DC Has a Villain Problem (But Here’s How They Can Fix It)

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DC Comics is famous for creating Superman, but a great hero needs a great villain. Soon after Superman appeared, the concept of the supervillain was born, and DC has since given us some of the most iconic villains in comic book history. While many people think of Batman’s rogues gallery when they think of DC villains, there’s a much wider range of compelling antagonists in the DC universe. These villains vary from silly and entertaining to genuinely world-threatening, capable of challenging even the most powerful heroes. They can fit into almost any story, but despite their strengths, DC’s villains sometimes present a problem.

DC Comics is known for both its incredible villains and its epic event comics, like the classic ‘Crisis’ storylines, ‘Blackest Night,’ and more recently, ‘Absolute Power.’ But a long-time reader might notice a pattern: DC events almost always introduce completely new, incredibly powerful villains to threaten everything. While this has given us memorable antagonists like the Anti-Monitor and revitalized lesser-known characters like Nekron, it rarely features DC’s existing roster of villains. These villains have actually defeated the Justice League and Superman on occasion, so there’s no reason they can’t be the focus of these large-scale events. DC should utilize its established villains more often, and thankfully, it’s a fairly simple fix.

DC Can Take a Page from the Marvel Event Playbook

As a longtime reader of Marvel comics, I’ve noticed something about their big event storylines. Marvel isn’t necessarily known for *amazing* events, but for having a *lot* of them. And what really stands out is how often they dust off existing villains instead of introducing someone completely new. Think about it: *Secret Wars* (2015) featured Doctor Doom, *Absolute Carnage* was all about Carnage, *Age of Ultron*… well, you guessed it, Ultron. Even the widely-praised *Infinity Gauntlet* centered on Thanos. It’s a pattern – they take characters we already know and either give them a power boost or let them unleash a carefully crafted scheme. It’s a comfortable approach, but it does make you wonder if they ever take a real risk with a fresh face.

DC Comics often uses established villains in its big event storylines. For example, stories like *Blackest Night* and *Absolute Power* feature classic DC villains-like Black Hand and Amanda Waller-carrying out plans to defeat the heroes. *Final Crisis* centers around Darkseid finally achieving his goal as the ultimate evil force. But alongside these major threats, DC also introduces completely new villains like the Anti-Monitor, Perpetua, and Alexander Luthor, or characters like Pariah who started as heroes but became villains (Pariah debuted as a hero in *Crisis on Infinite Earths*). Despite having a rich history of compelling villains, DC’s event stories frequently rely on creating brand new antagonists to raise the stakes and threaten the entire multiverse, which feels unnecessary.

Superman and Wonder Woman have iconic villains capable of large-scale threats. While Superman faces enemies like Brainiac and Lex Luthor who plan long-term attacks, Wonder Woman hasn’t had a major event featuring her powerful foes in a long time. Although Batman’s villains aren’t as strong, someone like Ra’s al Ghul could still pose a global danger with careful planning. The Flash and Green Lantern also have villains with the potential for universe-threatening schemes, as seen in stories like *Flashpoint* and *Blackest Night*. Even without complex storylines, characters like Krona could easily become major threats.

DC Comics has powerful villains like Time Trapper and Mordru, so why haven’t they used Deathstroke in a large-scale event? He’d be a great choice – he was a co-villain in *Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths*, though that story focused more on Pariah. While I dislike many Marvel events, especially the endless hero-versus-hero conflicts, DC could improve its events by focusing on strong villains like Marvel does. DC has plenty of compelling bad guys, and using them effectively would elevate the publisher’s villain roster.

It’s Time For More DC Villains to get Major Event Books

The DC event *Absolute Power* feels more like a Marvel story in how it handles its villains. Amanda Waller was brilliantly built up as the main antagonist for a year before the event, which was great. But most fans already know Waller is a fantastic villain from her appearances in various DC universes – including the DCAU, DCEU, and even *Peacemaker* and *The Suicide Squad*. It’s time to give other DC villains a chance to shine as the central antagonists in their own big storylines.

DC often gives its villains smaller storylines, like those focused on Batman (“Fear State,” “Joker War”) or Superman (“House of Brainiac,” “Warworld Saga”). However, villains rarely get their own large-scale events. It’s a shame that characters like Brainiac or Lex Luthor haven’t been the central focus of major DC storylines more often, and they’re just a few examples. DC’s villains aren’t as prominent as they could be, but giving them leading roles in big events could fix that. Until then, I’m hoping to see a major event centered around the villain Mordru.

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2025-09-27 19:16