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7 Great DC Villains Nobody Talks About
They say stories are only as good as their bad guys, and that’s just as true for DC Comics. The DC Universe has some of the best villains in superhero fiction, from Darkseid to Lex Luthor and, of course, the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker. Sure, everyone knows the big names, and we’ve seen them in plenty of movies, TV shows, and animated projects. But who are the underrated DC Comics villains? The ones that never really get to shine, like Joker or Lex?
When you read enough comics, you start to find bad guys that become personal favorites. Maybe it’s because of their backstory, maybe it’s something about their powers, or maybe it’s just that they have a really cool design. I know I have plenty of favorites I wish more people appreciated, from Marvel parodies to long-forgotten Superman foes. Take a look at these seven amazing DC villains that I really don’t think enough people appreciate.
7) Scandal Savage
You’re more than likely aware of the immortal villain Vandal Savage, but did you know he has a daughter? Scandal is a cutthroat mercenary who was a founding member of the 2000s revamp of Secret Six. Scandal is a complex character. She’ll take money for any kind of job involving bloodshed, but she’s also haunted by her past and her relationship with her father.
After an extended absence from the DC Universe, Scandal has admittedly appeared more and more in the DC Universe, playing a role in the “Gotham War” crossover a few years back, to now taking a bigger role in JSA as the Injustice Society’s leader. But despite the recent push, she’s not as popular as her dad, even though the Secret Six series alone should have rocketed her to A-list.
6) Prometheus
It’s been a meme for quite a while about how Batman can do anything with prep-time. But what if that kind of power was used for evil? That’s the kind of question that was raised with Prometheus (the second, unnamed one in particular). Prometheus was literally designed as an anti-Batman, from having a similar (but twisted) origin to using his wealth and intelligence to take on the world. But where Batman seeks justice, Prometheus wants nothing more than the total elimination of law enforcement.
Prometheus is badass, I mean, the first time he met the League in JLA, he managed to defeat all of them one-by-one exploiting their weaknesses. How many villains can say that? Unfortunately, no one’s ever really been able to make Prometheus that much more intimidating. I can’t understand how an ‘evil Batman’ hasn’t been able to gain more popularity, but for someone with his kind of skills, Prometheus deserves a bit more love.
5) Lord Havok
Marvel and DC Comics are known for riffing on one another, creating characters that are clear parodies of already existing characters. In DC’s case, the publisher has a Doctor Doom parody known as Lord Havok. And yes, like Victor Von Doom, he’s a master of science and magic, often utilizing his cybernetic suit of armor while casting magic to fight his world’s Avengers, the Champions of Angor.
DC Comics has found some degrees of success with its Marvel parodies (The Terrifics’ riffing on the Fantastic Four comes to mind). But Lord Havok has never really been able to be much more than an interesting factoid, even among hardcore DC Comics stans. One would think that DC Comics would be able to get a lot of mileage out of having its own Doctor Doom, but he’s usually an afterthought, which is a tragedy because it’s such a cool idea.
4) Queen Bee
This is admittedly a hard pick, because the Queen Bee mantle has been shared by at least six people in the Prime DC Universe, from bee-themed miscreants to rulers of foreign nations. But the most famous version is Zazzala, an alien conqueror who travels from planet to planet in the name of expanding her species’ rule. As her name implies, she has a strong mental control over bees and can even produce pollen that similarly brings others under her spell.
I think the biggest thing that’s held back from helping Queen Bee rise is how much her identity has shifted. I mean, six identities is wild, even for a legacy-driven universe like DC. But there’s always something terrifying about an assimilating threat from the stars, and as far as Queen Bee goes, she’s got that perfect balance of threat and gimmick that should earn her a bit more appreciation.
3) Orca
What do Killer Croc, Man-Bat, or Cheetah have that Orca doesn’t? The DC Universe is lousy with animal-human hybrids brought about by mad science or ancient curses. In Grace Balin’s case, she used the spinal tissue of a killer whale to treat her paralysis, giving her the ability to transform into a hulking whale-like monster with the strength of a whale and an Atlantean-level swimming ability.
It’s a damn shame that other animal hybrids in Gotham have become A-listers in their own right, while Orca seemingly just can’t rise to their level. Are killer whales just not as scary as crocodiles or bats? Or is it that her gimmick is just too out-there (let’s be real, there’s no such thing as too out-there in Gotham). I really hate that Orca never seemed to rise as high as other similar villains, because I think she’s quite a cool villain.
2) Doctor Destiny
Big DC Comics fans might know that Doctor Destiny was one of the first villains the Justice League ever fought. And they might also know that he has one of the most terrifying power sets. Thanks to a powerful relic known as the Dreamstone (the very stone used by Lord of Dreams, Morpheus), Destiny was able to enter the dreams of his foes and manipulate them, making him a threat on par with Freddy Krueger.
But Doctor Destiny hasn’t been much of a threat in later years. And during Knight Terrors, the villain’s shtick was stolen by Insomnia, robbing Destiny of what could have been his biggest return in years. I think there’s something really unsettling about a villain able to enter your dreams, but unfortunately, Doctor Destiny just hasn’t caught on with others.
1) Ultra-Humanite
Lex Luthor might be Superman’s greatest nemesis, but for nearly a year, the Man of Steel was vexed by another mad scientist, the Ultra-Humanite. Ultra-Humanite is one of the smartest villains in the DC Universe, so smart that he even learned how to cheat death by transferring his consciousness to a gorilla body (which has been his standard form for close to fifty years). He’s constantly improving his body, giving himself powers like telepathy and enhanced strength.
And yet, when it comes to Superman villains, Ultra-Humanite is constantly overlooked. Maybe it’s hard to sell the idea of ‘Lex Luthor but in an ape body’. Personally, I think that’s really cool. And I think there’s something about Ultra-Humanite being the first Superman foe. Hopefully, people will be able to appreciate him like I do one day because he is a really good villain.
Is there a DC villain you think doesn’t get talked about enough? Let us know in the comments, and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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