Who: John Horus

What: Killing the president and vice president of the United States

When: June 2007

Where: Warren Ellis' Black Summer #0

Why it's a Great Moment:Killing the President and Vice President of the United States is a great villainous deed in itself. Only 4 Presidents have been successfully assassinated in the history of the United States (and far more attempts have been made). That comes to less than 2 a century which is better than all those European monarchs whose autopsies revealed another organ-dagger.

But fictional presidents die all the time, even more than superheroes put on boots. If the President is not dead by the end of the issue/show/movie, assume he died off-camera because, well, it only makes sense. Zartan even got in on that at the end of the GI JOE movie (and we're even more evil since we spoiled that moment for you. Ha!).

But, it's what Horus does after the event which makes him unique. Horus just straight-up walks into a Presidential press conference dripping with Presidential blood. Then, instead of taking the traditional path of assuming dictatorial leadership, he chides the American public for allowing criminals to run the country. Futhermore, he demands that new, free elections under his watchful eye(s) be performed. Most villains we know who killed the President would have had statues constructed in their honor, invaded another country or, at the very least, launched a few dozen nukes - those that weren't captured that is.

Oh, did we mention that this is the catalyst of the story and not the climax as you may have erroneously considered? Yeah, he gets points for that, too. And for that, we salute him.

Got a suggestion for one of villainy's greatest moments -- in comics, movies, books, TV, video games, whatever? Drop us a line at submissions@the-iss.com.