James Gunn Finally Confirms Who His Most Evil Marvel & DC Villain Is

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James Gunn, the creator of *Peacemaker* and co-CEO of DC Studios, recently shared his thoughts on which villains he’s created in the Marvel and DC universes are the most truly evil. Having worked on projects like *Guardians of the Galaxy*, *The Suicide Squad*, *Peacemaker*, *Creature Commandos*, and the upcoming *Superman* film, Gunn has a unique perspective. He’s brought to life memorable villains including Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult), High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), Ego (Kurt Russell), and Ronan (Lee Pace), among others.

While watching a recent episode of *Peacemaker* on Threads, James Gunn revealed that the Auggie Smith (White Dragon) viewers saw was the same one encountered by his Earth-X counterpart (Blue Dragon) years ago. Gunn also discussed the Auggie from *Peacemaker* Season 1, bluntly calling him the “worst character he’s ever created.”

James Gunn revealed that Auggie Smith, also known as Blue Dragon from Earth-X, wasn’t a villain like his counterpart in the main DC Universe. Despite living on a world filled with racism and Nazi ideology, he was “generally a good human being” and didn’t share those beliefs.

Just before Vigilante killed him, Auggie revealed to his son Keith that he’d seen a duplicate of himself years earlier in the Quantum Unfolding Chamber. He believed this double came from a world that was a twisted, darker version of their own. However, he was wrong. The Auggie from the main DC Universe was actually a cruel person in a generally good world, the opposite of his counterpart on Earth-X, who tried to do good in a world filled with evil.

When Jim Gunn describes White Dragon as the most villainous character he’s created across all his superhero movies and TV shows – and he’s worked on nine of them, including projects featuring characters like the High Evolutionary and Lex Luthor – that’s a significant claim.

Viewers immediately disliked the High Evolutionary after he cruelly tortured animals in *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3*. Similarly, Lex Luthor became infamous for nearly destroying the Earth while trying to defeat *Superman*.

Despite their flaws, Gunn believes both characters are relatively good people when compared to the White Dragon. He firmly considers the White Dragon to be the most despicable character in his entire collection of superheroes.

Throughout the series *Peacemaker*, viewers have witnessed Auggie as the leader of a hateful, KKK-like group, forcing his sons to fight—resulting in Keith’s death—and subjecting his surviving son, Chris, to both physical and emotional abuse. He also senselessly killed a harmless alien and consistently voiced his prejudiced, racist beliefs.

A full list of James Gunn’s Marvel and DC villains can be seen below:

  • Ronan the Accuser – Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Nebula – Guardians of the Galaxy
  • The Collector – Guardians of the Galaxy
  • Ego – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
  • The Sovreign – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
  • The High Evolutionary – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
  • Adam Warlock – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
  • Starro – The Suicide Squad 
  • Amanda Waller – The Suicide Squad
  • White Dragon – Peacemaker Season 1
  • The Butterflies – Peacemaker Season 1
  • Illana Rostovic – Creature Commandos
  • Lex Luthor – Superman
  • Ultraman – Superman
  • The Engineer – Superman
  • Rick Flag Sr. – Peacemaker Season 2
  • Red St. Wild – Peacemakaer Season 2
  • Captain Triumph – Peacemaker Season 2

James Gunn’s next project at DC Studios is *Man of Tomorrow*, and he might have revealed the main villain for the upcoming *Superman* movie: the highly intelligent robot, Brainiac.

James Gunn’s Evilest Villain Is All Too Real, And That’s What Makes Him Perfect

James Gunn has a knack for creating compelling characters – heroes people root for and villains they love to despise, and that’s been true throughout his work with both Marvel and DC. His series *Peacemaker* is a perfect example: viewers quickly connected with John Cena’s portrayal of the initially overlooked anti-hero, Peacemaker, and immediately disliked Robert Patrick’s White Dragon.

Fans of *Peacemaker* despise Auggie both for the severe abuse he inflicted on his son, which ultimately led to the son’s violent behavior, and for his deeply offensive and sadly still-relevant racist beliefs.

Without the high-tech suit, Auggie’s grounded perspective and believable character make him a particularly frustrating villain. Unlike the fantastical characters in *Guardians of the Galaxy*, people like Auggie – driven by his worldview – are unfortunately all too real, which makes him easier to dislike.

James Gunn successfully created a truly unlikeable villain, and it works – viewers are just as eager to see him defeated as they are to root for the hero. Auggie Smith, more than any other villain Gunn has crafted, is motivated by sheer hatred, making his death in *Peacemaker* Season 1 a welcome event for the DC Universe.

Even though Auggie is gone, Chris continues to be haunted by the abuse he suffered. Season 2 doesn’t shy away from these difficult issues, and the show continues to explore themes of racism, especially with the unexpected events involving Earth-X.

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2025-10-07 20:07