32 Superhero Movie Villains With Understandable Motivations

A dying Erik Killmonger looking at T'Challa in Black Panther
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Even those who enjoy fun comic book movies featuring a villain you love to hate would probably agree that the absolute best superhero movies have a bad guy who makes you think twice. While you may not agree with their illegal or simply inhumane plans, you cannot help but admit that their actions do have some logical justification.

Take a look at the best villains from the Marvel movies, the DC movies, and even some great comic book flicks associated with neither, whom we could have sided with if they were not so mean.

Thaons arriving on Titan in Avengers: Infinity War

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's first "big bad," Thanos (Josh Brolin), emerged as the central antagonist of Avengers: Infinity War, in which he aspires to collect every last Infinity Stone to save Earth from human destruction and create balance in the entire universe... but with genocide. Comic book fans agree that the mad Titan's motivation in the 2018 blockbuster is an improvement on the original source material from the early '90s, in which he erased half the universe to appease his crush, Death itself.

Paul Dano's Riddler incarcerated in Arkham in The Batman

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Riddler (The Batman)

Similar to Jim Carrey's iteration of The Riddler from Batman Forever, Paul Dano's version from 2022's The Batman seeks revenge against Bruce Wayne but also believes he is in cahoots with Robert Pattinson's vigilante. The brainteaser enthusiast, who was also orphaned but not treated with the same care as young Wayne, shares the Dark Knight's passion for ridding Gotham of corruption but does not honor his no-killing rule.

Ian Mckellen's first appearance as Magneto in 2000's X-Men

(Image credit: 20th Century Pictures, Disney)

Magneto (The X-Men Movies)

Professor Charles Xavier and Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr of the X-Men comics have long been compared to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X for the way they share a common goal of fighting mutant oppression, but wildly different ideas of how to achieve it. The metalbending criminal (played by Sir Ian McKellan and as a younger man by Michael Fassbender in the X-Men movies) has no interest in peace between humans and mutants, but wishes to see his people become the dominant race.

Syndrome angry in The Incredibles

(Image credit: Pixar)

Syndrome (The Incredibles)

In one of the best Pixar movies, 2004's The Incredibles, Syndrome (Jason Lee) is driven to murder surviving retired superheroes (and become one himself) after being let down as a child by his personal hero, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson). The villain from the 2018 sequel, Evelyn "Screenslaver" Deavor (Catherine Keener), wants to prevent supers from becoming legal for a similar reason.

Daniel Brühl as Zemo in 'Captain America: Civil War.'

(Image credit: Disney, Marvel)

Baron Zemo (Captain America: Civil War)

In 2016's Captain America: Civil War, the Avengers are already on the verge of collapse when the Sokovia Accords are introduced, but making things worse by framing Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) for murder is Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl). It is eventually revealed that he intended to tear the heroes apart as a way to avenge the death of his wife and child, which they inadvertently caused during the violent finale of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Michael Keaton arguing with Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming

(Image credit: Marvel/Sony)

Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)

In the cold open for 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Adrian "Vulture" Toomes (Michael Keaton) loses his job cleaning up the aftermath of the battle against the Chitauri in 2012's The Avengers. To continue supporting his family, he decides to use that extraterrestrial technology to build dangerous weapons and sell them to criminals.

Catwoman Michelle Pfeiffer smile in batman returns

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Catwoman (Batman Returns)

It has never seemed completely appropriate to think of Selina Kyle as a villain since her thieving exploits are typically well-intentioned. Yet, if there is one iteration of Catwoman who does deserve it, it is Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal from 1992's Batman Returns. Even then, who could blame her for going after Max Schreck (Christopher Walken) for attempting to kill her and being the worst boss in the world?

Tom Hiddleston sits seriously on the throne of Asgard in Thor.

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Loki (Thor)

After discovering that he has been lied to about his true identity for his entire childhood while letting his older brother (played by Chris Hemsworth) have all the glory, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) decides to take all the glory for himself in 2011's Thor. He would later try to take over the world in The Avengers and assumed rule over Asgard by posing as his father in Thor: The Dark World, but the God of Mischief's redemption arc later reached a worthy conclusion on his self-titled Disney+ TV show.

Matthew Goode as Ozymandias in Watchmen

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Ozymandias (Watchmen)

Sometimes, it seems like the only way to effectively create world peace would be to give the human race one common enemy – a philosophy shared by wealthy former vigilante Adrian Veidt in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' seminal graphic novel, Watchmen. In Zach Snyder's 2009 adaptation, the character, otherwise known as Ozymandias and portrayed by Matthew Goode, attempts to unite his broken world by painting Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) as its common enemy and creating a cataclysmic explosion.

Michael B. Jordan in Black Panther

(Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Killmonger (Black Panther)

After Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) violently usurps the Wakandan throne in 2018's Black Panther, the revived T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is forced to save his nation by finishing his battle with him. However, the king could not help but agree with his long-lost cousin that Wakanda's resources would be of great use to help people suffering from oppression in the rest of the world, especially in the United States.

Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Two-Face (The Dark Knight)

In Christopher Nolan's acclaimed live-action Batman movie, The Dark Knight, Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) becomes living proof of his belief that "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself the villain" after suffering the loss of his girlfriend, his career, and half of his face. Then again, after an experience like that, anyone might be susceptible to The Joker's (Heath Ledger) advice to become an agent of chaos like him.

Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) confronts Spider-Man in Spider-Man 3

(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Sandman (Spider-Man 3)

Easily one of the best Spider-Man movie villains, let alone one of the most sympathetic, is Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church), who becomes known as Sandman after he gains the ability to turn into a coarse substance. Even before that accident, he was forced to turn to crime to support his ailing daughter – a discovery that inspires Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) to forgive him for killing his uncle in 2007's Spider-Man 3.

Luke Goss as Prince Nuada preparing for battle in Hellboy II: The Golden Army

(Image credit: Universal)

Prince Nuada (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)

In the world of Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy movies, mythical creatures honor an ancient agreement to live in hiding underground while humanity rules on the surface... at least before the eponymous BPRD agent (Ron Perlman) reveals himself to the public in the 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army. This inspires the elvish Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) to rescue his oppressed people by unleashing a mechanical army to wipe out the human race.

Patrick Wilson in Aquaman 2

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Orm (Aquaman)

When he is crowned king of Atlantis, Orm Marius, otherwise known as "Ocean Master" (Patrick Wilson), aspires to save the Earth's marine life from pollution, which is undeniably an admirable goal. Of course, his method of choice is human extinction, which is why his half-human brother, Arthur "Aquaman" Curry, is enlisted to help stop him in director James Wan's 2018 DC movie.

Wanda crying and destroying the Darkhold in Doctor Strange 2

(Image credit: Marvel)

Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)

At the end of the Emmy-winning WandaVision, Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) is forced to let go of the sitcom-inspired fantasy life she has created for herself, which includes her two imaginary sons, Billy and Tommy. In 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, she discovers they do exist in alternate timelines and strives to be reunited with them by attempting to take America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez, who can travel the Marvel Multiverse) as a prisoner.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman & Robin

(Image credit: Warner Bros. / DC)

Mr Freeze (Batman & Robin)

One of the most complex villains in Batman's rogues gallery is Dr. Victor Fries, otherwise known as Mr. Freeze, who turns to crime in hopes of developing a cure for his ailing wife, whom he puts under a cryogenic slumber with the same technology that accidentally made him resistant to temperatures above freezing. This concept is not lost on 1997's Batman & Robin, even if Arnold Schwarzenegger's portrayal is bogged down by egregious puns and an incomprehensible need for diamonds to power his freezing suit.

Jayden Zhang and Tony Leung in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Xu Wenwu (Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings)

When "The Mandarin" was first introduced in the MCU in Iron Man 3, he was portrayed by Ben Kingsley as a heartless, unmerciful terrorist... until it was revealed he was just an actor named Trevor Slattery. The real Mandarin, Xu Wenwu (portrayed by Tony Leung in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), is an ancient warrior who is driven by a desire to protect his family and ensure their legacy, even by violent means.

Michael Shannon as Zod in Man of Steel

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Zod (Man Of Steel)

If you were among the last of your severely endangered race, would you not want to do whatever you could to preserve your people? That is the gist of what Zod (Michael Shannon) wants to do in 2013's Man of Steel, but since his plans also involve violently taking over the Earth, fellow Kryptonian Superman (Henry Cavill) is forced to defeat him.

Rhys Ifans in The Amazing Spider-Man

(Image credit: Marvel / Sony)

Lizard (The Amazing Spider-Man)

In 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man, all Dr. Curtis Connors (Rhys Ifans) wants to do is find a way to regrow his amputated right arm. He did not expect that the experimental regrowth serum he derived from lizard DNA would cause him to transform into a half-man, half-reptile hybrid.

Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr, a.k.a. Ghost, in Ant-Man and the Wasp

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Ghost (Ant-Man And The Wasp)

In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hannah John-Kamen stars as Ava Starr, who gained the ability to become intangible after suffering the same accident involving quantum energy that killed her parents. She then started dying of a lack of quantum energy, forcing her to attempt stealing Hank Pym's (Michael Douglas) Quantum Tunnel so she could absorb what she needed from it, which would have killed Jane Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher in Thor: Love and Thunder

(Image credit: Disney)

Gorr The God-Butcher (Thor: Love And Thunder)

It is very unfortunate that, after the death of his daughter, Gorr (Christian Bale) asked for help from a group of celestials who turned out to be anything but godly, causing a voracious hate for said beings to grow within him. Unfortunately, he fails to realize that, in the MCU, there do exist gods who are worthy of praise, such as Chris Hemsworth's eponymous Asgardian in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, who seeks to put a stop to his extermination of beings like him.

The Silver Samurai fighting Logan in The Wolverine

(Image credit: Fox / Marvel)

Silver Samurai (The Wolverine)

Hugh Jackman's Logan sees his immortality as a curse. Thus, when a Japanese man named Ichirō Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), whose life the mutant once saved during World War II, offers him the chance to cure his immortality. Of course, the catch is that he wants to have eternal life himself, but that is easy to understand from the perspective of a cancer patient like him.

Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past

(Image credit: Fox / Marvel)

Bolivar Trask (X-Men: Days Of Future Past)

In one of Marvel's first time travel movies, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Peter Dinklage plays essentially the polar opposite of Magneto, Bolivar Trask – a Vietnam War opposer with a goal of protecting the human race. Unfortunately, his plan is to construct an army of robots programmed to hunt mutants that, unbeknownst to him, are destined to bring forth a dystopian future.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta surrounded by henchmen in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Black Manta (Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom)

In the first Aquaman movie, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) leaves a pirate named Jessie Kane (Michael Beach) to die as punishment for murdering innocent people. This drove his son, David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), down a vengeful path that would continue in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in which his alter ego, Black Manta, becomes the main antagonist.

Arishem in Eternals

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Arishem (Eternals)

In Eternals, Arishem the Judge emerges with the intent of protecting the universe and creating new life by birthing a new Celestial, which would allow for the creation of trillions of new beings and the formation of countless planets. Of course, his plan runs the risk of killing millions of humans, which is what forces the eponymous group of immortal heroes to come out of retirement.

Starro from The Suicide Squad

(Image credit: Warner Bros. / DC)

Starro (The Suicide Squad)

In James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, the latest iteration of Task Force X discovers that "Project Starfish" is a giant alien shaped like said aquatic animal, which releases smaller creatures that attach to human faces, creating a connected hive mind. It is through this that the crew of anti-heroes learn that "Starro," as it is really called, never wanted to be brought to Earth and live a perfectly content life in space before it was snatched away and reluctantly turned into a weapon.

Tenoch Huerta as Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Namor (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

The long-awaited MCU induction of Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) occurred in 2022's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which Shuri (Letitia Wright) learns that the aquatic being wants nothing more than to protect his underwater civilization, Tal'Kona, and its vibranium resources. However, she also learns that he wants to unite with Wakanda to be a force against the rest of the world, which is not something the late T'Challa's sister is willing to put up with.

Liev Schreiber in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

(Image credit: Sony / Marvel)

Kingpin (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse)

Most iterations of Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk depict the entrepreneur and businessman as nothing but a ruthless, corrupt crook, but 2018's acclaimed Multiverse movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, shows a different side of the character. Voiced by Liev Schreiber, Fisk is determined to be reunited with his late wife and child, but with a device used for interdimensional travel that comes with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Yokai from Big Hero 6

(Image credit: Disney / Marvel)

Yokai (Big Hero 6)

Robert Callaghan (James Cromwell) was a renowned scientist hoping to use his skills to improve the world before an accident caused his pilot daughter, Abigail (Shiyoon Kim), to go missing while testing experimental teleportation technology. This drove Callaghan to adopt the alter ego Yokai and become the main antagonist of Disney's Big Hero 6.

Jake Gyllenhaal Spider-Man Far from Home promotional image

(Image credit: Disney)

Mysterio (Spider-Man: Far From Home)

Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) first appeared in 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, appearing to be a heroic interdimensional traveler, until it is revealed that the disasters he helped stop were elaborate illusions of his design. His plan all along was to coerce Peter Parker (Tom Holland) into giving him AI-equipped glasses made by the late Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who was actually his former boss. However, I can understand wanting to get back at a former employer who took credit for your inventions.

Kevin Bacon holding a grenade in X-Men: First Class

(Image credit: Fox / Marvel)

Sebastian Shaw (X-Men: First Class)

Before Magneto became dead set on making mutants Earth's dominant species, the top purveyor of that movement was Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) in 2011's X-Men: First Class. I can admire someone whose main intention is solving the issue with humanity's inherent flaws, but if the method does not involve peace, you are a bad guy in my book.

Uma Thurman in Batman & Robin

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Poison Ivy (Batman & Robin)

No matter what iteration of Poison Ivy you refer to, the Gotham City criminal's essential goal is to protect the environment, even if that means making humanity suffer. Academy Award nominee Uma Thurman gives one of the more uproarious portrayals of the ecoterrorist in Batman & Robin.

Jason Wiese
Content Writer

Jason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a "professional film fan" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman.

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