7 Overlooked DC Villains Nobody Talks About

Over nearly a century, DC Comics has produced hundreds, if not thousands, of memorable and menacing supervillains. From evil gods to killer clowns, DC has built an impressive gallery of characters synonymous with the idea of “supervillain.” Still, with so many popular villains making frequent and impactful appearances, there are bound to be lesser-known villains who have been unfairly overlooked in the process. To keep pushing their more popular big bads, DC has sidelined these super criminals who have captivating origins, destructive abilities, and nefarious plans. It’s far past time that these villains get the exposure that’s been denied to them too long.

From giant monsters to master tacticians, these are the supervillains who deserve more meaningful and impactful appearances in DC Comics.

7) Equilibrium

Charlotte le Serf, aka Equilibrium, sought to destroy everything Batman has accomplished as a hero by killing every person the Dark Knight had ever saved. Charlotte is a former assassin whose husband and child were killed by a drunk driver in a car crash. Batman had previously saved the driver who was responsible for the accident. With her mind shattered by rage and grief, Charlotte murdered the driver while swearing vengeance against Batman. Viewing the Caped Crusader’s efforts to save people as disrupting fate, Charlotte created an organization centered around killing everyone the hero has saved. Charlotte and her organization have killed hundreds of people. Despite only appearing in one storyline, Equilibrium was a tragic and terrifying villain with a compelling story who should make a return.

6) Chemo

Standing several stories tall, Chemo is a gigantic monster made of toxic waste. He is the archenemy of the shapeshifting robot superhero team, the Metal Men. Chemo was originally an inanimate humanoid-shaped plastic vessel that a scientist used to house various toxic chemicals. The chemical mixture caused Chemo to gain sentience and grow to the size of a building. Still practically mindless, Chemo seeks only to destroy everything in his path. On top of his impressive size and strength, Chemo can spew people with massive amounts of toxic waste, killing them instantly. Despite his current role as a minor villain, Chemo is a significant force of evil who has committed terrible acts, including killing the first Aquagirl and millions of people in the city of Blüdhaven.

5) Shadow Thief

Even though he is Hawkman’s archenemy, Carl Sands, aka Shadow Thief, is predominantly overlooked by fans. Initially a petty thief, Carl saved an injured alien’s life. As a reward, the alien gave him a device called the Dimensiometer, which enables Carl to turn himself into a living shadow. Carl became an even more skilled thief, able to turn intangible and hide in shadows, and his power exponentially grew over time. Carl can form weapons out of darkness, teleport between dimensions, and even turn his opponents’ shadows into living duplicates to fight for him. Carl also briefly took over the dark dimension known as the Shadowlands. One of Hawkman’s strongest and most frequent foes, Shadow Thief, is a nightmarish villain who needs more recognition.

4) Atomic Skull

With his flaming nuclear skull, Albert Michaels, aka Atomic Skull, is one of Superman’s most visually striking foes. Albert was a scientist who was exposed to high levels of radiation. This caused Albert’s flesh to melt off his face, while also giving him enhanced strength and the ability to fire high levels of radiation. Insane from the radiation, Atomic Skull became a frequent adversary of Superman and has almost killed the Man of Steel several times. Despite his many fights against Superman, Albert has unfortunately been relegated to the status of a minor villain. Given his tragic origin and deadly abilities, DC Comics should give this formidable supervillain more in-depth storylines.

3) Mr. Bloom

Gotham City has some of the creepiest supervillains in DC Comics, and Mr. Bloom should be ranked amongst them. A villain of unknown origin, Mr. Bloom grants people various superpowers by implanting his “seeds” into them. What these people don’t realize, though, is that by accepting the seeds, they lose their free will and eventually their lives. As for himself, Mr. Bloom has many abilities, including razor-sharp claws, super-strength, elasticity, tendrils, fire and ice projection, size alteration, and technopathy. Mr. Bloom fought Jim Gordon when he became the new Batman and was a member of the government-sanctioned paramilitary group of undead villains called Task Force Z. With his enigmatic origins and powers, Mr. Bloom is one of Batman’s most unique adversaries and needs more regular appearances.

2) Doctor Alchemy

A longtime adversary of the Flash, chemist Albert Desmond originally operated as the villain Mr. Element, who used various gadgetry based on elements to commit crimes. For a long time, Albert was a C-list villain who couldn’t hold a candle to stronger Flash villains like Gorilla Grodd or the Rogues. However, all of that changed when Albert discovered the mystical Philosopher’s Stone, which gave him the power to transmute matter with a thought. Now known as Doctor Alchemy, Albert became one of the Flash’s most versatile and powerful foes as he can turn the air into sulfur gas or the ground into liquid. A deadly and cunning supervillain, Doctor Alchemy deserves more time in the spotlight.

1) Johnny Sorrow

One of the Justice Society’s deadliest villains, Johnny Sorrow, draws his power from Eldritch gods. Johnny began as a crook who obtained a teleporter and used it to fight the JSA. During one scuffle, Johnny’s teleporter was damaged, and he was transported to another dimension called the Subtle Realm. The ruler of this realm, the King of Tears, transformed Johnny into its servant. Upon returning to his home dimension, Johnny discovered that he could kill anyone by removing his mask and revealing his new Lovecraftian appearance. A master strategist, Johnny founded several iterations of the Injustice Gang to destroy the JSA. Johnny Sorrow is one of DC’s best villains to delve into the incomprehensible terror that is cosmic horror.

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