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Supervillain
  • Introduction
  • Golden Age (1938–54)
    • Media inspirations
    • The banality of evil
    • Postwar villains
  • DC Comics supervillains of the Silver Age (1956–69)
  • Marvel Comics supervillains of the Silver Age
  • Bronze Age (1970–80) villains and a new breed of evil
  • Modern villainy
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
Heath Ledger as the Joker sits at an interrogation table with Christian Bale as Batman standing behind him in a scene from the film The Dark Knight.
Learn about the evolution of the definition of a hero from ancient Greeks to modern times
Movie poster for Superman and the Mole Men featuring George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates, with Superman in costume, Coates beside him, and three Mole Men in the background. Lobby card for Batman (1966) featuring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin, with villains in colorful costumes, and large Batman logo at the bottom. Movie poster for Fantastic Four (2005) showing Chris Evans as Johnny Storm in flames, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm with rocky skin, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, and Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards in superhero suits above a cityscape. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine stands shirtless with metal claws extended from his fists in a room with Japanese decor in The Wolverine, directed by James Mangold.
Quizzes
Publicity still of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher.
Marvel or DC?

Supervillain: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Michael Eury
  • Peter Sanderson

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

  • Gregory Lewis McNamee
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Article title updated for style.
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 04, 2026
New article added
  • Gregory Lewis McNamee
Jul 08, 2024
View Changes:
Article History
Revised:
By:
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