The DCU is filled with iconic villains. Some are street-level threats, who’d rather focus their energies on small-scale crimes against the likes of Batman. Others are world-ending threats; villains who warrant a response from the Justice League. While the DC films haven’t always been box office hits in the same way as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise has featured many great villains across the various films and television series. With The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths firmly connecting all the DC adaptations in a multiverse, there have been some incredibly powerful foes the DC heroes have needed to face off against. But which villains are the most powerful?
Updated January 5th, 2022: Now rebranded the DCU, DC movies have an array of powerful antagonists who need to be strong enough to go up against characters like Superman. We’ve updated this article to show just who’s the most powerful.
What makes a good villain? Is it the costume? The motivation? Some villains are just as everlasting in the minds of fans as their heroic counterparts. The villains make the actions of the hero worthwhile. What would be the point of our favorite comic book heroes if their villainous foils did not exist? But some baddies fly high above the rest. Some pose threats that require everything a hero has. These are the most powerful DC villains to be adapted into live-action.
9/9 Doctor Destiny
Two distinct versions of the Justice League villain Doctor Destiny have been adapted for live-action. The first was on the Arrowverse crossover Elseworlds, played by Jeremy Davies, who rewrote reality with the book of Destiny. Yet the more powerful one is John Dee, played by David Thewlis on the Netflix series The Sandman.
John Dee possesses the Dreamstone, which protects him and also can manipulate and take control of others. The season’s fifth episode 24/7 truly shows how psychologically and physically disturbing Doctor Destiny’s powers can be and make him
The Sandman takes place in a world removed from superheroes, but it is worth noting the only one who is able to stand against John Dee is Dream the Endless. This showcases just exactly how powerful the villain is and makes one wonder how the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman would fare against this sinister foe.
8/9 The Reverse-Flash
The primary villain on The CW series The Flash and one season of Legends of Tomorrow, The Reverse-Flash is one of the most sinister threats in the DC Universe. A scientist named Eboard Thawne from the future travels back in time to ruin Barry Allen’s life, while also making him The Flash and beginning their epic conflict. The combined ability to move at super speed, travel in time to alter history, and vibrate his molecules to put his hand through a person’s heart makes The Reverse-Flash one of the deadliest villains in the DC multiverse.
7/9 Ares
Wonder Woman has faced a plethora of unique villains, but none as powerful as Ares, and it was fitting for him to be the main villain in her solo film. This is the second time David Thewlis appears on this list, giving him the distinction of playing two of DC’s most powerful villains. Ares pretends to be an ally named Sir Patrick until his villainous reveal in the third act as God of War and Wonder Woman’s half-brother.
Ares is revealed not only as a god of war but a god of truth and has parallels to the biblical Lucifer (he whispers in humanity’s ears, wears a horned helmet, and turns against his father who is a creator god). Ares’ powers in Wonder Woman are shown to be impressive, yet most notable is the fact that his long-term goal wins out.
While World War I comes to an end, it spirals into a series of global conflicts that span for the next decade that humanity is still facing. Wonder Woman won the fight but in the long term, Ares’ impact is still felt. It is also worth noting how powerful Ares is that he was able to defeat a young Uxas, who will go on to become the DC big bad Darkseid. Ares easily stands as one of the most powerful threats in the DC Universe.
6/9 General Zod
Man of Steel introduced a more dynamic version of Superman — one whose otherworldly super strength could finally be visualized on the big screen in a way that was only truly seen in animated form. This Superman required a nemesis that could take a punch and fight back with a ferocity unlike any villain seen before. That villain was General Zod. The Man of Steel’s version of Zod was a Kryptonian general hellbent on restoring his home world.
Zack Snyder’s depiction of General Zod demonstrated just how epic modern superhero films could be. His fight with Superman across the destroyed cityscape of Metropolis remains a standout piece of superhero cinematography. Despite the controversy surrounding the massive destruction between the two battling Kryptonians, it was still a sight to behold to watch them battle it out.
5/9 Steppenwolf
It takes a serious threat to bring the entire Justice League together. Steppenwolf was that serious threat. Their first adaptation onscreen found the Justice League fighting the powerful New God, Steppenwolf. Hailing from the hellish planet Apokolips, the villain arrived on Earth to recover the powerful Motherboxes but ended up having to face Batman, The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Wonder Woman. Despite the combined forces of the heroes, Steppenwolf was able to hold his own until the resurrection of Superman.
Of course, there were two different versions of Steppenwolf on screen. The first was Joss Whedon’s theatrical version of the character, a much-maligned version due to questionable CGI and a lack of a compelling backstory. Despite his flaws, this depiction was still a capable villain that was able to hold his own against a pantheon of DC heroes.
Zack Snyder’s finished version, however, was a juggernaut. He thrashed the Amazonians in spectacular fashion and was frightening as he rampaged through the likes of the Atlanteans and the Justice League until meeting his end. Snyder’s version also had a deeper backstory, which fans learned as he set out to complete his mission.
4/9 Starro
Starro is one of DC’s most iconic villains and made his feature film debut in The Suicide Squad. In the comics, Starro was the first villain that the Justice League ever faced, so that shows just how important the one-eyed alien starfish can be. An alien conqueror, he has the ability to reproduce smaller copies of himself to take control of the host they attach themselves to, all of which makes Starro bigger. The massive alien conqueror is both a physically destructive and psychologically destructive foe, one able to control an entire planet and kill anyone he takes control of.
3/9 Doomsday
Doomsday is one of the most iconic DC villains, notable for killing Superman, and his role in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice was to do just that as the story adapted the famous Death of Superman storyline. While Steppenwolf was the villain that the Justice League united against, it could be argued that Doomsday was far more powerful, as the creature kept evolving while fighting Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Had Superman not stabbed him with the Kryptonite spear, Doomsday may not have been stopped, and one wonders if even the assistance of Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg would have done anything.
2/9 Darkseid
Darkseid was originally intended to be the primary villain of Zack Snyder’s planned Justice League trilogy and was the villain Steppenwolf was working for. Darkseid is often considered one of the most powerful villains in the DC Universe and is a force of evil so powerful he tends to be treated as the final threat in other media from the DC Animated Universe to the final season of Smallville.
Darkseid’s role in the DC Universe was certainly cut down due to Warner Bros. cutting down Justice League, yet the full scope of his power could certainly be felt in the few scenes hinted at in Zack Synder’s Justice League. Darkseid would not only kill Aquaman and Wonder Woman but would also corrupt Superman and take over the planet Earth. With only a few scenes, there is no doubt Darkseid is one of the most powerful threats out there.
1/9 The Anti-Monitor
The most powerful DC villain was not in a feature film, but instead on the CW series. The Anti-Monitor was the primary villain of the miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths that united the heroes of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman along with many other DC heroes. The Anti-Monitor and his anti-matter waved passed a threat to not just one universe, but every universe in the DC Multiverse and were able to destroy the home worlds of various other DC projects including Titans, Birds of Prey, and the Adam West Batman series just to name a few.
The Anti-Monitor is one of the most powerful DC villains in the comics, so it was only fitting for him to be such a powerful threat when he made his way to live-action. Rumors circulated that before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios Warner Bros. was planning a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie and one wonders how powerful the Anti-Monitor could have been shown with a big screen budget.
