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Audiences remember relatable villains. Tropes such as 'evil,' 'unhinged' or 'vengeful' Big Bads no longer sell movie tickets. Audiences want to see themselves in the people their heroes fight. They want to understand the nuance of what's at stake and why each side is fighting so hard to beat the other.
Supervillains whose lives took a wrong turn and led them down a dark path are thrilling to watch. Backstories filled with complex motivations and dark twists humanize the villains on-screen, and there's a reason anti-heroes are so popular. Another way audiences can connect with their favorite villains is through similarities, and what's more similar than a shared zodiac sign?
12 Stryker Is A Hard-Working Yet Stubborn Capricorn
Capricorns can hold a grudge, and no one is more unforgiving or relentless than William Stryker. After his embittered son, Jason, tortured him and his wife (blaming them for his mutation), his wife drilled a hole in her head to 'make the images stop.' As a result, Stryker made it his mission to eradicate the 'mutant problem.'
Moody and short-tempered, Stryker is one of the X-Men's longest-standing enemies. His pessimism and stubborn hatred of mutants have caused irreparable harm to every one of the X-Men, and especially Wolverine through the Weapon X project. Through his belief that creating the ultimate mutant killer would help eradicate mutants, he made Wolverine his greatest adversary – a mistake that resulted in his death.
11 Poison Ivy Is A Sensitive Yet Emotionally Manipulative Cancer
Poison Ivy is connected to the world's plant life like an inverse Mother Nature. Able to secrete floral toxins and mind-controlling pheromones, she controls all plant life and manipulates her enemies through hypnosis and/or seduction. Similar to a Cancer, Poison Ivy feels everything very deeply. She cares about the planet and the defenseless flora being destroyed by humans, and her empathy drives her eco-terrorism. In her eyes, punishing those who deserve it doesn't come close to the cruelties humanity wreaks upon the Earth. She fights for her version of the greater good (however misguided), and her high intelligence – typical of all Cancers – only bolsters her ability to carry out her version of justice.
10 Hela Is A Regal Yet Unapologetic Taurus
Taurus' worst traits come from their 'bull-like' tendencies. Angry, possessive, and prone to fanaticism, their desire to own worldly items (or in Hera's case, the world) highlights their need to dominate. Diligent when it comes to reaching their goals, Tauruses will stop at nothing to get their way. Hela is the Goddess of Death and the right hand of Odin – a fact she makes everyone aware of as she wins every battle and conquers every realm.
Sadly, her success is her downfall. Despite bringing the nine realms under Asgard's control, it wasn't enough to satiate her appetite for war. This forced Odin to lock her away until his death, which triggered her release in the MCU's Thor: Ragnarok.
9 Killmonger Is An Altruistic But Unpredictable Aquarian
Aquarius want to make the world a better place. They hate injustice and are motivated by a desire for fairness. Erik Killmonger's fight with T'Challa (aka Black Panther) is because he's angry about Wakanda's technological secrecy, which he believes could and should make the lives of those of African descent better.
In a world still fighting against racial oppression, Killmonger's ideology is sound. However, his merciless means and stubborn refusal to listen to reason lead to his downfall. Also driven by revenge against T'Challa's father, who killed his own, Killmonger's motivations might be understandable, but his blind hate meant he didn't live to see Wakanda open its borders.
8 Bane Is A Loyal Yet Ruthless Aries
Driven by passion and impulse, Aries are hot-headed, aggressive, and impatient. "Born in the dark and molded by it," Bane was the very worst version of an Aries. However, his empathy and protection of Talia Al Ghul after her mother was killed in the Pit showed courage despite the conditions he grew up in. Fearless and strong, Bane is a skilled strategist and orator, which helped him subdue the residents of Gotham City in The Dark Knight Rises while Batman recovered from his injuries. Aggressive and unrelenting until the end, Bane was eventually taken out by Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman).
7 Barbara Minerva Is A Friendly Yet Insecure Pisces
Pisces are the sensitive souls of the zodiac – a trait that's often the catalyst for their worst tendencies. When viewers first meet Barbara In Wonder Woman 1984, she's awkward, insecure, and weak-willed – a Pisces at their worst. However, she's also kind, friendly, and yearns for love and acceptance.
Feeling unseen and under-confident, she wishes to be more like Diana, and as she's holding the Dreamstone when she voices this desire, her wish is granted. From then on, her humanity slips away as she becomes the worst version of herself. Her low self-esteem is slowly replaced by an aggressively confident and feral persona with none of Barbara's kinder qualities. By the end of the film, she emerges as Cheetah and refuses to give up her power, even if it's for the greater good.
6 Loki Is An Adaptable Yet Fickle Gemini
Gemini are the chaos demons of the zodiac. Unpredictable, two-faced, and good at lying, Loki embodies typical Gemini traits like the constellation was inspired by him. His high intelligence, quick wit, and social nature make him an excellent chameleon, and he's able to charm himself out of trouble whenever he finds himself in hot water. However, Loki's devious and superficial nature means he can't be trusted, which often isolates him. Being unreliable – whatever side of the fight a villain finds themselves on – only leads to disappointment and regret. Or, in Loki's case, death.
5 Baron Zemo Is A Meticulous Yet Critical Virgo
Quiet and contemplative, Virgo's like order, which is what Zemo wanted when he plotted to take down the Avengers. Blaming them for the death of his family in Sokovia, he framed the Winter Solider as an international terrorist, leading to the split between Captain America and Iron Man when it was revealed Bucky killed Stark's parents in 1991 (while being brainwashed by Hydra). Audiences saw the consequence of Zemo's machinations in Captain America: Civil War. A tightly-wound, overly critical perfectionist – like every Virgo at their worst – Zemo succeeded in enacting vengeance, despite his misplaced anger.
4 Harley Quinn Is A Lively Yet Impulsive Sagittarius
Sagittarius are the clowns of the zodiac. Free-spirited and passionate, their emotional intelligence is one of their best traits. However, they're also overly accommodating and blindly optimistic, which is why Harley Quinn ended up in an abusive relationship with the Joker. Her empathy led to her demise and warped her into the misguided villain she becomes. Flighty, impulsive, and reckless, Harley is a Sagittarius at their worst. However, her blunt nature and high energy make her an engaging and endlessly entertaining villain to watch.
3 Lex Luthor Is A Charming Yet Self-Indulgent Libra
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Charming and sharp, Librans make great politicians. Able to fit into any situation, they're level-headed and balanced. However, at their worst, they're arrogant, vindictive, and entitled. Paradoxically, Librans are known people-pleasers, which is something Lex struggled to reconcile while growing up in his abusive father's shadow. His obsessive need to prove himself led him down a dark path, culminating in the narcissistic and egotistical villain audiences love to hate.
2 Mystique Is A Cunning Yet Secretive Scorpio
Ruthless, cunning, and secretive, Mystique embodies the worst traits of a Scorpio. Her ability to shape-shift not only allows her to infiltrate any situation, but her acting ability while mimicking someone else's skin makes her a master of words. Scorpios stand by their beliefs and are loyal to the causes they fight, and alongside Magneto, no one is more determined to end mutant subjugation than Mystique.
However, Scorpios have trust issues and are prone to jealousy, which can make them abrasive and act out to protect themselves. Although it's understandable Mystique might have trouble letting people in, the way she handles her insecurities is nothing short of criminal.
1 Electro Is A Magnetic Yet Attention-Seeking Leo
All Leo signs want to be seen, and no one wanted to be seen more than Max Dillon. However, his fear of being a nobody was ultimately his undoing. When he fell into a vat of genetically engineered eels, everything he hated about himself disappeared overnight. Able to manipulate electricity, he took on the moniker 'Electro' and became an arrogant, cocky, and egotistical individual. Drunk on confidence, he sought the spotlight to prove himself, and in doing so, made Spider-Man (who was once his idol) his enemy. However, like every Leo's fate if left unchecked, his pride eventually proved to be his downfall.