DC is never afraid to let its villains shine. In many Batman movies, the bad guys steal the spotlight from the titular hero, such as in The Dark Knight, which features arguably the greatest performance in a comic book project. Heath Ledger’s Joker takes the character to new heights, tormenting all of Gotham City without ever confirming his motivations. 2019’s Joker goes in a different direction, peeling back the layers of the Clown Prince of Crime, but it does so tastefully, showing that some villains are only as evil as the world that makes them. However, as great as Joker is, he’s on the lower end of the strength spectrum.
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For whatever reason, DC tends to struggle when adapting its most powerful bad guys. Doomsday looks like a cave troll in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Darkseid barely makes an impact in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. There are a few villains that can help DC right the ship, though. Here are five god-tier DC villains that still haven’t appeared in a movie.
5) Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage has been around the block more than a few times. In prehistoric times, he comes into contact with a meteorite that makes him immortal, and in some iterations, he even gains superhuman strength and reflexes. However, his strength will also play second fiddle to his mind, which allows him to conquer societies and bring heroes to their knees. Given Savage’s vast knowledge, he’s a worthy opponent of any DC hero, including Superman. Maybe James Gunn will keep that in mind as he continues to build out the DC Universe’s Superman Saga.
4) Helspont
Another powerful villain with a history with the Man of Steel is Helspont, a member of the Daemonites race that originates from Wildstorm’s comics. Daemonites are able to take control of the bodies of other beings, and Helspont takes a particularly strong one for himself. In his final form, he’s incredibly strong and fast, and can use telekinesis. Helspont doesn’t have as much history as Darkseid or Doomsday, which may make him seem like a weird fit for a live-action movie. However, being a blank slate actually gives him an advantage, as whichever filmmaker gets their hands on him can mold him into a formidable force.
3) Trigon
A number of villains continue to sit on the back burner because their foe has yet to make it to the big leagues. Trigon certainly fits into that category because he spends most of his time terrorizing the Teen Titans, as his daughter, Raven, is a member of the team. Putting the Lord of Madness in a box isn’t fair, though, since he has the potential to take over the entire DC Universe. If it takes introducing Trigon in a Teen Titans movie to get him on the big screen, so be it. But the powers that be at DC Studios should aim higher for him, especially if they’re still looking for the Big Bad of the DCU.
2) The Batman Who Laughs
While the start of this article covers how much exposure the Joker has already had, The Batman Who Laughs is in a whole different league than his live-action counterparts. Created after Batman gets exposed to a nasty toxin, the villain eventually fuses with Doctor Manhattan, making him essentially omnipotent. Some men just want to watch the world burn, but the Batman Who Laughs wishes that fate on the entire multiverse. If that doesn’t scream movie villain, then nothing does.
1) Imperiex
Speaking of villains that have beef with the multiverse, Imperiex shows up on the scene and wants to wipe out everything. That mission puts him on a collision course with Superman, who struggles to defeat a villain who embodies entropy. It takes the might of all of the heroes of Earth and the New Gods on Apokolips to send Imperiex packing. While it might be a while before the DCU is ready for a story on that level, Imperiex still deserves a shot to prove that he can make as significant an impact on the big screen.
Which DC villain would you like to see in a movie first? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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