DC has some of the best villains in comics. There's something about a DC villain that sets them apart from the antagonists of their marvelous competition, mainly because DC uses completely different villain tropes. While these storytelling conventions can often be a bad thing depending on how they're applied, DC's use of them makes their stories unique and memorable.
DC's unique tropes define them the way they deal with conflict. They often opt for a more classic approach with villainous rivals following some exact and entertaining rules. While some might seem lame, they work well in the DC Multiverse.
10 Making Old Villains Dangerous Again Is Tried And True
DC has been telling stories since the Golden Age. While Marvel chose to go in a more serious direction in the Silver Age, DC didn't follow suit. As a result, their villains needed recontextualizing as the comic industry changed. So, when comics took a more serious turn in the '70s and '80s, DC changed their villains to make them more dangerous.
This meant a lot of the more pathetic villains of the Silver Age were finally given teeth, going from funny antagonists to vicious foes. This was accomplished in many ways, such as giving them new weapons, enhancing their powers, or putting them on the Suicide Squad. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, but it's a trope that's been used often.
9 Greek Mythology Is The Source Of Their Mythological Evil
Marvel and DC both use the mythologies of ancient human civilizations as the basis for some of their heroes and villains. Marvel is all about Norse mythology with the likes of Thor, Loki, and all of Asgard. On the other hand, DC went with Greek mythology and populated Wonder Woman's comics with Greek gods and monsters.
Ares has played a huge role in Wonder Woman history. She faced off against Hera when the truth of her parentage was revealed, and one of her greatest fights of the 21st century was against the Gorgon. All in all, DC has mined Greek mythos for villains successfully.
8 Evil Kryptonians Are A Dime A Dozen
It seems only two types of people survived the destruction of Krypton: pure-hearted aliens like Superman and Supergirl or the worst Kryptonians imaginable. The Phantom Zone is the main reason for this. For decades, it's served as a way to introduce villains powerful enough to be a physical threat to the Man of Steel.
Sure, there's the bottle city of Kandor, but the residents never played as big a role in the Superman mythos as the Phantom Zone criminals. Evil Kryptonians are way more prevalent than those who aren't, which really says something about the planet.
7 Evil Immortals With Vast Resources Threaten The Heroes
Two of DC's most dangerous immortals are Vandal Savage and Ra's al Ghul. They are different in a lot of ways, but they have more in common than it seems. Both have spent their long lives amassing resources and gaining enhanced abilities from the source of their immortality. They've both gone after Batman and the most powerful teams in the DC Universe.
In DC Comics, the immortals are usually bad guys who play the long game, gaining power and threatening the world with their evil schemes. The irony is that these complicated plans are beaten rather easily.
6 The Justice League's B-List Villains Are Just As Dangerous As Their A-List Ones
The Justice League is one of the most powerful teams in comics, so any villains they face have to follow suit. Their A-list villains are some of the most dangerous around, which makes sense, but their B-listers are often just as formidable. In fact, Justice League's B-list villains are often so deadly they'd be A-list villains in Marvel.
Villains like Despero and Starro are some of the most threatening beings in the DC Universe, challenging even the greatest heroes. While they don't have the name recognition of A-listers, they're no less menacing.
5 Darkseid Is Their Recurring Big Bad
Marvel and DC both have big-time villains, but each publisher has one who is greater than all the others. At Marvel, it's Thanos, while in the DC Universe, Darkseid is the greatest villain in the cosmos. Over the years, Darkseid has been at the center of some of DC's biggest stories – the alpha predator in a multiverse full of evil.
Darkseid is the epitome of evil. Whenever DC's writers need a big bad for their next story, they can always play the Darkseid card because readers eat it up. He's been built up to such an extent, he's perfect for any villainous role.
4 DC Events Revolve Around Universe Destroying Menaces
Crisis On Infinite Earths is one of the greatest events of all time. It started as a trope in DC and the comic industry in general, which pit the greatest heroes against one all-powerful foe. While Marvel events have moved beyond this, DC still embraces it. Whether it be Darkseid, the Anti-Monitor, Monarch, Extant, Barbatos, or Perpetua, DC loves its all-powerful event antagonists.
This sets DC events apart from Marvel. And while it can be pretty cliche at times, it still makes for an exciting event book. DC's heroes are heroic icons who need massive challenges, which these powerful villains offer to them and then some.
3 So Many Villains Have Been Described As The "Evil Batman"
Batman is one of the most popular heroes in all comics, and DC has often tried to create villains that are equivalent to him. From the Flashpoint Batman to the Batman Who Laughs to Prometheus to Wraith, multiple types of villains have been cast as evil Batman. While Flashpoint Batman and the Batman Who Laughs are literal evil Dark Knights, DC has used a variation on the Batman origin to create evil equivalents to the Caped Crusader.
Creating villains that are opposites of heroes is a common trope. DC has been trying to create the definitive evil version of Batman for decades.
2 Mad Scientists Are Everywhere
Mad scientists have a long legacy in comics, especially at DC. From the OGs like the Ultra-Humanite and Superman's greatest foe, Lex Luthor to Silver Age characters like Professor Ivo and T.O. Morrow, mad scientists are a large part of the DC villainous landscape. They occupy an interesting niche, battling the most powerful heroes with their intellect.
It's a dead trope everywhere else in pop culture, but it keeps DC alive. Villains like Dr. Sivana are classics, and while Lex Luthor has evolved in many ways, his DNA is still that of a mad scientist.
1 Gimmick Villains Never Die
DC's Silver Age was the time of the gimmick villain. While many of these characters went the way of the dodo, the most iconic have stuck around as enemies of Batman and the Flash. Some of DC's most well-known villains are contrived in a way that makes them unique, and these antagonists have ridden that gravy train to stardom.
While Marvel's gimmick villains are no longer extant, DC's are still a huge part of their comic lore. They're icons. And while new ones aren't as well known as the classics, they still serve a crucial role in the villain ecosystem.