10 Most Underrated Wonder Woman Villains

Wonder Woman is one of the most popular and beloved female superheroes of all time. Ever since her debut in 1941, Diana has been fighting evil as a champion of peace and equality. However, despite her legendary status in the superhero community, Diana has a mostly overlooked and underrated roster of villains. In contrast to heroes like Superman or Batman, who have dozens of famous enemies, Diana has very few foes that are popular with mainstream audiences. Although she has a handful of well-known enemies, such as Cheetah, Ares, Circe, and Giganta, most of Diana’s rogues remain largely unknown. The truth is, though, Diana’s world is filled with an extensive range of menacing and distinctive supervillains who are worthy of far more recognition.

From deranged cyborgs to evil gods, Wonder Woman boasts one of the most diverse and fascinating rogues’ galleries in DC Comics – one which deserves much more time in the spotlight.

10) Queen Clea

Queen Clea is the merciless ruler of the Atlantean outpost Venturia, where she enslaved all its male citizens and forced them into gladiatorial death games for her amusement. To gain more power, Clea stole the Trident of Poseidon, which gives her the ability to control water and fire energy blasts. Her Atlantean physiology also gives her the strength to match Diana in combat. Wanting to expand her kingdom, Clea led her army to the surface world. She came into conflict with Diana’s mother, Hippolyta, during World War II. In the modern day, Clea assembled a team of Diana’s greatest enemies, known as Villainy Inc., to take over the world. Although she hasn’t appeared frequently, a new version of the Atlantean queen has emerged in the Absolute Universe to battle the Amazonian hero. 

9) Duke of Deception

While Wonder Woman serves as a symbol of truth, the Duke of Deception embodies deceit and treachery. This cruel demigod is one of Ares’ most valuable servants in his never-ending quest to spread war and hatred across the globe. With his illusion-casting powers, the immortal Duke sows seeds of mistrust and doubt in humanity so that they will turn on each other. He can also use his illusions to drive his enemies insane, whom he then turns into mindless servants. The Duke is one of Diana’s earliest enemies, as they first came into conflict during World War II. Even in the modern day, the Duke continues his mission to destroy Diana and humanity by breeding distrust and provoking endless conflicts.

8) Dr. Cyber

Doctor Cylvia Cyber was a scientific genius who commanded a global criminal network. She first battled Diana when she lost her powers and became the secret agent, Diana Prince. After a rival criminal organization horrifically disfigured her face with hot coals, Dr. Cyber blamed Diana for her injuries and swore revenge. To fight Diana and conceal her disfigurement, Dr. Cyber donned a full-body power suit that endowed her with super strength and the ability to shoot energy blasts. In 2017, a new Dr. Cyber named Adrinna Anderson emerged to fight Diana. One of Diana’s enemies, Veronica Cale, convinced Adrinna to attack Diana with an experimental remote-controlled android connected directly to Adrinna’s mind. However, when the android was severely damaged, Adrinna died, and her mind was transferred into an A.I. system. Now a being of pure data, Adrinna can control all manner of machinery. Both versions of Dr. Cyber remain some of Diana’s most cunning and intelligent foes.

7) First Born

The first child of Zeus and Hera, known only as “First Born,” was prophesied to overthrow his father and become the new ruler of Olympus. To avoid this fate, Zeus cast his son into the African wilderness so that the prophecy would never come to pass. Raised by Hyenas, the First Born grew into a mighty and bloodthirsty god. Using his godly powers to create an army of human/hyena hybrids, the First Born slaughtered hundreds of people in the hopes of gaining the attention of the Gods. When his attempts were ignored, he tried to seize control of Olympus and claim his birthright. To stop him, Poseidon buried him deep underground for thousands of years. Upon escaping the Earth’s crust in the modern day, the savage First Born swore to kill the Olympians and all their offspring, including Diana. His hatred for her is especially significant because, unlike him, Diana is a child of Zeus who is loved and respected by their father.

6) Devastation

Despite having the appearance of a 12-year-old girl, Deva, aka Devastation, is a fearsome and sadistic demigoddess created for the sole purpose of killing Wonder Woman. When the ruler of the Titans, Cronus, sought to overthrow the Gods of Olympus, he made a child that would be the dark mirror image of Diana. Just like Diana, Deva was molded from clay and given life. As the daughter of Cronus, Deva has a vast array of powers that make her a terrifying force of nature. She possesses super-strength, the ability to fly, create earthquakes, cast illusions, and drive people insane through telepathy. Deva utilizes these powers to manipulate people, exploiting their weaknesses. To make Deva a good person, Diana traveled back in time and mixed a drop of her blood into the clay in which Deva was sculpted. This interference had the opposite effect that Diana hoped for. The discovery of this literal drop of goodness within her enraged and disgusted the present-day Deva, giving her an even stronger conviction to destroy Diana. Deva eventually joined Baroness Von Gunther as a part of her supervillain team, the Four Horsewomen. She may look like a harmless child, but Deva is one of Diana’s strongest and cruelest adversaries.

5) Deimos and Phobos

Deimos and Phobos are the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite. They are also their father’s most loyal generals. Deimos, Ares’s favorite child, is the God of Terror with the power to bring about mass panic. He achieves this by having the snakes that comprise his beard bite and inject mind-altering venom into his victims. Phobos is the God of Fear, and like his brother, can cause people to become overwhelmed with feelings of dread and fright. Together, the brothers work to manipulate humanity into destroying itself in an apocalyptic war. They are also responsible for creating villains such as Decay, who can kill with a single touch. Given the twins’ desire to gain Ares’s favor, they work tirelessly to destroy his greatest foe: Diana of Themyscira. With their godly powers and endless conviction to aid their father’s plans, Deimos and Phobos are some of Diana’s deadliest recurring villains.  

4) Hecate

The Greek Goddess of Witchcraft and the Occult, Hecate, is one of Wonder Woman’s most powerful foes. Formed from the primordial magic that created the Multiverse, Hecate is one of the oldest gods in existence. Thousands of years ago, when several humans imprisoned and tortured Hecate to obtain her power, the other gods abandoned her. Enraged, Hecate swore revenge against the Gods of Olympus. A master of sorcery, she is the patron goddess of Diana’s other major villain, the witch Circe. Although Hecate generally has Circe do her dirty work, the dark goddess has, on occasion, battled Diana and the Justice League Dark. One of Hecate’s most evil deeds was brainwashing Diana into becoming her agent of chaos. Hecate may not be as famous as Ares, but she is still one of the deadliest deities in the Greek pantheon. 

3) Baroness Von Gunther

One of Wonder Woman’s very first recurring villains, Paula Von Gunther, is a ruthless Nazi baroness, spy, scientist, and occultist. A cunning strategist, Von Gunther was a deadly threat to the Allied Forces during World War II. Equipped with power armor and mystical weapons, the Nazi baroness utilizes science and magic to battle Diana on an equal footing. Surprisingly, the original version of the character went through a redemption arc. When the Nazi Party kidnapped her daughter, Von Gunther teamed up with Diana to save her. After rescuing her daughter, Von Gunther relocated to Themyscira and used her scientific and occultist knowledge to become a healer. Even when DC rebooted her into becoming a supervillain once again in 2021, Diana’s kindness motivated Von Gunther to give up her hateful ways, setting her on a path of redemption on Themyscira. 

2) Silver Swan

Of all of Wonder Woman’s adversaries, Vanessa Kapatelis, aka Silver Swan, is the most tragic. When Diana first arrived in the world of man, she quickly became close friends with the archaeologist Julia Kapatelis and her daughter Vanessa. Over time, Diana’s duties as a superhero and an ambassador meant that she couldn’t spend that much time with Vanessa. Feeling abandoned by her best friend, Vanessa was left vulnerable to the manipulation of the villains Circe, Sebastian Ballesteros, Veronica Cale, and Dr. Psycho. They abducted Vanessa and augmented her with cybernetic enhancements. These enhancements gave her super strength, razor-sharp metallic wings, and a sonic scream. The villains then brainwashed Vanessa to hate Diana, turning her into a supervillain. Since then, Diana has done everything in her power to restore her friend’s fractured mind. 

1) Veronica Cale

Superman has Lex Luthor, and Wonder Woman has Veronica Cale. A rich bioengineer and businesswoman, Veronica clawed her way to the top, building one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world. However, given her uphill battle against sexism in the workplace, there is nothing Veronica hates more than women who have had everything handed to them. When Diana appeared with her God-given gifts and message of peace, Veronica’s envy drove her to dedicate her life to destroying Diana. The businesswoman’s hatred for Diana only grew after Ares kidnapped Veronica’s daughter, Isadore, and stole her soul. Ares would only free Isadore if Veronica freed him from his imprisonment in Themyscira. Although Diana saved Isadore, Veronica blamed the Amazon for roping her daughter into Diana and Ares’ feud. She has been instrumental in creating villains like Silver Swan and Dr. Cyber. With her vast wealth and tactical mind, Veronica has consolidated all her resources into a relentless effort to kill Diana. 

Every Version of Wonder Woman, Ranked