All 15 DC Universe Villains, Ranked

Let your villainous side out.

With the release of Clayface, we are officially done with the DC Universe for 2026. You know what that means - time for a villain ranking! We haven't gotten a ton of the iconic DC villains yet, but there are some sprinkled in here and there. Lex Luthor and Sinestro have both been established. Clayface is, obviously, here as well. The Joker and Darkseid and the rest will be on this list eventually, but as of right now, here is my ranking of the fifteen DC Universe villains.

15. Krem of the Yellow Hills

Supergirl

In a movie full of flaws, Krem is probably Supergirl's biggest. I could not tell you one thing about this guy. He's so forgettable and so generic. I saw Supergirl when it came out (so about four months ago) and I do not remember anything about Krem of the Yellow Hills. He has the cliché evil space pirate look and a weak motivation to go along with his look. The actor doesn't do anything special. This isn't some huge DC character that has a long history in the comics they could've drawn from. It's just a poorly written villain in a poorly written movie. I don't even remember anything that he does besides shooting Krypto. He just blends in to every other evil space pirate I've ever seen, which points to the bigger issue in Supergirl of it just leaning on clichés and forgettable ideas.

14. Rick Flag Sr.

Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker Season 2

I'm not really sure why Rick Flag has been the most recurring villain in the DC Universe, because I've never found him that compelling and his whole motivation started in The Suicide Squad when Peacemaker killed his son...and that movie isn't technically canon to the DCU. I've also never bought that Frank Grillo was Joel Kinnaman's dad because Grillo is fifteen years older than his supposed son. Either way, Flag was a fine enough anti-hero in Creature Commandos and Superman. He doesn't really make or break either of those projects. The reason he's so low is because his character was just completely destroyed in Peacemaker season two.

He spends the entire season chasing down Peacemaker to arrest him for the murder of his son, which is an understandable motivation. But by the end, he just becomes a full-fledged supervillain. He goes past the tunnel vision scope of revenge and actually starts harming others in ways that don't make sense given the character that's been established. He starts treating his operatives like canon fodder that can go into these alternate universes and just get slaughtered. While they are doing this, he's drinking and celebrating with his buddies. He just loses all connection to humanity out of the blue simply because he is hell-bent on getting revenge on Peacemaker. I just don't understand how his character went from zero to one hundred so fast. And it turned Flag from a character I didn't have much feelings for into a character I really, really didn't like or connect with.

13. Markos Szabo

Clayface

Markos Szabo is the catalyst character for Matt Hagen's transformation into Clayface, and he works effectively as that. He's a Gotham mob boss who doesn't like when other people sleep with his girlfriend, and he brutally cuts up Matt's face as revenge. Besides that, he's really forgettable. He feels like the lesser version of the classic DC mobsters. This isn't Rupert Thorne, Carmine Falcone, or Sal Maroni. This is a much less interesting, much less memorable version of them. He doesn't have any significant character traits. He cuts up Matt Hagen's face and causes him to become Clayface, which is the only reason he's above Krem and Flag. Otherwise, he's just a forgettable mob boss that makes you miss the better DC crime lords.

12. Ultraman

Superman

I debated including Ultraman on this list, because he's not really a character. He's absolutely just a henchman. There are no definable character traits here. The ultimate reveal that he's a Superman clone isn't surprising or interesting, because we knew this character was Ultraman before the film came out, and Ultraman is a variant of Clark from the comics. The only reason he's higher than the characters below him is because he serves the plot well. The Hammer of Boravia being a version of Superman really shows how twisted Lex Luthor is and fits the themes of the film really well. What happens when Superman can't figure out what the right thing to do is? That's the question that this film asks, and Ultraman is one of the major pieces in that idea. Not an interesting character, but one that services his role fine enough.

11. Antaan

Lanterns

I think Antaan was an interesting but underdeveloped villain that had a lot of wasted potential. Obviously, this character was heavily theorized to be Atrocitus, and, while I would've loved that, that wasn't necessary to make his character better. The reason this character feels underdeveloped is because we don't fully understand him. Paul Ben-Victor plays Antaan as inherently enigmatic, but there seems to be a lot more going on than just revenge. He wants to take down the Manhunter that destroyed his world, but that brings a lot of questions along with it. What was his relationship with the Manhunter? How come it took them this long to find the Manhunter? Why is he rushing the Lanterns to help them? There's a lot that I didn't understand about this character, and I felt like he died before we could fully get the big picture. So lots of wasted potential here.

10. Keith Smith / Captain Triumph

Peacemaker Season 2

Speaking of wasted potential, Keith Smith felt like he could've been one of the strongest characters in season two of Peacemaker. Chris's late brother is alive on Earth-X with one small problem...he's basically a Nazi. I wish they would have made Keith more like his father - the Earth-X version of Auggie is, in contrast to the horrible mainline version, a good person. He is against the Nazi ideology and isn't just evil. It would have been interesting to make Keith an actually good person who is furious as Chris for murdering his Earth-X counterpart. That would be a compelling villain. Right now, Captain Triumph is an interesting concept executed without any real nuance or layers.

9. Circe

Creature Commandos

I considered not including Circe on this list, but I figured she's a big enough villain in the comics and will likely return in the future, so I might as well put her on here preemptively. She's not in a ton of Creature Commandos, but she makes an impact where she's featured. The design is great and the idea of this super powerful witch being afraid of the true villain of the series really gives Creature Commandos a sense of stakes. She doesn't do anything in particular that stands out or makes her this incredible villain, but she was a nice side character even in her sparing usage.

8. William Macon

Lanterns

This ranking is really tough, because as I'm writing it, I'm realizing that so far there aren't a ton of villains in this universe that I like. William Macon is another one of these characters with massive potential that just felt wasted. Garret Dillahunt brought a menacing gravitas to the role, and there were hints that there was something more under the surface of this character. But no - he's just a loyal henchman to Zoe because he owes her his life. That's a fine enough motivation, but he's got such a screen presence that you would expect more from this character. There's nothing beyond his allegiance to Zoe, which was a really huge letdown.

7. Eric Frankenstein

Creature Commandos

DC's version of Frankenstein's monster is probably the first villain on this list that I'd say I actively think is a good character. Eric is an insecure character who just wants love and acceptance...but he will try to achieve that by any means necessary. The dark, twisted side of him comes from a genuine need for connection, and the contrast makes him compelling. David Harbour is perfect to voice this brutish character, because he is so good at capturing the child-like innocence while also delivering a terrifying narcissism and brutality at the same time. I think the character goes too far sometimes - it feels like James Gunn needs to overemphasize everything in Creature Commandos, so some of Eric's actions are so evil that he loses audience sympathy - but overall, the character is an effective antagonist.

6. Ilana Rostovic

Creature Commandos

I think the Ilana twist in the finale of Creature Commandos basically redeemed the show for me, and she became one of the most interesting and terrifying characters on it. The entire season, she's treated like this damsel in distress who is a target of Circe...until the ultimate reveal that everything Circe said about her was true. She's this manipulative warlord operating in the shadows. She uses her innocence and seductiveness to fool Rick Flag and the rest of the Commandos. Once her villainous side comes out, she murders Nina and immediately becomes a hateful, horrible creature that you want to see taken down. I love the idea of having this character presented as a Disney-like princess (although an R-rated version of that) being this huge, world-threatening villain in the end. This is a really good villain and an effective main threat for the first season of Creature Commandos.

5. Lobo

Supergirl

I was also debating including Lobo on this list, but, much like Circe, I figured he'd appear again AND I think he will eventually appear as a villain rather than an anti-hero. Jason Momoa is the star of the show in Supergirl (I realize that's not a very impressive feat). He eats up every single scene he's in. Lobo is designed to be this fun, loud, abrasive bounty hunter, and he succeeds as that. He brings this energy that the rest of the movie is severely lacking, and for that, I give him props. As an actual character, we don't get much backstory or depth, but he's wildly entertaining, so he has to be up here.

4. Thaal Sinestro

Lanterns

Mark my words: Sinestro will be in the top three at some point. We are two years into the DC Universe, so there aren't a ton of projects or a ton of villains. As this universe expands, though, I really think we will see more of this character, and I think it will be awesome. The fallen Green Lantern is one of DC's best antagonists, and Lanterns sets him up to be a huge, overarching threat. It subtly sets up these moments where the characters discuss fear and we get hints that Sinestro may be working on the Yellow Lanterns. I don't know if we will end up getting a season two of Lanterns, but if we do, I think this character will shoot up. Ulrich Thomsen plays him as this calm, collected mastermind who manipulates everyone around him because he knows how good he is at that. He has this deep-seeded respect and affection for Hal Jordan despite them being enemies. He's just such a complex, layered villain, and I think he will only get better the more we see of him.

3. Zoe Macon / The Manhunter

Lanterns

The main villain of season one of Lanterns was a good character that could've been great. The Manhunters are hyped up throughout the season as this massive threat that the Guardians want eliminated. We eventually learn that the Guardians actually created the Manhunters. Imagine a version of this character that is just trying to escape her makers and find a quiet life in Nebraska. Maybe she's retired from her dangerous tendencies. That sounds like a much more compelling version of Zoe than the one we got.

As it stands, I still think Zoe works as a villain for what this show is. She's seductive and trustworthy in the beginning, but once we learn that she's the Manhunter, she turns manipulative. You can see the impact that she has on this town and why she's been able to hide for so long, and there is a sense of danger and menace surrounding her. I really wish we got more depth regarding her relationship with the Guardians the Green Lantern Corps, but as it stands, she's a solid villain.

2. Lex Luthor

Superman

The most recognizable villain in the DCU so far is, of course, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor. The jealous, petty CEO of LuthorCorp is a snivelling jerk in James Gunn's Superman. He has a complete lack of sympathy or regret - everything is just about taking down Superman. He is the coldest and most evil version of Lex we've ever gotten in a live-action movie, and I appreciate that. I love Smallville, and, while no cinematic Lex has even gotten close to Michael Rosenbaum's iconic portrayal, Nicholas Hoult is probably the closest to that. He is the first cinematic Lex Luthor that feels truly dangerous and intimidating, and for that, I give him props.

I do not think the character is perfect - sometimes, he is too whiny and pathetic, and I think the movie's lack of seriousness often hurts Lex, because his overly evil tendencies make him come off as more comedic than menacing. But I also think Hoult did something special by making the audience truly despise this version of the character, and I am so curious to see his team-up with Superman in Man of Tomorrow. I expect my feelings on him will only improve as we see him throughout more of the DC Universe.

1. Matt Hagen / Clayface

Creature Commandos, Clayface

Now, it's a little unfair, because Clayface is the only character on this list to get a full movie devoted to him...but he's also awesome. Tom Rhys Harries brings Matt Hagen to life in a sympathetic, tragic, and ultimately terrifying way. He starts off as this actor on top of the world, but he messes with the wrong people and suffers a horrible consequence. Instead of trying to piece his life back together, he gives into his worst tendencies and makes some desperate decisions. Through the tragedy of this situation, the most sinister version of Matt emerges. The movie sets up his descent so well and is comfortable showing him as this person who gets cheated by life and turns into a monster because of it.

I also just think Clayface is such a cool character. This movie takes a B-tier Batman villain and shows us how awesome and terrifying he can be. His shapeshifting abilities are disgusting but also incredible. The final nightclub scene in the third act is one of the most entertaining sequences I've seen in movies this year. And the final, comic-accurate form looks great for the few seconds we see it on screen. I really hope this character gets to fight Batman eventually, because as it stands, he is my favorite villain in the DC Universe.