It has been said that a hero is only as good as their villain. Acting as foils and antagonists, villains—superpowered and otherwise—are a key figure in comics and superhero stories.
Villains adopt a name for themselves to help keep their criminal identity separate from their civilian life, but the best villain names are also good marketing. After all, nobody wants to mess with someone with “blood” or “killer” in their name.
Good Villain Names
The most important thing about a good supervillain name is its intimidation factor. A villain name should sound dangerous, while also describing the villain’s superpowers.
- Demento
- Giga Storm
- Arachnis
- Task Rabbit
- Master Morpher
- Blizzard
- Silver Shadow
- Darkelf
Megahertz
The result of a laboratory experiment gone wrong, this pile of reanimated flesh can send electrical shockwaves shooting from its body.
- Stalker
- Tempus
- Galactic Knight
- Recluse
- Glitch
- Bloody Mugger
Spinebreaker
A well-known bounty hunter from Malaysia who has frequently crossed paths with the hero Captain Sol.
- Razorclaw
- Miss Chievous
- Spark Plug
- Red Wolf
Female Villain Names
While female villains used to be reduced to latex catsuits and seduction attempts, modern villainesses can be as cutthroat and psychopathic as any other evildoer.
- Euphoria
- Queen Cobra
- Styx
- Enigma
- Banshee
- Octave
- Anne Arkist
- Karma
Eclipse
Able to conjure curtains of shadow wherever she goes, which she uses to casually commit grand larceny to feed her greed.
- Alley Cat
- Poison Princess
- Absinthe
- Vanity
- Stiletto
- Hellion
Snapdragon
A chemist that developed a serum to communicate with plants, she now acts as an ecoterrorist, fighting large corporations.
- Pandora
- Magpie
- Vampirellina
- Hypnos
Male Villain Names
Villains have evolved over the years from comical criminal kingpins into serial killers enhanced by superpowers. But the most enduring part of them has always been their name.
- Invictus
- Black Death
- Tasmanian Tiger
- Chernabog
- General Charcoal
- Marked Hawk
- Wraith
- Sandman
Brain Freeze
Once a neuroscientist in Siberia, the isolation drove him mad and led him to experiment on himself, resulting in a dangerously low body temperature.
- Nightshade
- Cronus
- King Cosmos
- Hyperion
- Technomorph
- Methuselah
Count von Drake
Heralding from Transylvania, this villain taps into ancient magic to summon dragons, hoping to someday subjugate the entire world.
- Incognito
- Fallen Angel
- Mercurius
- Baron Cerebro
Cool Villain Names
Many a villain has outgrown their hero to become more popular. And that is thanks in part to a cool name that rolls off the tongue.
- Pinhead
- Khan the Killer
- Viktorai
- Bohr the Constrictor
- Nocturne
- Venom Hunter
- Bedlam
- Abominal Angel
Reaper
His inability to touch anyone without killing them instantly drove him to the life of an assassin, putting his curse to good use.
- Diamondback
- Live Wire
- Sly
- Crossfire
- Nightcaller
- Pitfall
- Denizen
Warped Warrior
Once from a parallel universe, he now hunts superheroes for sport, hoping for a glorious death in battle.
- Flatline
- Crimson Demon
- Flux
Has this article helped you select a sufficiently nefarious name for your villain? Picking the right name can make a villain stand out, providing lots of nightmare fuel. If you liked the article, let us know in the comments, and share it with your friends!
