Summary
- Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron is supposed to be a serious threat, but his constant quips make it hard to take him seriously.
- Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin is too hammy with his ice puns, making it impossible to find him intimidating.
- The portrayal of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine degraded the beloved character and removed some of his best qualities.
It isn't rare for comic book movies to embrace their silly side, in both the DCEU and MCU, but when establishing the high stakes that heroes may face, there are a few villains on the big screen that it is hard to take seriously. With that being said, while this can affect the overall quality of a movie that tries to maintain an air of seriousness, there are rarer occasions when a zany villain actually fits the bill. These moments, when translated to the drama of a big screen outing, are unfortunately hard to come by, even in both the DCEU and the MCU timeline.
It could easily be argued that an air of silliness is inherent in any comic book movie – however, there are some comic book movie villains have taken it one step too far, diminishing the threat that they are supposed to pose. Villains who are considered too absurd can take an array of guises. Sometimes their silliness is ostentatious, and sometimes it comprises a smaller aspect of their character that can overshadow their menacing side. Either way, these are the villains in comic book movies that, whether intended or not, are hard to take seriously.