SPLICED Magazine Issue 01 Oct/Nov 2013 | Page 139

All images © DC Comics

Black represents an ideology that Superman
could never follow and armed with extremely
powerful telekinesis and telepathy, is willing to
do whatever it takes to stop evil. Black and his
team The Elite use the media to create a near
cult following among the normal populace,
readily supporting his cause and subverting
everything Superman stands for.

2 Joker, The Dark
Knight Returns
Got ya! You totally thought he'd be at #1, right?
Joker is probably the most easily recognisable DC
villain but he’s at #2 because there's one villain
worse than the twisted jester. This particular
version of Joker is older, embittered and far too
calm. With his greatest foe in retirement, he sees
no point in pursuing crime any longer, instead
opting to be a poster child for reform via therapy.
It's only when Batman brings his haggard old
self out of the shadows that we realise the true
nature of the two enemies - Joker's obsession has
far surpassed simple malice and has become a
perverted, twisted kind of love. The final battle
between the two is one of the most evocative,
twisted dances of fate we’ve ever seen and is
probably one of the most seminal pieces in comic
history. This book is a MUST read.

1 Slade (Deathstroke),
Teen Titans animated
seasons 1 and 3.
The reason that Slade comes out tops is simple
- of all the villains in the DC universe, Slade is
hands-down the most unashamedly cowardly,
manipulative dirtbag that's ever appeared on
celluloid. His gradual, but unrelenting emotional
torture of Robin throughout the first season of
Teen Titans is one of the most incredible standoffs witnessed between two foes. Slade is vastly
superior to the young and brash Robin, but he
sees the potential in Batman's former protégé
to become a fitting second in command for his
planned conquering of the United States.

Check out the top five
worst villains on www.
splicedmagazine.com

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