They say a hero is only as good as the villain. When the antagonist is outstanding, the protagonist tends to look more formidable if they manage to defeat them. However, a different kind of problem arises when the villain is too awesome. The hero gets overshadowed to the point where audiences stop rooting for them and wish for evil to prevail. Such a phenomenon has been observed on several occasions in movies.

Some movies in the DC and Marvel landscapes, as well as a few from other franchises, feature magnificent villains and average heroes. Is it a good thing for a villain to outshine a hero? This is debatable. Some of the evildoers are intended to be the stars of the show. For others, it is accidental. Either an actor gives such a great performance, or the writers pen a script that largely favors the villain without knowing it. Whatever the reason, this kind of dynamic is always interesting to see, and here are the movies where it happens.

In , Tony Stark’s . What results is the sentient Ultron (James Spader), . It’s now up to the Avengers to stop him.

Age of Ultron is . The movie also offers everything you could hope to find in the MCU, including street battles and a liberal smattering of strange sci-fi elements. But even though the sequel's AI theme makes it era-appropriate, the heroes don’t shine as much as the villain. Iron Man is reeling from PTSD, Hulk and Black Widow have an awkward flirtation thing going on, the Maximoff twins are still finding their footing, while Thor and Hulk are on autopilot.

In , Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his gang are a (Jonathan Majors). The time-traveling villain was exiled by his variants, but is now looking for a way to conquer the multiverse. Will they stop him?

The first Phase Five installment was a huge flop, creating worries about whether it was the best project to use as a foundation for the new chapter, but everything could have worked out fine in the long run because Jonathan Majors’ Kang is amazing. Fans had already seen glimpses of him in Loki, and he shines even brighter here,.

in , so Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), who is in his second year as the vigilante Batman, steps up to investigate. The Riddler is behind it all, but that’s not Batman’s only headache. The Penguin is also up to some mischief. How will he handle these two legendary rogues' gallery members?

Shot in London, The Batman is an energetic fusion of high architectural art and inner-city decay that's not to be missed. Unfortunately, Pattinson doesn’t move the character of Batman forward in any way, . Thankfully, The Penguin is good, too, though he shines brighter in his own TV show.

’s titular character (portrayed by Will Ferrell) is a super-intelligent alien villain who has proved too good for his nemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt). After defeating the beloved hero of Metro City, . However, Hal turns out to be worse than expected, forcing Megamind to be the savior.

Too funny yet emotionally robust. Megamind’s plot offers little surprises and borrows a little too glibly from superhero comedy movies, but the presence of charismatic voice actors elevates it. . As time goes by, he learns to see things differently.

There’s a new kid in town in . America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) has the ability to hop across the multiverse, but such a gift is dangerous. and reunite with the children she created in Westview. Thankfully, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is here to help.

Doctor Strange 2 is a triumphant film and visual marvel, though it's only suitable for viewing with older children. That’s because. Watch out for the scene where she brutally slaughters all the Illuminati members except Modo in Earth–838. Meanwhile, .

In , Steve Rogers discovers that ., so he teams up with Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) and Sam Wilson (Mackie) to uncover the conspiracy. But .

Marvel Studios’ adaptation of Ed Brubaker’s popular Winter Soldier comic arcs is given top-shelf treatment here. T, and you’ll like him that way. It’s a shame he’s stuck being a good guy nowadays. , and so will many others. Cap has some highlights, notably the elevator fight, but he is nowhere near as cool as Bucky.

After several unsuccessful attempts to resurrect the Superman franchise following the failure of the Christopher Reeve-led The Quest for Peace, Warner Bros. Pictures got Bryan Singer to do . This time, after it becomes clear that their long-ago feelings never died. But romance will have to take a backseat when Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) pops up.

It would be harsh but not wrong to say that no one ranks Brandon Routh among the greatest Superman actors. It’s not his fault. , such as when Superman prevents a plane from crashing into a stadium. Other than that, . This Luthor reminds us of Gene Hackman’s version. And does anyone else think Spacey and Hackman look a little too similar?

In , T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) after his father’s death. But and intends to use the country’s resources to push a personal course. Who will win?

With his trademark visual flair and love for black culture, director Ryan Coogler spins a tense, melodramatic story with heavy allusions to several other power struggle movies. Boseman is a wonderful actor, as proven in movies like Get on Up and 42, but . Meanwhile, Jordan bosses the proceedings. How wouldn’t he, when his character is blessed with some of the best dialogue in the MCU? “Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, cause they knew death was better than bondage," he says in the climactic scene.

As the famous Charlie Chaplin character, Monsieur Verdoux once said, "One murder makes a villain, millions a hero. Numbers sanctify." But that’s nonsense, right? The Mad Titan thinks it makes sense. r thus finds Thanos (Josh Brolin) , an act he believes will solve most problems. Will our favorite heroes stop him?

Enough years have passed, so there’s no need to hold on to spoilers. Thanos wins and does so convincingly. After acting like the greatest blessings to mankind for years, the Avengers are obliterated here. So are the Guardians of the Galaxy. Even a thousand-strong battle in Wakanda fails to stop The Mad Titan. Thanos excels both in strength and ideology. It takes a not-so-convincing time travel plot in the sequel to save the popular protagonists.

In The Dark Knight, Gotham City plunges into chaos when the Joker (Heath Ledger) starts conducting a series of unpredictable crimes, mainly meant to push Batman (Christian Bale) to his moral limit. Things get worse when DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) also breaks bad after experiencing a tragedy and becomes the villain known as Two-Face.

Christopher Nolan is the man in charge, and he imbues this dreamy superhero flick with authentic scenery and lurid detail. Better yet, the filmmaker elicits a spectacular performance from Heath Ledger while crafting a gripping, deeply terrifying portrait of crime. Ledger allegedly pushed himself to the limit during the production process, and it shows on screen. Meanwhile, Batman is just Batman: wooden, never smiling, and ready to punch. To him we ask, “Why so serious?”