10 Best DC Comics About Villains, Ranked

DC Comics has been giving readers the best villains in fiction for decades. Back in the Golden Age, villains like Lex Luthor, the Joker, Vandal Savage, Solomon Grundy, the Ultra-Humanite, Per Degaton, and more all premiered, setting the standard for what a supervillain could be. Since then, DC has given readers every kind of villain they can think, putting them in stories that often made them into better, more fully realized characters. This made them more and more popular, and in the late ’70s, the publisher put out its first comic starring a villain (in this case the Joker) and pioneered bad guys in starring roles. Since then, we’ve gotten numerous titles starring the greatest antagonists in comics.

Stories starring villains usually follow a similar path as ones starring heroes, they just give readers a different look at these characters and their lives. Not ever story starring a villain can be great, but some of them have went down as classics of the medium. These ten DC comics about villains are the best of the best, giving readers stories they never expected.

10) Secret Six

Infinite Crisis had DC’s best build-up to an event comic, with various miniseries released in the run-up to the title, including Villains United. This six issue series from Gail Simone, Dale Eaglesham, and Val Semeiks starred a group of villains brought together by the mysterious Mockingbird to battle the Society, the conglomeration of villains menacing the planet. The book was a hit and it would lead to Simone returning to the group with Secret Six. This book ran for two volumes, the first clocking in at 36 issues and the second at 14, starring a rotating cast of villains anchored by Catman, Deadshot, Scandal Savage, and Rag-Doll. It’s an outstanding book, proving how awesome DC’s D-list villains can be with the right creator.

9) The Joker

The Joker is Batman’s greatest villain, and one of the most marketable characters in comic history. The villain made a huge splash because of his role in 2008’s The Dark Knight, and DC took advantage of that by releasing The Joker, a miniseries from Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. This story starred a version of the Clown Prince of Crime that looked like Heath Ledger, following a new member of his gang as he gets used to the insanity of the villain. This is an outstanding crime story and one of the best stories starring the Joker on his own.

8) The Flash (Vol. 3) #8

Barry Allen’s return in 2008’s Final Crisis #2 was a huge moment in DC history. Where Barry goes, Eobard Thawne follows and The Flash: Rebirth brought the villain back. Allen wouldn’t get a new series until 2010, when Geoff Johns launched a new one with Francis Manapul and the 8th issue of the book changed the Reverse Flash forever. This story is a retelling of his origin, except this time he goes back in time and kills anyone who does anything bad to him. It’s an insane issue, watching as the villain tailors his life and rationalizes destroying any hope for a god life, realizing that he could do this sort of thing to anyone. Johns and artist Scott Kolins do a fantastic job with this issue, and awesome tale that shows how far the Reverse Flash will go.

7) Lex Luthor: Man of Steel

The Joker wasn’t Azzarello and Bermejo’s first rodeo with a series starring a major villain. In 2005, the two teamed up for Lex Luthor: Man of Steel, a story told from the perspective of Lex Luthor. This story dug far into the villain’s hatred for Superman, as he readied a plan to destroy his foe once and for all. It’s a fantastic portrait of one of the greatest villains ever, putting a focus on his megalomania and just how far he’ll go to accomplish his goals. This is six issues of villainous goodness, a book that will help you understand Lex in new ways.

6) The Dark Knights One-Shots

Dark Knights: Metal introduced readers to the tiitular evil Batmen from the Dark Multiverse as servants of Barbatos, and told each of their stories in seven one-shots. These books, written by Scott Synder and James Tynion IV with art from DC’s best and brightest, dug into how each of the Batmen took the powers of a member of the Justice League and used them to destroy their worlds. They’re awesome looks at the Dark Knight gone bad, each of them taking readers on a twisted journey. More villain comics need to be like these.

5) Adventure Comics (Vol. 2) #5

Superboy-Prime is in his redemption era, but this isn’t a new thing. Back in 2009’s Adventure Comics #5, by Geoff Johns, Sterling Gates, and Jerry Ordway, the villain returned for what would become the first brick in the wall of his redemption. This was in the wake of Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds, which ended with him back on Earth-Prime and everyone knowing what he had done. This issue is basically him crashing out and blaming DC editorial for all of his problems, visiting the publisher’s office himself to take revenge on the creators who wronged him. It’s an outstanding comic, one that ends with the Kryptonian from the “real” world getting a happy ending.

4) Black Adam #1-12

Black Adam has become more popular than ever in the 21st century, and this led to him getting his own movie back in the 2022. DC wanted to take advantage of that, so they got Christopher Priest and Rafa Sandoval to give the villain his own maxiseries. This 12-issue book saw him push Khandaq to the brink of war with the world, as a group of gods of the ancient world starts to mettle in his affairs. However, things are even worse than they seem, because on top of all of that, he’s dying. Priest and Sandoval nail the character in this brilliant story that should definitely be read in one sitting. It can get pretty complicated, but it’s worth the effort.

3) Batman Annual #11

Alan Moore is one of the greats, and his work at DC in the ’80s is full of amazing stories. One that doesn’t get nearly enough credit comes from Batman Annual #11, where Moore and artist George Freeman gave readers one of the best Clayface stories ever. This one stars the third Clayface Preston Payne as he finds what he feels is the perfect hideout – a department store after close. The issue is all about Payne’s delusions, and it’s outstanding. It’s unlike any other Clayface story ever, and deserves more praise than it gets.

2) Deathstroke (Vol. 4)

Deathstroke has had numerous series over the years, and most of them whitewash his worst actions as a villain. However, DC Rebirth changed all of that. Deathstroke (Vol. 4), from Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan, was a warts and all look at the villain. Priest wasn’t trying to make Slade into a hero, he was showing him as the manipulative monster that he truly is. It was a completely unexpected turn for the character, and it remains one of the coolest villains series ever.

1) Suicide Squad (Vol. 1)

Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC completely, and the publisher’s post-Crisis books took a more gritty turn. One of the best examples of this was Suicide Squad (Vol. 1). The premise was simple: Amanda Waller recruited bottom barrel villains from Belle Reve Prison, got bombs implanted into their necks, and sent them on the most dangerous missions imaginable. People died in this book, shocking readers with the blase nature with which it treated its characters. It made Waller, Deadshot, Bronze Tiger, and Captain Boomerang into much better characters, and is a legendary series.

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