Henchmen have always been an integral but underappreciated part of the superhero culture at DC Comics. When it comes to fighting superheroes, there certainly is strength in numbers, and villains have always found a need for hired help to carry out the small trivial tasks in their plans for world domination.
And while some henchmen are known for their bad aim and current residence in Arkham Asylum, there are some right-hands that have put some of the most formidable heroes in their place. Even though some henchmen choose to occupy a supporting role, the threat they pose is very much a large one.
10 The Talon Answers Only To The Court Of Owls
One of the best things to come out of The New 52, the Court of Owls have become one of the biggest underground threats to Gotham City. Made up of Gotham’s elite who secretly work in the shadows, the Court have members placed in key positions in all places of Gotham, in order to ensure their plans for the city go forward smoothly.
On the rare occasion the Court doesn’t get their way, their will is exercised by the Talon, the undead assassin of the Court. Through a complicated electrum enhancement, Talon can regenerate dead tissue in his body over and over again, making him virtually immortal. Talon has terrorized the whole Bat-family, proving to be too dangerous for anyone one member to handle by themselves.
9 The Sinestro Corps Live To Be Feared
The Green Lantern Corps are known as the protectors of the galaxy, and the most famous (detractor) of the Corps is Sinestro, who left to form his own Lantern Corps. The Sinestro Corps is made up of Sinestro’s own wielders of Yellow power rings are powered by fear, and are selected based on their ability to instill great fear in others.
While the Sinestro Corps is recognized as its own Lantern Corps, they very much serve to satisfy Sinestro in whatever his plans may be. While this may be similar to how the Guardians command the Green Lanterns, Sinestro acts as the sole leader of the Yellow Lanterns, and by comparison his soldiers are far more loyal, willing to die for Sinestro’s cause.
8 The Falcone Crime Family Have Gotham Under Their Thumb
Known in Gotham as “The Roman Empire,” the Falcone crime family were one of the oldest crime families in Gotham when Bruce Wayne first donned the cape and cowl. Constantly at war with the Marconi crime family that terrorized Gotham for years, under the rule of Carmine “The Roman” Falcone the family assumed control of Gotham’s criminal underworld.
With the mayor, the courts, and the police all in their pockets, the Falcone crime family control most of Gotham’s institutions. The amount of damage the Falcones and their henchmen have done to Gotham is systemic and immeasurable, stopping Batman from ever keeping peace in the city. Their mobsters have wilted Gotham into a city made of the kind of crime and fear, driving Bruce Wayne to devote his life to being the Batman.
7 The League of Assassins Are The Most Skilled Henchmen You’ve Never Heard Of
The League of Assassins is a secret known only to a few, but feared the world over. The League of Assassins acts as a secret organization of incredibly skilled killers that is under the order of Ra’s Al Ghul. The League is known for their ruthless influence all over the world, taking matters into their own hands by taking out world leaders, influential characters, and anyone who they deem have wronged them.
There are plenty of rumors to the number of people that have faced the blade of the League of Assassins, but like the organization itself, it is impossible to know for sure. Their strict code keeps the League in check, and the firm grip of Ra’s makes sure they never stray too far from their goals, but should these assassins ever go rogue, its safe to say they could not possibly be contained.
6 Parademons Live & Die For Darkseid
Probably some of the most well-known henchmen in the DC continuity, Parademons strike terror and fear in people all across the galaxy. Loyal only the New God Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips, Parademons have damaged and terrorized whole planets when Darkseid orders an invasion.
Created from reformatted genetic material from specimen found on conquered planets, the Parademons have superhuman strength, flight, and can instantly convert themselves into kamikaze soldiers and self-detonate . They’ve faced off against species of all kinds, and act as a ominous warning to all planets that the ruler of Apokolips is coming— and that all hope is lost.
5 The Batman Who Laughs Even Has His Own Boy Wonders
Dark Knights: Metal introduced The Batman Who Laughs, an alternate timeline version of Batman who, after becoming infected with Joker toxin, commits several atrocities and becomes hell-bent on conquering the multiverse. At his side, TBWL has a whole disposal of terrible henchmen, but he prefers to enlist a number of children whose families had been murdered by the Joker as his new bloodthirsty Robins.
These new Robins had all been infected with Joker toxin, and instead of working to cure them, the Batman Who Laughs bent them to his will, using them to continue his attacks on the multiverse. In the pages of Dark Knights: Death Metal, these feral Robins were crucial in the final war for the multiverse, killing many heroes from different timelines.
4 Joker’s Henchmen Always Do Service With A Smile
The Joker’s reign of terror over Gotham City is undeniable, and despite Batman’s greatest attempts, the Clown Prince of Crime has still managed to accumulate a large and passionate following. Even in a city full of hired hands, the Joker’s henchmen are incredibly loyal, and all share a part of his twisted obsession to see Gotham driven to madness.
Even take into consideration the people Joker has manipulated into carrying out his schemes, such as Harley Quinn and Punchline. Both characters, while many have considered them sidekicks, have clearly been manipulated and mistreated by the Joker, who seems them as perfectly expendable, as he does with all his henchmen.
3 Starro Makes Whole Planets His Henchmen
An iconic villain in the history of the Justice League, Starro is the mind-controlling leader of a race of alien starfish. Over generations, Starro has conquered planets by enslaving populations through a psionic mind link. By mind-controlling an entire population, Starro has turned inhabitants of whole planets into its henchmen.
Starro was the first worldly threat the newly-formed Justice League ever fought, and its only proven a problem for the League a few times since. But this race of alien starfish are known for their ability to conquer civilizations easily, and the possibilities of their control is truly boundless and terrifying.
2 The Female Furies Are Granny Goodness’ Enforcers
The Female Furies are New Gods who serve Granny Goodness, and by extension, the New God Darkseid. The Furies act as an elite strike force, and were all raised in Granny Goodness’ orphanages on Apokolips. Manipulated, tortured, and fanatically loyal to Granny, the Furies were trained to obey all orders from her, and have known no other life than serving Apokolips.
The Furies have been sent all over the galaxy representing Apokolips, waging war on planets that Granny and Darkseid see fit for the harvest. The Furies have faced off against the Justice League, Green Lanterns, and even their own sister Big Barda, after she famously betrayed the Furies in order to leave Apokolips with her true love Mister Miracle.
1 The OMAC Program Nearly Wiped Out The Justice League
The Omni Mind And Community robots that were created by the sentient Brother Eye satellite and controlled by Maxwell Lord wrecked havoc across the metahuman community. The central part of the Countdown to Infinite Crisis, OMACS are cyborgs that take control of human bodies through a form of nanotechnology that was distributed in general vaccine supplies by Lexcorp.
These cyborgs were fully under the control of Maxwell Lord, until Wonder Woman snapped Lord’s neck at the beginning of Infinite Crisis, setting off the OMACs “KingIsDead” protocol, where 1.3 million OMACs were unleashed on Earth and ordered to attack and kill all metahumans.
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