Films are incomplete without their heroes. It is the legacy of our favorite heroes that we keep coming back to it every other time a new installment of a film gets released. However, it is not just a hero who completes the film; villains play a key feature in building the most important stories of all times and make us hate them forever. Phil Keoghan once said, “For any good story you need the adversary, the heroes, and villains”. You need a good mixture to make it work. The rivalry between heroes and villains is what drives the film business as much as good scripts and good direction. Remember the most epic hero-villain rivalries of all times? Which all names strike your mind when you think about the most memorable combats in movies and TV series? Here, we have curated a list of the greatest hero-villain conflicts which will instantly make you feel nostalgic. Some of these battles have resulted in blockbuster hits and have given us reasons to watch them again and again. In the list, we have tried to cover the most iconic hero-villain duos keeping in mind their popularity amongst the viewers. Read below to know how these duos made us their die-hard fans!
Batman and Joker
© Warner Bros
Well, not enough can be said or written about the almost poetic hatred between the hero and villain of the second movie of the latest Batman series. What Batman and Joker gave us was incomparable and unforgettable. ‘The Dark Knight’ was a movie that broke all records and majorly because of the unique rivalry between the hero and the villain.
Both masked men–one a symbol of peace and stability while the other the face of chaos, their story is breathtaking! The fact that the fight is beyond materialistic or tangible goals makes the story unique.
Professor X and Magneto
© 20th century fox
Marvel’s X-Men is a successful franchise with 10 blockbuster hits under its name. The franchise plans to release 4 new movies this year. One of the most famous rivalries of all time is seen between Professor X and Magneto in the X-Men series.
What makes this hero-villain duo more special is that they have a common lineage and strong history. Both the characters happen to be the forefathers of an uncanny mutant revolution. The difference in opinion here is that one of them wants to co-exist with the humans while the other conspires to conquer the throne for his kind and is ready to end life on planet earth.
Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort
© Warner Bros
As a 90s kid, I have grown up hating the one who cannot be named and loving the chosen one. J. K. Rowling gave a generation its favorite hero and the most popular villain. One had the strength of love while the other lacked it, the two hated each other with equal passion.
We can never forget all the Avada Kedavara moments from the Harry Potter series. Rowling made us hate Voldemort from the core of our hearts as we rooted for Harry throughout a decade. The last part of the book and movie were much anticipated and tasted limitless success because the finale saw the end of Voldemort.
Superman and Lex Luthor
© DC
One of the most popular antagonist-protagonist duos of the DC franchise is Superman and Lex Luthor. The former is a God descended from heaven to protect the earth against all evil while the latter is a complete anti-hero.
The intense fight of principles and beliefs between these two characters has given us some roller coaster jitters in the Superman movies.
Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty
© BBC Wales
Sherlock Holmes, the on-screen adaptation of the books written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, has been topping the TRP charts for seasons now. The hero-villain duo (Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty) is a rage among viewers and rightly so.
These two men are equally smart and intelligent. The kind of chemistry that their hatred creates on the screen is almost tangible. Moriarty is the ultimate archenemy of Detective Holmes and the sophistication with which both of them portray borderline sociopath traits is simply mind-blowing! Holmes describes Moriarty as the Napoleon of crime.
Wolverine and Sabertooth
© screen rant
The brawl between Marvel’s Wolverine and Sabertooth is one that the world would pay to watch. Another popular X-Men duo, these two characters are brothers who cannot be killed. They are almost equally strong and have similar powers. This makes their fight sequences even more interesting. Watching these two brothers fight to death gives viewers enough opportunities to gasp and hoot at the same time!
Neo and Agent Smith
© warner bros
Some villains are so evil that they make us believe that no matter how many times the devil fails, it always finds its way back. Agent Smith of The Matrix franchise is one such villain. Deceptive, cruel and heartless, Agent Smith conspires and creeps back his way each time.
To fight this kind of a villain, you need a hero like Neo. Determined to free the humanity of The Matrix, Neo consistently fights this antagonist and declares that good always wins.
There are no bad villains, for we have all heard of Sir George Martins famous quote which goes something like this: Nobody is a villain in their own story. We’re all the heroes of our own stories.
Well, it cannot be denied that a story is as good as well-portrayed are its protagonists and antagonists. The stronger the hatred between a hero and a villain, the more gripping their tale is. We hope you enjoyed this list of some of our favorite such amazing duos.