DC Comics has done an amazing job with villains over the decades. Starting back in the Golden Age, when they introduced villains who would become legends like Lex Luthor, the Joker, Catwoman, Vandal Savage, Solomon Grundy, and more, the publisher have been giving readers the best bad guys around. We’ve gotten decades of great antagonists and some of them have risen to the top. However, not all of them have deserved it. Sometimes, a bad guy comes around at the right time and is able to hit hard but quickly becomes overrated. Other villains started out as a big deal, but faded as the years went on, still trading on early triumphs and not living up to what they once were.
However, overrated villains still had something that resonated with fans in the beginning and could again. There are very rarely any actual lost causes in superhero comics, and some DC antagonists who have fallen off can get right back on. These seven DC villains are overrated but could easily become a big deal again.
7) Deadshot
Deadshot started out as a Batman gimmick villain, his particular angle being that he was a riverboat-gambling dandy who was a crack shot. He’d get re-evaluated in the Bronze Age and soon became one of the most beloved B-list bad guys ever in Suicide Squad. He’s also been developed very well as a character, with a cool backstory and status quo with his daughter. However, the villain has fallen off a cliff in recent years. There’s a simple way to solve this – having him get some major kills. Let him start killing C and D-list heroes and villains, showing how deadly he is when he puts his mind to it. Make him a threat again, and he can reach the highest ranks of villainy.
6) Deathstroke
Deathstroke has been overrated for a long time now. The anti-hero is mostly known for his battles against the Titans (teen, new, or otherwise) and Batman, and readers are constantly told how tough he is. However, recent years have seen him not live up to that, which has caused him to become something of a laughingstock among fans. There’s honestly a really simple fix for the character: start putting him up against people who aren’t the Titans and Batman. Have him fight new heroes, showing off his grasp of strategy and his adaptability. He’s a Justice League level enemy, and it’s past time we got more of him in roles like that.
5) The Crime Syndicate
The Justice League faces the toughest foes, and the Crime Syndicate are some of their most dangerous. They are the Justice League of Earth-Three (or Earth-3 depending on what version of the multiverse we’re talking about), an Earth where evil always wins. They’re used to victory, but whenever they come to the main Earth they lose. There’s a really simple solution to this: teamwork. The team loses because they hate each other and have no concept of teamwork. If they actually tried to train and work together as a team, they would have a chance. They may be villains, but they don’t have to stupid and be at each other’s throats all the time.
4) Reverse Flash
The Reverse Flash is DC’s biggest hater, as well as being one of the most powerful bad guys around. Reverse Flash’s Negative Speed Force powers allow him to do everything that the Flash can do and then some, able to travel back and forth through time and change things, something impossible for anyone else, and create parasitic energies that kill other speedsters. His main problem as a villain is that he’s so obsessed with Barry Allen all he does is try to hurt him. If Eobard Thawne could leave his hatred of Allen behind and just focus on the villainy, he would become one of the greatest threats to the entire multiverse.
Metallo is one of Superman’s most dangerous villains, but he’s not as great as he could be. John Corben was given a Kryptonite heart and a powerful cybernetic body by Lex Luthor and sent after the Man of Steel, repeating this pattern for decades. He’s often been used as muscle against the Metropolis Marvel, but the character has so much more potential. His biggest problem is that he’s barely a character. Fans don’t care about him or his personal stake in the war against Superman. Creators need to find a way to make stories more about who he is, get people interested in him, and that will lead to him becoming more popular. Readers want villains they can care about in some way, and Metallo doesn’t have enough of that.
2) The Riddler
The Riddler is one of Batman’s most complex villains, yet he’s never reached the same heights as someone like the Joker. He’s been stuck in the same rut for years, and there’s an easy way to get him out of it – let him win. The last time anyone was excited for the Riddler’s future was after “Hush”. He had beat the Dark Knight and held all the cards, and fans wanted more of that version of the character. However, DC pulled the plug on that (at the time having him get brain damage and forgetting everything, becoming a heroic detective-type character) and he’s back to being the hapless loser he’s been for decades. The Riddler needs to win more, become an actual threat, and he could easily live up to his legendary status.
1) Bane
Bane has become one of Batman’s greatest villains, but if we’re being honest, he doesn’t really deserve it. His stories have basically worked the same way – he tricks Batman with an elaborate plan and then he breaks him physically, leading to a final battle. However, there was one time when the character felt like he was becoming something special: as a member of the Secret Six. He thrived away from Batman, away from using the same plan over and over again, and it honestly made him into a better villain. That’s the key to making him truly great. Let him fight other people, let him star in stories that aren’t the typical Bane fare, and he’ll excel.
How would you fix your favorite overrated villain? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
