Best Villain of 2009
Jim Doom: Norman Osborn!
The Dark Reign era certainly has its flaws (some of them by design), but I have no problems whatsoever with the greater experiment Marvel attempted – putting the military branch of its universe under the control of a power-hungry opportunist. It was a fun attempt at art-imitates-life, giving Marvel its very own Dick Cheney, and I don’t think there’s anyone better suited for that role than Norman Osborn. Most importantly, Osborn gave the heroes someone to rally against so they could stop fighting each other, and Marvel was in desperate need of putting a stop to Hero vs Hero.
Bonus points for creating the Dark Avengers – I very much enjoyed the exploration of the idea of Avengers being interchangeable behind the masks. That idea has obviously been addressed over the past few decades, but never to the degree of putting villains in those roles.
Here were the bad guys we loved to hate in previous years:
2008:
Jim Doom: The Black Glove
Doom DeLuise: Brainiac2007:
Doominator: The Joker
Fin Fang Doom: Sinestro
Doom DeLuise: Sinestro
Jim Doom: Sinestro