There have been multiple instances where DC movies feature villains that easily outshine their heroes. Whether it’s in live-action, animation, DCEU, or otherwise, there have been some captivating foes. Likewise, one can imagine that there will be more on the way in the new DCU being developed by James Gunn.
A hero is only as good as their best villain, and that’s very true for the superhero genre and the wide range of DC movies that have been released across the decades. That said, it’s always fascinating when the bad guy is more engaging than the heroes meant to defeat them. To that end, here are 10 DC movies where the villain is more interesting than the hero (in no particular order).
10
Joker
The Dark Knight
Sure, I said in no particular order…but The Dark Knight’s Joker will likely always lead this kind of list. Played by the late Heath Ledger, the anarchist version of the Clown Prince of Crime was infinitely more engaging and compelling than Christian Bale’s Batman. While it’s exciting to see how Batman reacts to his arch-foe in the version of Gotham City developed by Christopher Nolan, the true success of The Dark Knight is objectively The Joker and his status as an unpredictable agent of chaos. Following Batman Begins, you know what you’re getting from Bale’s Bruce Wayne.
9
Ozymandias
Watchmen
Watchmen’s Ozymandias is also a prime example where the villain surpᴀsses the heroes. While Doctor Manhattan might arguably still be more compelling, the entire focus of Watchmen’s plot is centered around Adrian Veidt’s true motivations as the main mystery of the movie. They’re also the crux of the moral questions the film poses as Veidt attempts to “save” the world.
In the comics, Ozymandis stages a fake alien attack in order to unite the world and stave off World War III, engineering a giant squid to look like a giant extraterrestrial whose arrival kills millions in the process for the attack to be taken seriously. However, the live-action Ozymandias in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen instead triggers multiple nuclear explosions around the world, framing Dr. Manhattan by mimicking his natural radiation signature. As such, the changes between the comic and movie endings of Watchmen make Veidt’s plans all the more interesting and for some, controversial.
8
The Phantasm
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm
Because we got an entire animated series focused on Batman and his typical rogues gallery, 1993’s The Mask of the Phantasm is a cut above. The animated feature debuted the new vigilante known as The Phantasm, revealed to be Bruce Wayne’s former love interest. As such, the central focus of the movie is this new Batman villain who’s killing various Gotham gang members. The Mask of the Phantasm was notably the first and only animated Batman feature to receive a theatrical release, up until 2016’s Batman: The Killing Joke and 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie.
7
The Penguin
Batman Returns
While Batman Returns brought back Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight, the true draw was Danny DeVito’s Penguin, who received far more disturbing and monstrous elements infused with his classic comics origins, and his attempts to become Gotham’s mayor were interesting as well. While one could argue that Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman was even more compelling, Penguin’s definitely the bigger villain as Selina Kylle naturally receives more of a redemption arc by the end of the second Batman from Tim Burton.
6
Poison Ivy
Batman & Robin
While Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mister Freeze deserves a medal for the sheer number of ice-themed puns per minute, Poison Ivy easily steals the show in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin. Played by Uma Thurman, Poison Ivy is a lethal mix of danger and seduction, manipulating Batman and the Boy Wonder using his plant-based powers while she seeks. Leaning into the movie’s over-the-top camp, Thurman’s Poison Ivy is iconic both in appearance and in performance. After all, it’s hard to forget a line like, “There’s just something about an anatomically correct rubber suit that puts fire in a girl’s lips.“
5
Lex Luthor
Superman Returns
Set in the same continuity as the original Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel and the late Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Kevin Spacey took the reins as Superman’s arch foe in Superman Returns. On the whole, Brandon Routh was quite the impressive Superman, though the charisma of Spacey’s Lex Luthor stole the spotlight in the 2006 movie. Not only did Spacey do a great job emulating Hackman’s Luthor, but he also infused his own traits into the sinister performance.
4
Darkseid
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Steppenwolf simply wasn’t the guy in 2017’s Justice League. The theatrical release was not the final product of the movie envisioned by director Zack Snyder, and Steppenwof was never meant to be the end-all villain, only a herald of the true big bad that was to come. To that end, a major draw of Zack Snyder’s Justice League on Max was Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips and Steppenwolf’s master, the original villain of the movie’s flashbacks who was also going to be set up for future Justice League movies as well.
As such, fans were eager to see the reintegrated Darkseid scenes in the Snyder Cut. It’s not hard to argue that the excitement about his scenes far outweighed any other added footage featuring the movie’s team of heroes (exciting as they were). That said, fans can only dream about what the final reckoning with Darkseid would have looked like in the DCEU, as there’s now a new DC Universe in the works with this year’s Superman set to be its first live-action project.
3
Black Manta
Aquaman
Jason Momoa was a bold casting choice for the DCEU’s Aquaman, and he helped keep audiences engaged and excited about the character. That said, many DC fans would agree that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta provided a very captivating performance, especially in 2018’s Aquaman. Swearing vengeance on Arthur Curry who refused to save his father, the pirate mercenary allied with Aquaman’s half-brother to get his revenge. As such, the sympathetic arc within his darkness made Manta quite the captivating foe, arguably more so than Aquaman’s inevitable journey to becoming the king of Atlantis.
2
Cheetah
WW84
Although Wonder Woman 1984 wasn’t the most well-received DC movie of all time, it’s safe to say that Kristin Wiig’s Cheetah was one of the movie’s most interesting elements. The casting was surprising and yet worked surprisingly well, tapping into a similar origin and villain arc to Jamie Foxx’s Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where the disenfranchised, looked-over nerd gains power and recognition they’d only ever dreamed of as a comic book villain (Poison Ivy too). While Cheetah’s final CGI form wasn’t great, the character overall will still very compelling and noteworthy.
1
Jason Todd’s Red Hood
Under the Red Hood
2010’s Batman: Under The Red Hood adapts Jason Todd’s story from the comics where the second Robin was murdered by Joker and resurrected via the Lazarus Pits. The movie has long been cited as one of the best animated DC movies of all time, and it’s largely due to Jensen Ackles’s impressive performance as the corrupted Robin turned vigilante. Forcing Batman to face the limits of his no-kill rule, The Red Hood is easily one of the best DC villains, especially considering his arc on the page where he eventually becomes a dark anti-hero, the Bat Family’s black sheep.
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Joker: Folie a Deux
- Release Date
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October 4, 2024
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
- Release Date
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June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
- Release Date
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October 1, 2027
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