35 Best Black Villains of All Time Ranked

Surprisingly, there aren’t a lot of black-skinned villains out there. If anything, there are a lot of black superheroes rising. So, this list is all about villains who are either black-skinned or wear a lot of black just to show how evil they are. 

35. Gamer/ Max Kante (Miraculous Ladybug)

He is actually one of Marinette’s friends. He got akumatized and turned into Gamer when he lost his place in a video game tournament held by the school. As Gamer, he can control giant fighting robots. However, he turns back into Max when Ladybug and Cat Noir manage to defeat him. 

Max got reakumatized to Gamer 2.0. In his new form, he is able to create realistic video games.

34. Shadow (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Shadow is known to be Sonic’s rival and resembles the blue hedgehog in many ways. Instead of having bright colors, shadow sports black fur with red markings. He is more of an anti-hero over a villain but has served as the main antagonist in several games. Despite posing as a threat to Sonic, he repeatedly aids Sonic’s causes to save humanity.

33. Scar (Full Metal Alchemist)

His name was never revealed in the anime series or the manga, but he is constantly referred to as “Scar.” He is a serial killer who aims to eliminate State Alchemists as a means of revenge for the comrades he has lost during the Ishvalan Civil War. Despite stating that alchemy is evil, scar uses alchemy as his weapon of choice to kill State Alchemists.

32. Mor’du (Brave)

Since we have Shadow on this list, we shouldn’t exclude other black-furred animals. Mor’du is a giant black bear that serves as the main antagonist in the Pixar film Brave. He is a legendary bear that has been feared throughout King Fergus’ Kingdom.

Apparently, Mor’du wasn’t always this beast. He was actually a greedy human prince who wanted to rule the kingdom without his brothers. He went to a witch and asked for power. The spell turned him into a bear, and he murdered his family. With no one left to rule the kingdom, it eventually fell. Mor’du’s bear side finally took over, and he lived in the forest for centuries.

Towards the end of Brave, Mor’du is defeated by Merida’s family. His human spirit is finally freed, and he nods gratefully at Merida and moves on to the afterlife.

31. Iceberg/ Charles Murray (DC)

He was once a respectable professor, but he decided to lead a life of crime due to some incident. So, he joined the Suicide Squad, and his ability grants him control over ice.

30. Teddy Bomber/ Ted Brower (Cowboy Bebop)

This bounty in Cowboy Bebop is an activist and terrorist who enjoys seeing his explosions. He uses teddy bear-themed explosives to destroy symbols of capitalism. Despite claiming his reason for bombing is political, it seems that he is also doing it out of wanting attention. When Spike and Andy constantly argue and fight each other, he seems to grow frustrated that nobody is attempting to stop him anymore.

29. Lady Wifi/ Alya Cesaire (Miraculous Ladybug)

You know it’s horrible when your best friend gets turned into a villain. Alya Cesaire gets turned into Lady Wifi. As Lady Wifi, she gets her powers from her smartphone and its Wi-fi signals. This may reference how Alya is always on her phone managing her Ladyblog. She got turned into LadyWife through the anger she felt when she got suspended from school because of Chloe Bourgeois.

Not only did she become akumatized once, but she also got akumatized the second time together with her boyfriend, Nino. She and Nino become the Super Villain Oblivio, who has the ability to erase memory.

28. Riku (Kingdom Hearts)

Not all heroes go a straight path. While Riku is undoubtedly one of the best comrades Sora could have, for a time, he was also part of the villains’ group. Riku has always competed with Sora. Because of Maleficent’s influence on Riku, the boy eventually got jealous enough to betray and attack his own friends. The jealousy and betrayal he felt were enough to convince him to open the portal for Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, to take over him. This is where we see Riku in a mostly black outfit.

Past the events of the first game in the series Kingdom Hearts, Riku matures and accepts both light and darkness as part of him. He even earns himself his own Keyblade and now fights on Sora’s side.

27. Yokai/ Robert Callaghan (Big Hero 6 & Kingdom Hearts)

Another villain hidden in black attire and mask. Yokai makes his first appearance as the main antagonist in Big Hero 6. He stole the microbots from Hiro during the fire incident and used them to get revenge on Alister Krei, who he counts responsible for the loss of his daughter, Abigail. He was eventually stopped and put behind bars by the team.

He makes a second appearance as a villain in the game Kingdom Hearts 3. He gets transformed into Youkai Darkheart. However, he is stopped by the combined efforts of Sora and his team, plus the members of Big Hero 6.

26. Sphinx/ Anath-Na Mut (Marvel)

The Sphinx was actually the chief wizard of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II. It turns out that this wizard was actually a mutant from long ago. When his magic was proved to be inferior to Moses’, the pharaoh had his wizard banished. However, after wandering for years, he found the Ka Stone and attached it to his forehead. The Ka Stone granted him a boost in powers plus immortality.

He lived to the time of our modern-day heroes and eventually clashed with them as a villain.

25. Tanya (Mortal Kombat 4)

Tanya is one of the villain characters from the game series Mortal Kombat. She made her first debut in Mortal Kombat 4 and served as an antagonist and sometimes a playable character in the games. Tanya was revealed to be corrupted by evil and a worshiper of Shinnok. She served under Shao Khan and other criminal groups when Shinnok was defeated. 

24. Queen Chrysalis (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

She is a queen changeling, a type of creature who is able to shapeshift. She is the main antagonist for season 2 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She used her shapeshifting abilities to appear as Princess Candance so she could invade Canterlot without suspicion.

After her season 2 appearance, she shows up again as a minor villain and continues to cause trouble for Equestria. She makes her final appearance in season 9 when the Mane Six defeat her and Tirek and Cozy by turning the three of them to stone.

23. Lee Sampson (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie)

He’s an avid gamer and seems to treat everything like a game challenge, even terrorism. He became an accomplice to Vincent Volaju when the latter offered him the opportunity to help him become a terrorist. The idea of becoming a villain excited Sampson, so he agreed to it and helped Volaju as his main hacker. He eventually had a bounty over his head and was pursued by Faye Valentine, who managed to track him via his credit card. However, he managed to escape.

His career came to an end because Volaju eventually betrayed him.

22. Mina (Black Butler)

She was an Indian woman who served Soma Saman Kadar but eventually left him to become the trophy wife of Harold West Jeb. Some seem to have adored Mina, even describing her as someone who deeply cares for him when his parents would ignore him. However, when they reunited in England, she revealed that she chose to leave him to become a rich wife. It is assumed that Ran-Mao had killed her and her husband by the end of the episode.

21. Yzma (Emperor’s New Groove)

Well, her outfit is more purple, but it does look a bit black in some parts, but Yzma serves as the primary villain of the Emperor’s New Groove. Initially, the show was supposed to be darker, but Yzma became a very comical villain due to direction changes. Yzma seems to be responsible for raising Kuzco, being the family’s advisor and chemist for years. She only started to go against Kuzco when the latter decided to fire her.

20. Jafar (Aladdin & Kingdom Hearts)

Jafar is the main villain of Disney’s Aladdin. He served as the royal advisor to the Sultan. When he learned about the magic lamp owned by Aladdin, he desired to get its power. He is also attracted to Jasmine and initially plans to marry her so he can become Sultan. When he gained the lamp, he wished to become an all-powerful sorcerer. Unfortunately, he got tricked by Aladdin later and wished himself to be a genie and got trapped.

Jafar is also a villain in several Kingdom Hearts games. He is a member of Maleficent’s group and appears to be the group’s second in command.

19. Cyborgirl/LeTonya Charles (DC)

Due to using the drug Tar, LeTonya destroyed her own body, but thanks to one of her aunts, she was given a new body with cybernetic implants. However, unlike Teen Titan’s Cyborg, LeTonya chose to use her new superpower body to do evil deeds. As a result, she becomes a constant enemy that Wonder Woman has to face.

She joined the Cyborg Revenge Squad, where she managed to face Cyborg head-on. However, the battle ended with her defeat.

18. Black Dragons (Dungeons and Dragons)

Your bard will probably be unable to seduce this dragon. Black Dragons are known to be one of the meanest and ill-tempered of the chromatic dragons. Black dragoons appear to be more slender compared to their colored counterparts. Due to where they are found, they tend to smell like rotting vegetation and foul water.

17. Homunculus (Full Metal Alchemist)

Fullmetal Alchemist’s villains. All of them are known to wear black outfits and represent one of the seven sins. The Homunculi are created by the main antagonist, Father. However, the original homunculi is actually a black orb made from the blood of Van Hohenheim. He formed a friendship with the orb, and the orb taught him several things.

The orb in the flask tricked Xerxes into murdering an entire race to grant both Hohenheim and the orb to receive immortality. This particular Homunculi eventually became the antagonist, Father.

16. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty & Kingdom Hearts)

She is the antagonist in Sleeping Beauty and has been an iconic villain in Disney. She took offense over not being invited to Aurora’s christening. As a means of revenge for not being invited, she cursed Princess Aurora.

Due to being such an iconic villain in Disney, she reappears again as one of the main villains for the Kingdom Hearts games. However, unlike the other villains who remain in the world Sora meets them in, Maleficent travels and continues to cause trouble in numerous worlds.

15. Dabi/ Toya Todoroki (My Hero Academia)

Everyone suspected it, but it was finally proved that Dabi’s real identity is Toya Todoroki, the eldest son of Pro Hero Endeavor. However, he decided to live a life of crime due to feeling neglected by his father. Dabi became one of the members of the League of Villains and later took leadership roles in the Paranormal Liberation Front.

His hair was originally red like his father’s but soon turned white due to his inability to handle his own flames. As Dabi, he has colored his hair black to hide his identity from his family since he faked his own death.

14. Dr. Facilier (Princess & the Frog)

He was also referred to as the Shadow Man. He is the villain in the Disney film The Princess and the Frog. He is a voodoo witch doctor who wants to rule New Orleans. Before the start of the movie, Facilier had an encounter with a group of dark loa and formed a friendship with them. The dark loa granted him magic, which allowed him to become a witch doctor.

13. Katarina (League of Legends)

At an early age, Katarina was pushed to become the ultimate weapon as a part of the Noxus family. During one mission, she went against orders, snuck into the enemy’s camp, and slit the enemy commander’s throat. She assumed this action would mean victory for her kingdom and her father’s pride. However, while she was away, the enemy has attacked her father’s encampment and left several of the soldiers they brought dead; her father barely survived the attack.

Losing her father’s favor, she ran away but decided to continue becoming the sinister weapon she was brought up to be.

12.  Princess Zanda (Marvel)

She is the ruler of the African nation of Narobia and made money and power by collecting rare artifacts. At one point, she had the Black Panther imprisoned in her palace and even blackmailed him into retrieving a waterskin that granted immortality for her. 

Despite never being in a relationship with T’Challa, she felt immense jealousy once she learned the Black Panther and Storm would be wed. She traveled to New York and started spreading rumors that she would be one to marry T’Challa.

11. Scar (Lion King)

Scar is the brother of Mufasa and was supposed to be next in line to rule the Pride Lands. However, all that chance was lost when Mufasa’s son, Simba was born. Because he lost his chances for the throne, he grew immensely jealous of Simba and even hated Mufasa.

After successfully murdering Mufasa he also managed to get rid of Simba by guilt-tripping the cub into thinking that he was the reason for his father’s death. Unable to face his pride, Simba runs away to the forest area of the Pride Lands, where he decides to stay there with Timon and Pumbaa.

Meanwhile, Scar returns to the pride and tells everyone that both Mufasa and Simba have died. He then rules the Pride Lands for years. Finally, when Simba is all grown up, he returns to Pride Rock and faces Scar in a battle to the death to rulle the Pride Lands.

10. Goku Black (Dragon Ball Super)

While it is Goku’s body, Goku Black is not the Goku we know. Goku Black, or simply Black, is actually Zamasu from another universe. This version of Zamasu becomes the main antagonist during Future Trunks Saga in Dragon Ball Super. Zamasu was originally a calm kai who would listen to his master.

However, he harbored a deep hatred for humans and never understood why the other Kais still left them to roam the earth. He eventually decides to correct the gods’ mistake by killing his master, becoming Goku Black, and trying to end all of the humans.

9. Zeref (Fairy Tail)

Zeref is Natsu’s older brother and a powerful foe who went to war against Fairy Tail. Zeref is considered as the strongest mage of all time. He even founded his own kingdom with its own collection of powerful magic users that were later pitted against the other mages of Fiore.

Due to his curse, Zeref retains a youthful appearance. Before he met Mavis, he isolated himself so his curse would not harm other living things. He created Natsu as a means to kill him since he cannot do so because of his curse. Zeref encountered Mavis, and the young girl was the first human to still approach the dark mage despite knowing the nature of his curse. He agrees to teach Mavis and her companions magic. Years later, the two of them would be seen on opposite sides of a war.

8. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7)

Sephiroth is the central antagonist of Final Fantasy 7. He also appears as a villain in Kingdom Hearts and Dissidia. Sephiroth is a product of Shinra’s Electric Power Company SOLDIER program. After learning about all the experimentation he had to go through, he started to feel hatred towards Shinra, his company, and the rest of the world. Sephiroth is also a symbol of Cloud’s past that haunts him.

While he is no longer the main antagonist, he does give the heroes of Dissidia a problem. In Kingdom Hearts, he is an optional boss you can fight in the Olympus Coliseum in the first Kingdom Hearts. In the second game, he is a minor story character.

7. King Pin/ Willson Fisk (Daredevil 2003)

Kingpin is usually depicted as White, but during Daredevil 2003, he was portrayed by a Black actor, Micheal Clarke Duncan. The villain is a crime lord based in the bustling city of New York. He started as an enforcer for Fallon and later ventured into business in both legal and criminal operations. Kingpin owns a company called Fisk Corp.

6. Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts)

Xehanort is the main and central antagonist of the Dark Seeker Saga. He was a Keyblade Master who mentored Ventus and even taught him that darkness and light should always be balanced. Through his various counterparts, it is revealed that Xehanort is the one responsible for the destructive events in the game series. Xehanort created the Heartless, Nobodies, and the original Organization XIII.

Fans can also play as Xehanort during his youth in Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. The game explains Xehanorts fall into darkness and his journey leading him to become the Seeker of Darkness.

5. Venom (Marvel)

He may have begun as a troublesome villain, but Venom later grows into an Anti-Hero. This alien was first known as a symbiote, and he became an outcast because he refused to obey Knull. Kree explorers later discovered him, and they had him bond with one of their soldiers to take advantage of its abilities to enter the Skrull armada. Since then, the symbiote would keep transferring hosts. 

Several years later, he is discovered by Spider-Man and bonded with him. However, he immediately discarded it once Spider-Man learned about the costume being sentient. Symbiote later bonds with Eddie Brock, a journalist who detests Spider-Man, and they form the supervillain now known as Venom.

Venom later realizes that it does have a heroic side and does try to side with the good guys on occasions. However, how Venom deals with villains may not always be as heroic.

4. Darth Vader (Star Wars)

Probably one of the first to popularize that black is an evil trope in pop culture. Darth Vader has been an iconic villain in history. Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker; a Jedi originally prophesized to bring balance to the Force. However, he gave in to the dark side of the Force by Darth Sidious, who convinced Anakin to become a Sith Lord. As a Sith Lord, he assumed the title, Darth Vader.

He has an intense fight with his previous master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The battle left him severely injured, and Anakin had to become a cyborg to survive. He then serves the Galactic Empire as a chief enforcer. He redeemed himself as a hero when he saved his son, Luke Skywalker. He also managed to kill Palpatine in the process. Unfortunately, Vader lost his life in the process.

3. Black Adam (DC)

Black Adam is the archenemies of the hero Shazam and the rest of the Shazam Family. He first appeared as a one-shot villain, but he soon became a recurring character in the comics. Black Adam is a corrupted Ancient Egyptian predecessor for Shazam’s powers in his origin story.

Now, he battles Shazam as he feels whoever holds the power is unworthy. However, the story was retconned by DC. In the new version of his origin story, Black Adam is less of a villain and is now an Anti-hero who fights to clear his name.

2. Black Manta (Aquaman)

Black Manta is a supervillain appearing in several DC comics and is usually featured as an enemy to Aquaman. His origin story has been revisited and retconned several times. One of his origin stories says that Black Manta was originally a young boy who pirates kidnaped. Another report depicts him as an autistic child that was continuously experimented on at the Arkham Asylum.

There are even origin stories of his as an adult stating that he was a mercenary who wanted vengeance on Aquaman over his father’s death. However, despite all the differences, some things stay the same. Black Manta is still always depicted as an underwater villain who is knowledgeable in using high-tech armor, complete with a helmet with red eyes.

At one point, during a fight with Aquaman, it was revealed that Black manta is black and has been fighting so that black people can rule over the water since they have been oppressed on land.

1. Erik Killmonger (Black Panther)

Let’s talk about Erik Killmonger as his Marvel Cinematic Universe version to make things easier. Erik is Wakanda by origin because his father is Prince N’Jobu, the brother of King T’Chaka. Erik was only a child when T’Chaka murdered his father because N’Jobu betrayed Wakanda. This event caused Erik to want to dethrone his cousin from the throne and become king himself. However, he believes his father should have been king instead because his dream is to help people of African descent.

He manages to gain entry into Wakanda by delivering the corpse of Ulysses Klaue, who has been a wanted criminal in Wakanda for stealing their vibranium. Once in Wakanda, he challenges his cousin T’Challa for the powers of the Black Panther and the throne. He seemingly kills T’Challa and assumes the throne. As king, he was getting ready to send vibranium weapons to different parts of the globe to War Dogs, who would give the weapons to people of African descent.

Before he could send any out, T’Challa and those who still only acknowledge T’Challa as king fought Killmonger and his troops. T’Challa managed to reclaim the throne and stop the weapons from passing Wakanda’s territory.