10 Underrated DC Villains Who Deserve Their Own TV Series (After The Penguin)

The Penguin is set to expand the world of 2022’s The Batman, showcasing how Oswald Cobblepot builds his criminal empire in Gotham City. While the villain was once portrayed as a goofy and ridiculous cartoon character known for his umbrella guns and rotund figure, the show is set to give him a much more grounded and human portrayal. Given how The Batman alone reveals different layers behind the squawking Gotham crook, The Penguin may lead the way for similar shows with other DC Comics villains.

Though The Penguin is set in the “ReevesVerse” of The Batman, the launch of James Gunn’s DC Universe means that similar shows could be done for broader DC villains beyond the more street-level Batman enemies. These could include cosmic tyrants, gods of war or even corrupt business owners with very human shades of evil. Expanding upon what makes these bad guys tick, it can also be used to showcase how DC has some of the best and most iconic villains in comics, even if some are a bit overlooked.

10 Veronica Cale Is Wonder Woman’s Most Human Enemy

Debut: Wonder Woman #196 by Greg Rucka and Drew Johnson

Introduced in Greg Rucka’s first run on Wonder Woman, Veronica Cale is essentially the Amazing Amazon’s answer to Lex Luthor. A ruthless businesswoman who’s in charge of Cale-Anderson Pharmaceuticals, she’s deeply resentful and envious of the applause given to Princess Diana of Themyscira. This sees her embark on all manner of schemes and plots, some of which end up backfiring.

A Veronica Cale TV series should showcase the adventures of Wonder Woman from Cale’s perspective, with the villain commenting upon Diana’s heroic actions. This could be done through a combination of personal drama focused on Cale while also having the “superhero action” relayed in a sort of found footage format. Such a series would boost Veronica Cale’s profile while also offering a Wonder Woman project from a much different perspective.

Veronica Cale is somewhat similar in mentality to Priscilla Rich, the Golden Age Cheetah.

9 Killer Croc Can Balance a Crime Drama With Brutal Horror

Debut: Detective Comics #523 by Gerry Conway, Don Newton and Gene Colan

Killer Croc is one of the most poorly used Batman villains in the comics, with many portrayals cartoonishly depicting him as essentially the same as the Spider-Man villain known as The Lizard. This reduces his intellect and essentially makes him into someone for Batman to punch. The character started out as much more than that, and this more human incarnation is perfect for a TV series. A Killer Croc show could be set in the ReevesVerse or the new DCU, depending on how he’s handled.

The version from the Bronze Age and especially the Brian Azzarello/Lee Bermejo series Joker was essentially a normal man with a scaly skin condition, while other interpretations take his name far too literally and portray him as a humanoid reptile. The former interpretation is what can be used for a saddening character drama of an abused young man born into poverty and with a condition that makes him noticeably different. From there, he could have bouts of criminal behavior before eventually becoming a criminal lord in Gotham City. This offers a lot more drama than what could be done with a mere animal, and the grisly nature of the character means that horror/body horror elements could be used to set it apart.

Some interpretations of Killer Croc outright give him a tail, despite this mutation having nothing to do with his form of ichthyosis.

8 Ares Can Be Used to Develop the Gods of the DCU

Debut: Wonder Woman #1 by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter

Ares is the son of Zeus and the Greek god of war, with this status making him a major enemy of Wonder Woman. Combating her since the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths era, he’s remained a fierce part of her rogues gallery, though he was briefly portrayed as her mentor in the New 52 reboot. Previously seen in the DC Extended Universe Wonder Woman movie, Ares will likely reappear in the DCU.

An Ares series can be a fellow spinoff, like the upcoming Paradise Lost DC Universe show. Ares’ exploits can showcase ancient Greek society and how the gods manipulate those who worship them. Ares himself can oppose the creation of the Amazons, giving them more reason to come to blows in the centuries afterward. These stories could segway into a Wonder Woman film in the DC Universe, with Ares’ show also establishing other pantheons of gods.

In the pre-Crisis era, Ares was typically referred to by his Roman name, Mars.

7 Doctor Psycho Could Have DC’s Most Disturbing TV Series

Debut: Wonder Woman #5 by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter

Another underrated DC villain is Doctor Psycho, who’s also one of Wonder Woman’s creepiest enemies. Though his diminutive size might say otherwise, Doctor Psycho wields immense power, with these mental abilities explained as psychic or even ectoplasmic in nature. The villain is also incredibly sexist and uses his powers to stoke the flames of anger among men and women.

A Doctor Psycho series should showcase the brutal levels of rage and hate in the character, and it would likely be more than deserving of the TV-MA rating. Likewise, it can also be psychological and psychodelic, much in the same way as the FX series Legion. This way, the villain himself is developed in a manner befitting of his powers, with elements of horror and social commentary creeping out viewers along the way.

Doctor Psycho’s real name is usually Edgar Cizko, but it’s also been Cyril Psycho and Leon Zeiko.

6 Lex Luthor’s Show Could Be a Sci-Fi Succession

Lex Luthor is Superman’s most iconic foe, with the villain set to be played by Nicholas Hoult in the DC Universe. He’ll debut in the 2025 Superman movie, but it’s unknown how he’ll be portrayed in the new shared movie and TV universe. The comics depict Luthor as both a corrupt businessman and a mad scientist, with a TV series potentially combining elements of both of these incarnations.

A DCU Lex Luthor show needs to showcase Lex’s beginnings, potentially adapting the comic book The Unauthorized Biography of Lex Luthor. This would emphasize his business and criminal leanings, though elements could be added showcasing his immoral experiments, namely Bizarro. Hopefully, the show and the DCU’s canon will avoid the Silver Age/Smallville origins, ensuring that Clark Kent and Lex Luthor do not grow up in the same small town.

Lex Luthor’s post-Crisis origins made him a contemporary of Perry White and had him growing up in Metropolis’ Suicide Slum.

5 Bruno Mannheim Can Showcase the Darker Side of Metropolis

Debut: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #139 by Jack Kirby

Superman is usually a more lighthearted hero, and his world typically involves mad scientists, metahumans and alien despots. At the same time, there are more “ordinary” criminals, namely Bruno Mannheim and the criminal enterprise that he has through Intergang. A TV series focused on Bruno Mannheim and Intergang would be very similar to The Penguin, albeit for a much different hero.

With the new Superman movie meant to be more traditional and lighthearted than the somewhat dour Henry Cavill DCEU Superman portrayal, there are other projects that can showcase the darker side of his world. Bruno Mannheim could be such a show, showcasing how even the Man of Steel doesn’t clean up all the crime in Metropolis’ Suicide Slum. Likewise, it would contrast a lowly crook with how he operates in a post-Superman world, forcing him to utilize weapons that are truly faster than a speeding bullet.

Intergang and Bruno Mannheim were individually seen in previous projects such as Black Adam and Superman & Lois.

4 The Rogues Have Missed Out in Two Flash Adaptations

Debut: The Flash #155 by John Broome and Carmine Infantino

The Rogues were briefly a part of The CW’s The Flash TV series, but by the end of the show’s second season, they were gone. Likewise, the DCEU version of The Flash only ever encountered Captain Boomerang, and he was one of the most reviled iterations of the Scarlet Speedster. The DC Universe has a lot to fix when it comes to the Fastest Man Alive, and part of that will involve the Rogues.

A TV series or miniseries based on The Rogues is a great way to finally develop these classic villains, namely their rivalry with The Flash. Each episode could showcase the origins of a member and how they were thwarted by The Flash before teaming up in the finale against him. Elements could be taken from the DC Black Label Rogues book, but it needs to be firmly established that these villains fought the Scarlet Speedster. Hopefully, Wally West will be the DCU Flash, with the Rogues vexing him in several adventures.

Mark Hamill portrayed The Trickster in the 1990s The Flash TV series and The CW’s The Flash.

3 Deathstroke Can Be a Villain and an Antihero

Debut: The New Teen Titans #2 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez

While he’s usually far from what most would deem “noble,” Deathstroke the Terminator, aka Slade Wilson, is one of DC’s most conflicted villains. He’s most well-known for vexing the Teen Titans, pledging vengeance against them for his son’s death. Later, he became a begrudging ally to them and even briefly evolved into an antihero before being reduced to a somewhat two-dimensional villain. A Deathstroke TV series could showcase this legacy, or at least set it up for future installments.

For instance, the series could be set before he first fights the Titans, showing his individual missions as an assassin. This could lead to a showdown with some of his most notable enemies, all while further establishing the villain community in the DCU. Flashbacks (similar to the TV series Arrow) can cement his fractured family, culminating in the death of Grant Wilson and his taking out a contract against the Teen Titans. Given that the DCU is set to eventually have a Teen Titans movie, this could be the perfect prequel.

Deathstroke was simply referred to as Slade in the 2003 Teen Titans cartoon due to censorship.

Debut: Detective Comics #36 by Bob Kane and Bill Finger

Batman usually fights psychologically compromised criminals, but Hugo Strange is on another level. A mad scientist if there ever was one, Hugo Strange has fought the Caped Crusader since the Golden Age of Comics. He’s sometimes seen in some of the hero’s adaptations, but he’s yet to have a major appearance in a movie. While a Batman film with Hugo Strange might not have a lot of marquee value, a TV series based around him might.

This show could showcase some of his vile experiments, perhaps even putting him at odds with other foes such as Professor Pyg and Scarecrow. In either the ReevesVerse or the DCU, this could be done to further establish different Batman enemies. Likewise, a mad scientist would be a good antagonist for a horror-themed series, with the likely gruesome events of the show creeping out even the Dark Knight.

Hugo Strange made his live-action debut in Gotham, where he was portrayed by B.D. Wong.

1 Sinestro Has the Most Untapped Potential of a DC Villain

Debut: Green Lantern #7 by John Broome and Gil Kane

Sinestro was portrayed in live-action by Mark Strong in 2011’s Green Lantern, but the failure of that film meant that this appearance (which was one of the most well-received parts of the movie) went nowhere. The Green Lantern mythos wasn’t even really a part of either the DC Extended Universe or the Arrowverse, despite the character’s popularity. With the DCU set to have a Lanterns TV show, a similar spinoff for Sinestro makes sense.

The scope of Lanterns will supposedly be a bit more Earth-based, so a Sinestro show can be a bit more cosmic. The series can detail different parts of Thaal Sinestro’s life, from his being inducted into the Green Lantern Corps to his betraying them and enslaving his homeworld of Korugar. This can bridge the gap and lay the groundwork for a DCU Green Lantern movie, which might even adapt the “Sinestro Corps War” storyline from the comics.

The Penguin premieres on Sept.19, 2024 on HBO and HBO Max.