The world of DC Comics has long been defined by the never-ending war between good and evil. Over the company’s nine-decade existence, generations of creators have added a long list of villains to the universe. The villains ranged in power and motivation, from bumbling pranksters to the very embodiment of chaos and majesty.
DC’s villains are often created to represent themes and fears relevant to their heroes, with each bad guy required to have an advantage over their heroic foe. While some characters have always been fairly campy and non-threatening, others have been defined by their ability to strike fear into the hearts of others. In fact, some of the best stories in the history of the company were written to focus on the idea of ​​fear itself, including horror that brought the best heroes to their knees.
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The Joker
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger
The Joker made his first appearance in the 1940s Batman #1, where he immediately established himself as one of Batman’s most unrelenting enemies in a war on Gotham’s elite. In the following years, the villain proved to be one of the DC Universe’s most unpredictable, volatile and violent villains, with one of the biggest death counts in Gotham.
Whether the Joker is terrifying often depends on who’s writing him, with some creators preferring a campy version that relies on pranks and others exploring a much more sinister creature. For many readers, the mere appearance of a killer clown is enough to make his stories terrifying, and his unchecked violence makes the fear even worse.
9
Solomon Grundy
Created by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman
Based on the nursery rhyme of the same name, DC’s Solomon Grundy was once a criminal, Cyrus Gold, who was resurrected after being killed and left in the Slaughter Swamp. When he returned from the dead, the supernatural villain possessed super strength, an invulnerability to conventional means of death, and a large, Hulk-like body.
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As a hulking, unreasoning zombie, Grundy stands out among DC’s greatest monsters, although some stories have depicted a more intelligent version of the character. Despite a tragic side to the villain, as hinted at in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long HalloweenThe Pale Zombie is one character even Batman doesn’t want to get on the wrong side of.
8
Scarecrow
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane
Scarecrow, also known as Doctor Jonathan Crane, is a villain dedicated to spreading fear, so it only makes sense that he’s established himself as one of DC’s scariest enemies. Armed with his dangerous fear toxin, his modus operandi is to induce horrific nightmares and hallucinations in his victims, immobilize them and allow him to carry out his crimes. In some stories, he released his gas on entire cities, throwing them into an incurable chaos.
Scarecrow is a walking fear factory in Gotham City, and recent stories have shown how even the likes of Shazam are vulnerable to his nightmares. When combined with a terrifying costume that evokes the scariest parts of Halloween, the villain spreads terror everywhere he goes.
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Parallax
Created, in its current form, by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver
Parallax is one of DC’s more interesting villains due to the convoluted backstory of his creation. Originally, Parallax was simply the identity Hal Jordan assumed after he turned evil in the aftermath of the destruction of Coast City. Later, the villain was the subject of Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver’s Recon In Green Lantern: RebirthExplaining that Hal was under the influence of a parasitic fear the whole time.
Considering the fact that he’s DC’s living embodiment of fear, it’s hard to get more terrifying than Parallax in a literal sense. When all is said and done, both the scope of his power and influence combined with his appearance as a giant, insectoid cosmic monster makes Parallax one of the scariest monsters of the DCU.
6
Doctor Destiny
Created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky
Doctor Destiny was originally introduced as a supervillain who used technology, such as an anti-gravity device that he used against the Justice League. However, as time progressed, the villain was redefined as a supernatural enemy, one who could enter people’s dreams and carry out psychological attacks against them. In his later battles with the League, he infiltrated their dreams, turning them into nightmares, effectively immobilizing them in the real world.
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As creepy as Doctor Destiny’s appearance is, it’s actually his power that delivers the true horror, giving him the ability to plunge his enemies into inescapable nightmares. With one of the most blood-curdling appearances in the DCU, this villain can traumatize a character for the rest of their life.
5
Darkseid
Created by Jack Kirby
Darkseid was created by Jack Kirby to serve as the main villain in his Fourth World mythos, which explores the ongoing war between New Genesis and Apokolips. Motivated by power and conquest, Darkseid has dedicated his life to finding the anti-life equation that, if found, would give him mastery over the free will of sentient beings.
Darkseid doesn’t have the same monstrous form or unreasoning mind as other villains. Instead, it is his intelligence, relentless nature and the horror of his Omega beams that makes him a being so terrifying even Superman fears him. Stories like Final crisis and “Rock of Ages” explored the terrifying future the villain has in store, full of tyranny, monstrous versions of heroes and endless death.
4
The upside down man
Created by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Created for Justice League DarkThe upside down man is a being from a race of nightmarish creatures, the other kind, from a cruel plane of existence, the other place. Founded at the dawn of time when the universe was a place of darkness, the villain became the greatest threat of the Justice League Dark, manipulating them to darkness.
The Upside Down Man reflects the dark horror of James Tynion IV and Ram V’s tenure Justice League DarkDelivering readers the scariest enemy created in the last decade. From his terrifying appearance to his mastery of dark magic that allows him to unleash horrors upon the world, the villain is one of DC’s greatest supernatural threats.
3
Trigon
Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
Trigon was created to serve as DC’s answer to Satan himself, a demonic lord from another dimension who has destroyed countless worlds in his universe. Imprisoned in the gem that empowers his heroic daughter, Raven, the demonic despot possesses a range of abilities, ranging from teleportation and super strength to energy blasts and reality manipulation.
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Trigon isn’t just Teen Titans’ most terrifying villain; He is so powerful that it is unclear if even Darkseid can withstand his wrath. As one of the few characters in existence who can brush off the likes of Mr McKizptlk, the Satan-inspired monster is one of the biggest threats to the known universe – and his existence is pure biblical horror.
2
M’Nagala
Created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson
As he made his perilous trek across the United States back to his swamp, Swamp Thing encountered a variety of villains and creatures. No one was as terrifying as M’Ngala, an old man from Kosmos who lived in the caves below a town that sacrificed to him. After meeting Alec Holland’s new form, the townspeople attempt to lure him into the mines, leading to a confrontation with the monster.
M’Nagalah blends elements of Lovecraftian horror with existential dread, a terror that is seemingly indestructible. While the creature can be temporarily hindered, it returns, as shown when the atom stumbled across the being. Able to manipulate the minds of ordinary people and create misshapen creatures to do his bidding, M’Nagalah is basically DC’s answer to Cthulhu.
1
The great darkness
Created by Alan Moore and Stan Woch
The Great Darkness was created by Alan Moore during his Swamp Thing run, and it serves as the DCU’s embodiment of malevolence and evil. As a fundamental force of existence, the villain’s true form is rarely shown, instead represented by his agents. Slimmering in another plane of existence, the ancient being almost brought the universe to its knees Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere when it possessed heroes and villains.
The Great Darkness is the perfect balance to the Light of the Presence, embodying the spirit of royalty from DC. The darkness is an all-encompassing, inescapable and indestructible being, ever-present in the universe, and is manipulated by Pariah to threaten existence itself. The being is not typically depicted as having any major aspirations itself, rather serving as an inevitable force over existence in the world of DC Comics.