We are a generation of list-makers. It's an obsession even Calvin Klein would have a difficult time masking the pungency of. The truth is we all believe our lists have more credibility than others. While there is no objective way to match the weight of our opinions versus those of others with more literary prominence, one thing is for certain: After the July 18 premiere of The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger will have inevitably (based on early critical acclaim) cemented his perch atop the list of the greatest cinematic super villains of all time. Despite this imminent reality, it would be fair to first tip our cap to those who line up right behind the late Australian actor. Though many A-listers have had their respectable catalogues all but erase any obvious shortcomings revealed in their collective under achievement as super villains, a select few have actually risen above their previous reputations and reinvigorated their stranglehold on Hollywood stardom. Here is an objective compilation of the seven best performances by an actor attempting to bring true super villains to life (at least for the next two weeks) …
7. Topher Grace as Venom in Spider-Man 3
Recap: A perfect antagonist to Tobey McGuire's Peter Parker, Eddie Brock Jr.'s rivalry with Spidey reveals its origins while the two fight over photo ops at the Daily Bugle. After Brock acquires the ability to overcome Parker's uncanny superpowers, the one-up-man-ship reaches intense levels.
Reason: Topher Grace appears to have studied the shit out of this role. The vacancy in his eyes has a power matched only by his unspeakably attained abilities to make Spiderman sweat.
6. Willem Dafoe as The Green Goblin in Spider-Man
Recap: A tantalizing take on how an onscreen transformation can morph a character. Only Dafoe could carry the weight of a villain who could realistically tackle the job of netting Spiderman.
Reason: Dafoe brings to the screen a detailed metamorphosis that never lacks in substance. The shadows lining the omnipresent cavernously dredged-out surface of the actor's face aptly enhance the Goosebumps audience members are collectively bombarded with upon witnessing this bizarre reality.
5. Al Pacino as Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy
Recap: A facially extenuated Al Pacino shines as the head of organized crime in the unnamed city patrolled by the relentlessly clean cut Dick Tracy. The actor provides his take on the lighter side of the mob after portraying mob boss Michael Corleone in three Godfather films.
Reason: Could anyone think of a better thespian to tackle such an ironically loaded role? Pacino's genius is in his ability to take him deathly seriously, even while covered in a dozen pounds of perspiration-inducing make up.
4. Terence Stamp as General Zod in Superman II
Recap: British born Terrance Stamp portrays this criminal warlord from Krypton who's once infinite sentence to the Phantom Zone is lifted. Upon his release, he and cohorts Ursa and Non venture to earth to put Superman in a body bag, and rule the planet.
Reason: Nothing is more terrifying than a fictitious badass who can convince a man with no weaknesses to kneel before him. Few movie buffs could hope to dispute Stamps' innate ability to mimic such a stoically curt representation of evil.
3. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in Batman Returns
Recap: A leather clad Michelle Pfeiffer struts her stuff as a feline who's newly enhanced seductiveness is nearly enough to take the breath out of every one of Batman's nine lives.
Reason: Bruce Wayne's unmistakable attraction to Selina Kyle (her alias) very nearly compromises the very existence of Batman. No other actress could have brought such a succulent slew of tantalizing magnetism to the screen better than Pfeiffer does in this film.
2. Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor in Superman
Recap: The superbly cast character actor’s star-making turn as a seemingly ordinary man with no conscience and enough blind ambition to bury all that is good in an otherwise sorrowful world.
Reason: No one since has been able to do so much as an actor with so little offered via script. Hackman delivers a spellbinding performance by wielding as much deceptive power as anyone ever could from a character that, on paper, would never have scared an audience as well as he did.
1. Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Batman
Recap: Jack Nicholson trades the shades for a slew of colors from Ronald MacDonald's makeup tray and proceeds to enter the nightmares of America's subconscious. Perhaps the only truly believable threat to Batman's throne, with enough eerily alluring charisma to nearly end the reign of the Dark Knight before it could even start.
Reason: What a fresh take on villainy. What could have been a role brushed aside by lesser actors, Nicholson further establishes himself as Jack-of-all-trades by almost single-handedly reinventing how to scare an entire genre shitless.