supervillain

noun

su·​per·​vil·​lain ˈsü-pər-ˌvi-lən 

plural supervillains

: a fictional villain having extraordinary or superhuman powers

In more recent years, [Jon] Cryer appeared as legendary supervillain Lex Luthor in the CW drama Supergirl.

—Martin Holmens

… the issue will feature Spider-Man facing off against the Sinister Six, which includes supervillains Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Mysterio, Sandman, Electro and Kraven the Hunter …

—Jeremy Childs

also : a person or entity likened to a supervillain

On the show, [Elon] Musk suggests there is a "fast way and a slow way" to raise the temperatures of Mars before sharing the fast way is to "drop thermonuclear weapons over the poles." The idea is greeted by [Stephen] Colbert calling Musk a supervillain, to which Musk just casually responds, "Yeah."

—AJ Dellinger

compare superhero, superheroine

Examples of supervillain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Comparisons across both sides ranged from Samuel L. Jackson to Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, Nipsey Russell playing the Tin Man in The Wiz, and the Marvel supervillain Thanos. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2024

For one seriously deadly night, Cristin Milioti was the baddest supervillain in Gotham City. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024

Last season, the room was designed to look like a cave, but it's been revamped to look like a C-list movie supervillain's lair. —Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 9 Oct. 2024

So ending the year with a supervillain makes a strange sort of sense. —Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above