DC‘s supervillains are some of the best in the business. Many of these villains have become icons and have moved beyond the comics, becoming big names in movies, video games, and TV. Everyone knows the well-known villains, but they aren’t the only game in town. Some of DC’s best villains are the lesser-known ones, the antagonists who have only been in the comics.
Over the years, the icons have gotten all of the attention at the expense of the others. Even some of the better-known villains haven’t gotten a lot of play in recent years, and there’s all manner of underrated villains out there who need more spotlight.
10 Roulette Took Advantage Of The Vices Of Her Fellow Villains
The original Mister Terrific is an icon in the DC Universe. One would assume that any descendant of his would follow his example, but Roulette took a different road from her grandfather. She founded the House, a supervillain gambling establishment that captured lesser-known heroes and forced them to fight for the amusement of villains.
Roulette didn’t care about ruling the world or anything like that. She just wanted to make money and get ahead in the world. She even honored her grandfather in her own way, and her MO is way more interesting than it gets credit for. Roulette and the House have so much story potential that could be exploited.
9 Tattooed Man Has Cool Powers That Would Make Him A Threat To Anyone
There have been several villains known as the Tattooed Man over the years. Usually a Green Lantern villain, Tattooed Man had the ability to bring his tattoos to life. It’s a pretty great power for a comic villain, but it seems wasted fighting someone as powerful as Green Lantern.
Tattooed Man would make a great villain for just about any street-level hero. With the right tattoos, he could be a major threat to others. He’s a villain with all the potential in the world, and it’s a shame he doesn’t get more play. It even works that there have been several Tattooed Men, since it allows creators to tailor him to fit any situation.
8 Blackbriar Thorn’s Magic Makes Him A Devastating Foe
An ancient Druid priest, Blackbriar Thorn became one with nature in a very literal sense. Surviving the years by trading his flesh for cellulose, he’s a powerful magic user made of enchanted wood, which made him perfect to fight the Golden Age Green Lantern. However, he’s so much more than just a one-hero villain.
Blackbriar Thorn’s magic anchored several Injustice Society rosters, making the teams that much more powerful. He’s extremely hard to get rid of, as he can reincarnate in new wooded bodies and is the perfect threat for magic-based heroes.
7 Zoom Got Overshadowed By The Return Of Reverse Flash
The Flash has some great villains, but once Reverse Flash came back, he took over again. Part of this was because of Barry Allen’s return, but Wally West fans had gotten their own version of Reverse Flash, Zoom. Zoom was once an FBI agent who wanted Wally to go back in time and stop him from being paralyzed.
When Wally refused, Zoom tried to use the Cosmic Treadmill himself, which caused a mishap that allowed him to control time around him. This made him faster than just about anyone and a very different kind of threat. Zoom is a great villain, and his powers made it so even the most powerful hero was in danger from him.
6 Bizarro Is Iconic But Modern Creators Don’t Use Him Very Much
In the Silver Age, Bizarro was a very big deal among Superman villains. The self-proclaimed imperfect opposite of Superman, Bizarro was often played up as a comedy villain, but there’s really so much more that could be done with him. Modern creators had a hard time fitting him into the post-Crisis universe, with most making him an imperfect clone of the Man of Steel.
Bizarro, as originally created, is still a great villain. Even the later versions of the character have their charm, and he’s an iconic villain who doesn’t get a lot of use anymore. He makes a great threat for any hero, especially Superman.
5 Two-Face Doesn’t Get Nearly As Much Play As Other Batman Villains Now
Two-Face is a very important villain in the Batman mythos, but in recent years, he’s been overshadowed. His struggles with his sanity always made for great stories, but he’s been noticeably absent from Batman comics lately. While it’s hard to say he’s underrated, he is Two-Face after all, his best stories are decades in the past.
Two-Face’s position in Batman’s life, as the one person he can never help, gives him so much story potential. While he’s not the most dangerous villain around, he has his place in things and it would be great to see another great Two-Face story.
4 Prometheus Took The Evil Batman Trope To Its Logical Conclusion
The Justice League faces a lot of great villains and one of the most unsung is Prometheus. Prometheus was given an origin that was the inverse of Batman’s: his parents were spree killers who were shot in front of him by cops. He devoted himself to learning how to be the best villain possible, using a unique system that allowed him to load data on heroes directly into his brain.
Much like Batman, he studied his foes and used their weaknesses against them. He was the perfect “evil Batman,” a trope DC loves. Yet, he never got much respect, always being taken out in easy or embarrassing ways. He’s a perfect antagonist and needs more attention so people know about his threat.
3 Eclipso Is A Devastatingly Powerful Foe
Eclipso is one of DC’s most dangerous villains. The former Angel of God’s Wrath, Eclipso enjoyed his station too much and was imprisoned in the Heart of Darkness diamond. The diamond was shattered, and Eclipso was able to take control of anyone who had the black diamond shards. While he doesn’t have access to all of his old powers, he’s still extremely dangerous and can take control of just about anyone.
Eclipso is a Spectre-level threat. It takes teams of heroes to defeat him, and his ability to take control of others means he can throw the most powerful heroes at anyone he fights. In recent years, he’s mostly been fighting alongside other villains, which undersells his threat immensely.
2 Despero Has Become Much More Potent As The Years Have Gone By
Despero is one of the Justice League’s greatest foes. First appearing as a telepathic tyrant from the planet Kalanor, he used his mental skills and tactical wherewithal to bedevil the League but eventually gained immense physical power as well, making him a more multi-faceted threat. Despero is one of the greats, a deadly villain who keeps getting more dangerous.
Like many great Justice League villains, Despero hasn’t been around much lately, but there are few who can do the kind of damage to the League that he can. He should be an A-list villain, as he can overwhelm Martian Manhunter telepathically and fight it out with Superman.
1 Mordru’s Mystical Mastery Has Bedeviled The Justice Society And The Legion Of Superheroes
Mordru has battled heroes from the present to the far future. First appearing as a foe of the Legion of Superheroes, Mordru is a Lord of Chaos and a master of magic. Anyone powerful enough to fight the Legion is a tough customer, and he proved it in the present day as well, taking his place as one of the Justice Society’s most dangerous villains.
Mordru is a great threat to any group of heroes. He’s powerful and ruthless, the kind of villain that works in many different kinds of stories. He could easily be an event-book-level villain with little trouble at all and deserves his close-up.
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