Introduction

Darkest DC villains have fascinated fans for decades, shaping some of the most intense and memorable stories in comics history. Originally introduced as a Jekyll-and-Hyde villain, Eclipso has gone on to be one of DC’s most horrific foes. A spirit of vengeance, she enjoys consuming and humiliating others. DC’s villains often represent themes and fears that challenge even the mightiest heroes. They use their powers to instill fear and manipulate others into submission.

Geoff Johns used this idea to great effect in his reimagining of Lex Luthor as an evil Willy Wonka. Luthor was a master of manipulation and had a monopoly on hope. When the dark nightmares of the Dark Multiverse invaded Earth during the events of Dark Nights: Metal, a forgotten villain might have held the key.

Joker

The Joker is DC’s most dangerous villain by far and his crimes are so sickening that even non-comics fans know of his heinous deeds. The murderous clown is chaos personified and he’s the master of manipulating others to do his bidding. He’s a master liar and a ruthless strategist able to see into the minds of his victims, using their doubts and insecurities to bend them to his will.

A chemist expert, the Joker uses poisons like the famous “joker venom” that sends the victim into uncontrollable laughter and eventually into a coma or death with a painful rictus smile. He’s also skilled in melee combat and an expert at planning heinous schemes, including beating up the young Robin with a crowbar and killing him in Death of the Family and shooting Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, in the abdomen paralyzing her permanently in The Killing Joke.

The Clown Prince of Crime is a sadistic psychopath with little care for his own well-being. His nihilism is born out of years of abuse, poverty and mental illness that has left him feeling like nobody wants him around or thinks he’s special. He’s so convinced of this that he lured his psychiatrist Dr. Harleen Quinzel not only out of Arkham Asylum but to join his fiendish band of criminals as his sidekick/girlfriend Harley Quinn.

Lex Luthor

A self-made billionaire and master of manipulation, Luthor’s ruthless ambition & hotheaded megalomania drive him to extremes in his quest for power and recognition. Consumed with an antiquated sense of covetous self-importance, he believes himself to be one of the greatest minds in human history & finds it humiliating when those that outshine him view him with disapproval or moral judgment.

Having long harbored resentment against Superman for outshining him in the public eye, Lex seeks to prove his superiority by destroying the Man of Steel. Over the years, he has repeatedly tried to humiliate or destroy the alien hero and his failed attempts only lead to more psychotic & lethal plots.

He is a powerful leader of his own empire, which he built through his corrupt dealings with the government, as well as a brilliant engineer. He is proficient in many fields including history, literature, art, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, linguistics and computers. He is also a master strategist & businessman, using cutthroat tactics and unethical practices to maintain the growth of his massive corporation, LexCorp.

Despite being one of the smartest men on Earth in any universe, time period or reality, Luthor often fails to recognize that his actions make him a bad person. He has used his immense wealth & power to bully people and companies into submission and to silence the media, especially the Daily Planet’s Editor-in-Chief Perry White. He even forged ties with Apokolips in his quest for global domination.

Black Adam

In the comics, Black Adam is everything Lex Luthor warned Superman that he could become. As a tyrant, he doesn’t even care about the people around him- he just wants to bring them down to his level. He’s a powerful and corrupt power that can’t be trusted, which makes him one of DC’s darkest villains.

In his relaunched first appearance in 2007, Black Adam loaned his powers to Mary Bromfield who became the superhero Mary Marvel. But despite his best intentions, she became corrupted by his influence and eventually becomes his pawn. Then, during the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, he attacks the heroes of the five remaining and merged earths. Until he is destroyed by Captain Marvel.

While his relaunched comics have been a little off lately, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is poised to bring the character back to prominence on the big screen. And he’s the perfect person to do it.

He’s a tough, violent, and ruthless warrior that believes violence is the only way to send a message to his detractors, which is exactly why he’s such a dark villain. Plus, he’s incredibly powerful and has cool abilities that make him an awesome fighter. And he’s got that magic word to call upon.

Deathstroke

Slade Wilson is a dangerous mercenary who has no qualms about crossing the line between good and evil. He’s been an assassin for hire for years, and he’s also the father of Rose Wilson, the teenage hero known as the Teen Titans’ Nightwing.

Slade’s crimes and powers have ranged from robbing banks to murdering mob bosses, and his ruthlessness has made him feared by organized crime groups all over the world. He’s a master of stealth, assassination, espionage, infiltration, and disguise. He can also use a variety of weapons, including lethal knives and arrows. He’s a expert marksman, and he has superhuman mental and physical prowess.

He’s a skilled martial artist, and he’s even been trained by the League of Assassins. He’s a powerful assassin who’s been trained to take down superhumans. In fact, he was Ra’s al Ghul’s initial choice to succeed him in the League of Assassins.

But what makes Deathstroke dark is that he’s willing to kill anyone — including his own daughter. He’s a relentless killer who won’t stop until the job is done. And he’s become one of the most prominent villains in the DC Universe, making headlines and appearing on covers for upcoming events. That’s a sure sign that DC is positioning him as a major player in the upcoming Darkest Hour crossover.

Sinestro

When it comes to the darkest villains in the DC Universe, few are more nefarious than Sinestro. He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps until he killed his friend Abin Sur and was expelled from the order. After he was removed, he forged a power ring that operated on fear. He would then use this ring to spread his own brand of order throughout the universe.

He combed the universe for beings capable of instilling fear in others and gave them yellow power rings. Thus the Sinestro Corps was born. The Corps was responsible for countless deaths, including many Green Lanterns and innocent civilians.

Sinestro was also responsible for the death of his backup Lantern, Kyle Rayner. When he is forced to return to the anti-matter universe, he makes a deal with the Anti-Monitor and starts spreading chaos across the Multiverse. Sinestro is a man who loves to pretend to be all about order but really it’s just about fear.

Darkseid

Ruling over his hellish homeworld of Apokolips with a brute force, Darkseid is the definition of tyranny. The brutal god-like dictator seeks out the Anti-Life Equation, a cosmic mathematical formula that would rob all sentient beings of free will, and impose his own tyrannical rule over the universe.

He has invaded Earth on multiple occasions, clashing with the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Bart Allen as the Flash in his bid to find this equation. In his quest, he probes the minds of every human to get the answers he needs.

As one of the New Gods, Darkseid is immortal and nearly unstoppable. He possesses superhuman strength, is almost impervious to damage, and can wield his Omega Beams, energy blasts that disintegrate, teleport, or even resurrect targets depending on their intent. He can also manipulate matter and atoms to his advantage, shrinking himself down to microscopic size in order to combat larger enemies.