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From bank heists to cosmic threats, supervillains know how to make an entrance! Join us as we count down the most unforgettable bad guy debuts in comic book movie history. Our list celebrates those perfect first appearances that immediately established why these antagonists are forces to be reckoned with. Which villain introduction left you shaking?
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the best bad guy debuts
00:12in comic book movies.
00:13We'll be getting into spoilers for various superhero films so consider this your warning.
00:25Number 30 Galactus – The Fantastic Four First Steps
00:36Galactus was bound to have a jaw-dropping introduction into the MCU.
00:40When the Fantastic Four learned of his impeding arrival, they meet with the Cosmic Devourer
00:44and find out what he wants.
00:46They discover that he plans to take their baby and he's not asking.
01:02From the moment we see the Eater of Worlds on screen to the moment this movie ends, we know
01:06that he's a serious threat.
01:08In fact, the whole film revolves around dealing with his plan to invade Earth.
01:12He's a terrifying force of nature, and that's made crystal clear to us.
01:16Considering his last cinematic outing was a gigantic cloud, fans were thrilled to finally
01:20get a more comic-accurate Galactus.
01:23Here's hoping we see more of him soon.
01:25You will not have our planet, and you will never have our son!
01:31I will eat your planet slowly while your child watches.
01:45Number 29 – The Incredible Hulk
01:48It threw up a forklift truck like it was a softball!
01:53It's the most powerful thing I've ever seen.
01:57While we see Emil Blonsky in this movie a bunch, things completely change when he transforms
02:02into the gamma-irradiated beast known as the Abomination.
02:05And when Abomination makes his way onto the screen, let us tell you, it's an event.
02:10His rampage across Harlem and subsequent clash with the Hulk were action-packed spectacles.
02:22Sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire, and the Abomination made sure to take the Hulk
02:27to his absolute limit.
02:44The CGI was great.
02:46The atmosphere was electric, and audiences everywhere knew they were in for a treat.
02:51To this day, Abomination is arguably the Hulk's greatest cinematic sparring partner.
02:55The Incredible Hulk isn't a perfect MCU film by any means, but the Abomination's debut
03:00is an undeniable highlight.
03:02Number 28 – The Phantasm
03:04Batman – Mask of the Phantasm
03:06Batman's not the only vigilante in Gotham, but unlike The Dark Knight, The Phantasm has
03:27a different modus operandi entirely.
03:30Instead of merely stopping criminals, she aims to kill them, and she starts with gangster
03:33Chucky Soul.
03:36The Phantasm makes a spine-tingling entrance and stalks Chucky, with tensions escalating
03:40so much that he dies in a car wreck trying to combat her.
03:44This bloodthirsty vigilante's broody design and Grim Reaper-esque stature instantly show
03:48what the character is all about, bringing death to the wicked.
03:52The Phantasm
04:02Beyond that, The Phantasm is also a perfect mirror for Batman, showing what the Caped
04:06Crusader could've looked like if he let loose.
04:08They say first impressions are everything, and for The Phantasm, she makes a killer one.
04:13Look what they did to us! What we could've had! They had to pay!
04:18But Andy, what will vengeance solve?
04:22If anyone knows the answer to that, Bruce, it's you.
04:26Number 27 – The High Evolutionary
04:28Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
04:30Some people just go too far in their quest for perfection. Unfortunately, The High Evolutionary
04:48is one of those people. When we're first introduced to him through flashbacks of Rocket Raccoon's
04:53past, we quickly learn that he's nothing but a cruel villain. His absolute disregard for others
04:58makes him an exceptionally brutal bad guy.
05:01It's the pure evil that we see him do that makes it so rewarding when he finally gets what he deserves.
05:19His first impression is so uncomfortable, we know right away that he's a rotten apple.
05:24It's not easy to solidify someone as a great villain right from the jump. But for The High Evolutionary,
05:29we don't need any more convincing.
05:31Find 89P13 and return it to me, or I will destroy your entire civilization, as is my right as your maker!
05:39Do you understand?
05:41Number 26 – Cassandra Nova
05:46Deadpool & Wolverine
05:48Long lost evil twins sure do have a way of biting back in a pretty big way. When it comes to Cassandra
06:03Nova, Professor X's nefarious secret sister, she turned out to be one hell of a problem. In Deadpool & Wolverine, she's ruled over the desolate
06:10wasteland known as the void with an iron fist, terrifying any and all survivors.
06:19To get even more specific, within minutes of appearing on the big screen, she brutally murdered Johnny Storm. Killing a member of the Fantastic Four is one thing, but the way she does it is next level psychotic. Seriously, just look at what she did to poor Chris Evanson's face. Yikes! That really doesn't look too pretty.
06:37At first glance, Jonathan Crane might seem like a stuck-up pencil pusher. But Scarecrow on the other hand? Well, that's a whole other story. And unfortunately for Carmine Falcone, he found that out the whole world.
06:44While locked up, Falcone tries to pull some strings with Dr. Crane to get released. But Crane isn't too interested in Falcone's
06:49ideas.
06:50Well, he's not faking. Not that one. I'll talk to Dr. Crane.
06:54I'll talk to the judge and see if I can get him moved to the secure wing at Arkham.
07:01So, to mess around with him, he douses him in fear toxin and slips into his scarecrow getup. The results are simply horrifying.
07:08The distorted visuals render Falcone catatonic.
07:09So, when did the nut take over the nut house?
07:13They scream and they cry. What is your day now?
07:20get him moved to the secure wing at arkham so to mess around with him he douses him in fear toxin
07:25and slips into his scarecrow get up the results are simply horrifying the distorted visuals render
07:31falcon catatonic so when did the nut take over the nut house they scream and they cry
07:41and make scarecrow look like a monster plus in one of scarecrow's later outings in the film
07:46he infects batman too and sets him on fire so yeah scarecrow's definitely not one to mess around with
07:58oh having trouble take a seat have a drink number 24 the void thunderbolts
08:14i don't know what i'm looking at up here doesn't look good bob reynolds had all the makings to be a
08:21powerful superhero as the century but his own insecurities and sorrows also meant he had
08:26all the makings to be a powerful supervillain that's essentially how the void came to be
08:31this evil manifestation of all bob's depression eventually took hold and spread chaos across new
08:36york it covered the city into total darkness subjected people to their own inner depressions
08:41the void essentially made everyone they came across fight their own inner demons
08:45simply put the void is both incredibly terrifying and able to terrify people in a way that makes him
08:51one of mcu's scariest evildoers let's hope bob doesn't slip up and let the void loose again
08:56you can't outrun the emptiness i think bob's dark side got super powers get everybody off the street
09:03let's go let's go
09:08number 23 the real mandarin shang chi and the legend of the ten rings
09:24look trevor slattery was cool as a funny subversion of the mandarin but thank goodness he wasn't the
09:40actual real deal and thank goodness it wasn't aldrich killian either in shang chi it will be
09:46revealed that the real mandarin is zoo win woo and spoiler alert he's simply incredible
10:04the movie's prologue does an awesome job setting up how powerful he is and the rest of the film shows
10:10how he cares about his family it gives him a level of nuance that many early mcu villains just don't
10:15have while it's a shame he never crossed paths with iron man the action scenes we get with him nearly
10:20make up for that the real mandarin is charming intelligent deadly and hopefully here to stay
10:40number 22 the riddler the batman i'm not saying there isn't work to do listen
10:44i have a beautiful wife and i will not arrest
10:52edward nikma has been a colorful and zany villain in previous iterations but in matt reeves's dark and
10:58deconstructed take on the batman mythology he's a downright disturbing serial killer in the batman
11:03edward nashden is set up as a vengeful loner looking to expose gotham for his corruption and who murders
11:09his victims in brutal ways gotham's legacy of lies and murder i hope you're listening bruce wayne this
11:19is your legacy too and gotham needs you to answer for the sins of your father he's less in line with
11:29the mustache trolling costume criminal and more in line with the zodiac killer the opening sequence of
11:34the film follows his point of view and almost treats him like a horror villain just look at how
11:38he first appears in the frame it's like a freaking jump scare this riddler has a dark presence to him
11:44that shows why you shouldn't underestimate him
12:01number 21 killmonger black panther these items aren't for sale how do you think your ancestors got
12:07these you think they paid a fair price or did they take it like they took everything else so i'm going
12:13to have to ask you to leave if your character has only been in a few projects and is already considered
12:20one of the mcu's greatest villains you're probably doing something right when eric killmonger made his
12:25way onto the scene he did it in style by robbing the museum of great britain not long after he began
12:31his crusade against the black panther and nearly toppled wakanda's entire power structure killmonger was a big
12:37deal not only did he have a sympathetic backstory but he also had charisma in spades i'm standing in
12:44your house serving justice to a man who stole your vibranium and murdered your people justice your king
12:51couldn't deliver to this day there are fans who side with him believing that wakanda did him wrong
12:57don't get it twisted killmonger was still a bad guy but he had so much on-screen presence
13:02that you couldn't help but root for him you're not telling me that's vibranium too yeah no i'm just
13:07feeling it number 20. dark side zach snyder's justice lead he might not speak much but from
13:15the get-go dark side means business as he attempts to conquer earth he's met with a huge amount of
13:25resistance an alliance of men atlanteans gods amazons and others square off against the apocalyptian and
13:33his army as an extremely powerful being he's able to cut through the attacking forces and even manages
13:39to kill a green lantern he's pretty seriously wounded by aries and is forced to retreat suffering
13:44his only defeat when attempting to conquer a planet his power is immense so you're gonna have to pull
13:57out all the stops to beat him number 19 the spot spider-man across the spider-verse it's common for
14:04heroes and villains to have a symbiotic relationship with one another however their shared connection
14:10isn't always obvious and that's the case here the spot we meet again spider-man
14:18oh that's funny to you of course not no so is that a costume unfortunately for both of us this is skin
14:24when the spot attempts to rob an atm spider-man naturally shows up to stop him their fight is
14:29awkward and humorous as mouse doesn't take his nemesis seriously but the seemingly benign interaction
14:35masks the rising tension felt by the spot as he tries to explain their connection you understand
14:40this is the flight of our life sorry sorry just just a second no no no go ahead take the call turn
14:44off your phone in a movie theater if you don't turn it off when you're fighting me mouse's failure to
14:48acknowledge his role in his foe's plight has dire consequences once the spot learns how to travel to
14:53different dimensions number 18 apocalypse x-men apocalypse some mutants are really old a lot older than you
15:01might think apocalypse has been around since at least 3600 bc although he's seen briefly in the film's opening
15:07we aren't really introduced to him that won't happen until he's revived thousands of years later
15:20even though he's been in stasis for a long while he wastes no time demonstrating his immense power
15:26he causes a worldwide tremor and gene gray is plagued with a nightmarish vision of the future
15:32death and destruction that apocalypse will bring i saw the end of the world i could feel all this death
15:40number 17 syndrome the incredibles sometimes things come back to bite you in the butt at least that's
15:46what happens to mr incredible when he finds out the true identity of his employer i take it our host is
15:52i'm sorry he won't be dining with us tonight he hopes you'll understand of course i do usually make
15:58it a point to know who i'm working for he prefers a certain amount of anonymity surely you of all people
16:05understand that waiting to receive his mission bob is suddenly attacked by the omni droid we soon
16:11find out that syndrome is responsible for controlling the robot not only that but mr incredible comes to
16:16realize that syndrome is little buddy pine from way back in the day sure it was difficult but you
16:22are worth it i mean after all i am your biggest fan buddy idolized bob and wanted to partner with
16:32him but was rejected he's come a long way from being a starry-eyed boy and now is a force to be reckoned with
16:39number 16 shredder teenage mutant ninja turtles there's a crime wave hitting new york city and it seems like
16:45no one's valuables are safe crimes without criminals an invisible gang at work who are we gonna call
16:52unfortunately the police are the only ones available to combat what some are already dubbing
16:58the silent crime wave it looks like the group responsible is the foot clan who's been rounding
17:03teams and putting them on a path towards crime we're introduced to the clan's lair when we finally meet
17:09their leader the shredder a long shadow stretches across the frame as the camera swings down from
17:14above shredder slowly turns around to observe the crowd that has gathered the slow music and use of
17:19shadow really make him an imposing figure you are here because the outside world rejects you this is
17:28your family i am your father number 15 starro the conqueror the suicide squad this alien starfish is
17:37definitely a threat but it wasn't by its own design starro was captured by american astronauts and
17:43subsequently held captive in the small island nation of corto maltese where unfortunately it's been
17:48experimented on for decades i call it starro the conqueror that's meant to be divisive sorry old chung
17:57these two are here to kill you when flag and rat catcher 2 enter the facility where starro is held
18:03not only is the alien captive but tons of people have been taken over by miniature versions of the
18:08starfish the reveal certainly alters our understanding of the creature from the beginning of the film
18:13and makes him a tragic figure number 14 aries wonder woman diana suspects that aries is the driving
18:20force behind world war one and to bring about peace she must kill him i will stop aries what if you're wrong
18:29if there is no aries
18:33you don't believe me i can't let you do this what i do is not up to you pursuant to her mission she
18:40tracks down general ludendorff who she believes is the god of war armed with her god killer sword she
18:46ends him she quickly learns that she was wrong and that sir charles is aries his calm diplomatic
18:52demeanor highlights his insidious ability to influence the world of man towards destruction
18:57join me and with our powers combined we could finally end all the pain all the suffering the
19:05destruction they bring and we could return this world to the paradise it was before them he tries
19:13to persuade diana to join him but his tricks don't work on her number 13 sandman spider-man 3 flint marco
19:21had to resort to a life of crime in order to take care of his ailing daughter after escaping from
19:26prison he falls into a particle accelerator and it looks like he's done for as he seemingly disintegrates
19:36turns out that marco had turned into sand we see individual grains start to come together and they
19:41slowly begin to take shape it's sad in a way since he struggles to be whole again as he falls apart
19:47only to reform and try again it highlights the precarious situation he's in not just in taking
19:53a corporeal form but also in his quest to save his daughter number 12 thanos avengers infinity war even
20:03though he had appearances in guardians of the galaxy and age of ultron we didn't get a sense of thanos not
20:09in any comprehensive sense that changes with the opening of infinity war where the asgardian refugee
20:15vessel is attacked by thanos's forces you have had the privilege of being saved by the great titan
20:25you may think this is suffering no it is salvation searching for the tesseract he slaughtered half the
20:35occupants of the ship and we see his calm calculating demeanor in the aftermath even when fighting the
20:41hulk he's so precise with his attacks that he easily defeats the green monster it's one thing to hear
20:46others talk about how fierce the titan is but it's a completely different thing to see him in action
20:52there are two more stones on earth find them my children and bring them to me untightly father we will
21:00not fail you number 11 hella thor ragnarok she's the sister thor and loki never knew they had oh who
21:08are you talking about goddess of death hello a firstborn your sister
21:22seriously the pair learns of her existence from their dying father mere moments before she appears on the
21:27screen even though she's technically in a weakened state she's still pretty strong she commands thor and
21:33loki to kneel before her and when thor responds by tossing mjolnir at her she destroys it it's not
21:39impossible darling you have no idea what's possible loki realizing they're in way over their heads
21:53attempts to return to asgard which has the consequence of hella returning to her home world
21:58and becoming even more powerful she quickly dispatches two of the warriors three and sets
22:03about her conquest of other realms number 10 green goblin spider-man what better way to introduce your
22:10villainous alter ego than before a crowd of thousands at a new york fair rocketing through the skies on his
22:15trademark glider norman osborn reveals his green goblin persona commencing his swath of destruction with a
22:22few deadly pumpkin bombs
22:33but soon he has his first epic clash with spider-man after manhandling a couple of policemen the green
22:39goblin gets the upper hand on his web slinging nemesis by using his glider's extensive weaponry
22:45and his own newly acquired super strength although spider-man ends the fight after disabling the goblin's
22:50glider the cackling emerald maniac certainly made a splash in his public debut
22:58number nine red skull captain america the first avenger making his grand reveal amidst a sea of
23:04flames as his hydra base begins to explode red skull's initial meeting with captain america
23:09is a spectacular sight to behold not exactly an improvement but still impressive as the two arch
23:18rivals square off a stride of balcony above a widening inferno johann schmidt proves he's far
23:23more than your average nazi thug he withstands a brutal right hook from cap and makes a sizable
23:29dent in his shield with a single blow after dr zola separates the two schmidt tears off his prosthetic face
23:35and displays his true one in all its macabre glory with a gruesome unmasking befitting a horror movie
23:42villain red skull steals the show with this dramatic introduction you are deluded captain you pretend to
23:50be a simple soldier but in reality you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind
23:58number eight general zod man of steel emerging from a cloud of smoke after his men slaughtered the guards of
24:03krypton's council general zod makes an entrance suitable for a hardened military commander this
24:09council has been disbanded it's clear from the beginning that he's not a fan of civilized debate
24:14because he murders a council elder in cold blood to make sure everyone knows who's in charge now
24:20having already accepted that krypton is doomed zod asked jor-el to help him rebuild their race elsewhere
24:26with only the bloodlines that zod deems fit to survive when jor-el refuses zod has him taken away
24:33demonstrating his unwillingness to compromise which in turn is indicative of his despotic mindset
24:39i will honor the man he once was not this monster you've become
24:48take him away number seven loki the avengers a massive step up from his first appearance in thor
24:54loki blazes into the avengers through a tesseract portal and from the moment we see his malevolent sneer
25:00we know he's got some bad things in mind for the people of earth sir please put down the spear
25:07declining nick fury's request to put down his weapon loki instead opts to massacre several
25:12shield agents brainwash both hawkeye and professor selvik and leave with the tesseract so he can
25:17commence his plans of world domination this is a simple but effective scene that captures the danger
25:22charm and mischievous wit of thor's adopted brother i am loki of asgard and i am burdened with glorious
25:31purpose number six ultron avengers age of ultron heralded by an ear-splitting noise ultron's first
25:38appearance in the avengers age of ultron is perhaps the most frightening villain interest in the marvel
25:43cinematic universe how could you be worthy you're all killers stark jervis i'm sorry i was asleep
25:53or i was a dream stumbling until the avengers get together in the body of a decrepit drone
26:00ultron's terrifying accusations against earth's mightiest heroes are made all the more unsettling
26:05when one realizes there's plenty of truth behind them bolstered by the haunting voice of james spader
26:11ultron's initial challenge to the avengers is a wicked combination of foreboding and dark humor
26:16setting the stage for the carnage that ensues that was dramatic number five magneto x-men first class
26:23although magneto is often portrayed as a villain in the x-men franchise few can deny he's nowhere near
26:28as evil as the nazis that murdered his family during the holocaust
26:31while searching for sebastian shaw in argentina magneto comes across a bar that happens to be
26:43owned by a pair of nazis and realizes they're friends of his childhood tormentor upon revealing
26:47the number tattooed on his forearm in oschwitz magneto decides to exact some sweet revenge on the war
26:53criminals before introducing himself in a suitably terrifying way showing them and us how the nazi's
26:59cruelty transformed him let's just say i'm frankenstein's monster number four winter soldier
27:05captain america the winter soldier after nick fury narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by hydra
27:11operatives disguised as cops he finds himself headed straight towards an ominous figure in black who
27:16doesn't seem all too concerned about the rapidly approaching vehicle get me off the grid calculating
27:22route to secure location effortlessly neutralizing fury's escape the winter soldier calmly saunters
27:31towards his wounded prey like an emotionless murder machine and rips the door off his reinforced suv
27:37before discovering fury has escaped despite the close call this grim scene immediately tells the
27:43audience that the winter soldier is a force to be reckoned with and is more than a match for his old
27:48friend captain america you're my mission number three bane the dark knight rises getting captured on
28:03purpose can be risky but bane has the brains and brawn to pull it off at the mercy of cia agents bane
28:09maintains an eerie coolness during the tense situation as he candidly reveals his plan to crash the plane
28:15and escape with a nuclear physicist who are you it doesn't matter who we are what matters is our
28:22plan as a second plane arrives to retrieve bane and his associates the mad psychopath displays his
28:27alarming strength by breaking his handcuffs with ease and holding on for dear life with one arm as
28:33his surroundings become vertical despite the exhilarating nature of the aircraft action it's the subtle
28:38hints to bane's madness and skill that immediately alert the audience to the threat he poses for batman
28:44now is not the time for fear that comes later number two doctor octopus spider-man 2 what begins as a
28:52presumably light-hearted surgery scene rapidly devolves into sheer horror as otto octavius is reborn as
28:58doctor octopus anybody here take shop class as a team of doctors attempt to remove doc ox new mechanical
29:04limbs via power tools it becomes terrifyingly clear that the arms have a mind of their own and are not
29:10willing to be separated from their creator they work together like a quartet of horror movie monsters
29:15as they murder the doctors one by one this scene is our first indication that whatever humor was to be
29:20found in the doctor octopus of the comics is not to be found in alfred molina's tragic take on the iconic super villain
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29:46number one the joker the dark knight beginning as a fairly standard bank robbery scene the joker's
29:52introduction in christopher nolan's masterpiece is a slow burn that has one tremendous payoff
29:57all right as the thieves greed gets the better of them and they begin to kill each other off
30:04one remains silent as the heist goes off according to plan after the timely intervention of a school bus
30:09and the elimination of its driver a wounded bank manager asks the lone remaining thief what he
30:14believes in and gets an instantly classic answer what do you believe in i believe whatever doesn't kill
30:21you simply makes you a stranger lent incredible weight by hans zimmer's score the joker's introduction is
30:31a taste of the insanity and chaos that is to follow in the dark knight is there an epic villain intro we
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