For every comic book hero, there has to be an anti-hero or supervillain, to be precise. But like most superheroes, the supervillains must have a real name, alias, or pseudonym.
When the creators of the Marvel Universe and DC Comics got together to make heroes out of everyday folk, they had to give them a nemesis, and each supervillain has a background, whether a good kid turned bad or an alien lifeform hell-bent on destruction and domination.
The villain’s name, which is usually scary and full of fear, has to be followed by an equally sinister real name; otherwise, your axe-wielding maniac tearing up the city is not going to cut the mustard if he has a loveable alias.
Many of our most recognisable supervillains will come from another planet and, therefore, may have just that one name, but if they want to hide here on Earth, they will have to come up with an alias that hides them away from prying eyes.
A Brief History Of Supervillains
As we know, Superman first appeared in Action Comics in 1938. His first nemesis was Ultra-Humanite, a hybrid of a villain that was eventually killed off and replaced with the inimitable Lex Luthor.
This starts the trend of supervillains being a mixture of some human and some alien lifeforms. The evil genius is born, and the supervillain takes on the role of destroyer of worlds and power-hungry lunatic.
Marvel And DC Comics
Both leading franchises have their fair share of evil geniuses and world destroyers, but Marvel has used the superpower more than DC Comics.
Supervillains with extraordinary powers of strength, mind control, and power are Marvel’s traits. In contrast, DC Comics went more for the human with a brilliant mind, capable of acts so evil and clever it takes power and strength of the superhero to overcome them.
Our Personal Favourites
We all have our personal favourite superhero, but we also have our personal favourite supervillain; whether they are enemies of each other or from a completely different comic book franchise, we hold a place in our hearts for the villains as much as we do the heroes.
Real Names Of The Supervillains
So, if you have ever wondered what our evil genius and arch-enemies are called, here is the list of supervillains and their real names from Marvel and DC Comics.
| Villan | Alter Ego |
|---|---|
MARVEL | |
| Abomination | Emil Blonsky |
| Alter-Ego's | Name |
| Deathlok | Michael Peterson |
| Dr. Octapus | Dr. Otto Octavius |
| Ghost | Ava Starr |
| Green Goblin | Norman Osborn |
| Hela | Odinsdottir |
| Iron-Monger | Obadiah Stane |
| Killmonger | Eric Killmoger/N’Jadaka |
| Kingpin | Wilson Fisk |
| Korath | Korath |
| Loki | Loki Odinson |
| Nebula | Nebula |
| Red Skull | Johan Schmidt |
| Shocker | Herman Schultz |
| Talos | Talos |
| Thanos | Thanos |
| The Collector | Taneleer Tivan |
| The Grandmaster | En Dwi Gast |
| Ultron | Ultron |
| Vulture | Adrian Toomes |
| Yellowjacket | Darren Cross |
| Yondu | Yondu |
DC COMICS | |
| Black Adam | Theo Ramses Djoser Teth-Adam |
| Black Mask | Roman Sionis |
| Calendar Man | Julian Gregory Day |
| Catwoman | Selina Kyle |
| Cheetah | Dr. Barbara Minerva |
| Clayface I | Basil Karlo |
| Darkside | Uxas Son of Juga Khan |
| Deadshot | Floyd Lawton |
| Deathstroke | Slade Joseph Wilson |
| Deathstroke | Slade Wilson |
| Firefly | Garfield Lynns |
| Harley Quinn | Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel |
| Hush | Thomas 'Tommy' Elliot |
| Killer Croc | Waylon Jones |
| Lex Luthor | Alexander Joseph Luthor |
| Mad Hatter | Jervis Tetch |
| Man-Bat | Dr. Robert Kirkland Langstrom |
| Mr. Freeze | Dr. Victor Fries |
| Poison Ivy | Pamela Isley |
| Reverse Flash | Eobard Thawne |
| Scarecrow | Dr Jonathan Crane |
| Sinestro | Thaal Sinestro |
| Solomon Grundy | Cyrus Gold |
| The Joker | Jack Napier |
| The Penguin | Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot |
| The Riddler | Edward Nigma |
| Tweedledum and Tweedledee | Deever and Dumfrey Tweed |
| Two-Face | Harvey Dent |
