10 inspiring villain origin stories on Showmax

While some of us are content to moan and grumble about our fate, our boss, and our lot in life, every now and then, someone rises above. They apply their genius to a vision of how the world should be. They create inventions to help them realise this vision, however illogical. They work long hours to assemble and inspire a movement, recruiting faithful teams of minions to carry out each phase of building that better world. They conceive plans within plans. They anticipate the contingencies. They build decorative, elaborate lairs. And then along comes some flat-footed caped idiot to wreck it all. 

Yes, it’s tough to be a villain, but there’s usually a turning point – an inspiring moment that continues to fuel their work, despite these setbacks. From Venom: The Last Dance, to Minions, we salute 10 inspirational villains, and the moments that made them.

Spoiler alert! This is your final warning to turn back, or read on and embrace your villain era.

1. Knull in Venom: The Last Dance

The villain: Knull (Andy Serkis), aka The Black King, creator of the Symbiotes and Symbiote-devouring Xenophages, is an ancient god of the abyss and the dark voids between universes. He got locked away by his own creations billions of years ago for being an unusually cruel butthead, even by deity standards. 

The evil scheme: Knull sends his minions, the Xenophages, to hunt down and find the missing Symbiote that has the Codex (which was formed when one Symbiote resurrected its host and saved it from death). Once he has it, he can finally escape his prison planet, Klyntar, and attack the universe. It’s bad news for Eddie Brock and his Symbiote buddy Venom (both played by Tom Hardy) … and for us. Once Knull escapes, he intends to annihilate every living planet and destroy every one of his Symbiote offspring. Or in his own words. “I will kill your world. Everyone will burn, and you will watch!”

The villain origin story: As a god of darkness, Knull lost power and control once the universe filled with light. So his ultimate goal is to extinguish all light from the universe again.

So basically? Someone turned on the Big Light, and he’s big mad about it.

Stream Venom: The Last Dance

2. Lex Luthor in Superman Returns

The villain: Sociopath scientific mastermind Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey)

The evil scheme: Lex wants to combine the powers of Kryptonian crystals and Kryptonite, to grow a new landmass in the Atlantic Ocean as part of his plot to destroy the United States. He will then charge the whole (surviving) population of Earth to live on his new landmass. In his words, the world will be “begging me for a piece of high-tech beachfront property”. As a bonus, Superman will be powerless around his Kryptonite-infused continent. 

The villain origin story: Lex Luthor feels Superman is hoarding power and he wants his share. He also has beef with Superman for sending him to prison, where he found out that all it would take to destroy the “greatest mind on Earth” is a shiv between the ribs. Lex had to make “friends” with his “inferiors” just to survive. Creating a new world in which Superman is weak and Lex Luthor holds all the power? Delicious. He is Prometheus, stealing fire from the gods for the benefit of Mankind. 

So basically? It’s not faaaair that people love Superman, not him, and that Superman has power and Lex doesn’t. Time to throw a mantrum.

Stream Superman Returns

3. Victoria Kord in Blue Beetle

The villain: Weapons tech business mogul and rich bigot Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon). 

The evil scheme: Victoria is the CEO of multinational weapons research and development company Kord Industries, and its sole surviving co-founder following her father’s death and her little brother Ted’s disappearance. She enslaves people from poor nations to perform painful biological weapons experiments on them, as she reverse engineers an ancient alien artefact known as The Scarab, which functions as a living, changing, sentient weapon for its host. The survivors will equip her One Man Army Corps (OMAC). Victoria claims that OMAC is geared to “Secure our assets, both here and abroad” as “the future of private policing”. Her promotional footage shows OMAC security forces at the White House. It’s a world in which she supplies the rich with the means to take what they want, regardless of any law. 

The villain origin story: Kord Industries is a family business that Victoria poured her life into before her father just gave control to Ted, who, in her eyes, then went about squandering the family fortune and running the company into the ground with “moronic inventions” before disappearing. Determined to prove herself, she set about funding the company’s resurgence by dealing arms to terrorist organisations. Her determination was further fired by Regan-era rhetoric about America being under attack. She insists that “sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.” But who’s doing the sacrificing? OMAC will ensure that it’ll never be her. 

So basically? Oh no! Rampant misogyny has created a menace.

Stream Blue Beetle

4. Dru-Zod in The Flash

The villain: Alternative timeline Kryptonian General Dru-Zod (Michael Shannon).

The evil scheme: Together with his Kryptonian Army, General Zod lands on Earth to hunt down Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle), who was sent to Earth to protect Superman following the destruction of their planet, Krypton. General Zod is going to use the World Engine to terraform Earth, then use Kara’s blood to obtain the Codex – the genetic code for all future Kryptonians – to genetically engineer new, pure-blooded, powerful, master race of Kryptonians to inhabit Earth instead of its inferior and expendable humans. 

The villain origin story: Zod is the Kandorian head of Krypton’s Military Guild, who was imprisoned in alternate dimension space prison the Phantom Zone after trying to overthrow Krypton’s Law Council and the planet’s elite in a coup. Zod (correctly) believed that their mining activities were destroying the planet. And he considers Superman’s birth to be a heresy and a selfish betrayal, since his father, Jor-El, defied Krypton’s strict population control laws to have him. But instead of winning allies and building support with a strong argument, Dru-Zod chose to usurp power with military strength. And he failed. 

So basically? A “blood and land” supremacist who, unable to navigate complexity, turned to the simplicity of violence.

Stream The Flash

5. Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far from Home

The villain: Former Stark Industries engineering mastermind Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal)

The evil scheme: In order to dethrone the Avengers and become Earth’s greatest hero in the eyes of the public, Mysterio heroically fights monsters known as Elementals. But these are actually projected holograms. It’s his squadron of camouflaged drones that really inflicts the damage (and deaths) that are supposedly being caused by the Elementals. And his fight scenes are meticulously choreographed back in his lab. From his suit to his projections, to his weapons, to his actions, everything is co-created by his team of scientists, engineers and PR specialists who, like him, are disgruntled former employees of Stark Industries. But it’s not enough to be a hero, he also wants to destroy the reputations of Earth’s other heroes, including Iron Man and Spider-Man. 

The villain origin story: The challenge here is not to uncover Mysterio’s secrets, it’s to get him to stop lecturing you about them! He proclaims a toast to his staff: “To the man who brought us all together, our former boss, Tony Stark. The jester king, literally wrapped in wealth and technology that he was unfit to wield … Like the holographic system I designed, a revolutionary breakthrough with limitless applications, that Tony turned into a self-therapy machine and renamed … B.A.R.F. ! He renamed my life’s work B.A.R.F.! I told him it was a mistake, that my technology could change the world, and then … he fired me. Said I was … unstable. To Tony! … Tony Stark is gone.” 

Now wait, he hasn’t finished talking. “These days, you can be the smartest guy in the room, the most qualified, and no one cares. Unless you’re flying around with a cape or shooting lasers from your hands, no one. Will even. Listen. Well … I’ve got a cape, and lasers. With our technology, and with E.D.I.T.H., Mysterio will be the greatest! Hero! On Earth!” 

Shhh. Don’t applaud yet. “And everyone will listen! Not to a … boozy man-child! Not … to a hormonal teenager! To me, and to my very wealthy crew! To us. To Mysterio!” Okay, now he’s said it all. Wow, hello there, Captain Petty! 

So basically? It’s not fair that people love Superman Iron Man, not him, and that Superman Iron Man had power and he didn’t. Waaa wa wa.

Stream Spider-Man: Far from Home

6. Dr Ivo Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog

The villain: Mad scientist and genius inventor Dr Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), later known as Dr Eggman.

The evil scheme: Robotnik, working with the US government, plots to harness Sonic the super-speedy alien hedgehog’s powers for personal gain. With Sonic’s powers enhancing his own inventions, he wants to seize control of the world and have everyone using Robotnik-branded products, and worshipping him as a tech guru. While claiming to want to save Earth from the threat that Sonic poses, Robotnik is willing to destroy anything in their path, from the Pyramids, to the city of San Francisco. He’s happily aware of his own evil nature and revels in it, labelling his laboratory the “evil lab”.

The villain origin story: Robotnik grew up as a powerless, unloved, and bullied orphan. But he managed to create an invention to fight back so effectively that his school bully was eating through a straw for a whole year. As an adult, he’s earned five PhDs covering the topics of biology, mathematics, mechanics, physics and robotics. His arrogance is a mask for his continued sense of inferiority, even as he proclaims, “I’m the top banana in a world full of hungry little monkeys.” He never wants to be at the mercy of any “lesser” intelligence again, and to achieve that end, he’ll have to subdue everyone on Earth. He likes robots because they do what they’re told, and every time Sonic outwits and defies him, it’s a blow to his ego that makes him even more furious.

So basically? There was no Daddy Warbucks and Orphan Annie turned evil.

Also watch: One of Dr Robotnic’s henchmen, The Buyer (Rory McCann), becomes the lead villain of the Sonic spin-off series, Knuckles. 

Stream Sonic the Hedgehog

7. Walter Peck in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The villain: Forget the ghosts and “evil Class 7 apocalyptic horned deity”, the constant thorn in the Ghostbusters’ sides since the 1980s is former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee turned Mayor of New York City, Walter Peck (William Atherton).

The evil scheme: To disband the Ghostbusters by any means possible, and get rid of the threat they pose to the City of New York. 

The villain origin story: In a rare case of a villain being (kind of) right, Walter Peck originally got on the Ghostbusters’ case when he noticed that their ghost containment units were overstressing the city’s power grid, and they were disposing of hazardous materials in their basement. Since their “proton packs” were, by their own admission, “unlicensed nuclear accelerators”, he more than had a point. But his original abrupt shutdown of their facility was handled in an arrogant and irresponsible way because he felt disrespected by Ghostbusters leader Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), and it led to the Manhattan Crossrip of 1984. Peck was convinced that the ghosts were just products of a hallucinogenic that the Ghostbusters were unleashing into the city for their own profit and given Venkman’s record as a scammer, that was understandable. Peck’s actions led to the Ghostbusters being sued by multiple government agencies and eventually imprisoned. 

The Ghostbusters’ mockery of him and flouting of his attempts to keep the city safe led him to have an outsized and unreasonable grudge against them. What makes him a villain is not the desire to save the city, it’s his arrogant and tyrannical approach to bureaucracy and unwillingness to listen once his ego has been challenged. 

So basically? Peter Venckman hurt his feelings and challenged his authority. Is it mantrum time? Why, yes, it is.

Stream Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

8. Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The villain: Pirate King David Kane, aka Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), wielder of the cursed Black Trident.

The evil scheme: To defeat and capture Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) on the orders of the spirit of the Black Trident’s creator, Kordax, which is possessing him. Black Manta needs the blood of Aquaman and his son Arthur Jr to power the blood ritual that will free Kordax from his prison in the lost kingdom of Necrus. Atlantis’s reserves of orichalcum fuel will also power the ancient Atlantean machines that Black Manta has found, which emit massive quantities of greenhouse gasses. To assist him in his quest, the Trident gives Black Manta control of a zombie army.

The villain origin story: In the original Aquaman film, Aquaman’s half-brother, King Orm of Atlantis (Patrick Wilson), hired David and his father, Jesse (Michael Beach) to hijack a Russian submarine, but Arthur Curry/Aquaman thwarted their plans, killing Jesse in the process. David/Black Manta doesn’t just hate Aquaman as a result, he seems to hate and want to subdue the whole ocean at this point. His quest for vengeance against Arthur makes it easy for Kordax to target and manipulate his inner darkness, and magnify it. And the King who represents peace and justice in the ocean is a natural enemy for a pirate who exploits seafarers and profits from disorder. 

So basically? You killed my father, prepare to die. But also, yo ho ho, I am a pirate.

Stream Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

9. Ahmanet in The Mummy

The villain: Mummified ancient Egyptian princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella).

The evil scheme: Step one: escape her sarcophagus and restore her body by feeding off living humans, turning them into a zombie army under her control. Two: find a suitable living vessel for Set (Javier Botet), the Egyptian god of death and chaos (in this story). Three: manipulate animals to help her to achieve her goals, allowing her to possess people through spider bites (or sending spiders into their ears to control their brains, wiggle wiggle.). Four: rule a much larger kingdom – the whole modern world. Part of her takeover will include recruiting the world’s greatest monsters and madmen to follow her orders. Once she has all her power, she intends turning on and betraying Set to free herself from his control. Easy peasy, right? Alas, she has to get through Tom Cruise to do all of this.

The villain origin story: Ahmanet was first in line to take over from her father, the Pharaoh, and rule their kingdom … until the pharaoh had a baby son, instantly usurping a position that she’d trained for her whole life. Furious, she made a deal with the god Set, who gave her demonic powers through a ceremonial dagger powered by a cursed jewel. Ahmanet then murdered her family with the dagger and tried to free Set, but was captured and mummified alive by Egyptian priests. Bargaining with Set has unleashed her inner darkness, allowing her to revel in other people’s death and pain as she commits atrocities.

So basically? Rampant misogyny has created a menace! 

Stream The Mummy

10. Scarlet Overkill in Minions

The villain: The world’s first supervillainess, Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock)

The evil scheme: In the Minions movie, Scarlet sends the Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin) to steal Queen Elizabeth II’s (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) crown so she can take over her throne – a girl-on-girl crime! As her lifelong goal has been to become queen, she has adopted gracious royal manners in public and with all her helpers. She also has a witty turn of phrase and always dresses with style. 

The villain origin story: According to the bedtime stories she tells the Minions, Scarlet had a tough childhood. She was raised in an orphanage where bullies made her life a misery every single day. But her determination to escape her fate led to her building her first criminal empire by the age of 13, making her an inspiration for evil little girls everywhere. She worked her way up the ladder, and managed to recruit the Minions at the 1968 Villain-Con event. Her marriage to inventor Herb Overkill (Jon Hamm) has put brilliant inventions at her fingertips, including her rocket dress. Mocking or betraying her will have her associating you with her bullies, so fear her wrath. 

So basically? There was no Daddy Warbucks and Orphan Annie turned evil.

Stream Minions