Most evil character?

[Missy]

Is Darkseid the most evil character in all of comics, or is there someone worse?

And I would say forces of nature like Galactus and Phoenix don't count.

[Molly]

Well, Darkseid is practically a force of nature like Galactus. Darksied is the embodiment of evil, he's not choosing to be evil. Darkseid just is. Guys like Luthor or Joker who actually make the choice to be evil are darker than him, in their way. Red Skull is up there, too.

I think it's the actually choice that makes all the difference.

[KnightWing]

I'd say Joker is more like a force of nature, as well. He doesn't really make any choices; he just sort of exists.

Luthor isn't full-on evil, really, as he's willing to work with heroes if it's for the common good (like saving the planet).

[prez]

I would say Thanos has got to be pretty high up there. Unless we're counting him as one of those force of nature guys.

Otherwise, as long as we're talking about people who are basically, well, people, Red Skull would be my answer.

[Koete]

Otherwise, as long as we're talking about people who are basically, well, people, Red Skull would be my answer.

Red Skull would be my choice as well.

[KnightWing]

Ooooo... Red Skull is a good pick.

[dc20willsave]

Yeah, I'd say when your title is "God of Evil" you're excused. People like Doom and Luthor are evil but since they are willing to work for the greater good sometimes makes them less evil in comparison to say your Dr. Psychos, your Jokers, your Red Skulls. When it comes down to it, your most evil characters are going to be the ones who don't hide their motives behind idealism. I'd say Cheetah, Joker, Red Skull, Bullseye, Norman Osborn, and Moonstone all make great canidates for the title if we're talking non-galactic threats.

[Molly]

When is the last time Luthor allied with the heroes? Final Night? And that was going to murder, like... half of the Earth's population. Blackest Night doesn't count, like at all. He was under the power of the Orange Ring, and trying to finally make Superman submit to him.

[Molly]

And admittedly, I think I'm harping on Luthor as the most evil, because he's just... a man. He's a man who is fully aware of what he is doing, and somehow tells himself that it's worth it. I mean, 52, he murders HUNDREDS of people, just in an attempt to draw Superman out.

If I had to make a list...

1. Luthor

2. Red Skull

3. Joker

4. Doom

5. Sinestro/Norman Osborn/Hank Henshaw

I'd like to say Loki, but I disqualify him for the same reasons as Darkseid.

[dc20willsave]

Final Crisis. He was secretly sending info to the heroes, turned on Darkseid, then helped finish the Miracle Machine. For that matter, Infinite Crisis, while Luthor is helping for selfish reasons, he still helps get Conner back to 100 percent and helps him find where Alexander was holed up. Pretty much, if there's a crisis level threat, you can bet Luthor will find a reason to be on the side of the angels.

[Molly]

I can still call that self-preservation. He's not doing it for the world, he's doing it for himself, to ensure his own survival. Fuck, look at the JLU finale, every other villain joins up with the JL to protect Earth. Luthor? Wants revenge on Darkseid for taking Brainiac out of his head.

[Missy]

1. Luthor

2. Red Skull

I'd switch those two. No matter how many people Luthor has killed, Red Skull was literally Hitler's face of evil. He participated in the near-genocide of an entire race of people. That has to put him atop the list.

[Guest]

Oh wait, we're talking comic characters.

Carry on.

[Dread]

Well, Darkseid is practically a force of nature like Galactus. Darksied is the embodiment of evil, he's not choosing to be evil. Darkseid just is. Guys like Luthor or Joker who actually make the choice to be evil are darker than him, in their way. Red Skull is up there, too.

I think it's the actually choice that makes all the difference.

I disagree. Darkseid was born on Apokolips and raised by his mother. His battle with his uncle Tyr is what solidifed his badassery as ruler of that planet. Darkseid is that much scarier in that he is a self-made god.

[Molly]

1. Luthor

2. Red Skull

I'd switch those two. No matter how many people Luthor has killed, Red Skull was literally Hitler's face of evil. He participated in the near-genocide of an entire race of people. That has to put him atop the list.

That's actually my issue with Red Skull. The whole Hitler thing makes him half a cartoon character. Luthor is just a man. Skull is a Nazi, which grants him some... distance from humanity. Red Skull is a terrible human being, but as a Nazi with a terribly destroyed face, it's hard to me to see him as anything more than a comic book character. Luthor is terrifying, because he's real. Someone just like him is in Washington, right now. I don't mean to take away from Skull, but Luthor's realism makes him the most evil of all.

[Molly]

Well, Darkseid is practically a force of nature like Galactus. Darksied is the embodiment of evil, he's not choosing to be evil. Darkseid just is. Guys like Luthor or Joker who actually make the choice to be evil are darker than him, in their way. Red Skull is up there, too.

I think it's the actually choice that makes all the difference.

I disagree. Darkseid was born on Apokolips and raised by his mother. His battle with his uncle Tyr is what solidifed his badassery as ruler of that planet. Darkseid is that much scarier in that he is a self-made god.

Don't get me wrong, I love Darkseid. But, I think that the most terrifying villains are human. Darkseid had no choice but to be evil, he's a monster. His existence deems that he is a monster. But somewhere along the line, we have other characters that were just like us, but for whatever reason, became as pitch black as him. Darkseid may be the most evil character in the universe, but as a God, it's less impactful than when a human acts as horrid as he does.

[Stavros]

The Governor from Walking Dead. The problem with long running villains is that to a degree they're all sympathetic in some way. The Governor isn't at all, he's a monster who will smile to your face and then horrifically mutilate you.

That being said, among traditional comic book characters the answer has to be Bullseye. Mass murderer, he killed multiple significant others of his nemesis. He kills with no larger aim in mind, only his own short term gratification. I mean, in the one and only issue of Daredevil/Bullseye he killed a nursing mother from across the street with a toothpick just to prove his competence to potential employers.

[SuaveStar]

Luthor thinks he is actually doing the RIGHT thing, when he's being a villain, and sees himself as a sort of hero. So that makes him the worst villain of them all.

Edit: Other most evil person I can think of? Vandal Savage.

[You Know Who]

Can't speak for Marvel Comics, but for DC I'd go with the Joker. Although "The Killing Joke" is a good story, I think the Joker is one of those villains that you should never even entertain the possibility of feeling sorry for (I also think that going from a mild-mannered failing comedian to a rampaging psychopath after a chemical bath is a far less believable transformation than going from a sadistic thug to an even more sadistic one). He's probably killed more people than any other villain from Earth, just because he could or just for fun (who else would randomly kill a classroom full of kindegarteners?), and all without superpowers. Darkseid and various other villains might kill people just out of spite or for shits and giggles, but the Joker murders just as naturally as someone getting an ice cream: The average person doesn't need to get an ice cream to get enough calories or because they have an addiction to it; they do it for the hell of it and because it tastes good. Also, like Darkseid, making any deal with him is like asking to be stabbed in the back, as Black Mask learned in Under the Red Hood and the mobsters in The Dark Knight learned. Similarly, entering a romantic relationship with him is like asking to be abused, as Harley Quinn has yet to learn.

I'd probably place Darkseid as number two, and Luthor as number three, since neither are slaves to an obsession like Zsasz or a programming like Brainiac and actually make the choice to murder. I place Darkseid slightly higher because he doesn't need to rein in any murderous tendencies to protect a positive reputation like Luthor does and because he'll kill for the hell of it more often than Luthor will.