Who doesn’t love a good villain? The heroes are all well and good, but it’s the villains that tend to stick with us the most. From the morally ambiguous to the downright evil, who scores the top positions in our hearts from the DC comics wheelhouse? Batman’s villains have long dominated the show, with iconic baddies like the Joker fascinating and repulsing us, but there are plenty of fantastic bad guy vibes to go around.
1) Black Adam
As with Lex Luthor and Reverse-Flash, Black Adam is his superhero’s ultimate nemesis – because he’s just them, reversed. In this case, he echoes all the worst of Shazam. With powers granted by Mamaragan the Wizard, he was supposed to use them for good. Instead, Teth Adam overthrew the pharaoh, took the throne, and began a rule of terror that’s delicious to unpack.
2) Ra’s al Ghul
The leader of the League of Assassins himself. With a brutal, highly-skilled group at his command, they cut a swathe through the DC-verse. He’s centuries-old, with a deep understanding of how the world works that’s impossible to beat. And he’s always working on his own schemes, whatever you may think. It helps that he’s got a fortune to throw at his goals, too, right?
3) Brainiac
One of Superman’s most deadly enemies, he’s also known as the destroyer of Krypton himself. An android who is a mere data-gatherer, he destroys species even as he studies them, a heartless killing machine with no mercy. IN the DC-verse since 1958, he’s had many an iconic showdown with the famous hero, and we love every moment.
4) Reverse-Flash
What happens when you take everything good about a DC hero and reverse it? This is Flash’s ultimate enemy – or several of them! There’s been a few Reverse-Flashes, but Eobard Thawne was the ultimate enemy. Coming back in time from the 25th Century, he blames Flash for everything in his life, transforming vicious hate into an obsession with becoming the Flash, instead.
5) Sinestro
Once one of the “good guys” of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro let that power go to his head. Instead of keeping the peace in his sector, he used his power for oppression and fear. Now, he’s the ultimate enemy of the Green Lanterns, with his own twisted version of the Lantern Corps to boot.
6) Lex Luthor
Possibly the smartest DC villain, Lex Luthor, is terrifying because he thinks he’s the good guy. He desperately craves to be what Superman is, but he’s just too much of the iconic DC baddie to get it right. This makes him a fascinating and complex villain we all adore.
7) The Joker
Of course, we couldn’t finish this list without the ultimate bad boy thwarting Batman at every turn! The Joker is what happens when someone cracks, leaving him an oddly compelling bad guy we loathe and love in the same breath. His signature madness spreads far and wide through Gotham City, creating a fascinating (and fearful) glimpse into what happens when someone is pushed too far.
And there you have it! Without these seven iconic DC Villains, the comic book world would be a sad place indeed. Who’s your favourite? Be sure to let us know!