DC has been pumping out superhero comics since the 1930s, and in that time, their warriors of justice have gone from fighting bank robbers and corrupt bosses to fighting cosmic horrors that threaten to chew existence up and spit out a nightmare. Heroes and villains have gotten stronger and more dedicated to their ideals in equal measure. While teams like the Justice League can beat the darkness back with unmatched powers and unyielding spirits, the villains are just as capable of dragging everything into madness with impossible strength and dastardly cunning. From the divine evil of Darkseid to the all-too-human faults in Lex Luthor, these villains have threatened the entire multiverse before.
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However, as much as fantastic villains like those deserve all the panel time they get, there are scores more villains who can be threats to everything the heroes hold dear and deserve a chance to show everyone how vile they are. Today, we’re going to take a look at seven of DC’s underrated villains who can definitely be massive threats if given the chance to headline their own story. These are some of DC’s most clever, powerful, and downright ruthless villains, and they all have so much more going for them than might seem on the surface.
7) Ultra-Humanite
Ultra-Humanite is the original supervillain, first battling Superman in Action Comics (1938) #13. He’s the mad scientist who laid the groundwork for Lex Luthor to take the villain world by storm, but Ultra-Humanite still has plenty to offer of his own. He is pure evil for the sake of it, wanting nothing more than to subjugate everything to prove he’s the smartest being in all of reality. He’s an expert at body-snatching and currently resides in a giant, psychic, albino gorilla, which is just plain awesome. Ultra-Humanite has the longest resume of villainy of anyone, and with all that time and experience to plan, he would be a perfect threat to show that even the older villains can compete with their new evil compatriots.
6) Black Hand
William Hand is one of Green Lantern’s most interesting villains. Originally, he was simply a man obsessed with death who created a device to absorb the Lantern’s ring’s power, but he has since become the chosen vessel of the Black Lantern ring and the Avatar of Death, Nekron. Black Hand showed everyone how terrifying this could be in Blackest Night, but that was more of Nekron’s plan than his own. What I want to see is Black Hand lead an event of his very own. His twisted mind and terrifying ability to drain life with a touch could make for an amazing horror-themed event. He can make a major comeback to the level of terror he inspired before if just given the chance.
5) Trigon
Some of you may read Trigon’s name and wonder how he could qualify for an underrated villain list, but I ask you, when was the last time Trigon did anything important? Trigon is one of the most terrifying and powerful villains in existence, basically being space Satan, and yet for years, he has subsisted on adaptations and Elseworlds to remind people of how awesome he is. It’s well past time for Trigon to move on from only bothering Raven to being a threat to the entire DC Universe. This could be a Titans-focused event, or it could simply be Trigon bringing his evil to reality with unchecked fury, but Trigon is already a villain people love. All he needs is a story to justify that love.
4) Anton Arcane
Anton Arcane is Swamp Thing’s number one nemesis. While Swamp Thing serves as the protector of the Green, Arcane serves as the Avatar of the Rot. He is a being of pure, unadulterated evil who wants nothing more than to see the world suffer beneath his boot, which makes him the perfect ambitious villain to take the fight to the entire world. Arcane is so evil that he was chosen to be a demon after being tormented in Hell. His mind is twisted in a way that very few characters’ are, and his undying dedication to seeing the world burn is a perfect mirror to show exactly what makes the heroes so impressive and inspiring.
3) Neron
Neron is the demon lord of Hell, and he has more than proven that he is a monster like few others. He regularly sells enhanced power and wishes to heroes and villains willing to sell their souls to him, seeking endlessly to sow chaos and death. He’s literally unleashed hell on Earth more than once, and deserves to show everyone what that looks like again. His goal of using a pure soul to finally free himself of Hell is the perfect setup for a story of him going after DC’s purest and most innocent characters, which brings so much inherent drama and intrigue as to what he’d do. Neron can be DC’s number one boogeyman if given the right story.
2) Veronica Cale
Veronica Cale is one of Wonder Woman’s most underrated enemies, being her own version of Lex Luthor. Currently, Cale is making some serious headlines as the main villain in Absolute Wonder Woman and the one who united the Absolute Justice League, but her mainline counterpart deserves a chance to strut her stuff, too. Cale views herself as the real Wonder Woman, having made herself from nothing in a world determined to keep her from doing so, and naturally hates Wonder Woman, whom she sees as having everything handed to her. Yet, despite all her smarts and cunning, she’s never had the chance to make an impact on the villain world.
I say we use her tendency to be underestimated in her favor, and have Cale emerge from nowhere, having orchestrated a masterful plan to take down the world’s heroes. This would not only allow a villain who has never gotten her chance to shine, but also give Wonder Woman a chance to lead the fight against her. We can all use more Wonder Woman stories, and as the Amazonian Princess needs her villains uplifted in the public eye, this is the perfect chance for both of them.
1) Psycho-Pirate
Psycho-Pirate is one of DC’s most criminally underutilized characters. He’s a psychopath who uses his Medusa Mask to generate emotions in anyone he wishes, and his favorite pastime is torturing people with this ability. This mask is one of DC’s most powerful artifacts, even showing up as an item of power in round one of DC K.O., but has the side effect of forcing its owner to drain the emotions of others to sustain themself. Psycho-Pirate has been at the heart of some of DC’s largest-ever events, being a major player in both Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis.
Yet, despite him being pivotal in both Crises and impossibly evil and powerful, Psycho-Pirate has never headlined his own major event. Why? It seems so natural that the man who has been at the center of cataclysms for decades should start one himself. Especially considering that his ability to control emotions would directly challenge DC’s heroes in such a unique way, as they often gain their power from their emotions. Psycho-Pirate has the potential to shake DC to its foundations, and we need to see exactly what he is capable of one of these days.
So there we have seven underrated DC villains who could challenge the highest ranks of DC’s heroes. Which underrated villain do you think could serve as the main villain of a Crisis-level event? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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