Brent Anderson; 1982)

I know this story also made our “X-Men Starter Stories” post years ago (here’s a link to that list if you’re interested), but Magneto is an X-Men villain, so there’s bound to be some crossover.

Many consider God Loves, Man Kills the defining X-Men arc, and they may be right. Humanity is the main villain. Humans, through the machinations of William Stryker, launch a scheme to rid the world of mutants. Magneto learns this while investigating the deaths of two mutant children. Magneto then joins forces with the X-Men.

God Loves, Man Kills establishes Magneto’s willingness to do anything to protect mutantkind, even if that means joining forces with his enemies. Stories like God Loves, Man Kills do a lot to deepen Magneto as a character.

Mutant Genesis

(X-Men #1-7, written by John Byrne and Chris Claremont/art by Jim Lee; 1991)

Before Mutant Genesis, Magneto lost his way. He even ran the X-Men and New Mutants for a time. (See the above write-up for “The Trial of Magneto.”) While these storylines helped to humanize the X-Men’s greatest villain, Mutant Genesis brings Magneto back to his roots. He has returned as a powerful villain. During this arc, we see how Magneto’s powers are slowly driving him insane.

But Magneto isn’t alone in his insanity. Mutant Genesis introduces Magneto’s team of Acolytes. These Acolytes pose a huge threat to humanity and even mutant-kind. It also doesn’t help that long-time X-Men begin questioning their loyalty to Professor X’s cause. Mutant Genesis is the final story seminal X-Men scribe Chris Claremont wrote for the series. Without Claremont, the X-Men would not have become the household names they are today.

Planet X

(New X-Men #146-150, written by Grant Morrison/art by Phil Jimenez; 2003-2004)

Magneto disguises himself as Xorn, one of the X-Men’s most trusted members at the time. The X-Men had thought that they had rescued Xorn from a Chinese prison, but it was a ruse. Magneto worked with the Chinese government to infiltrate the X-Men. At the time Magneto was believed dead, making this reveal even more shocking. Planet X shows how clever Magneto can be when putting an elaborate plan into action. This story did a lot for Magneto’s legacy.

As Magneto is the X-Men’s oldest enemy, no one could imagine that he could disguise himself well enough to fool his enemies. In classic mastermind fashion, Magneto didn’t reveal his identity until the time was just right.

There are so many other stories that I could’ve included here. I’m sure I missed one or two, or three hundred. Let me know which Magneto stories you’d choose instead. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Ice Powered Comic Book Characters

Top 5 Ice-Powered Comic Book Characters

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Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the first day of winter. Let’s celebrate by listing the Top 5 Ice-Powered Characters in comic books.

5: Ice (DC)

The first of several DC Comics characters on this list, Ice is the successor to the Ice Maiden. Tora Olafsdotter is the product of Norwegian experiments with Ice Maiden, hoping to replicate her powers. Tora’s arrival in the human world led the original Ice Maiden feeling superfluous. Ice Maiden returned to Norway, while Tora took up the name Ice and joined the Justice League International. She’s had an off-again, on-again relationship with Guy Gardner and developed a friendship with a heroine named Fire.

4: Captain Cold (DC)

Leonard Snart, Captain Cold, started life as a gag villain, but over time, Cold has become an impressive DC Universe villain. Snart grew up in an abusive household and turned to a life of crime. He developed a cold gun. The gun has extraordinary power. It can create temperatures to absolute zero. He can freeze objects (and people), create ice patches and icicles, and create a “cold zones” which can slow down anyone, including the Flash.

Snart is one of the founding members of the Rogues. He’s joined the Ice Pack (a group of cold-powered supervillains) and the Secret Society of Super Villains.

3: Killer Frost (DC)

There have been two women who bore the Killer Frost moniker. Crystal Frost was a scientist working in the Arctic when an accident gave her the ability to generate extreme cold. She became a supervillain, but her powers were slowly killing her. In an attempt to save herself, she consumed the heat of Firestorm and died.

Following Crystal’s death, her friend Dr. Louise Lincoln became Killer Frost. She recreated the accident that gave Crystal her powers and sought revenge on Firestorm. Able to transmute heat to cold and create gusts of wind and structures made of ice, Killer Frost has teamed up with villains like Captain Cold (who we saw in our previous entry) and Mr. Freeze, who happens to be our next entry.

2: Mr. Freeze (DC)

Dr. Victor Fries (originally a mad scientist Mr. Zero) is another DC villain who began life as a joke villain. The 1990’s Batman: The Animated Series recreated him as a sympathetic villain in its Emmy-winning episode “Heart of Ice.” Mr. Freeze has a sad story behind his frozen smile. His wife Nora fell terminally ill. Dr. Fries dedicated himself to cryogenic research to save her. The head of the corporation funding Fries’s work shuts down his project, and Victor fights them to save his wife. A fight ensues, which results in Victor turning into Mr. Freeze.

Freeze can only survive in sub-zero temperatures. To survive, Victor built himself a cryo-suit. He also developed an ice gun (powered by diamonds) and pursued a life of crime. Freeze’s gun can freeze objects and people, while his suit gives him increased strength and durability. Combined with his intellect, Mr. Freeze is a formidable foe.

1: Iceman (Marvel)

Iceman Bobby Drake started as the youngest member of the original X-Men. Most fans ignored him; he was the Spider-Man of that early X-Men team, cracking jokes and acting as the conduit for younger X-Men readers to view the team through.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and Bobby made his weekend appearance on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. I know it’s hokey, but I still enjoy watching this Saturday Morning cartoon on Disney+. Little did I, or any of those early readers of X-Men, know that Bobby may be one of the most powerful mutants. Iceman is an Omega-level mutant. As a frame of reference, Magneto is also an Omega-level mutant. Yikes!

Iceman can become ice in an organic form. By doing this, he can change his size and size, becoming an enormous ice man. He can also add spikes of ice on his knuckles or other body part, becoming a living weapon.

Hello, Winter! Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Underrated DC Comics Villains

Top 5 Underrated DC Villains

Published on by JimLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re doing something very different this week and posting a much older post by our resident Star Trek Geek, Jim Plath. He shared his Top 5 Underrated DC Villains years ago, and I just found the copy. Sorry about that, Jim. Without further ado, here is the Top 5 Underrated DC Villains.

This one ended up being trickier than I expected. When you start digging, you can make a case for just about any villain of Batman’s not named Joker, Ra’s, Deathstroke, or Superman’s not named Lex, Doomsday, Darkseid, or Brainiac. Here’s my list though.

5) Cheetah:

You could make a case for just about any DC female villain not named Harley Quinn these days, but given that she’s really an anti-hero now, she might not make the list anyway. Cheetah’s history with Wonder Woman is pretty front-and-center in Wonder Woman’s current arc, and it’s doing wonders for drawing attention to her sympathetic qualities. As a character, she’s tragic, and as a villain, she’s got Wonder Woman’s durability and the speed of, well, a cheetah. That makes her a worthy adversary for a good portion of the Justice League.

4) Brother Eye

The OMACs/Brother MK1/Brother Eye have been used similarly to Marvel’s Sentinels. They’ve been involved in some great Justice League stories over the years, played a pivotal role in Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis, and always generate hefty stakes.

3) Mongul

Mongul is something of an ersatz Darkseid. In fact, that’s most likely why he’s underrated. Like a lot of characters, his backstory changes slightly here and there, but he’s proven himself a threat to each member of the Justice League individually, and given them a run for their money as a group. He even once destroyed Hal Jordan’s hometown of Coast City.

2) Psycho Pirate

With the power to affect people’s states of mind, he probably gets passed over too often for villains like Scarecrow, but Psycho Pirate’s powers are broader. He’s been shown to mollify hostile characters, even pacify Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. It isn’t always about fear with the Psycho Pirate.

1) Vandal Savage

When it comes to men made untouchable to father time, the bulk of the spotlight goes to Ra’s al Ghul these days. Some of that is the influence of the Arkham video game franchise, and the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy, but another factor is Savage is far more powerful. There just aren’t many DC heroes who can make a match for him, so he doesn’t get as many shots at the bigtime.

Do you agree with Jim’s list? Who would you add or remove? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Superman Villains Rogues Gallery

Top 5 Superman Villains

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Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re back with another Top 5 Villains List. This time we’re covering Superman’s rogues gallery. We mentioned Supe’s rogues in a previous Top 5, the Top 5 Most Powerful Rogues Gallery. But Superman’s villains are getting their list today. Let’s see who made the list.

5: Darkseid

You may think that Darkseid is way too low on this list, but I view him more as a Justice League villain if not a DC universe-wide villain. But Darkseid needs to make the list. I struggled with that. I wanted to include Parasite or Cyborg Superman or even Toy Man or Mister Mxyzptlk. Consider them the honorable mentions. Oh. Spoiler alert: those villains didn’t quite make the list. Getting back to Darkseid, he inspired Marvel’s Thanos. So, Darkseid is a heavy hitter. Unless the writer powers down the villain, Superman often needs help when dealing with Darkseid.

4: Doomsday

What more can be said of the villain who killed Superman? He belongs on the list; he may even be too low like Darkseid. Next.

Just kidding. We’ll discuss Doomsday a bit more. Doomsday is an engineered being from the depths of prehistoric Krypton. Is everyone still on board with genetic experiments? Doomsday’s creator imbued him with few feelings, mostly hate and a desire for destruction, which led to him destroying worlds and eventually finding Earth. Doomsday can’t die. He adapts every time he gets defeated. He can’t be reasoned with. Of Superman’s mindless foes (or his foes who are forces of nature), Doomsday tops them all and makes this list.

3: General Zod

Since he’s a Kryptonian, General Zod has powers comparable to Superman. And as his name suggests, he’s a general. So, he has military training. That makes General Zod a Superman-powered general who desires to subjugate humanity and turn Earth into a New Krypton. Yep. He’s terrifying.

General Zod may even be my choice for Superman’s first major villain if I were to reboot the character. He ties in perfectly with Supe’s past. General Zod knew Kal-El’s birth parents after all. And he hated them. It made sense that Man of Steel featured General Zod as its main antagonist. Too bad the movie wasn’t better.

2: Brainiac

There have been many Brainiacs and with that several origins for the character. No matter the origins or version, Brainiac is often considered Superman’s second-greatest villain. You can probably guess who takes the top spot. Usually, writers depict Brainiac as a superintelligent android or cyborg from the planet Colu who is obsessed with collecting all knowledge in the known universe. He even goes so far as to shrink cities like Kandor, the capital of Superman’s home planet Krypton, and Brainiac has destroyed countless civilizations.

If his body ever gets destroyed, Brainiac uploads his artificial consciousness into a new body and begins anew. This makes Brainiac pseudo-immortal and a major threat to Superman. One of my favorite versions of Brainiac comes from the Superman Animated Series. Brainiac was an AI present when Krypton exploded. We learn that Brainiac destroyed Krypton so he and he alone would have the knowledge that Krypton ever existed. This put him at odds immediately with Superman. And the reveal was fantastic. Sorry. Spoilers for an almost thirty-year-old cartoon series.

1: Lex Luthor

What more can I say about the man who would be Superman? Most people know Lex Luthor. He’s one of Comicbook’s greatest villains, let alone Superman’s greatest villain. CEO of LexCorp, Lex Luthor as I mentioned in the Most Powerful Rogues Gallery Top 5 is DC Comics’s version of Tony Stark if Iron Man decided to go a different path. Lex hates how much the world loves Superman. He doesn’t trust all that power belonging to an alien. While I could mention several large-scale, DC Comics affecting schemes, my favorite Lex Luthor story, the one that shows how evil he can be, comes from a much smaller story.

Lex visits a diner outside Metropolis. He offers a waitress at the diner a large sum of money to sleep with him. The waitress knows who Lex is, everyone knows him and what he’s done, and she’d rather not sleep with the devil. But the money Lex offered was too good to pass. As soon as she decides to sleep with Lex, he leaves the diner. Lex’s chauffeur asks why he left before completing the “transaction,” and Lex said—and I’m paraphrasing—She will always know that she would’ve slept with me. Now she hasn’t a penny to show for it.

Like Outkast once said, what’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold. That sums up Lex Luthor.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Most Powerful Rogue Gallery

Top 5 Most Powerful Rogues Galleries

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. It’s still Spooky Season, but I’m going in a different direction with this week’s Top 5. What’s more horrifying than a strong series of villains? In this list, we’ll discuss the 5 most powerful rogues galleries in comic books. This differs from the most popular rogues galleries. If we did the most popular rogues galleries, Batman and Spider-Man’s rogues would certainly make the list. But most of Batman and Spider-Man’s rogues are street-level villains. And not as powerful.

So, who made the list? Let’s find out.

5: The Flash

Flash has an underrated rogues gallery. I may be showing my bias here; I don’t know. Flash begins with a lot of great street-level villains or villains slightly above street-level with Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and Captain Boomerang. But then you get into Gorilla Grodd who has brains and brawn, and the Thinker who is the most intelligent being in the DC Universe.

And then Flash’s rogues reach a new height with evil speedsters. Speed is a given in a Flash story, but each of these evil speedsters can reverse time and change events. That’s Reverse-Flash’s MO. He went back in time to kill Barry Allen’s mother. Our next hero may be able to claim a more powerful set of rogues, but that level of pettiness raises the Flash’s rogues.

4: Thor

This one’s a cheat. Most of Thor’s rogues are god-tier villains, so they can get powerful. Perhaps too powerful. Mangog is the physical manifestation and sum of the hatred of a billion beings. Mangog is a threat to the entire universe. Then, there’s Surtur, the king of the fire giants. Surtur possesses a sword that can destroy universes. And there’s Gorr the God Butcher. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) may have done Gorr dirty in Thor: Love and Thunder. He’s far more menacing in the comics; he has killed hundreds of gods with All-Black, his sword that gets more powerful with each god Gorr kills. Oh, wait, I didn’t mention Loki. Yikes!

3: Superman

Most people think of Lex Luthor first when thinking of Superman’s rogues and with good reason. But there are quite a few people who may think Lex is a normal human. He’s not a threat. Lex happens to be DC Comics’ version of Tony Stark/Iron Man. Both Lex and Tony have money to burn, a power suit, and super genius intellects. Lex Luthor is Iron Man if Iron Man decided to break bad.

Then you add all the evil Supermen, and there are a lot. Bizzaro, Cyborg Superman, and General Zod lead the charge here. General Zod is Superman with military training. Supes may be in trouble. Brainiac is another universe-level threat. Darkseid who is a DC-wide villain can also be a solo Superman villain, and Darkseid inspired the creation of Thanos. And that’s all before we get to Doomsday who literally killed Superman. Throw in the imp from the fifth dimension, Mister Mxyzptlk, who can warp reality itself, and you can’t deny that Superman’s rogues contain a lot of heavy hitters.

2: Fantastic Four

Galactus. This being literally eats planets like Pac-Man gobbles power pellets. Galactus alone makes the Fantastic Four’s rogues gallery ridiculously powerful. But it doesn’t stop there. Doctor Doom may be one of the deadliest villains in comic book history. He has taken the Beyonder’s powers more than once. The Beyonder is an otherworldly being with universe altering abilities. Kang keeps trophies of the hundreds of heroes he’s killed while time jumping. And there’s Annihilus, ruler of the Negative Zone.

The Fantastic Four are unique in the world of comics. They tend to act than react and bump into many of their enemies on their adventures, and their adventures take them to some crazy locales like the Negative Zone. I can’t wait to see which version of the Fantastic Four the MCU will give us.

1: X-Men

But our number one spot must be the X-Men. The Fantastic Four may have Galactus, and Galactus may be more powerful than any one X-Men villain, but the X-Men have a power classification system. This makes it easy to figure out who can destroy or severely alter the world. The X-Men have at least eight Omega-level evil mutants. Madelyne Pryor (evil clone of Jean Gray), Dark Phoenix, Apocalypse, Exodus, Cassandra Nova, Stryfe, Proteus, and of course Magneto.

That short list doesn’t even include Mr. Sinister who cloned Jean Gray and has caused havoc. Sentinels and the upgrade Nimrod. Or even Bastion who is part mutant-part Sentinel. It doesn’t include Shadow King and the Adversary who can haunt people psychically. I think I forgot to mention the Brood in there. And so, so many more ridiculously powered villains who would be at home facing off against the Fantastic Four or Superman or the Justice League or the Avengers. The X-Men’s rogues gallery tops just about any comic book rogues gallery in terms of sheer power.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Hulk Villains

Top 5 Hulk Villains

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re sticking with the Spooky Season theme or at least Spooky Season adjacent with the Top 5 Hulk Villains. Hulk has an odd array of villains because he spends a large portion of his time as a monster.

But the Green Goliath has his fair share of villains. Let’s see who made the list.

5: Absorbing Man

Absorbing Man could’ve been higher on this list. He has one of the most intriguing powers in Hulk’s rogue’s gallery; he can absorb any material he touches. Think of it like a physical version of the X-Men’s Rogue’s power. But Absorbing Man functions just as much as a Marvel Universe villain as he does a Hulk villain. His origins come from a classic Thor comic and has a link with Loki. And his most notable partner Titiania has a connection with She-Hulk, so Absorbing Man could be just as much of a She-Hulk villain.

Even so, he deserves a mention on this list. After fighting Thor for several rounds, Absorbing Man gets banished into outer space. Upon his return on a comet, Absorbing Man battles the Hulk. And the two became on again, off again rivals ever since.

4: Abomination

The Abomination is a classic Hulk villain. Had this been a decade or two ago, the Abomination could’ve landed much higher on this list, maybe even number one. But a few villains have taken his spot as the Hulk’s big bad. Emil Blonsky’s villainous origin plays out similarly to his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) counterpart. He started as a KGB agent and spy; he was switched to a British Royal Marine for the MCU. Blonsky subjected himself to a ton of gamma radiation and turned into scaly and larger version of the Hulk.

The Abomination is the oldest evil Hulk, but there have been other “evil Hulks” who have taken over higher spots.

3: Maestro

Okay. Maestro is just a future version of the Hulk. But he’s one evil son of a gun. This version of the Hulk comes from the Future Imperfect timeline where the world has been rocked by nuclear weapons. Hulk is uniquely qualified to survive such a future and the horrors he’s seen have driven him mad. Maestro may no longer be as strong as his younger counterpart, but his healing factor makes him virtually immortal.

It also doesn’t hurt that the legendary comic book writer Peter David and equally legendary artist George Perez co-created Maestro and gave the character a phenomenal run in the early 1990s.

2: Red Hulk

Red Hulk is yet another evil version of the Hulk, but he’s more than that. Red Hulk started as General Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross. Red Hulk may have debuted in 2008, making him the “newest” character on this list. But Thunderbolt Ross has been around since the very beginning. He was the father of Hulk’s long-time love interest and eventual wife Betty Ross. Thunderbolt hated the Hulk and led the military’s charge to subdue him.

Thunderbolt Ross turned himself into the Red Hulk to go toe-to-toe with the Green Giant. The Red Hulk retained Ross’s intellect and more importantly his military training, making him a force. Ross has yet to become the Red Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. William Hurt played the character until his passing. Harrison Ford will portray the character in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. It should be a matter of time before Red Hulk makes his MCU debut.

1: Leader

I may be biased, but the Leader remains the ultimate foil for the Hulk. Janitor Samuel Sterns gets turned into the ultra-intelligent Leader after exposure to gamma radiation. He develops telekinesis, telepathy, gamma ray manipulation, and can self-resurrect. He’s been a part of several major Hulk storylines, including the creation of the Red Hulk, our number two villain on this list.

The Leader is also one of the founding members of Intelligencia, a group of the greatest criminal minds on Earth. This group can affect the Marvel Universe as a whole. But the Leader works best when he squares off against the Hulk. He is the yin to the Hulk’s yang. The only villain who comes close to besting the Leader as the Hulk’s greatest enemy may be the Hulk himself.

Did we get the list right? Let us know who you would add or remove in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Batman Villains

Top 5 Batman Villains

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re kicking off spooky season a little late with a Top 5. The Top 5 Batman Villains to be exact. I struggled with whether to include The Joker and call it the Top 5 Batman Villains Not Named The Joker. But I decided to keep the Joker and add a sixth, honorable mention villain. The best of both worlds? This sixth villain is someone who wouldn’t have made the list. Eek! Batman has so many great villains. Let’s get started.

6: The Riddler

Yep. The Riddler almost didn’t make the list. This doesn’t mean that he’s a poor villain. It doesn’t mean that any of the villains you don’t see on this list are poor villains. I may have to make a Top 5 Underrated Batman Villains at some point. Let me know yours in the comments. Batman has a stacked rogues gallery.

Back to the Riddler. The Riddler began as a joke villain. TV executives even modeled the vibe of the 1960s Batman series starring Adam West from a Batman comic book cover that featured the Riddler. He’s been reimagined so many times that the Riddler has become a formidable foe. He got a little drip from the Batman: The Animated Series. He’s still one of my favorite villains from that cartoon series. “The War of Jokes and Riddles” is a must read if you’d like to see the Riddler portrayed as Joker’s equal. But the Riddler’s best story may come from Batman: Earth One, Volume Two.

Batman: Earth One shows a newer Batman navigating Gotham’s underbelly. The Riddler from Volume Two does a lot of Riddler schtick. He asks riddles of Batman and states that if Batman doesn’t solve the riddle in time, he’ll detonate a bomb killing hundreds. Batman solves the riddle in time because he’s Batman. But the Riddler detonates the bomb anyway. This isn’t your typical Riddler.

5: Two-Face

Two-Face has always been a layered Batman villain. He started as one of Bruce Wayne’s good friends and lost touch with reality after a criminal threw acid on the left side of his face. He’s another great villain from the Batman: The Animated Series. His two-part origin story in that series was fantastic and worth a watch. Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent was one of the most underrated elements of 2008’s The Dark Knight. But I’d have to go with the source material and 1990’s “The Eye of the Beholder.”

“The Eye of the Beholder” may sound familiar to fans of Batman: TAS. Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent form an alliance with Batman to rid Gotham of crime. Little do Gordon and Batman know, Harvey suppresses a second personality. “The Eye of the Beholder” does a great job of diving into Dent’s psychology and is well worth the read.

4: Mr. Freeze

Like the Riddler, Mr. Freeze began as a gag character. He used the name Mr. Zero at first and the 1960s TV show portrayed him like he appeared in the comics. Wild! It took Batman: The Animated Series to reimagine into the Mr. Freeze we know today. Mr. Freeze differs from most Batman villains. He isn’t crazy. He just wants to save his cryogenically frozen wife and will do so by any means. Tim Hill had a great Mr. Freeze story that took a different turn for the villain; he was a victim of Batman’s abuse. But I’d go back to the Batman: TAS classic episode “Heart of Ice” as a go-to Mr. Freeze story.

“Heart of Ice” earned a well-deserved Emmy. It’s the story that transformed Mr. Freeze from a gag villain into the tragic one we know today.

3: Bane

Bane not only matches Batman in brawn, but he can also go toe-to-toe with Batman on an intellectual level. That makes Bane’s inclusion in 1997’s shlocky Batman & Robin even more reprehensible. Tom Hardy’s turn as the villain in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises gets closer to who the villain is. In the comics, Bane grew up in a prison, atoning for the crimes his father had committed. While in prison, he honed his body and mind. Tim Hill’s run on the Batman featured Bane as the main villain, but I’d go with the classic Batman: Knightfall story as starting point for Bane.

Batman: Knightfall features the moment that Bane “broke the bat.” He raises Batman up and breaks him over one knee, leaving Batman a paraplegic. This story will sound familiar to anyone who’s seen The Dark Knight Rises. This story element appears prominently in the film.

2: Ra’s Al Ghul

Ra’s Al Ghul translates to “Head of the Demon.” He’s another Batman villain who differs from most of the rest in that he believes his actions are just. Ra’s wants to save the planet and attain a perfect environmental balance by eliminating most of humanity. Marvel’s Thanos would borrow more than a little of this mentality. The Lazarus Pits he uses keeps him virtually immortal. Yet again, Batman: The Animated Series does a great job showcasing Ra’s Al Ghul’s origin. But I would turn again to the source material.

Ra’s Al Ghul first appeared in Batman #232 “Daughter of the Demon” and the story plays out almost exactly as Batman: TAS. So, never mind. I guess you could watch the show instead.

1: The Joker

I spoiled this one. I can’t see a world without the Joker as Batman’s ultimate villain. The Joker may be the greatest villain in all of comics. He needs no introduction. There have been numerous actors who have given powerful performances as the Joker. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Hamill embodied the Joker in one way or another. I’ll always have a soft spot for Jack Nickolson’s Joker, even if he did venture from the characters a bit. John DiMaggio took the Joker to a gritty place with his vocal performances. But Heath Ledger’s Joker still takes the cake.

The Joker has too many great comic book stories to mention here. I could do a Top 5 of these stories. I’ll rattle off a few: “A Death in the Family,” “The Laughing Fish,” “Joker’s Five-Way Revenge,” “Batman: The Man Who Laughs,” and of course, “The Killing Joke.” The Clown Prince of Crime reigns supreme for a reason.

Did we get the list right? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.