(ThyBlackMan.com) Comic book villains can be real sociopaths and psychopaths. They will sit, plot revenge, carry out their plan, kidnap people, hold hostages, tell the heroes why they’re doing what they’re doing, have the reader siding with them on occasion, and escape captivity sometime later. Beyond the pages, there’s a reason we sometimes call people who do blatantly unbelievable and vile things cartoon villains or comic book villains. Let’s get into five of the coldest comic book villains.
Norman Osborn from Marvel Comics
Where do you begin with Norman Osborn? This guy is just…terrible. If “evil money bags” was in the dictionary, Norman’s face would be there. I’m going to go a bit deep into the other four villains and it’ll be going into their origins and what in their behaviors and histories makes them cold.
However, for Osborn just know that this guy once managed to develop the cure for cancer—and flipped it into a weapon. Now, that’s particularly evil. I mean this guy said “Yeah, I could be extremely evil and charge people for the cure to cancer but nah. I’m gonna make sure no one gets it unless it’s in the form of a bullet.”
Norman Osborn is negative double digits cold and he was head of S.H.I.E.L.D at one time. This guy…
Violator from Spawn
In the early issues of Spawn, Violator often takes the form of Clown when on Earth. Clown is a short, over-weight, slovenly guy who is apparently not at all out of place in Rat Alley, the alleyway where Spawn (Al Simmons) and the homeless call their home.
He is supposed to serve as a guide for Al Simmons in his role as Spawn but mainly antagonizes him. The thing here is that most of their interactions are either advice or debates on serving their master Malebogia. They do fight in the course of the comic but it’s the discussions between the two that always painted Violator as cold to me.
To have this odd relationship with one of your villains who frequents the same place you rest your head is just odd to me. Joker or The Riddler might talk about why they’re doing what they’re doing but Batman isn’t going to tell them “Go away.” and walk off. No, Batman is going to beat them from pillar to post, arrest them, and do it all over again when they are released.
Violator constantly pops up to try and get into Al’s head and often times escaped unscathed—so he gets to try again.
Skinner Sweet from American Vampire
Sweet originated in the American West following the Civil War. He is originally a soldier in 1880 during the U.S’s battles with Native Americans out West. Skinner Sweet would later become an outlaw who loved sweets—hence his name—and stepped on the toes of the wrong people.
European vampires came to the U.S. centuries earlier and were also migrating to the West. Sweet ran into them and was bitten while trying to escape and got one of the vampire’s blood in his eye. This resulted in him becoming America’s first vampire.
His weakness was gold, could walk in sunlight, was stronger during a full moon, and just more powerful than European vampires in general. For most of the First Cycle of American Vampire, Skinner Sweet is a bastard. Like Violator harassing Al Simmons, he harassed Pearl Jones after turning her and making her the second American vampire in the 1920s.
While he becomes a hero or anti-hero later in the series, he is still extremely immoral and has to be forced to help with the efforts to taking down vampires. All of this aside, Skinner Sweet is still a cool character and my favorite from American Vampire.
President Robert Booth from Judge Dredd
When I picture real life comic book villain, President Booth is the example I use. This guy went from governor of Texas City, one of America’s biggest mega cities to becoming vice president of the United States by 2060. He takes the presidency in 2068, at the end of his running mate’s term by rigging the election.
Halfway through this bum’s first term, he starts a nuclear war! Most of the world is impacted and most of the U.S. is a nuclear wasteland. There are only a handful of mega cities that avoided destruction. The Judges, who serve as both police and judges basically overthrew the government and now the mega cities were on their own.
Booth sics robots on the Judges resulting in massive deaths in the ensuing war only to end up arrested in 2071. The head Judge decides not to execute the last president and has him put into cryogenic sleep for a 100-year sentence. Oh yeah, then they throw him into Fort Knox. Perfect.
Except during the events of Cursed Earth, Booth is awakened 29 years later and sentenced to hard time in what’s left of Kentucky. Booth is eventually killed by his own men—mutants—after forming his own army. What a way to go out. President Booth wasn’t so much cold as a textbook villain who gets his textbook comeuppance.
Magneto from Marvel Comics
Magneto needs little introduction. He’s done plenty of evil, violent things that had Xavier’s X-Men riding him all the time. He’s one of those villains where you can understand why he’s doing what he’s doing but you don’t agree with the methods. Like, I believe Magneto was right but really, now.
It’s his conviction that sees him hover between villain and anti-hero, honestly. I added him to the list for one particular storyline where I thought “Damn, that was just cold and cruel…” In New X-Men #146 of the Planet X story arc, Xorn is recruited to the X-Men and becomes a teacher.
Xorn has a small star—as in a star—in his head giving him the powers of electromagnetism. He also doesn’t need food or water. It’s a pretty cool power. Xorn does a number of good deeds for the X-Men including giving Xavier the ability to walk again.
As we know, Xavier was wheelchair-bound when the series was created and for most of its various runs, he’s in the wheelchair. Then Xorn snatches the ability to walk from him, takes off the mask and reveals that it was Magneto all along!
Talk about a heart that’s colder than Chicago. This was exceptionally cold.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.