Even if you don't read comics, it's a good time to be a DC Comics fan. With movies like Aquaman, Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984 on the horizon, the just-renamed Worlds of DC film franchise looks like it could finally develop into a legitimate competitor to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From The Flash to Teen Titans Go!, there are over a dozen shows featuring DC characters currently streaming or on air, and there are twice as many in development. With high-profile projects like HBO's Watchmen series and Titans on the DC Universe streaming service on the way, DC's heroes are set to take some big steps into the public eye over the next few years. And naturally, those heroes are going to need someone to fight. While Marvel hasn't always had the best luck with its cinematic villains, DC and its parent company Warner Bros. are betting big on the publisher's world-famous bad guys. With the never-ending deluge of new announcements, casting notices and trailers, trying to keep up with all of the upcoming DC movies and shows is practically a full-time job.

Now, CBR is taking a look at the DC Comics villains who are about to take over movies and TV. In this list, we'll be rounding up all the latest news about these characters and giving a brief overview on their comic book history. While the Internet might be filled with rumors about DC's upcoming productions, this list will be sticking to villains who've been officially announced or confirmed in some capacity. Even though they're not heroes, these villains are still some of the most popular characters in the DC Universe.

20 JOKER

The Joker has been duking it out with Batman since 1940, but his next few movies probably won't feature the Dark Knight. Joaquin Phoenix has been cast as the iconic villain in Joker, a standalone film about the Joker's origins in a 1980s Gotham City. Directed by Todd Phillips, this Martin Scorsese-produced film is being envisioned as a "hard-boiled crime drama." Actors like Robert De Niro and Deadpool 2's Zazie Beetz may also join the film, which is set for an October 2019 release.

While Jared Leto has been cast as Marvel's living vampire Morbius, he might not be done playing the Joker yet either. Leto's Joker could reappear in the Suicide Squad sequel or in a film focused on his relationship with Harley Quinn.

19 BLACK MANTA

Even though 2017's Justice League received mixed reviews and lukewarm box office returns, Jason Momoa's Aquaman came out of the affair relatively unscathed. Now, the James Wan-directed Aquaman is set to hit theaters in December 2018. That movie will see the Atlantean hero battle a few villains including his longtime nemesis Black Manta, portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen.

In the movie, Black Manta will be a hi-tech mercenary and treasure hunter.

While his origins have changed some since he was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy in 1967's Aquaman #35, Black Manta is usually driven by his deep hatred for Aquaman and thirst for revenge. Manta's movie costume will also keep the character's oddly-shaped helmet with large energy-shooting eyes.

18 CHEETAH

Although Wonder Woman might not have the most well-known rogues gallery, Gal Gadot's Amazon will face off against one of her most famous foes, the Cheetah, in Wonder Woman 1984. While several villains have been called the Cheetah, WW84's Cheetah will be Barbara Ann Minerva, a former scholar who's been the ferocious Cheetah since the late 1980s

As WW84's title implies, director Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman follow-up will be set against the backdrop of Cold War tension in the 1980s. While Kristen Wiig will play the Cheetah, we've only seen a single picture of her as Barbara Minerva that Jenkins released on social media. Hopefully, we'll get a better look at her before the film's scheduled November 2019 release.

17 LOBO

While Krypton might focus on Superman's ancestors in the years before his homeworld's destruction, the drama's first season already featured some surprising DC characters like the Justice Leaguer Adam Strange. In its second season, Krypton will introduce one of the DC Universe's most notorious characters, Lobo.

This super-strong, foul-mouthed alien bounty hunter could be DC's Deadpool.

While he was created as a villain by Keith Giffen and Roger Slifer in 1983's Omega Men #3, Lobo found fame in the 1990s as an antihero who parodied that era's superhero trends. Even though his popularity waned some, the Main Man became an established figure who even served in the Justice League. While Lobo has appeared in numerous cartoons, he'll make his live-action debut on Krypton in 2019.

16 THE LONGBOW HUNTERS

In a possible nod to a long-rumored plot for a Green Arrow movie, Arrow's upcoming seventh season will find Stephen Amell's Green Arrow in prison alongside villains he apprehended. While the hero's doing time with villains like Michael Jai White's Bronze Tiger and Vinnie Jones' Brick, the rest of Team Arrow will have to deal with a new threat, the Longbow Hunters.

Named after Mike Grell's seminal Green Arrow series, the Longbow Hunters were created by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino in 2014's Green Arrow #31. Arrow's Longbow Hunters will feature Holly Elissa as the precise Red Dart, Michael Jonsson as the super-strong Kodiak and Miranda Edwards as the Silencer, a stealthy mercenary who was created by Dan Abnett and John Romita Jr. in 2018.

15 HUSH

Even though it’s 15 years old, "Hush" is still one of the definitive modern Batman stories. As soon as it hit shelves in 2003, Jim Lee and Jeph Loeb's blockbuster Batman story was heralded as an instant classic. The 12-part saga saw Batman fight most of his famous villains and introduced a brand new villain called Hush.

Driven by jealousy, Thomas Elliot, Bruce Wayne's childhood friend, became this criminal mastermind.

In 2019, Hush will play a major role in the DC Universe Animated Original Movie Batman: Hush, which is based on his introductory storyline. While the cast hasn't been announced, both Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill have previously expressed interest about appearing in an adaptation of the story as Batman and the Joker.

14 THE VENTRILOQUIST

Over four seasons, Gotham has followed Ben McKenzie's Detective James Gordon as he's faced off against the supervillains who existed before Bruce Wayne became Batman. While it's dramatically different from most of Batman's comic book adventures, the show has still featured a remarkable number of Batman villains. As executive producer John Stevens revealed in a CBR interview, the Ventriloquist will appear on Gotham sometime during its fifth and final season.

While there have been a few Ventriloquists, the most famous Ventriloquist is Arnold Wesker. He uses a gangster-esque wooden puppet named Scarface and appeared on Batman: The Animated Series a few years after his 1988 debut. While his first successor, Peyton Riley, also used Scarface, another Ventriloquist, Shauna Belzer, telekinetically controlled her puppet.

13 OCEAN MASTER

While Black Manta will probably give Aquaman some trouble in Aquaman later this year, he probably won't be the only villain in the film. He'll also be joined by another long-time Aquaman foe, the Ocean Master. Since he was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy in 1966's Aquaman #29, he's held a personal grudge against Aquaman.

In all of his different origins, Ocean Master is Aquaman's half-brother Orm.

When Orm was serving as Atlantis' ruler, he launched a major attack on the surface world in the 2012 Justice League/Aquaman crossover "Throne of Atlantis," which was later adapted as a DC Universe Animated Original Movie. In Aquaman, Patrick Wilson will portray a version of the Ocean Master with similar plans for the surface world.

12 HARLEY QUINN

Over the past decade, Harley Quinn has gone from being the Joker's sidekick to one of DC's defining characters. In 2019, Harley is set to get her first solo starring role outside of comics with Harley Quinn, an animated series for the DC Universe streaming service. The series will reportedly follow Harley as she tries to take over Gotham City's underworld and join the Legion of Doom with some help from her pals like Poison Ivy.

Margot Robbie's portrayal of Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad made her a household name. While Robbie's Quinn will almost certainly return, it's not entirely clear where or when that'll happen. Robbie has been linked to in-development movies like Birds of Prey, Gotham City Sirens or a Squad sequel.

11 CICADA

Over the past four seasons of The Flash, Grant Gustin's Barry Allen has gone up against evil speedsters, telepathic gorillas and more evil speedsters. In the show's upcoming fifth season, the Flash will have to deal with a different kind of villain, Cicada.

While the Cicada's name might not inspire fear, this Flash foe is seriously scary.

After being struck by lightning over 100 years ago, David Hersch became an energy vampire who could extend his life by draining the life-force of others. He and his followers became fixated on the Flash and started using lightning bolt-shaped daggers to go after people the speedster had saved. While we've only glimpsed Chris Klein's take on Cicada, he'll definitely have his trademark dagger on the show.

10 CYBORG SUPERMAN

In 2019, Warner Bros. Animation will give "Reign of the Superman" one of Superman's most famous storylines a proper adaptation for the first time. After Superman's very brief demise in the 1990s, this story followed four new substitute "Supermen" who filled the void left by the Man of Steel's absence. By the end of that story, one of those substitutes, Cyborg Superman, revealed himself to be one of Superman's most destructive villains by wiping out an entire city.

Even though some aspects of "Reign of the Superman" were adapted in the 2007 animated movie Superman: Doomsday, Reign of the Supermen will reportedly offer a more comprehensive, faithful take on its source material that includes the clone Superboy, the Kryptonian Eradicator and the armored hero Steel.

9 DOCTOR SIVANA

At a glance, it's easy to confuse Doctor Sivana and Lex Luthor. Both DC villains are bald ex-scientists who fight wholesome superheroes. Since Sivana was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck in 1939's Whiz Comics #2, he's a few months older than Luthor. While Lex has already appeared in several Superman movies, Sivana will make his cinematic debut fighting his nemesis, Zachary Levi's Shazam, in 2019's Shazam!

Mark Strong will play the villain in the David Sandberg-directed movie.

From the brief glimpse of Sivana we saw in the film's first trailer, he was able to stop one of the hero's super-strong punches. While the source of this power isn't clear, Sandberg has already said that Sivana has some powers that Shazam doesn’t have.

8 DEATHSTROKE

With a history battling the Teen Titans, Green Arrow, Batman and the whole Justice League, Deathstroke is one of the most versatile villains in the DC Universe. Even though he's the Titans' greatest foe, Slade Wilson didn't appear on the team's ongoing hit show Teen Titans Go! until their show's recent spin-off film, Teen Titans Go! to the Movies.

Although Joe Manganiello made a cameo as Slade in 2017's Justice League, it's not clear where his cinematic future lies. The villain's next appearance could be in a solo film directed by Gareth Evans, director Matt Reeves' Batman movie or somewhere else as a member of the Legion of Doom. Still, Manganiello has maintained that something is "in the works" for the character.

7 AGENT LIBERTY

During the first three seasons of Supergirl, the biggest threats that Melissa Benoist's Kryptonian hero had to face were usually involved some kind of alien menace. However, the main villain of the show's fourth season will be Agent Liberty, a threat with a more human face.

Traditionally, Agent Liberty has been a hero and a Justice League member.

In Supergirl, Sam Witwer's Agent Liberty will be a master manipulator who leads the Children of Liberty, a group founded on anti-alien sentiment. From the brief glimpse of him in the show's trailer, it seems like he'll be wearing an all-black costume instead of his traditionally yellow-and-gray number. This isn't the first time Witwer has been a Superman villain, since he also portrayed Doomsday on Smallville.

6 MANCHESTER BLACK

In its upcoming fifth season, Supergirl will also feature one of Superman's famous foes, Manchester Black. The powerful telekinetic and telepathic was created by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke in 2001's Action Comics #775 as a response to the era's hyper-aggressive, militaristic antiheroes. In 2012, that critically-acclaimed story was adapted as the DC Universe Animated Original Movie Superman vs. the Elite.

While he has also been a Teen Titans villain, Manchester's most famous stories have contrasted him against Superman's moral fiber. While Supergirl has a similar moral code, it's not clear if David Ajala's Manchester Black will be more of a villain or an antihero. While he's been described as charming and funny, the character will also have a dark past and a "brutal" mission.

5 LADY SHIVA

Even though Lady Shiva is the kind of grounded villain who seems perfect for one of DC's live-action shows, she hasn't made a live-action appearance for 15 years. However, that's set to change with her appearance on the fifth and final season of Gotham, as executive producer John Stevens told CBR.

Lady Shiva is one of the most skilled martial artists in the DC Universe.

While she was created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada in 1975's Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #5, she's fell into the orbit of heroes like Batman and the Question. While she's usually been portrayed as a villain, she has still trained some heroes like Robin and even joined the Birds of Prey for a short time.

4 DARKSEID

Years after it originally ended, Young Justice will return for its highly-anticipated third season on the DC Universe streaming service. While the 26-episode season, which is billed as Young Justice: Outsiders, won't premier until 2019, it will feature Darkseid, one of the DC Universe's most famous villains.

Since Darkseid was created by Jack Kirby in Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #134, Darkseid has evolved into the biggest threat in the DC Universe. While the ruler of Apokolips played a big role in the DC Animated Universe, he only made a brief appearance in the last episode of Young Justice's second season. That cameo teased an alliance between Darkseid and the immortal Vandal Savage, and that seems like it will be explored in the show's upcoming season.

3 PAINKILLER

Even though the CW's Black Lightning isn't part of the Arrowverse that includes most of the network's other DC shows, it garnered critical praise and solid during its first season. While the show started with Cress Williams' Jefferson Pierce retired from his career as Black Lightning, a new batch of threats called him back to the hero life.

In the show's second season, the cybernetic villain Painkiller will join the show's main cast.

Jordan Calloway's Khalil Payne was a student at Pierce's high school until a paralyzing gunshot derailed his promising athletic career. After getting a set of cybernetic enhancements from Marvin Jones' criminal Tobias White, he gained the ability to shoot paralyzing darts.

2 THE FATAL FIVE

Since they're from the 30th century, the Fatal Five usually spend most of their time battling the Legion of Super-Heroes. Even though the team was created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan in 1967's Adventure Comics #352, the group's core roster hasn't changed much over the years. Led by the cyborg Tharok or the magic-wielding Emerald Empress, the team usually includes the super-strong Validus, the acidic Mano and the axe-wielding Persuader.

In 2019, the Fatal Five will take on some more modern heroes in the aptly-named DC Universe Animated Original Movie Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. While there aren't a lot of details about the film, the Five already battled a few time-traveling Justice League members in Justice League Unlimited.

1 BLACK ADAM

Even though he probably won't show up in Shazam!, Black Adam has already cast a large shadow over DC's film slate. While the ancient villain was created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck in 1945's The Marvel Family #1, he really came into his own during the Shazam stories of the 1990s and evolved into an antihero who joined the Justice Society.

Back in 2007, Dwayne Johnson was cast as Black Adam in an earlier version of Shazam!

Even though that character was written out of the movie in later drafts, Johnson remains connected to the role. Since he's one of the most famous actors in the world, Johnson's Black Adam could single-handedly make his own movie or a Shazam! sequel a smash hit.