Some of the greatest villains in the history of comics, books, and movies have been paired onscreen with those heroes that are either their polar opposite or are so like them in so many ways but differ on their ideals. These pairings have created such tension in the fictional relationship that they’ve become nemeses simply because they can’t reconcile those few little differences they have, or they can’t hope to bridge the gap between them since they’re just that different. In any case it’s made for a great pairing in many movies when it comes down to good vs. evil and practical vs. outrageous. The mere mention of some of these characters is enough to make many people nod their head in understanding and know completely what’s being discussed when they’re brought up in conversation.
After all, the good must have the bad and vice versa if there’s to be any point to the idea of heroes and villains.
5. Magneto/ Charles Xavier
The craziest part of this pairing is that the two men started out as friends. It wasn’t always the easiest friendship to maintain but Erik and Charles were at least on the same page for a while concerning their own kind and the need to protect them. Where they differed however was that Charles wanted mutants to help humanity understand that they were not attempting to take over, while Erik believed that humanity’s many flaws had shown just why they needed to be ruled.
4. Wolverine/ Sabretooth
This is one of the down and dirty brawls that has ever graced the face of comics. You might have thought I’d pick Wolverine and the Hulk, but the Hulk has almost always been considered a misunderstood hero. Sabretooth has never made any bones about who or what he is. While Logan isn’t perfect he at least aspires to be something better than his brother, if that’s the origin story you want to stand by.
3. Superman/ Lex Luthor
Even in Zack Snyder’s new darker and decidedly more violent version of Superman there is a need for rules and restrictions on the power he expends. He looks as though he might blast Luthor full on for a moment but then comes to when he hears tell of his mother being held by Luthor’s men. He’s still kind of a boy scout it would seem, no matter that he’s a bit rougher around the edges.
2. Luke Skywalker/ Darth Vader
Their first meeting didn’t go so well as you know, and by the end of the first movie you knew that Darth Vader was a straight up villain. It didn’t matter that Luke sensed the good side in him any more than it did when Rey sensed good in Ben Solo. The two darkly-clad villains had already taken their path to the Dark side. Besides, Vader committed acts far worse than Kylo Ren could even imagine.
1. Batman/ Joker
You had to know that this was number one. Out of all the movie pairings that could have come between villains and heroes, none are more opposite than the Joker and Batman. The Joker represents pure chaos where Batman stands for order and justice. This is dance that they would do forever if they could, and thanks to the writers it might be a possibility.
The greatest rivalries are those that are known by everyone, regardless if they’re a fan or not.
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