Who Is the Greatest Evil Villain in DC Media?

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Behind every legendary super hero is a super-villain who challenges them and pushes them to fight for the greater good. Super heroes and super-villains are necessary foils, two sides of the same coin. They complete each other and sometimes even give each other purpose.

But are all villains created equal? Frankly, no. Some are destined to be villains of the week, no more than a passing nuisance in the grand evil scheme of things. Others, however, are threats to society. They shake their worlds to the very core and cause endless turmoil for our favorite super heroes. In the world of DC media, the super heroes are all-powerful and righteous, upholders of brave ideals and bold dreams — and their villains are sources of chaos, destruction, and injustice. So who’s the greatest evil in all of DC? That’s what we’re about to find out. Ultimately, it comes down to two.

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Who Are the Most Evil Villains in DC?

Villainy is not an easy path. And to be considered a super-villain, one must possess certain qualities despite the best efforts of super heroes. First and foremost, a super-villain is primarily evil. Over the years, many members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery have transitioned into antiheroes (or, at the very least, characters capable of compassion). The best example of this would be the Gotham City Sirens: Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. These women demonstrate nuanced representations of evil and their hold over Gotham City is unshakeable. But they’re not fully evil.

Other Rogues Gallery villains, like Scarecrow or The Penguin, are definitely evil yet their gimmick can overpower their presence. They’re primarily Batman’s villains, which brings up another qualifier: crossover appeal. A true super-villain terrorizes not just one super hero, but all of them. As a result, we can rule out villains who are commonly only associated with a single hero: Lex Luthor or Brainiac with Superman, Cheetah with Wonder Woman, Sinestro with Green Lantern, and Black Manta with Aquaman. While Reverse Flash’s actions had a multiversal impact, he’s still mostly associated with a single event, Flashpoint.

To summarize, the most evil super-villain needs to be a universal threat, primarily evil, and also capable of extraordinary influence. They need to have plenty of power and they can’t be too predictable for their enemies. These qualifications lead us to two prime contenders: Darkseid and The Joker.

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Darkseid Is Evil Incarnate in the DC Universe

Back in the early 1970s, Darkseid made his comic book debut as a Jack Kirby creation. Darkseid was part of the Fourth World series, in which the planet Apokolips and the planet New Genesis were at war. Unlike the utopia on New Genesis, Apokolips lived up to its name as a diabolical hellscape. Its leader, Darkseid, is truly evil incarnate. His ultimate goal is to unlock the secret of the Anti-Life Equation, a tool that would allow him to destroy all free will throughout the DC universe. Basically, he wants to enslave every living being and bring the horrors of Apokolips to every world he encounters. A madman hellbent on a universe-destroying plan? Super-villain super check.

While DC fans also might point to Trigon as another infernal antagonist with nearly limitless power, Trigon is also mainly a Teen Titans enemy. Darkseid has gone up against nearly every member of the Justice League — and held his own, even against Superman. His terrifying Omega Beams are capable of destroying almost anything, not to mention his brute strength and command over legions of Apokoliptian fiends. If we’re talking sheer power levels, Darkseid has them. And you can be sure he’s never dabbled in being a good guy. So then how does The Joker compare?

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The Joker Is the Most Cruel & Chaotic DC Villain

If Darkseid is evil incarnate, then The Joker is insanity in a nutshell. There has never been any clear rhyme nor reason to his villainy, and that’s the exact reason why he has remained a blemish on Batman’s record all these years. The Joker is the perfect foil to Batman since he represents chaos and anarchy, in opposition with Batman’s law and order. Their relationship is much like Superman and Lex Luthor, except it is far less common for The Joker to ever help super heroes out. Occasionally Lex will step in to save the world from destruction, but The Joker would simply be laughing to the bitter end,

His madness is what makes him one of the most influential DC super-villains because the heroes can never predict what he’ll do next. And without a motive, a detective like Batman is destined to reach dead ends. While he doesn’t possess any superpowers like Darkseid, The Joker has inflicted decades’ worth of emotional pain on not only Batman but the Bat-Family, the Justice League, and even fellow villains! There’s a reason most of the Rogues Gallery fears The Joker. And who could forget The Joker’s infamous attacks on Barbara Gordon and Jason Todd? Batgirl and Red Hood still deal with their Joker trauma to this day.

Plus, The Joker is even a menace in other realities — by killing Lois Lane during Injustice, he unleashed a vengeful Superman upon the world. When it comes to corruption, nobody does it quite like The Joker.

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DC’s Greatest Villains

At the end of the day, things come out pretty even between Darkseid and The Joker. On the one hand, The Joker has been around in DC publications for longer and he is absolutely unpredictable. With Darkseid, he wields an absolute power that gives him the upper hand against even the best super heroes. It’s impossible, however, to ignore The Joker’s iconic presence throughout pop culture. Still, both have managed to affect the entire DC universe at one point or another.

Who would be your choice for most evil DC super-villain, Darkseid or The Joker? Join the conversation with other DC fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!