DC’s 10 Deadliest Mercenaries, Ranked

DC Comics has a long list of godlike heroes, but there is also a deadly mercenary contingent in the comic book, making life in the universe very hazardous. Most of the mercenaries in DC operate either in the world of street-level heroes like Batman and Green Arrow or around the antihero teams like The Suicide Squad, which homes many mercenaries who aren’t actively killing people for money. The mercenaries in DC Comics are almost always villains, as the heroes and villains in this company are usually cut and dry. However, there are some cases where a merc might display a shade of grey, allowing them to operate as an antihero.

From Batman’s greatest enemies to Suicide Squad mainstays, here is a look at the deadliest mercenaries in DC Comics, ranked.

10) Henri Ducard

Movie fans got to meet a version of Henri Ducard, although the Batman Begins version ended up as Ra’s al Ghul in disguise. However, in the comics, Henri Ducard was an actual person, a skilled assassin in the pre-New 52 comics who debuted in Detective Comics #599 in 1989 and taught Batman “manhunting” skills, and then later protected Batman’s identity. He was a killer, but never a genuinely evil villain. After the New 52, he was reimagined as the father of Morgan Ducard, whose nickname was Nobody, and who was a villain of Robin.

9) Captain Boomerang

Captain Boomeang is a long-time Flash villain who dates back to the pre-New 52 era, debuting in The Flash #117 in 1960. During this time, he was a regular member of Flash’s Rogues’ Gallery, and he mainly used trick boomerangs to attack his targets. In the New 52, he was an Australian criminal who fought Flash for years before he ended up captured and forced to be a part of the Suicide Squad, working as a mercenary for the U.S. government against his will. What makes him stand out is that his boomerangs are extremely deadly, and he rarely misses his targets.

8) Merlyn

Merlyn is a Green Arrow villain who made his first appearance in Justice League of America #94 in 1971. Merlyn and Arrow were both masterful archers, and when they had a duel, Merlyn even proved to be the better archer at the start. However, Merlyn used his talents for crime and was a member of the League of Assassins, a mercenary who would target everyone from Green Arrow and Flash to Batman himself. After the New 52, Merlyn also went by the name the Dark Archer and was also a mercenary for the League of Assassins and the father of Tommy Merlyn, who was the second Dark Archer. Merlyn also appeared in the Arrow TV series.

7) Cheshire

Cheshire made her debut in New Teen Titans Annual #2 in 1983. She was a mercenary and assassin who used poison to finish off her targets. She ended up as one of the Titans’ longest-lasting villains, and she even dated Roy Harper, conflicting with the status of her and him as hero and villain in the storylines. In the post-New 52 storylines, she spent years working with the League of Assassins as one of their top killers, and her relationship with Roy continued as they even had a child together.

6) David Cain

In the pre-New 52 DC Universe, David Cain was one of the world’s deadliest assassins and was paid to kill some of the most powerful people in the world, and he almost always succeeded, no matter how impossible the task looked. Cain was also one of the numerous members of the League of Assassins. However, he remains best known as the father of Cassandra Cain, the future Orphan. Cain himself went by the name Orphan in the New 52, and like Henri Ducard, he was a one-time trainer and later enemy of Batman.

5) KGBeast

KGBeast is such a deadly and unstoppable mercenary that Batman locked him in a room in the underground sewers and left him to die, knowing he had no way to beat him otherwise. KGBeast initially made his debut in Batman #417 in 1988, a top KGB super secret agent who was trained in most martial arts styles and is a master of almost every weapon that was ever created. In the New 52, he was trained by The Hammer, a cell of the KGB that used him as a mercenary in politically motivated missions. He ended up captured, arrested, and forced to be a member of the Suicide Squad.

4) Lady Shiva

Lady Shiva is an interesting case, as she has been both a ruthless mercenary and a heroic vigilante. Making her debut in Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #5 in 1976, Lady Shiva is one of the world’s most skilled martial artists, and her motivations are never set in stone; she does what is best for herself at all times. She even worked and trained Tom Drake, who was in the process of becoming the new Robin at the time. In the New 52, it was shown that she had achieved the status as one of the world’s deadliest mercenaries as a teenager, and she has been yet another member of the League of Assassins.

3) Deadshot

Deadshot is an old-school villain, making his debut in Batman #59 in 1950. He has always worked as a mercenary, and he has the reputation of being the world’s deadliest marksman, someone who rarely misses a shot. He started as a vigilante in Gotham City before he decided he could make a lot of money as a highly-paid mercenary instead. He ended up remaining a Batman villain in the New 52, and his skills were even greater, called the “man who never missed” when he has a target in his sights. He has since become a key member of the Suicide Squad and was even featured in their first movie.

2) Lobo

Lobo made his debut in Omega Man #3 in 1983, a character who was meant to be a mix of The Punisher and Wolverine. Lobo’s origin was as an alien bounty hunter who killed every being on his home planet, even though that planet had never even known a single war. Since that time, he has become a bounty hunter and mercenary, yet he always works with a strong code of honor concerning his agreements. This has put him at odds with Superman and the Justice League, but has also made him an antihero who fights on the side of good when he is paid enough.

1) Deathstroke

The most famous, and arguably, the deadliest mercenary to ever appear in DC Comics is Deathstroke. He made his debut in New Teen Titans #2 and became one of the Titans’ deadliest enemies, primarily focusing on Dick Grayson and, later, Damian Wayne. The U.S. Army trained him, and he was part of a secret super soldier project that gave him enhanced skills and abilities. He has almost always existed as a villain and mercenary, who killed without remorse, but he has also had rare moments where he has been an antihero and worked on the side of good, although those remain rare.

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