War is commonplace in the world of fandoms. No matter what you love, there’s always another faction that despises the object of your affection while propping up theirs.
This has likely been occurring since the dawn of human civilization, but with the near-total acceptance of geek culture, it has only reached new heights. The battles have lasted for decades: Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Goku vs. Vegeta, and Marvel vs. DC.
That particular conflict has already been long fought, but with the superhero genre absolutely dominating the box office and pop culture, the conflict has morphed into a new form with increased intensity.
Leaving comics behind for the most part, the debate has been propelled by the rocket fuel of the cinematic successes (and failures) of both Marvel and DC and one of the most powerful weapons to use against one’s enemies on the internet are memes.
In terms of memes, there is a clear winner in the fight for supremacy: the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s villains.
We’ve compiled a list of the most decisive meme-backed victories in this ongoing struggle in our 15 Memes That Prove MCU’s Villains Are Better to settle once and for all that Marvel’s cinematic villains are more potent than Kryptonite to DC’s wimpy efforts.
No One Likes Suicide Squad
This meme is just unflinchingly brutal, with zero signs of remorse. Suicide Squad’s big selling point was that it featured a ragtag group of dangerous villains, more-or-less enslaved to do the bidding of Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller. The movie was a big success, but it was utterly shredded by fans and critics alike.
In comes Guardians of the Galaxy, a crew comprised of dangerous misfits that go on to save the day. The second Groot uttered his now famous phrase about who he was and what he was about, and the Suicide Squad, in its entirety, was buried six feet under in the cinematic graveyard.
Yes, Will Smith put on an awesome performance, and the movie had its moments, but nothing could compete with the delightfully rebellious, feel-good fun of Guardians of the Galaxy-- and especially Groot.
DC's Baffling Inaccuracies
The DC Extended Universe is certainly dowsed in controversy. Most of its movie releases have been incredibly divisive, even amongst the most hardcore of DC fans, but if there’s one thing that can unite the disparate factions, it’s the shared joy of jabbing Marvel for deviating from their sacred texts (i.e. comic books).
Of course, the irony here is that DC is almost no less guilty than Marvel in these matters, but logic never really comes into play with fans ranting against things other fans like.
This meme illustrates things perfectly.
Sure, Captain America’s costume may have gotten an alteration and update for his on-screen appearances, eschewing his dopey ear-wing things and Aquaman-esque fish scales, but why bother complaining about that when Doomsday’s debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is not only a major visual departure, but a clear break from accepted canon?
Marvel's Villains Leave A Mark
DC might have the market on some of the greatest villains to ever grace comic books (and, in some cases, movies). Heck, the Joker is easily the most iconic comic villain in existence, and you’d find few people willing to debate it.
The same can’t be said about the paltry villains in the DC Extended Universe. Aside from General Zod and Lex Luthor, Ares was a pathetically cheesy-looking adversary for Wonder Woman, seemingly coming from any second-rate video game.
Then there’s Steppenwolf. For a movie that was meant to unite the DC superheroes against a dastardly foe, they couldn’t have floundered worse than having the one-dimensional Steppenwolf.
Not only was he a boring character, but he looked just as painfully generic as Ares (not to mention his hideous CG).
Once again, Marvel’s villains swoop in with their unique personalities and goals-- except for that weird take on the Mandarin.
Loki's Fangirls
This meme makes a powerfully potent case for Marvel’s supremacy not only in the comic book movie world, but beyond.
Heath Ledger’s beloved take on the Joker from Christopher Nolan’s opus, The Dark Knight, was universally adored after the controversial performance was seen in action, where he easily overshadowed the dark knight the movie is named after.
Then, of course, there is Darth Vader, who may yet be the most iconic villain in cinematic history.
However, Loki still has them all beat in one critical way: fan girls-- lots and lots of fan girls. Tom Hiddleston’s delightfully devilish performance is fantastic in its own right, creating a captivating character in all of his appearances, but it’s the armies of obsessed fans that smite anything DC (or otherwise) has to offer.
The DCEU Joker Makes Us Laugh In The Wrong Way
Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman is a classic take on the Clown Prince of Crime. He looked the part, he acted the part, and he was as fun to laugh with as he was to be feared.
Following this was the controversial (yet jaw-dropping) Joker in The Dark Knight, portrayed by Heath Ledger.
Last but not least, we’d be remiss to not mention Mark Hamill’s vocal mastery as the character in the Animated Series and beyond. For thousands of fans, he’s the definitive Joker, and rightfully so.
However, then there’s Jared Leto’s Joker. He’s a great actor, and the role itself wasn’t poorly written per se, but as the meme is happy to illustrate, we got a goofy, tattooed, grilled and cringy “hardcore” take on the character... and it didn’t go over well.
Lex Luthor Created The Justice League
Both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War, featured well-known super heroes beating the tar out of each other in a battle royale at the behest of their respective villains.
In Civil War, Zemo wanted to avenge his country of Sokovia by causing the Avengers to destroy themselves through the simple act of framing Bucky.
In BvS, Lex Luthor was incredibly mistrustful of Superman, and he took advantage of Batman’s own misgivings against the man of steel, forcing them both into a fatal battle… but at the same time, he also helped create the Justice League, which was almost certrainly not part of his original plan.
Not only did he put the pieces in motion for the eventual union of the team, but he even had an email containing the future candidates for the League, along with their logos. Thanks, Lex?
Ultron Hates The Internet
The Avengers: Age Of Ultron is sloshing around near the bottom of the pecking order for all of Marvel’s movies, right next to the first Thor.
While it’s not exactly terrible, it’s a bloated and pointless ruckus that provides no real emotional core, acting as a placeholder for bigger and better things.
However, then there’s the titular Ultron himself. As an AI that got a little too big (and smart) for his britches, he decides that in order to save the Earth, he’s going to have to destroy it.
What triggered this maniacally twisted take on everything? The internet, of course.
Marvel is known for having characters that are relatable “regular people” as opposed to DC’s Amazons and Kryptonians, and we’re having a hard time not relating with Ultron’s take on humanity after he took in a little too much of the cyberspace cesspool.
Loki... In General
While Loki’s back-up in the form of screaming fangirls (and, let’s be honest, fanboys) is nothing to scoff at, he’d be nothing without the masterfully charismatic character that Tom Hiddleston brings to the table as the villain.
While Thor’s debut movie sits quite comfortably on the bottom of the Marvel barrel in terms of quality, Loki ascended far beyond the schlock that he was surrounded with, leaving his poor hammer-wielding brother in the dust.
The gap between the two only became greater with Loki’s show-stopping presence as the supreme villain of the first Avengers movie. Yes, even in a movie where nearly all of Marvel’s mightiest heroes teamed up, it was still Loki who remained the most popular.
DC’s current cinematic universe would do anything for a villain with that kind of draw.
Ultron Loves Metal
While Avengers: Age Of Ultron is a generally emotionless, bloated, and blasé entry for the franchise, it did deliver the delicious Ultron as its villain.
Upon being triggered by the internet, Ultron decides to wipe out humanity and start over by… hurling an enormous chunk of the Earth like the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Or something like that.
Hackneyed methods aside, Ultron happens to be fairly quotable and, as this meme is happy to point out, he’s a fan of a certain musical genre.
Spouting possibly the most metal line in all of the MCU, Ultron declares that “when the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.”
Leave it to the always-on-the-bounce meme team to properly illustrate precisely what Ultron was referring to. No, not himself or machines, but the actual genre of metal, as he’s obviously a metal head. Rock on, Ultron.
Obscure Villains Become New Favorites
DC should get some credit where credit is due-- on occasion, they’ve tried to push lesser-known super villains into their movies. Although the success is hit-or-miss, it’s a valiant effort on their end.
Alas, no effort could match up to Marvel’s 2017 versions of some truly bizarre and obscure characters. Not only did they dig into the vaults for some of these folks, but they also made them extremely popular in the process.
Kurt Russell as a living planet is one thing, but they even took the lame, old-man-in-tights Vulture from Spider-Man, and gave him a worthy update (thanks in no small part to the wicked Michael Keaton.)
Then there’s Hela. Played perfectly by Cate Blanchett, she nearly steals the Ragnorak show from her first appearance.
MCU Villains Are Elves
Maybe Marvel’s villains aren’t memorable because of fancy writing, their intentions, backstory or the plot of their respective movies. Maybe it’s because a large chunk of them are immigrants from Middle-earth.
Cate Blanchett was Hela, the queen of the Underworld in Thor: Ragnorak, but she was the glamorous (and terrifying) Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies first.
Lee Pace was Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy, but back in Middle Earth, he was known as the Elvenking Tharanduil.
Then there’s the king of the Elves himself, Elrond. Hugo Weaving may best be known for his roles as V, Agent Smith and the aforementioned elf king, but he made a fantastic mark on the MCU as the Red Skull.
Kingpin Is A Complex Character
The Netflix-exclusive Daredevil series is some of the highest-quality content that Marvel has ever put out, and not by a small margin, either.
Completely erasing the old Ben Affleck-led Daredevil movie from memory, this series follows the origin and eventual justice-bringing of the blind superhero, Daredevil.
While he and his cast of friends are interesting in their own right, it’s the series’ main villiain, the Kingpin, who steals the show.
Expertly portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio, Mr. Fisk is portrayed as an exceedingly complex criminal mastermind. He’s classy, he’s kind, but he’s also extremely brutal, merciless, and dangerously intelligent.
It’s fascinating to watch the character at work, since we often find ourselves sympathizing with him. We learn his horrific backstory, and cheer him on during an awkward date, but we also cringe at his terrifying cruelty and criminal activities.
In the end, it’s hard to hate “Good Guy Kingpin.”
Gamora Vs. Harley Quinn
For decades, the comic book industry has faced controversy and criticism over how it portrays the women-- both super and non-- who populate their worlds.
Whether it’s the one-dimensional “damsel in distress” trope or the overly-objectified characters like Starfire or Captain Marvel, comics have tried to adapt to the demands of the unhappy fans who want better characters in terms of personality and inclusion.
Despite this, DC still pushes the uncomfortable Harley Quinn, and there’s a creepy amount of people who want to be her, complete with the horribly abusive “relationship” that she has with the Joker.
That said, where DC fumbles, Marvel makes the touchdown. Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy is a fantastically well-rounded and super-cool character who blows the one-dimensional Harley out of the water. She’s also green-- you can’t beat green.
The Fanboys Are Coming
As we said at the start of our list, the countless wars waged between fans of Star Wars, Star Trek, Dragon Ball, Marvel and DC have lasted for decades. It’s even likely that these types of debates have existed for centuries, or even millennia.
However, do you know what? In the end, it doesn’t matter. There are no winners. No objective or empirical ways to prove things one way or another.
Maybe Marvel’s villains aren’t the best, no matter what rabid fans say. Maybe DC movies aren’t as terrible as the bandwagon majority so desperately wants you to think.
Alas, no matter what fandom you belong to, and no matter what side you take, there is one constant, and Lex nails it: the fanboys will come, and things will get messy.
"Hail Hydra"
Perhaps the definitive reason why the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s villains are superior to their DC counterparts is simple. It doesn’t lie in the actors, their portrayals, their writing, or even the movies that they starred in. No, perhaps it just lies with the fact that they’re so easy to make memes about.
Take this one, for example. Winter Soldier is generally considered one of Marvel’s best efforts, but the simple, casual utterance of “Hail Hydra” furthered the goals and reach of the clandestine organization far more than their in-universe efforts.
This meme featuring Bill Murray is only the tip of the iceberg. The now-iconic phrase super-imposed over someone whispering has taken on a life of its own, jumping from Marvel, to animation like the Simpsons or King of the Hill, and even real life, featuring actual US Presidents, past and present.
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What do you think? Are Marvel's villains superior to DC's? Let us know in the comments!