DC’s First 10 Supervillain Teams, Ranked by Legacy

Starting in the 1930s, DC Comics laid the groundwork for the entire superhero genre and its tropes. One of the company’s crowning and most influential creations was the Justice Society of America, the first superhero team in history. So naturally, DC Comics also helped create some of the first supervillain teams. These malevolent alliances joined forces either to get rich, take over the world, destroy a superhero, or all the above. Although the Legion of Doom is arguably DC’s most iconic villain group, many teams predated and helped influence it. These are the supervillain teams that either fell into obscurity or have some of the most impactful legacies in comic book history.

Supervillains may oftentimes have trouble working together, but when they manage not to backstab each other for five minutes, they can become virtually unstoppable forces who threaten both the heroes and the world. Dating back to the Golden Age, supervillain teams have been a staple of DC Comics.

10) Terrible Trio

The Silver Age saw Batman fight many bizarre adversaries, and in 1958, he encountered his first supervillain team: the Terrible Trio. These criminal masterminds and inventors are Fox, Vulture, and Shark, who all wear animal masks corresponding to their names. Each member of the Terrible Trio specializes in developing gadgets to commit crimes in different environments. Fox handles land-based crime, Vulture focuses on the sky misdeeds, and Shark deals with all sea-based evil schemes. Despite DC Comics’ numerous attempts to reboot the supervillain team over the years, the Terrible Trio has never found much success or popularity, and is one of the Bat-Family’s most obscure enemies.

9) Villainy Inc.

Wonder Woman has always had one of the most underrated rogues’ galleries. In 1948, an alliance of some of her greatest enemies was formed and made history. Villainy Inc. consisted of Wonder Woman villains who escaped an Amazon penal colony and swore revenge against their heroic nemesis. The original team was founded by Eviless and included members like Cheetah, Giganta, Dr. Poison, Queen Clea, Blue Snowman, Zara, and Hypnota. Although they are mostly a niche group, Villainy Inc. is the very first, and one of the only, supervillain teams to have an all-female roster. Unfortunately, DC writers rarely take advantage of Villainy Inc., which has only appeared in a handful of stories.

8) Royal Flush Gang

In 1966, the Justice League found themselves facing off against a bunch of card-themed supervillains. The Royal Flush Gang primarily focuses on getting the next big score by partaking in heists or working as minions for other big-name villains. There have been over a dozen incarnations of the Royal Flush Gang in both comics and animated adaptations, and they range from being complete jokes to legitimate threats. Some versions possess superpowers while others rely instead on gadgets. Even as the roster and abilities change, the members generally take on the names of King, Queen, Ace, Jack, and Ten. While they’re not the most terrifying of villains, the Royal Flush Gang is a fun gimmick and its numerous iconic adaptations have made them memorable foes of the Justice League.

7) Superman Revenge Squad

In case the name didn’t make it abundantly clear, the Superman Revenge Squad came together in 1962 to destroy the Man of Tomorrow. Although the original team consisted of bland aliens who were quickly beaten by Superboy, later incarnations were far more powerful and terrifying. Many of the Man of Steel’s smartest and strongest adversaries have joined the Superman Revenge Squad’s numerous incarnations, including Lex Luthor, General Zod, Parasite, Metallo, Cyborg Superman, Morgan Edge, and Mongul. With their combined power, these villains have nearly killed Superman and his family several times. The Superman Revenge Squad comprises some of the biggest and most persistent haters in DC Comics, driven solely by the desire to kill the greatest superhero in the universe.

6) Monster Society of Evil

The very first supervillain team in comic book history, the Monster Society of Evil, made its debut in 1943 and helped inspire all future nefarious alliances. Initially published under Fawcett Comics before being acquired by DC Comics, the Monster Society of Evil is made up of Shazam’s strongest and strangest enemies, like Mr. Mind, Black Adam, Dr. Sivanna, Ibac, Captain Nazi, Mr. Atom, and Sabbac. Not only were they the first supervillain team, but their introductory story was one of the first multi-issue serialized storylines in comic book history. Although the Monster Society of Evil is mostly forgotten outside Shazam comics nowadays, its impact on the superhero genre deserves far more recognition.

5) Legion of Supervillains

Where the Legion of Superheroes does everything, they can protect the 30th century; the Legion of Supervillains won’t rest until that time period devolves into anarchy. Made up of supervillains and bitter rejected Legion members, this group of intergalactic terrorists won’t rest until their heroic counterparts are destroyed. The team debuted in 1961 with the founding members Cosmic King, Satun Queen, and Lightning Lord, and its roster has drastically expanded over the years. Superboy-Prime founded the most terrifying incarnation of this team of anarchist villains during Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. The Legion of Supervillains may have been absent from DC Comics for a while now, but they still stand as some of the Legion of Superheroes’ most iconic enemies.

4) Brotherhood of Evil

The archenemies of the Doom Patrol, the Brotherhood of Evil, has been trying to destroy DC’s most bizarre superhero team since 1964. To take over the world, the disembodied mad scientist called the Brain assembled Monsieur Mallah, Madame Rouge, Rog, and Mister Morden. The Brotherhood of Evil has added many terrifying members like Plasmus, Phobia, Warp, and Houngan. These nefarious villains have also been major enemies of the Teen Titans and Justice League, both of which have been nearly destroyed by the Brotherhood on several occasions. It’s also hotly debated whether DC’s Brotherhood helped inspire Marvel’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Out of the countless strange and powerful villains the Doom Patrol fight, the Brotherhood of Evil will always be their number one enemy.

3) Injustice Society

As the first superhero team, it was inevitable for the Justice Society to be opposed by an Injustice Society. Debuting in 1947, the Injustice Society has remained a consistent and deadly adversary of their heroic counterparts for almost 80 years. Many of the JSA’s most fearsome enemies have joined different incarnations of the Injustice Society, including Vandal Savage, Solomon Grundy, Thinker, Johnny Sorrow, Wotan, Per Degaton, Tigress, and Icicle. It’s practically mandatory for every JSA comic run to include the Injustice Society, as they continuously try to take over the world and destroy the Justice Society. And of course, the Injustice Society would help inspire some of the Justice League’s greatest enemies, including the Injustice Gang, Injustice League, and Legion of Doom.

2) Rogues

Since their first appearance in 1965, the Rogues have been quintessential enemies of the Flash and among the most subversive and iconic supervillain teams in DC Comics. Since the Scarlet Speedster is among the most powerful heroes in comics, many of his street-level adversaries decided to join forces so that they could stand a chance against him. The team’s primary roster consists of Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heatwave, Captain Boomerang, Trickster, Weather Wizard, Top, Golden Glider, and Pied Piper. What sets the Rogues apart from other villain teams is that under Captain Cold’s leadership, they operate under a strict moral code even while they’re committing crimes. The Rogues are some of DC’s most three-dimensional villains and are the Flash’s most frequent enemies.

1) Crime Syndicate of America

In 1964, DC Comics introduced one of the most evil and iconic supervillain teams in the multiverse. The Crime Syndicate of America is the Justice League’s evil doppelganger from Earth-3, where morality is flipped on its head. The Syndicate’s members, Ultraman, Owlman, Superwoman, Johnny Quick, and Power Ring, have all the powers, but none of the benevolence of the JLA. Although the multiverse was already established with the introduction of Earth-2, the Crime Syndicate and Earth-3 are arguably the most iconic because of how they twisted some of DC’s greatest heroes into psychopathic villains. For being the textbook example of an evil doppelganger squad and pushing the multiverse to new narrative heights, the Crime Syndicate is among DC’s most iconic supervillain teams.

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10 DC Villains Who Joined the Justice League, Ranked by Power