WEIRDO Ranks: Every Live-Action Superman Villain 🦸🏻‍♂️ (Part 1 of 4)
One of the greatest rogues’ galleries in the history of comic books!
With one of the most iconic rogues’ galleries in the history of comic books, Superman only ever deserved top notch thespians to play his nemeses on screen. With this series of articles, I will be discussing the top performances of Superman’s live-action comic book villains, as well as their overall significance to their respective characters’ mythos.
Disclaimer: There are probably some villains that I missed and/or did not feel the need to acknowledge. Also, possible spoilers ahead for those of you who have not seen the projects mentioned below!
20. Ross Webster/Vera Webster/Lorelei Ambrosia/Gus Gorman (Superman III)
While the above moguls mentioned are forgettable enough, Richard Pryor’s oddball role as main character Gus Gorman, a computer hacker employed by Robert Vaughn’s Ross Webster, came and went with little memorability; also, he somehow created synthetic Kryptonite… Yeah, these villains were not only unthreatening, but completely nonsensical in the grand scheme of things.
19. Lenny Luthor (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
Jon Cryer, famously known as Alan Harper from Two and a Half Men, played Lex Luthor’s nephew, Lenny, in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Lenny’s only purpose in the film was to spring Lex Luthor from prison at the very beginning, thereby impressing no one with his role in the long run. However, the actor was eventually chosen to play Supergirl’s Lex Luthor in the series’ fourth season nearly three decades later.
18. Evil Superman (Superman III)
The oddball circumstances that birthed Superman’s alcoholic twin, Evil Superman, involved Clark Kent’s exposure to Synthetic Kryptonite, separating him into two separate beings. It was fun enough watching Reeve fight himself, or a body double rather, but the infamous plotline is better left in the back of your subconscious.
17. Nuclear Man (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
Possibly the most memorable travesty in the legacy of Reeve’s Superman movies was Mark Pillow’s Nuclear Man. Voiced by Gene Hackman, Pillow’s radioactive antithesis to the Man of Tomorrow saw the two fighting perplexedly in slow motion on the moon after a short bout throughout the skies of Metropolis. Oddly enough, as horrid as a final villain as Nuclear Man was, the character made his way into the comic books years down the road, establishing his place among Superman’s greatest foes.
16. Rogues (CW’s Superman & Lois)
With most of the CW’s Arrowverse dissipated, Superman & Lois remains one of the only DC shows still kicking on the small screen. While the cast and crew have done a phenomenal job maintaining viewer’s interest weekly, I don’t believe the villains have anything to do with it. The arc concerning Tyler Hoechlin’s Bizarro was captivating enough and Tal-Rho played a personal part in Kal El’s life, there aren’t many standouts beyond the two. I guess we’ll see once season three comes around.
