Fear is an entirely subjective emotion, what terrifies some will amuse others, what keeps some awake at night rends others catatonic. A truly scary supervillain is someone who’s appearance raises the hair on your neck, who’s abilities leave you quaking powerlessly, and who’s evil agenda strikes cold fear in the pit of your stomach. With this in mind, and it’s an open arena, let’s take a look at the scariest supervillains in the world.
10. King Shark – The Flash
For this countdown, we’re looking at King Shark, the mutated form of marine biologist Shay Lamden on Earth Two, as opposed to Nanaue, the son of a Hawaiian Shark Deity on New Earth. Transformed into a giant man-shark by Harrison Wells’ particle accelerator, Shay became a shark not only in appearance but also in nature, consuming anyone who crosses his path. Whilst he may not have any aspirations of world domination, this fearsome fishy foe will single-mindedly pursue what he wants to destroy, making him a truly terrifying villain.
9. Kryb – Green Lantern
This member of the Sinestro Corps, whilst having only a brief appearance in the storyline, is by far one of the more ghastly monsters in the DC universe. This hideous alien is known for murdering Green Lantern Corps parents, stealing their babies, and imprisoning them in the organic cage on her back. On top of that, she oozes a mind-controlling substance from her breasts, which no doubt keeps the infants under her control. Without a doubt, this is one monstrous nanny guaranteed to unnerve men, women, and children.
8. Galactus – Fantastic Four
Following the death of the universe before ours, the last remaining alien, Galan of Taa, bonds with the sentience of the dead universe to become Galactus. Reborn a new and all-powerful being, Galactus was led by an insatiable hunger and found that the only thing big enough to satisfy it was to consume planets. This deadly entity travels across the universe, consuming planets and alien lifeforms to sustain himself and being nearly unstoppable. What makes him so terrifying is not only his sheer size and strength but how he is led by his need to feed, Galactus is one hangry supervillain.
7. Baba Yaga – Hellboy / Fables
Appearing in both the Hellboy and Fables graphic novels, Baba Yaga has had little altered of her history as it’s known in Slavic folklore. Residing in her hut deep in the forest, this terrifying witch is known for her fickle nature as well as her penchant for eating children. In the Hellboy universe, she is a troublesome figure who protects the soul of Rasputin as well as having her fair share of run-ins with Red. With a history so ingrained in European folklore and her haggard appearance, this witch is terrifying for young and old alike.
6. Solomon Grundy – Justice League
Beginning life as Cyrus Gold, a poor and unloved child; Cyrus sold his soul in return for wealth and power. After sealing the deal with a handshake, Cyrus embarked on a life of crime, murdering anyone who stood in his way and dumping the bodies in the waters of Slaughter Swamp, just outside of Gotham. Soon his evil deeds caught up with him and Cyrus met his untimely end in Slaughter Swamp. There in the toxic waters, his body was preserved and bonded with any debris it touched. Finally, the monster emerged from the swamp and all he could remember of his previous life was that he had been born on a Monday. Stumbling into a homeless camp, they told him about Solomon Grundy from the old children’s poem, who had also been born on a Monday, and so he took the name, Solomon Grundy. Zombies have always held a place in the horror annals of pop culture, whether they be monstrous hordes of shambling biters or running, relentless ghouls; Solomon Grundy is DC’s big, bad, undying zombie who always comes back.
5. Carnage – Spiderman
One of Spiderman’s most terrifying foes, Carnage came into being when the offspring of Venom’s symbiote bonded with the psychopath Cletus Kasady. Imprisoned for murdering 11 people, Kasady was a heartless, homicidal sadist who had killed his grandmother, his mother’s dog, a young girl who had teased him, and a school disciplinarian. With the alien symbiote amplifying his murderous tendencies, Carnage lives up to his name and relishes in destruction and death with zero remorse. So far as a terrifying supervillain goes, whether it’s Carnage or Cletus Kasady, this villain is truly terrifying for what he is capable of.
4. Styx – X-Men
One of the personas of the mutant, Legion, the creature known as Styx rebelled against being reabsorbed by the mutant and instead sought to install himself as a god by warping reality. Styx sustains himself by eating people’s souls. After escaping with Legion’s other rebellious personas, Styx took up residence in the Paris Catacombs. With his skeletal, mummified appearance, Styx is a frightening apparition bent on consuming souls and giving himself godly powers. And he lives in a giant underground tomb.
3. Joker – Batman
Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker is one of Gotham’s most brutal, sadist, violent, and psychotic criminals. Portrayed in the early era of Batman as a clownish buffoon and thief, recent interpretations of the villain show a cold and merciless psychopath lacking in empathy or conscience, delighting in causing chaos for the sake of it. With his willingness to kill anyone for his own entertainment, and a reputation that precedes him, the Joker is a terrifying villain that strikes fear in everyone’s heart.
2. Junior / Alex Merkel - Batman
Born Alex Merkel, the beautiful daughter of cult leader Peter Merkel a.k.a Ragdoll, Alex Merkel manifests not only murderous desires but psychotic tendencies. It is readily believed that she engaged in incestuous activities with her brother, willingly, and her father, not so willingly. Wanting to make her outsides as hideous as her insides, Alex stitched her eyelids and lips permanently open, giving her a ghastly visage. Adopting the name ‘Junior’ and passing herself off as male, Alex took to living in a box in the cellar of a west coast gay club. With her two henchmen, a telephone and a notepad, Alex rose to become an unseen yet widely feared crime lord. With an appearance the stuff of nightmares and a sadistic profile to match, if Alex Merkel didn’t terrify you before, she should now.
1. Scarecrow – Batman
Dr.Jonathan Crane, a former professor of psychology, harbors a deep and fanatical passion for fear. Working as a psychologist in Arkham Asylum, Dr.Crane would eagerly perform his fear-inducing experiments on the patients of Arkham. Unlike many other supervillains of the Gotham criminal underworld, the Scarecrow’s only intent is to continually conduct his research into fear and phobias. What makes this villain so frightening is not only his willingness to subject you to your greatest fears but that nothing will sway him from his endeavor. This isn’t about money or power, for Crane, it’s his pursuit of knowledge. Why should the Scarecrow be number one? Because he is a realistic villain, not unlike Mengele of the Nazi regime or evil psychoanalytical experiments of the worlds’ most corrupt asylums.
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