10 Scariest DC Villains in History, Ranked

The world of DC Comics has long been defined by the never-ending war between good and evi. Throughout the company’s nine-decade existence, generations of creators have added a long list of evildoers to the universe. These villains have ranged in power and motivation, from bumbling pranksters to the very embodiment of chaos and malevolence.

DC’s villains are often created to represent themes and fears relevant to their heroes, with each bad guy required to have some edge over their heroic enemy. While some characters have always been fairly campy and non-threatening, others have been defined by their ability to drive fear into the hearts of others. In fact, some of the best stories in the company’s history were written to focus on the idea of fear itself, including horrors that brought the best heroes to their knees.

10 The Joker

Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

The Joker made his first appearance in 1940’s Batman #1, where he immediately established himself as one of Batman’s most unrelenting enemies in a war on Gotham’s elite. In the years following, the villain has proved himself 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 who relies on pranks and others exploring a far 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 that 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 Slaughter Swamp. Upon returning from the dead, the supernatural villain possessed super strength, an invulnerability to conventional means of death, and a large, Hulk-like body.

As a hulking, unreasoning zombie, Grundy stands out among DC’s greatest monsters, though some stories have portrayed 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 Halloween, the 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 who has dedicated himself to spreading fear, so it only makes sense that he’s established himself as one of DC’s scariest foes. Armed with his dangerous fear toxin, his modus operandi is to induce horrific nightmares and hallucinations in his victims, immobilizing them and allowing him to carry out his crimes. In some stories, he’s unleashed his gas on entire cities, plunging them into unbridled 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 eeriest parts of Halloween, the villain spreads terror everywhere he goes.

7 Parallax

Created, in His 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 to evil in the aftermath of the destruction of Coast City. Later, the villain was the subject of Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver’s retcon in Green Lantern: Rebirth, explaining that Hal had been under the influence of a parasitic fear-based entity 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 DCU’s scariest monsters.

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 he used against the Justice League. However, as time has progressed, the villain has been redefined as a supernatural foe, one who can enter peoples’ dreams and wage 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.

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, the villain can traumatize a character for the rest of their lives.

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 which, if found, would give him mastery over the free will of sentient beings.

Darkseid doesn’t possess the same monstrous form or unreasoning mind as other villains. Instead, it’s 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” have explored the horrific future the villain has in store, replete with 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 Dark, the Upside-Down Man is a being from a race of nightmarish creatures, the Otherkind, from a gruesome plane of existence, the Other Place. Formed at the dawn of time when the universe was a place of darkness, the villain became the Justice League Dark’s greatest threat, manipulating them towards darkness.

The Upside-Down Man reflects the dark horror of James Tynion IV and Ram V’s tenure on Justice League Dark, delivering readers the scariest foe 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 an array of abilities, ranging from teleportation and super strength to energy blasts and reality manipulation.

Trigon isn’t just the Teen Titans’ most terrifying villain; he’s a being so powerful that it’s unclear if even Darkseid could withstand his wrath. As one of the few characters in existence who can brush off the likes of Mr Mxyzptlk, the Satan-inspired monster is one of the biggest threats to the known universe – and his existence is pure Biblical horror.

2 M’Nagalah

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. None were as terrifying as M’Nagalah, an ancient being from the cosmos who dwelled in the caves beneath a small town that made sacrifices to him. After encountering 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’s seemingly indestructible. While the creature can be temporarily hindered, it returns, as was shown when the Atom stumbled across the being. Capable of manipulating the minds of ordinary people and creating 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 through its agents. Slumbering in another plane of existence, the ancient being almost brought the universe to its knees in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere when it possessed heroes and villains alike.

The Great Darkness is the perfect balance to the light of the Presence, embodying DC’s spirit of malevolence. An all-encompassing, inescapable, and indestructible being, the Darkness is ever-present in the universe, and was manipulated by Pariah to threaten existence itself. The being isn’t typically depicted as having any major aspirations itself, rather serving as an inevitable force over existence in the world of DC Comics.