Comic Book Villains That Are Zombies:
Halloween has gone by but the spirit of the spook hasn’t. The comic books are filled with supervillains. But for something to be truly horrifying, it must be resonating with some classic horror tropes. Sure the Joker terrifies us all but in the end, he is still a human being. He can be killed. But there are other villains. That has become so one with the afterlife that they have managed to win it and come back from the dead. They have breathed their last and breathed again. That is how scary they are!! They are the ones who dwell both in the land of the living and the land of the dead. They are the missing link that connects the moral plane with the next one.
1. Gentleman Ghost
The story of the Gentleman Ghost is truly unique. He was a 19th Century highwayman who lived from hand to mouth. Traveling to the United States of America in the early 19th Century, he soon found himself captured by law enforcement agencies. Craddock was falsely accused of a crime he never committed and given the death penalty. While trying to escape, he was caught and killed by Hawkman and Hawk Girl. Craddock was later cursed. His spirit could not move on to the after-life until his killers’ spirits did. That led Craddock to become a ghost living on the mortal plane since Hawkman and Hawk Girl were forever caught in a cycle of eternal reincarnation and could never move on to the afterlife.
2. Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy’s real name is Cyrus Gold. He was a crooked businessman and later out-law who was betrayed by his own people and then mercilessly killed. His body was dumped in a swamp. Fortunately or unfortunately, Gold returns back to the land of the living. The swamp he was dumped into was infested with toxic chemicals, which over the years combined Grundy’s dead body with the toxic marshland remains and turned him into a huge monster with strength and durability that rivaled that of Superman. Grundy has been a huge time foe of the Justice League. But he has more than often been a thorn at Batman’s side.
3. Black Lantern Corps
The Black Lanterns are the primary antagonists of the Blackest Night event. Created by the Lord of the Un-Dead Nekron (more on him in a bit), the Black Lantern Corps is made up of fallen heroes that breathed their last in the battlefield. Not just heroes, it also has a flurry of supervillains that had long died ages ago. The Black Lanterns wore Black Power Rings powered by the evil entity called the Black Hand and the rings were made out of Batman’s skull. Nekron was the one that created them but they ended up becoming a high-level threat to the entire multi-verse.
4. Lilith
She is called the Mother of Demons. In Christian Mythology, Lilith was the actual partner of Adam. When Lilith wanted equal rights for her like Adam enjoyed, she was punished. But in Marvel Comics, Lilith is an ancient human being that accepted demonic powers to defile and corrupt her and turn her into a powerful demonic entity. She is said to be an enemy of Atlantis and it was Atlantean sorcerers that captured her and trapped her in an underground chamber until a group of scientists unwittingly freed her. Lilith has an army of superhuman demons called the Lilin, her own children that aid her in battle. She herself is also pretty strong.
5. Xarus
Xarus is the Son of Count Dracula, Lord of the Vampires. That makes Xarus the Prince of All Vampires. Xarus is an overzealous and overambitious character who had always wished to usurp his father and get the throne of the Lord of Vampires. He has managed to attack and subdue the X-Men on several occasions. One time, he even managed to attack the X-Mansion and turn Jubilee into a vampire. Xarus almost succeeded in overthrowing his father on one occasion. As of now, Xarus is known as the Shadow Colonel. He fights the Avengers as well as the X-Men in this new alias.
6. Nekron
Nekron is the king of the Land of the Un-Living. The Land of the Un-Living is an extra-dimensional plane of existence that exists between the mortal realm and heaven and hell. This is where the spirits of the dead rest until their judgment has been passed. So it is sort of like a transit point. Nekron is himself the first-ever un-dead spirit to enter that realm. He draws his power from the death of people. So the more people die, the stronger he becomes. Nekron is a very powerful entity and is considered by many as the strongest reservoir of Dark Force energy in the entire Multi-Verse.
7. Nightmare
Nightmare is the Lord of the Dream Dimension. He is one of Doctor Strange’s strongest foes. Practically an un-dead demon of sorts, Nightmare has always kept Doctor Strange on his toes. Nightmare has clashed with not only Doctor Strange but also Spider-Man, Wolverine and even the Hulk. He also happens to be related by blood to the Dweller in Darkness, another dark entity hell bent on making life hell for the good guys. Nightmare’s one true purpose in his eternal life is to continuously search for ways to entrap all the people in the world in an eternal sleep and gain infinite power.
8. Marvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies are probably the greatest force of the Un-Dead to ever exist in a comic book. After a mysterious virus sweeps all over the planet and turns the infected into flesh-eating zombies, the superheroes also fall prey to the viral outbreak. Soon, only a handful of superheroes hovering above the planet in the Shield Helicarrier manage to survive but they too turn into carnivores soon. When Galactus comes to devour the planet, the zombies manage to kill him and eat him as well. Now with the Power Cosmic they ingested from Galactus, the Zombies decide to venture out into the cosmos looking for new sources of food.
9. Dracula
Dracula is the King of Vampires and a long-time foe of Blade. For Centuries, he has been striking fear in the heart of his enemies and fighting supernatural heroes since time immemorial. Forever cursed to walk the Earth, Dracula has amassed a wealth of knowledge and powers that he uses to attack his foes. Count Dracula is even an actual king of a country. The tiny nation of Transylvania houses the last vestiges of his Kingdom, which he rules via fear.
10. Exodus
Bennet du Paris was an ally of the Black Knight. But he was wounded in battle and left behind by his friend. Feeling that his friend abandoned him, du Paris later realizes that he has mutant abilities that awaken inside of him and turn him into the Super Villain known as Exodus. After trying to defy Apocalypse, Exodus was stripped of most of his powers and put in a near death like state until he was awakened by Magneto. Exodus came back from the land of the dead with new and unique powers and ended up becoming an un-dead force of nature.
The Last Solo Marvel movie to be released under the Disney banner is Spider-Man: Far From Home. The movie is currently in theatres. The official film synopsis for the movie reads:
Peter Parker’s relaxing European vacation takes an unexpected turn when Nick Fury shows up in his hotel room to recruit him for a mission. The world is in danger as four massive elemental creatures — each representing Earth, air, water and fire — emerge from a hole torn in the universe. Parker soon finds himself donning the Spider-Man suit to help Fury and fellow superhero Mysterio stop the evil entities from wreaking havoc across the continent.
The last movie to be released under the DC banner was Joker. The movie is currently in theatres. The official film synopsis for the movie reads:
Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks — the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he’s part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.
