The 10 Best Superhero Movies Where The Protagonist Is A Villain
With the superhero genre continuing to dominate the movie business, fans have seen countless heroes headline their own movies. But it is often the case that the villains are just as interesting as the heroes, if not more so, and it's hard not to wish they were the main characters of these stories.
However, there have been certain superhero movies that have placed the focus on characters who are known as villains. Whether these bad guys are established in the comics or new creations for the movies, they prove that being bad can be a lot of fun.
10 Catwoman (2004)
Catwoman is far from Batman's evilest villain, and she has even partnered with the Caped Crusader on occasion. However, she is still a thief and has faced off with Batman many times, including partnering with Penguin in Batman Returns to take out the hero.
In her first solo movie, Catwoman was positioned as more of an anti-hero. It follows her seeking revenge against the corporate villains who tried to kill her. Unfortunately, Catwoman is widely regarded as one of the worst superhero movies of all time.
9 Venom (2018)
Though his first big-screen debut in Spider-Man 3 disappointed many fans, Venom remains an iconic villain in the Spider-Man universe. His popularity allowed him to get the first solo movie within Sony's own cinematic universe.
The first Venom movie and its sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, explored the character's "lethal protector" persona as he struck a complicated balance between hero and villain. But the movies were most memorable for the dynamic between Venom and Eddie Brock.
8 Morbius (2022)
After the success of Venom, Sony continued to build its universe of Spider-Man characters. Interestingly, they seem focused on the villains at the moment with Morbius as the next character to get a solo movie.
Jared Leto will star in the movie as the titular character, a biochemist with a rare blood disease. As he seeks a cure, he accidentally transforms himself into a vampire. It remains to be seen how much of a villain the movie will allow Morbius to be as well as how much it will lean into the horror genre.
7 Brightburn (2019)
There has been a recent trend of "evil Superman" stories that imagine if an extremely powerful being capable of saving humanity was also a sadistic killer. However, Brightburn took an even more disturbing approach by making the evil being a small child.
Produced by James Gunn, the movie is a bloody and brutal story that functions like a superhero slasher movie. It also features a much darker and bleaker villain protagonist than other superhero movies.
6 Split (2016)
Though it was initially presented as a fairly typical horror movie, Split was hiding a lot of very interesting twists. The story finds a group of young women kidnapped by a man who has 23 unique personalities, including one known as The Beast.
As it turns out, The Beast is actually a supervillain with superstrength and the whole movie exists within the same universe as M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable. The movie features a remarkable acting performance from James McAvoy who brings this complicated character to life.
5 Chronicle (2012)
The found footage genre grew so big that it even moved into the superhero world with Chronicle. The movie followed a trio of high school kids who unexpectedly gain superpowers. While it begins as a fun story of them discovering their new abilities, it becomes clear that it is a supervillain origin story as one of the kids goes down a dark path.
Dane DeHaan gives a chilling yet sympathetic performance as the young man who, after years of being bullied at school and at home, finds the means to gain control.
4 Black Adam (2022)
It seemed like only a matter of time before Dwayne Johnson stepped into the superhero genre. While Black Adam is not a household name, fans have been excited for this movie ever since Johnson became attached years ago.
Black Adam is a spin-off of DCEU's Shazam! and stars Johnson as an ancient Egyptian warrior. Though he is the archnemesis to Shazam in the comics, his solo movie looks to be following his more anti-hero path. Although the footage shown at DC Fandome proves he is far from friendly.
3 The Suicide Squad (2021)
Fans looking for villain protagonists in superhero movies should look no further than The Suicide Squad which features a team of supervillains. After the first disappointing attempt to bring the team to the big screen, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad delivered a hilarious and wild R-rated ride.
Though there are a number of villains that make up the ragtag group, they are surprisingly easy to cheer for. There's Bloodsport as the reluctant leader, the oddly adorable King Shark, and Ratcatcher 2 as the movie's heart. And of course, there is also the return of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn.
2 Kraven The Hunter (2023)
Fans have been hoping to see Kraven turn up as a villain in a Spider-Man movie ever since Sam Raimi's movies hit theaters. Quite unexpectedly, they will be getting an entire solo movie dedicated to the beloved bad guy.
Aaron Taylor Johnson will star as Kraven the Hunter in yet another Sony spinoff movie. Once again, it is unclear if the movie will establish Kraven as a true villain or attempt to make him a more sympathetic character.
1 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
While the title might suggest Earth's Mightiest Heroes are at the center of Avengers: Infinity War, the massive and ambitious epic belongs to Thanos. After lurking in the shadows of the MCU for many years, Thanos steps into the spotlight as Marvel's most formidable villain.
He is made to be a complex character with a compelling and disturbing philosophy. For Thanos, he is certainly the hero of the story attempting to save the universe and the Avengers are the close-minded villains in his way.