# Name every hero's arch-nemesis! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046 "2002-05-03T12:40:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/81 "2002-05-13T20:45:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Revtim \* > \*\* > > OK, I’ll bite: what the heck are “The Harrowers and Morte Mamme”? Cenobites and Leviathan are from the Hellraiser films, correct? Was this some comic book thing? \*\* Yes, BUT a comic book thing created by Clive Barker. Marvel, through Epic comics, put out a great Hellraiser series-stories of various Cenobites and puzzles throughout the ages(several stories were written by Nicholas Vince-Clive’s friend and the man in the Chatterer make-up. Neil Gaiman contributed a story as well). A few years into the run, fans aked if there was some force opposing the Cenobites. Epic asked Clive to create one. Morte Mamme (who has gone by many other names) is a goddess of death and rebirth. The Harrowers are her chosen instruments, humans given special abilities and mystical weapons. They rescue souls from hell and bring them to Morte Mamme. The soul has 24 hours to attend to unfinished business and is then transformed. The form they will take is impossible to determine. ``` The Harrower stories in the original HellRaiser series were excellent. Then Marvel gave them their own *Comics Code Approved* series. It was like handing Michelangelo's David to a hyperactive chimp with a jackhammer and saying 'Ruin this for me, okay?'. The stories were stupid, and cliched. The characters behaved like they were on a saturday morning cartoon. After ruining the characters, then killing a few, the series was cancelled. If only it could be erased from history. ``` BTW-Epic also put out a NightBreed series. The writing and art ranged from very good to excellent. Vince wrote a few issues of this as well. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/82 "2002-05-14T21:39:37Z")
Apparently, this is not limited to comic books, although it probably should be. **The Hulk**? **General Ross** hounds him to the end of the Earth like a good stupid two-dimensional villain; The Hulk and **Bruce Banner** are not always at odds. My vote goes to Ross. > [@](#): > > _bouv wrote:_ > \*\*For Spidey, I gotta say Venom (and I hope that (if this movie is good) there is a sequel with Venom. There’s a character named Eddie Brock in this one!) Because, as El Elvis Rojo said, Venom’s sole purpose in life is to kill Spider-Man. If you had someone who wanted nothing more than to kill you, wouldn’t you consider him/her your arch-nemesis? I think so. \*\* I have to agree with **bouv**. If a guy hounds you and his sole mission in life is to see you destroyed, he pretty much is your arch-nemesis, evil duplicate or not! As to Eddie Brock being in _Spider-Man_: it’s like Billy Dee Williams playing Harvey Dent in _Batman_. Sometimes you just gotta set up us the stuff! As for the **X-men** , you can’t really say that _only_ **Magneto** is their evil nemesis - it would be **Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants**. If we’re pinning it to one guy, Magneto is the nemesis of **Professor X**. I’m wracking my brain to come up with some that haven’t been mentioned yet… Would **Marshall Law** ’s arch-nemesis be **The Public Spirit** or **The Sleepman**? Considering that for most of the series he considers them to be one and the same, when it finally boils down to it, I guess it’s the Spirit that really gets under his skin. Huh… I guess that’s the only one I could think of! ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/83 "2002-05-14T21:45:49Z")
Vanth Dreadstar & Co : The Instrumentality. (Am I the only one here who ever read Dreadstar?) Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/84 "2002-05-14T21:55:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by psiekier \* > \*\*Would **Marshall Law** ’s arch-nemesis be **The Public Spirit** or **The Sleepman**? Considering that for most of the series he considers them to be one and the same, when it finally boils down to it, I guess it’s the Spirit that really gets under his skin. > \*\* I thought I already covered this. The Sleepman kills Marshal Law’s true love. Then, the Sleepman returns from seeming death and fights ML in another miniseries. The Spirit is annoying, yes. But, he is guilty of only one attempted murder and one murder(with the same victim). The Sleepman is guilty of several murders (the earliest committed in high school). The Sleepman’s weapon? Rape. Due to his super-hero physiology, he actually rapes women to death. The Spirit may be scum, but he doesn’t come anywhere remotely close to that kind of evil. There’s plenty more in favor of the Sleepman, but it would require the posting of Spoilers. ---
**Author:** ![Koffing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@Koffing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koffing)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/85 "2002-05-14T22:13:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \* > \*\*Vanth Dreadstar & Co : The Instrumentality. (Am I the only one here who ever read Dreadstar?) > \*\* I have the entire run. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2002, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/86 "2002-05-14T22:21:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \* > \*\*Vanth Dreadstar & Co : The Instrumentality. > Zev Steinhardt \*\* But…But… The Lords Of The Instrumentality ended the Wars and keep out the Beasts and connect the Earths and give proper honor to the Scanners… Oh, we’re _not_ discussing Cordwainer Smith? Never mind then… Crap, while I was typing that I poured my drink and I can’t remember if I used the right hole or the left… ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/87 "2002-05-15T19:44:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Osiris \* > \*\*Sadly I don’t think my favorite superhero **Monkey** has an arch-nemesis. In each episode he’s fighting somebody else. And three of those turned out to be not such a bad guy after all. 1) Ape villain returns to nature 2) Wrestler villain decides Earth is worth sparing and moves on 3) Lava guy just wants a little peace and quiet. > > Mon-key > Mon-key > Mon-key \*\* What about Quackor? He’s (she’s?) encountered Monkey twice; and is the lab pet of Dexter’s arch-nemesis, What’s-his-name. ---
**Author:** ![Aristides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Aristides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aristides)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2002, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/88 "2002-05-15T21:38:06Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\* > [li]Sarah Connor :: Terminator[/li]_\* Actually, that would be Skynet. The terminators are just complex weapon systems, or Skynets flunkies. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/89 "2002-05-17T18:18:29Z")
Grimjack - Preacher Letter Man - Spell Binder Nayland Smith - Fu Manchu ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2002, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/90 "2002-05-17T19:14:52Z")
Surprised no one has mentioned them yet: Stormwatch/Authority: the US Government, mostly, I’d think. No individuals cause the heroes had a tendency to kill 'em. I’ll admit my knowledge of them isn’t as complete as I’d like, though. ``` Planetary: The Four ``` ---
**Author:** ![Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ganryu_Kojiro)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/91 "2002-05-18T01:07:24Z")
Here’s a stupid one for the ages Thundercats: Mum-Ra ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/92 "2002-05-18T01:14:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AtomicDog \* > \*\*What about Quackor? He’s (she’s?) encountered Monkey twice; and is the lab pet of Dexter’s arch-nemesis, What’s-his-name. \*\* Yes, yes. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/93 "2002-05-18T01:15:51Z")
Bun-Bun : Santa Claus ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/94 "2002-05-18T05:28:49Z")
Firestorm: Killer Frost (This is one of the dumber arch-nemesis; Firestorm controlled the nuclear force, Killer Frost could make stuff cold) The Flash (Barry Allen): The Top (until he died from overusing his spinning ability, which caused his brain cells to compact). Following that, Professor Zoom (who killed Iris Allen). Spiderman: Early on, the clear arch enemy was Doctor Octopus. More recently, I’d have to go with Venom. Batman is definitely The Joker, but second has to be Rahs al Gul (I know I butchered that spelling). Batman kills him nearly every time they battle, but even that’s not enough to stop him. Ronin: Virgo V: The Leader Ozymandius: Dr. Manhattan ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Sexchange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@Dr.Sexchange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Sexchange)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/95 "2002-05-18T21:20:15Z")
Road Runner - Coyote Agen Starling - Hannibal Lecter Jeff Lebowski (the dude) - Jeff Lebowski ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/96 "2002-05-19T13:21:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Number Six \* > \*\*The Flash (Barry Allen): The Top (until he died from overusing his spinning ability, which caused his brain cells to compact). Following that, Professor Zoom (who killed Iris Allen). > \*\* I strongly disagree with this: the Top was just another Rogue’s gallery memeber, and not an important one (like say: Mirror Master or Captain Cold). The Top only had a few solo battles with the Flash. It was either Professor Zoom, Abra-Kadabra or: most likely Grodd (who probably appeared more than any other single villain) > [@](#): > > Spiderman: Early on, the clear arch enemy was Doctor Octopus. More recently, I’d have to go with Venom. I’d say Green Goblin came between Doc Ock and Venom. And Venom hasn’t appeared in quite a while. I don’t know who his current arch-foe is. > [@](#): > > Ozymandius: Dr. Manhattan I’d disagree. Granted, Ozymndius _thinks_ his arch-foe is Dr. Manhattan because he’s contemptous of Rorschach, but I think it’s clear in the story that his real nemisis actually is Rorschach: They’re ideological opposites (Ozy, Rorschach and the Comedian make up three sides of a weird political triangle: Ozy: Bleeding Heart smarmy liberal, The Comedian: Hard-hearted and uncaring conservative, and Rorschach: Absolutist Objectivist) , and most of the book is a move/countermove between the two. Rorschach discovers something’s up with the Comedian’s murder, Ozy gets Rorschach jailed, and on and on. Plus, in the last panel of the book, who’s the one who might bring all Ozymandius’s grand plans down? Fenris ---
**Author:** ![JDeMobray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@JDeMobray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JDeMobray)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046/97 "2002-05-19T14:35:17Z")
Nick Fury - Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker (From both "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandoes and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-every-heros-arch-nemesis/107046.md?page=4)