For every hero in DC Comics, it feels like there must be at least ten villains. These villains can range from world-enders like Darkseid to petty thieves like the Trickster. Power sets and technology tend to vary wildly, but it's when the motivations can differ where things tend to get interesting.

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Every once in a while, it's actually a villain who saves the day. Either the heroes are down and out, or simply not capable of stopping the big bad that's threatening everyone. That's when a villain can arise to take control over the situation and put a different threat in its place.

10 The Joker Helped Batman Beat The Batman Who Laughs

The Joker in his iconic purple and green suit

The Joker may very well be one of the most thoroughly sadistic and cruel comic book villains in the modern era. Joker has killed Robin, maimed Batgirl, and slaughtered countless innocents in his endless war with Batman. However, Batman called on Joker's aid once.

When Barbatos unleashed his twisted Dark Knights upon the Multiverse, the Justice League as well as other heroes of the Earth fought them. However, the Dark Knights, each a twisted reflection of Batman, proved tough to bring down. The worst was the Batman Who Laughs, a warped fusion of Batman and the Joker. As such, Batman brought on the Joker to help him take down the Batman Who Laughs. The Joker was all too happy to do so, as he saw the Batman Who Laughs as an abomination who should not exist.

9 Atrocitus Was Indispensable During The Blackest Night

The Red Lantern Corps leader Atrocitus surrounded by his Red Lanterns in DC Comics

During the Blackest Night unleashed by Nekron and the Black Hand, Lantern Corps of all colors had to unite to stop the unending tide of undead from swallowing all of creation. Green Lantern rogues such as Larfleeze, Star Sapphire, and even Sinestro helped Hal Jordan take on the Black Lanterns.

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Atrocitus, the leader of the bloodthirsty Red Lantern Corps, also helped Hal fight the Black Lanterns. Atrocitus has since proven to be something of a complicated antihero, but he turned on Earth later when he attempted to create the Red Dawn on our planet.

8 Scarecrow Was A Sinestro Corps Member For A Short Time

Scarecrow conjuring creatures with the Sinestro corps ring

Scarecrow, aka Doctor Jonathan Crane, also proved to be an asset during the Blackest Night. Exposure to his own Fear Toxin made him emotionally numb and, as a result, invisible to the Black Lanterns who could only see in emotional spectrum colors. Needing fresh recruits, Hal and his allies duplicated their rings and recruited new members to their Corps from Earth. Sinestro's recruit was the Scarecrow.

Scarecrow helped the Lanterns fight back against the Black Lanterns and was excited to do so. The Sinestro Corps ring allowed Scarecrow to experience fear in a way he had never been able to before.

7 Black Manta Isn't A Wholly Evil Man

Aquaman villain Black Manta in an image from DC Comics.

When the Crime Syndicate invaded Earth during Geoff Johns and David Finch's Forever Evil, Ultraman moved the moon which caused parts of the world to suddenly flood. Among the regions flooded was the grave of Black Manta's deceased father. This prompted Manta to start a personal war against the Crime Syndicate.

Other villains would join his cause and scorn the offerings of Ultraman and his allies. Ultimately, it was a team of villains that took down the Crime Syndicate.

6 Deathstroke Helped Stop The Crime Syndicate From Taking Over

Deathstroke swinging a sword

Deathstroke the Terminator was another to turn on the Crime Syndicate, though he started on their side. The Crime Syndicate promised riches beyond Slade's imaginings, but Lex Luthor promised to pay Deathstroke more to turn on them. In the end, Slade helped Luthor, Manta, and others bring down the Syndicate.

He also once helped the Justice League diffuse a potentially disastrous situation in central Africa when the Watchtower crashed to Earth in the middle of a region ruled by a warlord known as "the Red Lion." Slade and the Red Lion had a history, which allowed Slade to give the League an edge during this standoff.

5 Captain Cold & The Rogues Have A Unique Moral Code

Captain Cold Shooting His Cold Gun

The Central City Rogues, all of whom have frequent clashes with the Flash, also turned down the offerings of the Crime Syndicate. After a clash with them, Captain Cold got separated. Meanwhile, the other Rogues were left in Central City to war with the Royal Flush Gang.

Captain Cold ended up joining Luthor, Manta, and Deathstroke to fight the Crime Syndicate. Years ago, when Wally West was the main Flash, Cold and his sister, Golden Glider, actually became heroes for a time, though their activities weren't exactly on the world-saving level then.

4 Sinestro Once Protected Earth From Mongul & Warworld

Sinestro as Parallax covered in blood and scowling

Sinestro has had several instances in which he's saved the world. He helped Hal Jordan during the Blackest Night and was part of Luthor's team to take on the Crime Syndicate.

There was another instance where Mongul and Warworld were threatening the Earth. Due to Sinestro's grudge against Mongul (and in an effort to show up Hal Jordan by saving his planet when Hal wasn't present), Sinestro flash-recruited an entire Corps from among Earth's citizens and stopped defeated Mongul.

3 Black Adam Has A Complicated History Of Helping The Heroes

Black Adam with lightning pouring from his chest and throwing a car

Black Adam also joined Luthor's anti-Crime Syndicate squad. This spiraled out of a one-on-one showdown between Black Adam and Ultraman that ended with Adam's jaw being broken. After that, Adam was all too happy to watch Ultraman be brought low.

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Black Adam was actually a member of the Justice Society for a time as well, and he is a current member of the Justice League. He recently helped Shazam stop Mr. Mind and Superboy-Prime from invading the Earthlands, and he helped the Justice League and Hippolyta stop the Frost King from freezing the entire planet.

2 Lex Luthor Has Helped Save The World On Several Occasions

Lex Luthor grinning and playing with a Superman doll

Luthor has saved the world a surprising amount of times. He was recruited by Larfleeze to aid during the Blackest Night, he led the charge against the Crime Syndicate, he stopped a potential Apokolips invasion by liberating the Salvation Run prisoners, and he even joined the Justice League for a time.

During his Justice League tenure, he was pivotal in ending a potential global infection starting in Metropolis. After the death of the New 52 Superman, Luthor took up the mantle of Superman and helped the Rebirth Superman (the pre-Flashpoint Superman of New Earth) stop Doomsday, the Machinist, and civil war on Apokolips. More recently, he fought against the Batman Who Laughs and his Secret Six (though this was in service to the goddess Perpetua). During the Dark Nights: Death Metal event by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Luthor helped unite a Justice League team to stop the Omega Knight and the Mindhunter and joined in the final fight against the One Who Laughs.

1 All Of Them Fought Back Against The One Who Laughs

Hereoes and Villains charging at the One Who Laughs in Death Metal

During the climax of Death Metal, all heroes and villains of Earth joined to fight the One Who Laughs and his Dark Knight armies from corrupted Earths. Virtually every hero and villain imaginable joined in this fight. At the time, the One Who Laughs had the powers of Doctor Manhattan and had just slain the seemingly omnipotent Perpetua.

In the end, it was Wonder Woman who had the final say on the One Who Laugh's fate, but she wouldn't have gotten that far if it wasn't for the heroes and villains of Earth fighting the Dark Knights.

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