The best super villains have believable backstories, even if they start in outer space. They’re multidimensional, flawed, plausibly motivated. Crucially, they’re relatable, much more so than heroes – however unsettling that is. It’s no wonder so many are based on real people and often it’s more than just looks. In order of their closeness to real-life inspirations, here are ten of the be
Grigori Rasputin
Hellboy’s archenemy is taken from history, though obviously some facts are embellished. For example, the comic’s fictionalized version of the “mad” Russian monk first summoned Hellboy from Hell. That said, the “real” Rasputin is also heavily fictionalized and the “facts” depend on the source.
Magneto
As everyone knows, Stan Lee’s X-Men was an allegory for the Black civil rights movement, with Professor X as Martin Luther King and Magneto as Malcolm X. Like Malcolm X, Magneto seeks to empower his community to rise up against its oppressors, while Professor X, like MLK, dreams of peace and equality for all. However, Stan Lee’s X-Men was cancelled early on and Chris Claremont, who took it over, had other ideas.
The Mandarin
As Iron Man’s nemesis, the Mandarin has appeared in a number of different forms, including as Shang-Chi’s father. But the original was based on Fu Manchu – the stock ‘evil Chinaman’ of the twentieth century, complete with devilish goatee and dark magic powers. Created by novelist Sax Rohmer, Fu was conceived as the “yellow peril incarnate in one man”, bent on the downfall of the West. Fittingly, Rohmer got the idea from asking a ouija board how he could make his fortune and getting the word C-H-I-N-A-M-A-N in reply.
Joker
If you’re a fan of the Joker, you probably know he was based on The Man Who Laughs (1928) – a silent film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel. Starring Conrad Veidt as the titular Gwynplaine, it’s the tragic tale of a man whose mouth was disfigured to a permanent grin. Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson copied Veidt’s frightening ‘Glasgow smile’, as well as his hairstyle and make-up, for Joker’s first hijinks in Batman #1 (1940). Successive artists also drew on the film. In Batman: The Killing Joke (1988), Brian Bolland based his own Joker’s “tear-brimmed eyes” on Veidt’s in one of his scenes.
Darkseid
Darkseid first appeared in the spin-off comic Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (#134, 1970). But he went on to become one of DC’s most powerful villains. In fact, he’s one of the most powerful beings ever to appear in comics. Obsessed with enslaving whole planets and ending free will in our galaxy, he was inspired by two historical figures: Adolf Hitler and Richard Nixon – with the emphasis squarely on Nixon
