DC’s wide array of characters have defeated some of the most powerful threats imaginable. However, thanks to many of these characters' strong moral codes, many of those villains and threats are able to keep popping up later down the line. Over the years, threats like the Joker, Lex Luther, Cheetah, and Reverse Flash continue to cause problems for some of Earth’s strongest heroes.
Despite the recurring villains that are common or specific to certain heroes, there are still some heroes who simply don’t have an arch enemy of their own. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t have a rogues gallery, they simply don’t have a single enemy that seems to rise above the others, a character foil of sorts. To look at some of those characters, here is our list of 10 DC characters who don’t have an arch enemy.
10 Blue Beetle
Both Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes don’t really have an arch enemy. As the second Blue Beetle, many of Dan Garrett’s enemies didn’t transfer to Ted Kord. Likewise, many of Kord’s enemies didn’t transfer to Jaime. Despite being a fan favorite, the Blue Beetle has never exactly been some of the biggest superheroes.
Whenever they do hold a solo series, it rarely ever lasts longer than a year. As a result, the character never really gets a chance to develop an arch enemy. While certain villains have definitely recurred for the smaller-scale heroes, it is hard to view any of them as an arch enemy of the Blue Beetle.
9 Booster Gold
Strictly speaking, Supernova is the closest thing to an arch enemy that Booster Gold has. Jonar Jon Carter is actually Booster’s father, and has constantly held a negative impact on Booster’s life. For a time, he even stole his own super suit and made Booster’s life as difficult as possible. However, despite being the character’s biggest recurring villain, it is really hard to view him as an arch enemy.
Supernova feels much more like a general threat who happens to have ties to Booster, rather than someone who is actively and constantly seeking him out. Furthermore, as of the current continuity, Supernova is no longer a threat to Booster (at least for the time being). Because of this, even if some did view Supernova as Booster’s arch enemy, Booster is certainly without one now.
8 Black Canary
Despite her growing popularity as a character, Black Canary is still left without an arch enemy. In the comics, she tends to fight similar foes to Green Arrow, the JSA, or the Birds of Prey. While she has faced off against some pretty powerful villains, none of those threats are really unique to her.
Recently, though, Black Canary has seen a surge in popularity, thanks to her role in shows like Arrow and the upcoming Birds of Prey. Because of this, the character will perhaps see a stronger presence in the comics as well. For now, though, she has been playing a much smaller role in the DC Universe and continues to lack any foe of her own.
7 Zatanna
Much like Canary, the Mistress of Magic just doesn’t have any unique villains of her own. As powerful as she is and considering all that she has accomplished, one would think that she would be more than worthy of one. In fact, Zatanna has taken down several arch enemies of other heroes at times, but still has none of her own.
Typically, she is seen fighting against typical magical threats, including Klarion and Brother Night. However, neither of these villains are particularly linked to Zatanna in a special way. Likewise, no-one ever really faces off against her often enough to be considered an arch enemy.
6 John Constantine
Considering the type of character that John Constantine is, it makes sense that he wouldn’t have an arch enemy. With an incredibly questionable moral character, Constantine is not one to shy away from making hard, permanent decisions. As someone who is definitely not a hero, Constantine still fights to defend the Earth from forces of great evil. However, in doing so, Constantine often makes great sacrifices in the name of the greater good.
Thanks to his personality as well as his brutal methods, Constantine makes sure that his demons can’t come back to haunt him (though it doesn’t always work). As a result of this, it's incredibly difficult to create an opponent that could survive enough encounters with him to qualify as an arch enemy!
5 Superboy
Since his introduction during the Reign of the Superman story, Conner Kent has accomplished all sorts of things. As a clone of Superman, he has demonstrated all sorts of incredibly powerful feats, and even managed to return from the dead. However, despite the impact he has had as a hero, Conner still has no arch enemy.
Sure, he’s had his share of quarrels with Lex Luthor, Deathstroke and Superboy Prime, but none of those villains are specific to him. Granted, Conner hasn’t been seen in the comics for many years. It wasn’t until recently that he was finally reintroduced as part of DC’s new Young Justice title. Though it is unlikely that he will get an arch enemy of his own any time soon, Conner seems to be doing just fine without one.
4 Nightwing
As the original sidekick to Batman, the morally gray Dick Grayson doesn’t exactly have an arch enemy. For as many times as he’s squared off against Deathstroke, Deathstroke is much more specific to the Teen Titans than Nightwing in particular. Other foes like Blockbuster and the Court of Owls have been regular opponents of Nightwing, but they still don’t feel like they are specific enough to him, or hold a strong enough personal connection.
At the moment, Grayson’s grandfather is once again causing trouble in his life, but he is fighting a far different Dick Grayson than fans are used to seeing. With the character’s popularity constantly growing, perhaps he will eventually get an arch enemy of his own. For now, though, he will have to make do with some smaller-scale villains.
3 Alan Scott
As the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott helped set the standard of Golden Age comic books. Though he was absent for quite some time, Alan would eventually come to have a major role as part of the JSA and later in DC’s Earth 2 title. Unlike other members of the Green Lantern Corps, Alan’s powers aren’t derived from the same power source. As such, he isn’t a Green Lantern in the same way that the others are.
Likewise, Alan doesn’t have any of the same enemies as the Corps. Though he has still valiantly fought against some incredibly powerful forces over the years, he is unable to call any of those villains his arch enemy.
2 Jessica Cruz
As the newest member of the Green Lantern Corps (for now), Jessica Cruz is still too new to have any real enemies of her own. Of course, as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, Jessica regularly fights against the Red and Yellow Lantern Corps, as well as just about every major cosmic threat to the universe. However, villains like Sinestro and Parallax are far more specific to Hal Jordan instead of Cruz or any other Corps member.
Though she arguably does have an arch enemy, the villains she fights regularly are those that the rest of the Green Lantern Corps also tangle with often, leaving her without her own unique arch enemy.
1 Cyborg
Over the years, Cyborg has been promoted from Teen Titan, to leader of the Teen Titans, to Justice League member. Furthermore, Cyborg has been upgraded as well, making him one of the most powerful characters in the entire DC Universe. In recent years, he has even taken part in fights against Darkseid.
Yet, despite his many years as a character and growing power level, Cyborg still lacks an arch enemy. On several occasions, it seems as though writers have tried to give him one. However, none of these new villains tends to stick around, or even pose enough of a threat to Cyborg. For such a top-tier member of the Justice League, it is unfortunate that Cyborg doesn’t have a big rogues gallery of his own.