5 Most Evil Alternate Versions of DC Heroes (And Batman Who Laughs Isn’t #1)

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DC Comics is filled with heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, always ready to protect people from danger. However, the DC universe also has plenty of villains, and sometimes the line between hero and villain isn’t so clear.

It’s easy to explain the existence of evil superheroes by thinking about the multiverse – the idea that there are infinite alternate realities. For every heroic character, there’s a twisted, villainous counterpart somewhere out there. DC Comics is full of these dark versions of its iconic heroes, and some are truly terrifying. While The Batman Who Laughs is a well-known example, there are many other incredibly evil takes on traditionally good characters. Here are five of the most frightening.

5) Hal Jordan

Hal Jordan is renowned as one of DC’s most powerful heroes, Green Lantern, but he’s had a dark side – and this isn’t a story from another universe. At one point, Hal himself became a villain. After the destruction of his home city, Coast City, by Mongul, he pursued revenge through increasingly drastic measures. This culminated in him killing most of the Green Lantern Corps and even threatening universal destruction.

Eventually, it’s discovered that Hal was influenced by Parallax, a powerful and malicious cosmic force. Parallax twisted Hal into a villain, leading him on a path to regain his heroism. While he’s now a hero again, that period of being corrupted still stands out as one of the darkest alternate timelines for the character.

4) Sky Tyrant

Hawkman is known for being intimidating, but Sky Tyrant takes it to a whole new level. While searching for memories from his past lives, Carter Hall becomes infected by The Batman Who Laughs. This corruption slowly transforms him into Sky Tyrant, the villainous version of Hawkman from Earth-3.

Sky Tyrant is a ruthless and violent incarnation of Ktar Deathbringer, driven by a desire to kill as many people as possible to prolong his cycle of rebirth. He’s shown a willingness to go to extreme lengths, even attempting to cause a plane crash. However, Carter’s consciousness exists within Sky Tyrant’s mind, allowing him to struggle for control of the body.

3) Doctor Hate

Although I didn’t enjoy the Knight Terror event overall, one positive outcome was the creation of Doctor Hate. While Doctor Hate seems like the evil counterpart to Doctor Fate, the story is a bit more complex. During Knight Terrors, Amanda Waller put the Helmet of Fate on Raven’s darker side. Combined with the power of the Nightmare Stone, this transformed her into Doctor Hate. The result is a terrifying combination of the powers and appearance of both a dark version of Raven and Doctor Fate.

Doctor Hate is a truly terrifying villain. She’s responsible for unleashing a plague that transforms people into animal-human hybrids – the event that kicks off the ‘Titans: Beast World’ storyline. But perhaps the worst thing she does is assist Amanda Waller with her wicked schemes, and in my opinion, helping Waller is one of the most evil acts imaginable.

2) Superwoman

If you enjoy the concept of heroes becoming villains, Earth-3 is arguably the most fascinating alternate world in the DC universe. It’s a reality where the Justice League exists as the Crime Syndicate, a ruthless, mafia-style group that rules the planet. This world also has its own twisted version of the classic Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman trio, and its Superwoman is particularly cruel and terrifying.

I’ve always been disturbed by Superwoman. She’s not just powerful, she actively enjoys inflicting pain, and it’s truly twisted. What makes her even more unsettling isn’t that she’s simply an evil Wonder Woman; it’s that she started as Lois Lane. Seeing Lois, someone known for her compassion and integrity, become this powerful, sadistic villain with Amazonian abilities… it’s just deeply disturbing and makes her so much worse than a typical evil counterpart.

1) Overman

No list of evil DC hero counterparts would be complete without including Overman, so he tops our list. Overman comes from Earth-X, a universe where Nazi Germany won World War II and established a global fascist regime. Like Superman, Kal-L was sent from Krypton to Earth in a rocket, but he landed in Sudetenland instead of Kansas. Raised as Karl Kant, he became a powerful figurehead for the Fourth Reich, playing a key role in Hitler’s victory.

A fascist Superman is arguably one of the most terrifying concepts imaginable. The world of Earth-X is bleak, though the Freedom Fighters bravely struggle against it. While Overman—the fascist Superman of Earth-X—has occasionally teamed up with heroes during major crises (like Final Crisis, where he aided in the fight against Mandrakk), he fundamentally represents the opposite of hope and inspiration.

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2026-02-09 03:13