Jack Kirby's creations are the stuff of legends, literally. Much of the modern mythology of superheroes comes directly from the creative mind of an artist born a little over a century ago. While he did work for DC Comics during many times over the years, he did his most famous work with the publisher after leaving Marvel Comics in 1970. It's in this period that he created his best villains.
It's no coincidence that as superheroes make their dominance felt in the film industry, many of the characters and stories come straight from the mind of Jack Kirby. Had he remained with the publisher past 1975, the number of stories, heroes and villains we would constantly be referencing would be exponential.
10 Mister Big
In the pages of OMAC, the titular hero's biggest threat comes from the biggest businessman in the world. Mister Big is a looming threat. It's one of the times Jack Kirby drew inspiration for a villain from the world of corporate business. The fact that DC Comics had just been acquired by the company that would become the modern predecessor to Warner Bros. is not a coincidence.
Mister Big would resurface in later versions of OMAC, the One Man Army Corps. The iconic businessman-as-supervillain would become so popular among writers that numerous characters would rise to become staples in modern comic books.
9 Crazy Quilt
The genius in Crazy Quilt is in how unique he is as a villain. Conceived of as a painter-turned criminal, he soon becomes a tragic villain. He's double-crossed by his henchmen and blinded by a gunshot. An experimental medical procedure returns his sight, but only of bright colors. He begins using a helmet that blasts bright colored lights, improving his vision.
In the Golden Age, he was a foe of the Boy Commandos. In the Silver Age, he was revised to be a foe of Batman and Robin. Blinded by Robin, he hated the young hero more than almost any of Batman's foes. He crossed over into an animated version in DC Super Hero Girls as a flamboyant teacher at Super Hero High.
8 Lashina
If there is a member of the Female Furies that is more renowned than others, it's Lashina. Her initial costume is striking with silver straps that can be weaponized over a black bodysuit. More recent writers have linked the character to a dominatrix theme, but that doesn't come from Jack Kirby.
Lashina has fluctuated in her loyalty to Darkseid. Given her power and training, she is a devastating villain or hero. Her very stylistic appearance makes her the most striking of the Female Furies, which is probably why she keeps returning to Darkseid's group of warrior women.
7 Morgan Edge
This may seem like an odd choice for one of the top villains in DC Comics, Morgan Edge is Jack Kirby's version of a shady businessman. Once again, this was a character most likely influenced by DC Comics being purchased by a corporation. Edge bought the Daily Planet and began employing Clark Kent as a television journalist.
It was initially revealed that the Morgan Edge with Intergang was an imposter. Later revisions restored this connection to the media mogul. This is the result of the effectiveness of Jack Kirby making the idea of a villainous businessman a viable stereotype.
6 Morgaine le Fey
With the Demon, Jack Kirby produced one of his most iconic characters outside of the New Gods. Etrigan's primary foe was the sorceress Morgaine le Fey. Much of the animosity comes from her being robbed of her youth and beauty, and further denied reclaiming it by Etrigan.
In reading those early issues of the Demon, it becomes obvious that Morgaine le Fey is immensely powerful. The stylization of her golden armor reeks of majesty, which gives a view into the mind of the character. Subsequent portrayals of her have underlined this power and arrogance.
5 Glorious Godfrey
Glorious Godfrey is a minor character in Jack Kirby's Fourth World. It wasn't until the 1986 event Legends that he became an important part of Darkseid's elite. His uncanny powers of persuasion were used first to recruit soldiers for Darkseid. In Legends, it was used to make humanity hate and resent its costumed heroes.
With Godfrey, Jack Kirby created a character that doesn't use actual mind control or hypnosis. In the manner of televangelists, Godfrey makes use of the trappings of religious revivals to convince people to give not money, but their lives in service of Darkseid. Godfrey becomes the most insidious of Darkseid's servants.
4 Kobra
Kobra#1 wasn't published by DC Comics until after Jack Kirby left. In the "letters page" of Kobra #1, the concept is given as a comic book adventure inspired by The Corsican Brothers. Kirby's dialogue was re-written by Martin Pasko, so the original themes aren't completely known.
However, the story of Kobra is one of a religious cult that kidnapped one of the separated Siamese twin brothers. The villainous one became the sadistic leader of the cult and has one of the best costumes ever seen in the 1970s. The scaled costume with an almost full mask even resembles a snake. One thing that has kept the character from being forgotten over the years is a unique design, entirely the credit of Jack Kirby.
3 Granny Goodness
In New Gods, one of Darkseid's inner circle is Granny Goodness, responsible for training his soldiers from childhood, if not infancy. She uses torture and brainwashing to train Darkseid's soldiers. Among those warriors she has trained are Mister Miracle, Big Barda, and the Female Furies.
Granny's appearance as an old woman hides such cruelty it almost becomes unfathomable. Every time a character tells of their torture at her hands, a reader can almost believe that the true details are held back, possibly blocked to avoid remembering cruelty at the hands' someone they called "Granny"
2 Desaad
Desaad might be the closest member of Darkseid's inner circle. It's no coincidence that his name references the Marquis De Sade. Desaad revels in torturing living beings, whether they are Darkseid's enemies or not. He's a master at creating devices of torture.
If there's one of Darkseid's elite that everyone fears, it's Desaad. Even in appearance, he emanates his evil. While he sometimes seems treacherous, he is at heart a coward that will run from a fight. He is so close to Darkseid because of the character's sheer power. In recent times, his cruelty was evident in his possession of Mary Marvel before Final Crisis.
1 Darkseid
It should be no shock that Darkseid tops this list. As the primary villain of New Gods, he is quite possibly the most powerful of Kirby's creations at DC Comics. Kirby even made Darkseid an interesting character with his passion for the Anti-Life Equation and his fear of the prophecy that he perish in a final battle against his son, Orion.
Darkseid has become a major villain in the DC Universe today. He was on a path to be a major threat to DC's Movie Universe. He has been the primary villain in multiple crossovers. He was the villain behind the formation of the Justice League in the New 52. Also, a testament to Darkseid's effectiveness as a villain should be the account that Thanos was created to be a Marvel version of Darkseid.