Rating the villains

RATING THE VILLAINS

Comic book movies

The late Heath Ledger’s turn as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” is drawing raves as one of the greatest villain portrayals of all time. Here’s a look at other notable (and horrible) villains in superhero movies.

Scary good:

Ian McKellen (Magneto): If comic books are an underrated art form with all the passion and depth of Shakespeare, they deserve an actor like McKellen, who plays “X-Men” nemesis Magneto, a tortured master of magnetism, like Hamlet crossed with Macbeth.

Jack Nicholson (the Joker): Nicholson sits at the top of the acting pantheon, so, of course, he tends to go over the top. His clown prince of crime in Tim Burton’s “Batman” is too colorful, too demented, and, in a delightful way, too much.

Alfred Molina (Dr. Octopus): A fan favorite, Molina’s Doc Ock is an emotionally nuanced villain who wreaks havoc before rediscovering his humanity. Plus, it’s cool to watch him multitask with his mechanical arms in “Spider-Man 2.”

Michelle Pfeiffer (Catwoman): Although she filled out her catsuit nicely, Pfeiffer’s real talent in “Batman Returns” was fleshing out the source of her feline rage. It was a smartly feminist take on how nice girls (like Catwoman’s alter ego, Selina Kyle) finish last.

Scary bad:

Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor): Love him or hate him — and the debate can get heated — Hackman’s Luthor is heavy on the ha-ha as Christopher Reeve’s foe in “Superman” — especially compared to Kevin Spacey’s Lex in “Superman Returns.”

Nick Nolte (Bruce Banner’s father): His complicated speeches and messy hair may be the stuff of mad scientists, but Nolte’s screen time in the pretentious “Hulk” sometimes seems like a re-creation of his crazy police mug-shot photo.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Mr. Freeze): In what’s probably his most camp-tastic role ever, the future California governor puns his way through “Batman & Robin” with lines like, “You’re not sending me to the cooler.” Brrr.

—Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press