Terrance Stamp as General Zod, Superman II (1980)
Superman II’s supervillain isn’t as merciless as Ming, nor is he as complex as loony Lord Whorfin. But as played by The Limey’s Terrence Stamp, Zod is the ultimate triple threat of terror. He reduces our POTUS to tears, kicks the snot out of Superman and unabashedly rocks that sexy disco-era backup singer getup. Bonus: He owns the greatest one-liner in all of sci-fi-dom (yell it with us): “Kneel before Zod!”
RUNNERS-UP:
Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Superman (1978)
John Lithgow as Lord Whorfin, Buckaroo Bonzai (1984)
Max Von Sydow as Ming the Merciless, Flash Gordon (1980)
Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight (2008)
Ian McKellen as Magneto, X-Men (2000)
