Every protagonist needs a formidable antagonist – someone who takes the danger to the next level and challenges the hero to be better. Sometimes, however, these villains end up being more than just fearsome and become iconic personalities in their own right.
Like an eclipse, there are rare occasions where these bad apples actually overtake their heroic counterparts in terms of popularity. Now, this isn’t to say it’s because they’re noble or misunderstood. No, it’s purely because we love them for who they are. And that’s how it starts. The fever. The rage. The feeling of powerlessness that turns good men cruel (sorry, I couldn’t help myself with that Alfred Pennyworth quote).
Proving it’s good to be bad, here are 10 villains that are more popular than their foil. As always, if you’ve got someone in mind that we didn’t list, feel free to throw them in via the comments section down below.
