Related
The past decade has been a transformative one forDC ’s Comic Universe . The publishing company embarked on a full line persistence reboot in 2011 which resulted inthe New 52 . Out of that ultimately controversial reboot would eventually come the DC YOU initiative , as well asthe 2016 DC Rebirth eventthat catch elements of past persistence restored , while also bringing characters from Watchmen into the mainstream DC Universe .
Changes in storytelling directions like these often rely on tried and on-key villain to aid ground our heroes ' struggles with an air of casualness . But every so often , readers enjoy the universe of a new wave of fiends and rapscallion hell - bent on bring havoc . Whether bequest villain , re - imagined one , or whole new creature , their station in canyon can never be erased .
Related : The Most Satisfying DC Comic Storylines of The Year
WithDC Comics headed towards its nextGenerations , we ’re looking back at the villains who went from blade new to unforgettable in our list of the t\best fresh villains of the last decade .
Leviathan
The former crowing bad of the DC Universe originally began as a splinter faction of the League of Assassins . behave under the leadership of Talia al Ghul , the grouping sought to dismantle order and impose a new human beings rules of order . If that was n’t bad enough , Leviathan became something else entirely whenformer Manhunter Mark Shawmanaged to writhe ascendence of the organisation from Talia and began a campaign against the humans ’s espionage organizations .
Vowing to doctor the balance of exponent by revealing all of their secrets , Mark ( as Leviathan ) managed to wipe out the D.E.O , A.R.G.U.S. , Checkmate , and even infiltrated Cadmus Labs before Lois Lane and Superman send the would - be despot back into the tail , prematurely break his identity and skitter his plan for Earth mastery . At least , that was how it seemed . Butthe story of Event Leviathan still is n’t over .
Reverse Flash (Daniel West)
The classic taradiddle of turbulent youthfulness from a broken home , Daniel is the comrade of longtime Flash paramour Iris West . After accidentally crippling their father , Daniel embark on a life of offense that leads him to prison , shattering his relationship with his sisters . After a run - in with the Rogues , Daniel was expose to a Speed Force assault and battery that gave him the ability to turn meter – so long as he had access to enough Speed Force energy to do so .
driven to repair his relationship with Iris , Daniel pose about killing everyone with a speed force joining so as to gain the power necessary to journey back in time and toss off , rather than stultify their forefather . gratefully The Flash was capable to avert this disaster and win over Daniel to give up his tycoon in club to spare his family any further trauma . In the end , Daniel was let on to be Wallace West ’s biological father , before dying a hero ’s death with the Suicide Squad .
Gotham & Gotham Girl
Henry & Claire Clover simultaneously represent Batman ’s greatest hope and biggest concern : Gotham youth who dreamed of being heroes , andeventually happen upon Superman - level powers(at the disbursal of age of their lifetime ) . untried and inexperient but hop to use their powers to save their city , the pair of would - be Hero of Alexandria find themselves under Batman ’s tutelage . Until it was revealed that both were being manipulated by Hugo Strange and Psycho Pirate , as the opening salvo of Bane ’s program to destroy Batman .
Hank ultimately swap in his remaining lifespan to amass enough power to single - handedly defeat the Justice League , and tragically died as a termination . The trauma of lose her comrade shatter Claire ’s already frail nous , leading her to turn against Batman and join force with Bane . Thankfully mercy and compassion deliver the goods out , andBatman gave Gotham Girl the power of Supermanwithout any black side effect , ensuring her spot in the DC Universe for years to come ( hopefully ) .
Volthoom
Originally a scientist from Earth 15 narrow down in explore the Emotional Spectrum and its energy , Volthoom was pulled from his abode property and into the Earth - Prime region as a event of forbidden experiments performed by Krona . Initially , Volthoom was a benevolent being who relayed his understanding of the Emotional Spectrum to the Guardians , and helped them purge their emotion so as to accomplish a keen discernment of the universe .
As a result of this ritual , Volthoom was granted a top executive ring and became the First Lantern , and work as a law enforcer for the Guardians . imbue with the powers of the entire emotional spectrum , Volthoom eventually turn against the cold Guardians . fleece of his powers and sealed away , the Guardians all but forgot about Volthoom until , after a universal war , they seek to replace the Green Lantern Corps with a third army make up of soldiers cloned from his DNA . Siphoning more and more power for their Third Army allowed Volthoom to break barren , and resume his rampage against the defender . front the combined might of all the Lantern Corps , Volthoom had his connection to the emotional spectrum severed by Hal Jordan before meeting his destruction at the custody of Nekron , the avatar of dying . Volthoom would return year later on in hunt of the all - powerful Phantom Ring , in yet another endeavour to demand retribution against the Green Lanterns and the Guardians .
Grail
What do you get when you cross an Amazonian assassinator and Darkseid ? Spoiler : you get a psychotic fiend with the strengths of the Amazons , her Church Father ’s imperturbable fixation with the Anti - Life equation , and an inviolable lack of anything resemble ethical motive . Grail is easy DC ’s closest affair to an Anti - Wonder Woman , having go toe to toe with Diana and not only survive to tell the story , but even emerged victorious on occasion . In a command to take the power of the Anti - Life equating and bend the existence to her will , Grail aligned with the Anti - Monitor and declared overt war on not only her father , but the combined might of the Justice League and the Green Lantern Corps .
After ostensibly destroying Darkseid , Grail took her papa take to the extreme point when she fascinate the new-sprung child of the villainous Superwoman of Earth 3 ’s Crime Syndicate … And used the infant as a vessel through which her Father could be converted . Not long after starting off a worldwide War all so she could have a twisted Hallmark moment , Grail eventually extend an all - out rape on the tiddler of Zeus , kill and draining them of energy in rules of order to reelect Darkseid to his full military strength . These acts would ultimately head into the expulsion of the Gods from Mount Olympus , make for mayhem on Wonder Woman ’s life once again .
Godspeed
Barry Allen ’s aliveness was n’t the only one turned upside down on that portentous dark when lightning struck . His acquaintance , Central City Police Officer August Heart , was also affected by a dash from the amobarbital sodium . Like Barry , August was attempting to lick the murder of a loved one when the lightning strike that changed Barry Allen into the Fastest Man Alive destroyed all of August ’s grounds – satisfy him with a deep pauperism for vengeance . twelvemonth afterward , lightning would impinge on again and offer August the opportunity to get retaliation for his brother ’s execution . During a Speed Force tempest August was gift the ability to run at superspeed and joined the Flash ’s effort along with several other fresh activated metahumans . Not everything was as it seem , however , as August not only operate as the Flash ’s newest cooperator … but also as a terrifyingnew villain wreaking mayhem on the streets of Central City ; Godspeed .
As Godspeed , August hunted down suspect and other speedster , draining them of their energies , oftentimes resulting in a grizzly dying for his prey . With his powers growing exponentially , August cover down the quality defendant in his chum ’s unsolved murder and took his liveliness . Barry soon infer his newest enemy ’s true identity and endeavor to front his fallen friend at Iron Heights , where August vowed to do the one matter that the Flash never could : extinguish his scoundrel once and for all . Thanks to the timely arrival of Wallace West , the newest Kid Flash , August ’s programme were queer , and he was locked inside Iron Heights with the rest of The Flash ’s scalawag gallery .
The Triumvirate of Sea Gods
If Greek mythology has learn us anything , it ’s that the Gods are jealous and easily spurned . This goes double for Poseidon , who famously molest Odysseus for years as punishment for not paying court to him . Poseidon ’s fickle nature came to visible light once more inthe Justice League and Aquaman event : swim Earth . Eons ago , Atlantis ’ expectant hero Arion had work with the ocean God to forge a mystical conch shell that , when bollix , would call the gods of oceans across the cosmos . Coming to Earth , Arion hoped the assembled gods would usher in an era of peace and successfulness for the ocean - going races . Naturally , this raised Poseidon ’s choler , and instead of welcome these young Gods , seal off them away outside realness where they tardily sink beneath the waves and into the forgotten depths of memory .
awaken once again by Aquaman ’s consumption of the 10th metal during the Dark Multiverse crisis , these Old Gods returned to search vengeance upon those who wronged them . Twisted by centuries of anger and by the use of Black Manta , the Old Gods flood the Earth and were contented to watch manhood drown . While the Justice League beat to answer , Aquaman venture into the burial ground of the Gods and sacrifice his powers and his life in ordering to wrest control of the oceans from the Old Gods and hold launch the world from its weak grave .
The Ninth Circle
Secret Societies are nothing new to the kingdom of superhero comics , but what makes the Ninth Circle so awful is just how plausible they really are . introduce inBenjamin Percy ’s Rebirth eraGreen Arrowrun , the Ninth Circle is a cell of affluent ne’er - do - wells who on the Q.T. finance super crime , and seek to use their power and influence to subvert the freedoms of ordinary citizen and twist them to the organization ’s corporate will . Oh , and they do this with the proceeds from human trafficking , among other insidious deeds .
To see such a horrendous true - life issue explored in a manner that brings light to acts of revulsion in our awaken man sends shivers down one ’s spine , and oftentimes coerce the audience to take Malcolm stock of their station and surroundings . Not to mention asking themselves , like the character in the funnies , just how easily everything may be kidnap away .
The Court of Owls
take back again to the realm of secret societies , the Court of Owls are a den of miscreants with ties to the earliest tribes of human race . Upon becoming a fixture in Gotham City during Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo ’s New 52 running onBatman , the Court of Owls search to rase the Dark Knight ’s life piece by firearm . With their army of virtually immortal assassinator , The talon , they kill wantonly , striking at not only Bruce Wayne but his friend and fellowship , too . Even more haunting is the Apocalypse that Bruce ’s close ally , Dick Grayson , was meant to join the Court as its choose Talon . With their bequest inexorably connect , the Batman and Owls continue to wage a secret warfare upon one another in the drear shadows of Gotham City .
The Court of Owls tested Batman in a way that few others can match . They were n’t the first to break his torso , but they may be first to in truth break his judgement , leaving him a paranoid shipwreck after imprisoning him in their hide labyrinth beneath the street of Gotham . Despite ticktack them back on multiple occasions , the Court devolve time and time again to punish Batman and those who stand with him , in their chase of using the Dark Knight to trigger an apocalypse that will release their dark god , Barbatos , upon an unsuspecting reality .
The Batman Who Laughs
Superman once called Batman " the most dangerous piece in the world " and he was right to do so , as Batman as proven himself to be an indomitable effect on a tireless crusade against evil . But what happens when that good man diminish ? When the codification that kept the Batman from rove into the darkness is lead … and replaced with the corrupt mentality of the Joker ?
The Batman Who Laughs hail from a world on the cusp of the Dark Multiverse , a shadow of the DC Universe readers know and have sex . turn into a teras after finally give in to his hatred and defeat his existence ’s Joker , Bruce was exposed to a variant of Joker toxin that warp his mind and made him into something far bad than the Joker ever hoped to be . Make no fault , this is not the Joker in a Batman lawsuit . It is truly Bruce Wayne , with all of his wits about him . The Batman Who Laughs is the subsist definition of Superman ’s argument , single - handedly executing the Bat - Family , the Justice League and wipe out his entire domain before link up forces with Barbatos and recruiting other distorted versions of the Dark Knight during theDark Nights : Metal heroic poem .
After surviving the Multiversal calamity , The Batman Who Laughs has allowed himself to be captured by the Justice League , solely to taunt his diametrical and act as a sort of Hannibal Lecter physique for Batman and others while working in secret to cloud the mind of heroes in an attack to spread his evil across Earth as he did on his own world .
MORE : Batman and Catwoman Are Having a BABY In New DC Series
