Here's A Definitive Ranking Of Every DC Villain From Absolute Worst To Best By Far

I just wanna say, Steppenwolf is misunderstood.

The Batman has just come out, and all of our attention has turned to DC again.

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Now I know everyone loves the MCU, and DC sometimes takes a back seat in the superhero movie genre, but DC does have one saving grace – it's villains! Although, not ~all~ of them though, as you're about to find out.

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I've tried to include the main villain from each major DC film, but I've left out the anti-heroes, so to speak.

Villains are often what really make a superhero film, and with the MCU villains already ranked, it's only fair to give DC the same treatment. So here it goes...

🚨 Obviously, big spoilers ahead! Don't worry though, I've kept The Batman out of this.🚨

30. Parallax in Green Lantern

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This is one of those films you just had to endure, and Parallax is just an angry cloud... Made from bad CGI... In an even worse film. The less said, the better.

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29. Steppenwolf in Justice League

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Justice League managed to right a few of its wrongs with the "Snyder Cut", but it doesn’t really take away the mess that was Steppenwolf. In both versions, he's another boring CGI villain with a *yawn* plan to take over the Earth.

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28. Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman 1984

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Strangely, quite a few people liked this character! While I applaud Pedro Pascal’s portrayal, I never want to see this villain on-screen again. At one moment, he actually wished to be the stone. At that very same moment, I wished I wasn't in the cinema watching this.

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27. Enchantress in Suicide Squad

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Barring the emergence of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad was a mess. I dare you to recount the plot or the Enchantress’ motivations. You can’t, and neither can I.

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26. Hector Hammond in Green Lantern

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People always want the directors of superhero films to stay true to the comic books, and then they do THIS. This isn't exactly a character design that translated well onto the big screen.

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25. Bane in Batman and Robin

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He just shouts "Bane" and looks like he’s wearing a gimp mask. Not to kink-shame anyone, but really?!

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24. Ares in Wonder Woman

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There's a moment in this film where we think that there is no Ares and men are inherently bad... Then Ares turns up. At that point, the movie pretty much becomes the equivalent of a shoulder-shrug. Using CGI to put David Thewlis' face onto a suit of armour was a painful way to end a pretty good film.

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23. Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984

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It’s a good thing that we see the Cheetah in the dark because light would NOT be kind to this villain. Her motivations are just about as clear, but the execution isn’t the best. Kristen Wiig is really talented but I’m sure you're glad this cat only had one life.

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22. Doomsday in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

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He looks like a thumb; need I say more?

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21. Ocean Master in Aquaman

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I actually enjoyed Aquaman (yes, I'm being serious) and I thought the Ocean Master was pretty good. Patrick Wilson looks like he’s having all kinds of fun playing him and that’s alright with me.

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20. Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

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This version of Lex Luthor – replete with weird monologues and a jar of piss – is by far my least favourite. He is, at the same time, strangely compelling, and often the best part of the film. I’m just as confused as you! Did anyone else think Jesse Eisenberg was simply playing Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network again though?

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19. Dr Sivana in Shazam!

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Dr. Sivana is the perfect mid-point for this list. He's basic, but he's a solid villain, and Mark Strong is pretty intimidating. From this point on in this post, I feel like the villains are much more well-rounded.

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18. Lex Luthor in Superman Returns

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A much better Lex Luthor than the Batman v Superman one, this Lex is a lot more menacing despite the film lacking depth. There really is nothing ~super~ about this film though.

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17. Mr. Freeze in Batman and Robin

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Now bear with me here! I know Mr. Freeze is cartoonishly bad and speaks in sigh-inducing puns, butttttttt it's Arnold Schwarzenegger looking like he's attending a Halloween party! If you factor in the era of Batman films this was made in, he actually fits pretty well. It’s an iconic performance and well deserving of its place.

Now, try watching these puns without smiling.

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16. Poison Ivy in Batman and Robin

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Breaking the chain of bald men, here's another villain from the same Batman and Robin film in which the dialogue is certainly revelling in its own awfulness. Having watched these movies as a kid, I think nostalgia is playing its part here in my ranking, but I bet most of you also have a soft spot for these over-the-top villains! I’d definitely take them over a generic CGI alien.

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15. Black Mask in Birds of Prey

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This film wasn’t great, but Ewan McGregor was at his very best here. He’s charismatic, and he makes Birds of Prey almost worth watching (almost). Black Mask is still a move in the right direction for DC, as they give us a villain with actual some character.

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From here on, we're dealing with villains who actually kind of slap.

14. Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises

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I did guess that Miranda Tate was in fact Talia al Ghul pretty early on, and that her plan was basically the same as her dad's. However, I can’t deny that Marion Cotillard was a solid villain in a very good finale. Do you remember when you were a kid and you’d pretend to die? Well, keep that in mind when you watch Talia’s death below.

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13. Black Manta in Aquaman

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I can’t help but LOVE Black Manta! I’m not sure if it’s his manta suit, his intensity, or his weird alien fishbowl head, but he just made for a brilliant villain. I’d place him higher up if it wasn’t for some truly stiff competition.

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12. Harvey Dent ‘Two-Face’ in The Dark Knight

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The words “you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” are basically the tagline for this movie. Aaron Eckhart does incredibly well to hold his own, especially when he’s on-screen with the Joker.

Two-Face also has a character arc that most heroes would envy. His desire to save the city and the loss of Rachel really made me sympathise with him. Flipping coins while making decisions is the way forward!

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11. Scarecrow in Batman Begins

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He appears in every film in the Batman trilogy because he’s just SO captivating. Cillian Murphy plays the Scarecrow with a realism that’s expected from a Nolan film, and he smashes it out of the park! Cillian even auditioned to play the Batman, but luckily the part went to Christian Bale, which is all right with me.

There are two things I love about the Scarecrow: the way he says “the Bat-Man”, which is just poetic, and his pun when lighting Bruce on fire. What is it with Batman villains and puns?

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10. General Zod in Man of Steel

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This was the first time I’d seen Michael Shannon in a film, and I was shocked at how good he was. When General Zod screams “I will find him”, you think shit, he’s ~definitely~ going to get him. That's the sort of rage I wanna see in my villains!

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9. Two-Face and The Riddler in Batman Forever

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I couldn’t decide which of these two was better because they’re both the right amount of cheesy, annoying, and fun. So I've put them together, despite the fact that Tommy Lee Jones really did not like working with Jim Carrey.

Their costumes are clearly over the top, but we love it anyway. Jim Carrey does Jim Carrey — which I'm sure Tommy loved – and the whole film is better for it!

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8. Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

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Now I know you’ve practiced *the voice* before, and we all know someone who’s actually pretty good at it. Bane exudes strength whilst outmatching Batman in both physicality and intellect. It was hard to follow Heath Ledger’s Joker performance, but I feel like Tom Hardy did himself proud.

He’s also a style icon – look at that coat and mask combo!

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7. Lex Luthor in Superman

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Gene Hackman IS Lex Luthor. The wit and the sharpness we see from this Lex make him the best iteration yet. I think of all the villains, he really feels like he could be real. This is a prime example of the strength of DC’s villains — they're not overplayed and that makes me love them.

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6. General Zod in Superman II

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You know the villains are good when a performance like this doesn't even make the top 3 (according to anyway). Here’s a villain who will destroy you with his words and then with his fists. I really can’t emphasise how outstanding this performance is. The best thing about him is, he’s kind of likeable as he goes around savaging everyone. If anyone needed thug life glasses, it’s General Zod.

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5. Penguin in Batman Returns

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He actually had an army of penguins... For that alone, I'm impressed! After rewatching it recently, I think this might be the weirdest performance and oddest villain of them all. Even so, you can feel DeVito's energy. His story is tragic, but it's one of the best we’ve seen so far. He also looks like a mix between The Child Catcher and one of the Addams family. Iconic.

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4. Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins

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This mentor/villain has some of the most iconic scenes in all of the Nolan Batman films. Ra’s al Ghul is imposing and unlike the bright and colourful villains we had seen in previous Batman movies. With his Thanos sense of justice, Ra’s is compelling enough to make me want to join the League of Shadows.

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3. The Joker in Joker

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Joaquin Phoenix is very good... Stupidly good, in fact. His turn as The Joker is nothing short of amazing. Of all the villains, this is the one that really resonated with me. You can feel his pain because he’s a fully realised character. The ending is also so raw that you need time to just process what you've just seen. 

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2. The Joker in Batman

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For years he was the gold standard for villains, and that laugh! Jack's laugh is what you think of when you think of The Joker. Seeing this film growing up made me super terrified of him. He’s also true to the comic books with his look and his awful jokes. I think we can all agree that Jack Nicholson’s Joker influenced a great many other actor’s performances for comic book villains.

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1. The Joker in The Dark Knight

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You're guaranteed to see one every Halloween, but here we have another Joker and for me, the best of the lot. I mean, can you name any other villains that are as good? He's only in it for 33 minutes, but he completely steals the film. The late Heath Ledger put in a performance that redefined comic book films, with his subtle tics and mesmeric way of speaking. The most terrifying thing about this Joker is that he has a point. Also, he does amazing tricks with pencils. So there’s that too.

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Do you agree with my order? Who would be in your top 5? Make sure to let us know in the comments below!