DC Comics is the original superhero universe, meaning they are the original producer of the modern conception of the supervillain. Villains are one of the most important parts of the comic medium; a hero is only as good as their enemies. Over the years, DC’s villains have become some of the most well-known fictional characters ever, starring in stories that enthralled generations of readers. Villains losing is an integral part of these stories, but that doesn’t mean that they never win. It merely means that things are returned to the status quo. Villains can win their battles at times and some of them have even been able to take over the world.
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Now, obviously, they can’t control the world forever. There have been awesome stories where the villains were able to actually defeat their foes and conquer the world, universe, or multiverse. These seven DC villains actually took over the world, proving that their threats weren’t all empty bluster.
7) Ultra-Humanite
Ultra-Humanite is Superman’s original arch-enemy and would later become a Justice Society villain, putting his brain into the body of an albino gorilla. In the Justice Society story “Stealing Thunder”, he was able to put his brain in the body of the elderly Johnny Thunder, get the Thunderbolt from Jakeem Thunder, and use its power to take over the world. Jakeem formed his own JSA to stop him and they were able to beat him, melding Johnny’s mind with the Thunderbolt to create Johnny Thunderbolt and stealing the power back. It’s a forgotten story, but it’s worth hunting down.
6) The Joker
The Joker is Batman’s most storied villain, but he’s not exactly known as a world conqueror. However, he was able to do what no one thought possible in “Emperor Joker”, where he gained the power of Mr. Mxyzptlk. The Fifth Dimensional imp’s reality-altering powers gave him the ability to do anything he wanted and he held the world hostage, doing terrible things like eating the entire population of China or constantly torturing and killing Batman. The heroes were eventually able to stop him, ending his reign of terror, but not before millions suffered.
5) Eclipso
Eclipso is one of the most powerful villains in the DC Multiverse and he’s had two stories where he could be said to have conquered the world. The first is the forgotten “Eclipso: The Darkness Within”, where he was able to take mental control of the world during an eclipse, forcing the heroes to defeat him on the Moon. Later, in “Princes of Darkness”, he teamed with Mordru and Obsidian, the three combining their powers to take over the planet, with the Justice Society leading the heroes to victory against the dark triumverate.
4) Perpetua
Perpetua is one of DC’s most dangerous villains and she was able to take over the entire multiverse. Of course, this makes sense; she did create it after all. With the help of Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom, Perpetua was able to get back her full power and defeat the Justice League, turning the people of the entire universe against them. The Batman Who Laughs defeated Lex for the right to be her second in command and eventually betrayed her, destroying her, and forcing the heroes to battle against him instead, ending her stewardship of the multiverse.
3) Mordru
Mordru first appeared as a villain in the 31st century, battling the Legion of Superheroes. However, he’s a Lord of Chaos, so he existed in the present as well and was the big bad of the first 50 issues of JSA (Vol. 1). His plans to fruition in “Princes of Darkness”. He stole the power of Nabu from Doctor Fate, thrashing the Justice Society, and teamed up with Eclipso and Obsidian. His magic power kept the world under their control, magically creating the eclipse that allowed Eclipso to control people’s minds. Fate (at the time, the doctor was Hector Hall) was able to take back his power and the team defeated the villains, saving the world.
2) Omega
Batman: Last Knight on Earth took readers to an Earth that had been conquered by a mysterious villain named Omega, after the people of the world went crazy and attacked the heroes thanks to Lex Luthor, who had killed Superman and turned the people against the heroes. Batman and the head of the Joker, still alive after all these years, set out to stop him after years away, marshaling what was left of the superhero community and discovering the truth – Omega was the real Batman and the other was just a clone. The two Bruce Waynes battled it out and Omega lost, losing his grip on the world thanks to his younger self.
1) Darkseid
Darkseid is DC’s greatest villain and readers have seen several stories where he took over the world, most notably in “Rock of Ages” and Final Crisis, both by Grant Morrison. In “Rock of Ages”, a group of Leaguers get sent to a future where the God of Evil had conquered the world using the Anti-Life Equation, escaping to the present after the final assault against him by the remains of the heroes. Final Crisis is actually related to this story; Morrison meant (although it’s not exactly canon) for the “Rock of Ages” future to be the one that stemmed from Final Crisis, which showed the lord of Apokolips taking over with the Anti-Life Equation. Then, of course, there’s the Absolute Earth, which he is the God of and tailored to his specifications.
What other DC villains took over the world? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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