Matching the right supervillain with the right superhero in a comic is an important task which is often overlooked or taken for granted by comic book readers. A strong pairing between a supervillain and a superhero can increase the importance of both characters and make for memorable battles which can have us talking for decades.
Pairing the right superhero and supervillain is often taken for granted.
Supervillains as a Display of Power
Sometimes, supervillains have to be made to appear miniscule against a superhero to nightlight the superhero’s strength. From time to time, a comic book publisher might want to show how powerful a superhero is by having him or her face a supervillain which has given less powerful superheroes a run for their money. Images from the late 1970s come to mind when Doctor Strange had a fight with Porcupine which only lasted a few frames. While the quilled-villain was a tough battle for some superheroes, he could not hold his own against the Sorcerer Supreme for more than a moment.
Supervillains as an Equal Threat
Joker has proven over the years that he is a perfect match for Batman and Magneto has always made for interesting battles with The X-Men. Typically, supervillains are paired with superheroes which are only a notch above their level. Only the aspects of good make Spider-Man greater than Vulture or Lizard. This type of paring makes a villain a character to be feared by comic book readers. It is this type of pairing which help sell comics and keep us coming back for more each month.
Pairings to Teach a Lesson
Sometimes, we have pairings which are meant to teach us a lesson. These should be rare, but happened quite often over at the House of Ideas. At one point, Marvel thought it would be good to encourage kids to be everything they could be and teach a lesson about how kids can do anything they put their minds to. The negative part of this lesson was how Power Pack defeated characters such as Dr. Doom and Galactus. Really?
Pairing to Show Ethics
In all honesty, Superman should have done away with Lex Luthor decades ago. With one punch, the Man of Steel could send ol’ Lexy into orbit. The pairing of a human with a superpowered alien proves Kal-El’s humanity. Instead of crushing the thorn in his side, he respects the life of even the most evil human.
The next time you pick up a comic, think about the pairing of the supervillains and superheroes. You might be surprised by how you have overlooked the importance of these parings for so many years.
