Hindu Mythology Characters who will make Great Villains in Marvel or DC Movies

How often do we feel that there should be someone strong and powerful to face someone like Superman. In recent years, the major drawback of Superhero movies has been a super villain who has the abilities to destroy the superhero. As they say, the heroism of a hero is as mighty as the villain’s might. So let’s discuss about some Hindu Mythology Characters who will make great villains in Marvel or DC Movies.

Ravana

So let’s talk about one of the most mighty and powerful evil characters of Hindu Mythology. According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Ravana was the king of Lanka. His father was a sage and his mother was a demon. He had the qualities of both his parents. Ravana was a big devotee of Lord Shiva and had got many boons from the God of Destruction. The Lankan King was a perfect mixture of power, strength, wealth and knowledge. It’s said that his kingdom was made of gold and he had immense wealth. With his power and might, Ravana had almost conquered all the realms of the universe.

The Lankan King had all the destructive weapons and Astras in his arsenal. He also had a boon of being immortal with a tricky loophole and was immune to any weapon. But eventually his ego, pride and sins led to his downfall and was killed by Lord Rama (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu). In Hindu religion, Ravana is considered as the sign of evil and his effigies are burnt every year during the ‘Dassehra’ festival. This signifies the overcoming of demons and evil within you. His character is so layered and powerful, it can be easily used by the director. Where the evil King returns or reincarnates in the modern world. Ravana vs Superman or Ravana vs Avengers would be an exciting watch.

Shakuni

You must be thinking that we are talking about evil characters, so the list will be all about demons and characters with supernatural powers. But here comes a normal man with an abnormal cunning mind. The prince of Gandhara is mentioned in the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’, where he plays one of the most vital roles in creating havoc and war. Shakuni was the maternal uncle of the Kauravas and stayed with his nephews in their kingdom. He provoked his eldest nephew ‘Duryodhana’ against his own cousins ‘Pandavas’. After which Duryodhana did utter wrongdoings with his cousins, eventually leading to a war that almost destroyed the human race.

Shakuni was a master of manipulation and mind games. He could trick anyone into his dangerous plots. He tricked the Pandavas in the game of dice (gambling). Where the Pandavas lost everything (Kingdom, pride, respect). The cunning man even took this as an opportunity to humiliate the wife of Pandavas in front of a full court. Even the legends and warriors of the court became helpless in front of this evil trickster. Eventually this evil person got his due faith in the war, where he was killed brutally. Just imagine what will happen if Shakuni faces someone like Batman and plays his mind game against the hero. The ‘Cunning Evil Trickster’ can be regarded as the upgraded version of villains like Joker. Shakuni can be a nightmare for any superhero.

Kumbhakarna

Kumbhakarna was a monster who could even create fear in the eyes of the Hulk. He was a gigantic monstrous devil and the younger brother of Ravana. It is said that he killed more than 8000 ‘Vanars’(monkey soldiers) during the epic war between Ravana and Lord Rama. Kumbhakarna had a boon, which allowed him to sleep like dead for a duration of six months. When he woke up, he use to create havoc and eat until his appetite was full, before going back to sleep. It’s also said that it took 100’s and 1000’s of elephants (who walked on Kumbhakarna’s body) to wake him up from his sleep. He was a giant monster but knew about the greatness of Lord Rama and even tried to convince Ravana to give up war against Lord Rama. However, this had no effect on Ravana. Kumbhakarna stayed loyal to his brother and fought like a true warrior on the battlefield.

Bhasmasura

Bhasmasura was a demon with a boon that could burn anyone (when he touched their head with his hands). According to myths, it is believed that Bhasmasura was born from the bhasma (ashes) on the body of Lord Shiva. The boon was also given to him by Lord Shiva. However, after getting the powers in his hand, the demon started misusing it. He started troubling everyone around him, from ordinary people to saints and even gods. He became a big problem for everyone but was finally neutralized by Mohini. Lord Vishnu took the avatar(form) of a beautiful female dancer ‘Mohini’. Mohini attracted the demon towards her, with the help of her beauty. She started dancing around the demon. Bhasmasura also started dancing with Mohini and while dancing forgot about everything, even about his boon. While dancing he tried to strike a pose, where his hands touched his own head. His boon turned into a curse for him and the demon was burnt into ashes.

Indrajit

He was the crown prince of Lanka. His name literally means ‘Conqueror of Indra’. He had conquered Indralok(Heaven). This powerful son of Ravana possessed mighty weapons like ‘Brahmastra’. It’s said that he had killed millions of Vanaras during the war in Ramayana. Indrajit was also referred to as Meghanada, as his first cry after his birth sounded like the roar of the clouds and thunder. He is said to be one of the greatest warriors of all time. Indrajit was a great archer with tons of powerful weapons in his arsenal and was also known for his great illusion. He was considered the master in the illusion warfare techniques. Eventually he was killed by Lakshmana (Rama’s younger brother). But Indrajit’s illusion can even scare and threaten great wizards like Doctor Strange.  

Putana

The first female to make it into our list. Putana was a demon known to kill infants. According to the stories Putana was sent to kill Krishna (infant) by Kansa. Kansa was an evil King and the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna. Putana used to breastfeed infants and killed them with her poisonous milk. But failed to do so with Lord Krishna and the evil infant killer’s story came to an end. However, the character has all the elements to create a dark, gross and scary storyline as a super villain in any superhero universe.

Khara

He was the cousin of Ravan and a man-eating demon. This man-eating demon wasn’t a big deal for great warriors like Lord Rama and his younger brother ‘Lakshmana’. But it could be a big challenge for our DC Marvel heroes. A man eating monster gives a perfect premise for an action thriller or even for an intense movie where things really get dark.

Maricha

Maricha was the partner in crime of Ravana. He used to terrorize sages around him. Maricha had the ability of shapeshifting. He played a vital role in the kidnapping of Lord Rama’s wife ‘Sita’. Maricha transformed into a golden deer, which caught the attention of Sita. This led Rama chasing the deer and later Rama’s younger brother went in search of Rama. The illusion and delusion of Maricha helped in the abduction of Sita. Eventually Maricha also met his faith and was shot by Lord Rama’s arrow. Maricha has all the traits to fit in any storyline and play a great catalyst in the formation of something intense and evil.

Hiranyakashyap

Hiranyakashyap was a demon and king of the ‘daityas’. The Daitya King had a great boon which almost made him immortal. His boon was that he cannot be killed by any human, animal, demon or by any creature created by Lord Brahma. It also included conditions like, he can’t be killed by any weapon (astra, sastra). And with that he can’t be killed inside or outside his palace, not even on the earth or sky. He also mentioned that he can’t be killed in the day or night time. This complicated and powerful boon by Brahma made it almost impossible to kill Hiranyakashyap.

Only Narayana(Lord Vishnu) himself could kill him as he’s the only being which is not created by Brahma. Lord Vishnu took the form Narasimha (a half man and a half lion like creature). While respecting Brahma’s boon, Lord Narasimha appeared from the pillar where Hiranyakashyap had tied his son. Hiranyakashyap wanted to kill his son ‘Prahlada’. As Prahlada was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and didn’t had evil deeds like his father Hiranyakashyap. When Lord Narasimha appeared it was neither daytime nor night, it was dawn. He teared up Hiranyakashyap with his claws while placing Hiranyakashyap’s body on his lap. This ended the streak of the sinister Daitya King. Who do you think can even stand against such a dangerous demon?

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