Since the boom of superhero films in the 2000s, few CBM villains have come close to what Heath Ledger achieved following his portrayal of Joker in The Dark Knight. Despite only being in 33 minutes of the 152-minute runtime, his presence is felt throughout the film, and to this day, the Oscar winner’s take on Joker is considered by many, the best villain in CBM history.
But while that’s true in the case of the big screen, since the boom of superhero media on the small screen in the mid-2010s, there have been numerous great villains over the past few years. However, per fans, it’s Antony Starr’s Homelander, who takes the cake when it comes to the best superhero villain in TV, and some have gone as far as to deem him above Ledger’s Clown Prince of Crime.
The Medium Gives Antony Starr’s Homelander the Edge Over Heath Ledger
One of the things that makes Homelander so captivating as a villain is that despite his superpowers, his villainy hits close to home. Instead of just being another evil Superman, he is a prejudice-fueled public figure, who uses fear-mongering and public support to be in power. Moreover, one edge that Antony Starr‘s Homelander has over Ledger’s Joker is the medium of TV, as opposed to the Brokeback Mountain star’s 33 minutes, Starr has received several seasons of development.
Hands down….
Watching his descent into madness has been probably the best Ive scene in cinema. I feel they never do it right or just get cliche with it. But with Homelander you could legitimately see the deterioration & worry about when it was gonna fallen collapse.
— Vali (@LordVali117) June 14, 2024
Supes….. homelander is definitely the most disturbing villain in live action.
— Chris (@iamchris0408) June 13, 2024
it’s goated. across 4 seasons of great TV, i’m taking homelander
— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) June 13, 2024
I’m taking Homelander over any Villian in Cinema History pic.twitter.com/BD3FoN9e3f
— Alien👽 (@MVPSZN2021) June 14, 2024
Agreed, the man is brilliant as Homelander.
— JTheGreat (@JTheGreatYT2) June 14, 2024
But not everyone agrees with this sentiment, as while Starr had the advantage of the medium going his way, Heath Ledger cemented himself in cinema history with a little over the half-hour mark.
The way Ledger embodied the themes of chaos, anarchy, and obsession, it’s not surprising that his portrayal of Joker is not only seen as the greatest CBM villain but also one of the best in cinema.
Antony Starr Expressed Excitement for the New DCU
While Antony Starr is enjoying major success in the realm of The Boys, there have been rumors about the actor jumping ships to James Gunn‘s DCU. Although these are just speculations, which kickstarted when the actor and Gunn followed each other on social media, Starr did showcase his excitement about Gunn’s DCU, as he sang his praises.
He told Comicbook.com:
I think he’s amazing. I cannot wait to see what he does with the DC universe. I think he’s a phenomenal director, producer, talent. He’s just one of the biggest brains in the industry. So I’m excited to see what he cooks up,
In the end, it comes to audiences’ tastes and what medium they prefer. For example, while TV allows more room for character growth over a longer duration, like Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal. Despite a fraction of Mikkelsen’s screen time, Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal is considered greater.
The Boys is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
The Dark Knight is available to stream on Max.
