Since superheroes made their appearance,the rogues gallery has regularly been part of their adventures. Of course, they weren't known by that term in the early years. That only came to fruition in the 1950s and 60s.
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After that, whenever a hero's most common adversaries got together, they were coined as a rogues gallery. Through the decades, there have been some great ones and, frankly, ones that should have never been created.As an example, here are 5 of the best rogues galleries in comics and five of the worst.
10 Worst:Monster Society Of Evil
It's true that Black Adam has been a part of this Shazam Universe group at one time or another. When he is, the Monster Society of Evil is a force to be reckoned with. However, when Teth-Adam is off doing other things, this group is, well, strange.
There is some power to it. Despite the fact he's a worm, Mr. Mind is a mind-control genius. And there are people in this group with super strength. However, they're all so silly that it's hard to take them seriously. Even Uncle Marvel could handily beat a few of them.
9 Best: Legion Of Doom
There have been numerous villain groups in the comics with the name Legion of Doom. However, the Justice League rogues gallery referenced here is the first. The one that appeared inthe Saturday morning cartoonChallenge of the Super Friends.
For many superhero fans, the Legion of Doom was the first place they saw villains like Captain Cold, Black Manta, and Solomon Grundy. It's also the first time Lex Luthor took a leadership role with all of them. While other Legion of Doom's were more menacing, this version is the one that still remains in many people's minds.
8 Worst: Legion of Super-Villains
The Legion of Super-Heroes' rogues gallery, the Legion of Super-Villains, is not without its baddies.During its appearance in the premiere of theLegion of Super-Heroes Baxter run in 1984, the LSV had its most powerful lineup. It included, among others, Lightning Lord, Cosmic King, Sun Lord, and Nemesis Kid. All out for the death of one Legionnaire or another.
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Despite this power, they were a mess when it came to teamwork.As their selfish desires got in the way,their fragile teamwork fractured. Especially with Nemesis Kid. Eventually, his ego led to his execution by Princess Projectra.
7 Best: Sinister Six
Rogues galleries tend to match the levels of the heroes they battle. Spider-Man's group of villains, the Sinister Six, is a good example of this. Despite having powers created by technology or accident, the members of this group are basically street-level hoods.
Even their leader in these situations, Doctor Octopus, doesn't want to rule the world all the time. He just wants Spider-Man to leave him the heck alone. Meanwhile, criminals like Electro want to pull off the right heists to comfortably retire. Overall, Spider-Man's rogues gallery is the most down-to-earth in the Marvel Universe.
6 Worst: Plastic Man's Rogues Gallery
Yes, Plastic Man has a rogues gallery. Of course you remember dastardly criminals like Doctor Dome, Kolonel Kool, Mr. Aqua, and The Spider. In addition, you could never forget the King of Zing, Big Beaver, and, um, Pinkeye.
These people are not made up. Well, technically, they were created by those who have written Plastic Man stories over the last seven decades. Nevertheless, these folks have crossed paths with The Elastic One several times. They're just, well, not remembered.
5 Best: Flash's Rogues Gallery
Before Spider-Man built his own group of rogues, Barry Allen did so at the start of the Silver Age. The group of villains that gathered together -- among them, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master -- had/have one thing in common. Their abilities are all connected to some form of technology. Something that was promoted during the heyday of 1950s comics.
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What makes this group of villains different than others is, at one point or another,some of them have given up crime. For instance, Captain Cold was once a member of the Justice League. Another rouge, the Trickster, became an FBI agent. While not all of them have turned over a new leaf, many of Flash's opponents have decided crime really doesn't pay.
4 Worst: Howard The Duck's Rogues Gallery
Even an anthropomorphic, cigar-chomping duck transported to Marvel's Earth-616 has his set of regular villains. Some of them are surprisingly powerful. For example, the Collector, the gamma-irradiated Griffin, and M.O.D.O.K. However, the rest of them are not as challenging.
For instance, Hellcow -- a cow-turned-vampire by Dracula. Then there's the mad scientist known as Doctor Bong. Finally, we can't forget Elf with a Gun. In the end, Howard's rogues gallery makes Spider-Man's villains look normal.
3 Best: Fantastic Four's Rogues Gallery
The Fantastic Four's villains, most of them created during the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby run, are unique among the others on this list.Both separate and combined, they are the most powerful. In addition, a majority of them want to rule the world/universe.
There are no two-bit criminals in the bunch. These are heavy hitters like Mole Man, Doctor Doom, the Puppet Master, and Galactus. Plus,the Four gets regular visitsfrom the Skrulls, the Frightful Four, and evil-doers from the Negative Zone. It's amazing how well the members of the FF have kept these rogues at bay.
2 Worst: Iron Man's Rogues Gallery
It's not that Tony Stark's foes are silly. Frankly, people like the Mandarin and the Crimson Dynamo are incredibly dangerous. It comes down to a sameness. Most of the hoodlums he battlesare armored themselves.
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Some examples ofthese include Firepower, Whiplash, Living Laser, Titanium Man, and Obadiah Stane. There are so many that there have been a few Armor Wars between Tony and his rogues. To be honest, we're not sure how Iron Man would react if he came upon alowlycriminal with a simple gun.
1 Best: Batman's Rogues Gallery
Batman's rogues gallery is one of the oldest. It also has a rotating list of criminals who pop in and out. However, at its core are some of the strangest villains who can't seem to live in a world without the Dark Knight.
This group is comprised of the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, and Riddler. The reason they still remain is simple: they're as psychologically messed up as Bruce Wayne himself. In fact, if Batman didn't have them around, he wouldn't know what to do with himself in terms of fighting crime. They are the yin to his yang. Thankfully, comic book readers are glad they are still here.
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