10 Great DC Movie Villains Not In Batman Movies

April 28, 2024, 3 p.m.

Movies

10 Great DC Movie Villains Not In Batman Movies

0 0

Summary Great DC movie villains exist outside Batman's rogues' gallery, with compelling stories and complex motivations.

Villains like Starro, Ignacio Carapax, and Max Lord showcase diversity in the DCEU and challenge traditional perceptions.

From nuanced motivations like Ocean Master's environmental concerns to morally complex characters like Ozymandias, DC villains have depth.

Though Batman might be one of DC's most iconic figures, the movies in the wider DC Universe have featured some great villains independently of the Dark Knight's rogues' gallery. The Caped Crusader undeniably boasts one of the greatest rogues’ galleries in all of pop culture. Across many Batman movies, the hero has fought a number of his most iconic foes, including several iterations of the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, and more. However, the characters of DC comics extend much further than Gotham City.

Many DC movies not featuring Batman have starred excellent villains. The likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and more have all done battle with evildoers without the support of the Dark Knight, with many exciting antagonists featured in these cinematic outings. Throughout the movies of the DCEU and some of those predating the franchise, here are 10 great DC movie villains not in Batman movies.

Related Every Upcoming DC Movie In 2024 And Beyond Here's every new DC movie confirmed as in development by WB for 2024 and onwards, including release dates and where they belong in the franchise.

10 Starro Brought Kaiju Action To The DCEU

The Suicide Squad (2021)

The Suicide Squad Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Director James Gunn Release Date August 5, 2021 Runtime 132 minutes

The cast of The Suicide Squad may feature a number of supporting Batman characters, but not the hero himself. Instead, the 2021 movie follows an unlikely group of former villains dubbed Task Force X given an incredibly dangerous mission to investigate a political disturbance on the island of Corto Maltese. There, they discover that the US government had captured and experimented on Starro the Conqueror, a giant alien starfish capable of mind control.

Starro stands out as a villain in the DCEU’s timeline of movies simply because he’s different from the rest. He has no convoluted backstory or complex motivations, he’s simply a colossal alien monster being subjected to experimentation. The Suicide Squad’s efforts to bring down Starro blend epic superhero action with sci-fi comedy, making the villain one of the most entertaining in the entire DCEU.

9 Ignacio Carapax Was The Antithesis Of Jaime Reyes

Blue Beetle (2023)

Blue Beetle Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Director Angel Manuel Soto Release Date August 18, 2023 Runtime 127 Mins

In the cast of Blue Beetle there are multiple villainous characters, though it’s the movie’s secondary antagonist who shines as the film’s best. After bonding with the symbiotic scarab that grants him the powers of the Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes comes up against Victoria Kord, a CEO intent on recovering it. However, it’s actually her henchman, Ignacio Carapax, who stands out as the more compelling antagonist.

Carapax is written to be the opposite of Jaime, creating a pleasant parallel between hero and villain. Though they come to possess roughly the same abilities, Carapax’s own traumatic past and lack of any family is a dark reflection of Jaime’s own strong sense of belonging and community. Carapax is a villain that is perfectly written to feature opposite Jaime’s Blue Beetle, and that’s ultimately what makes him such a good antagonist.

8 The DCEU's Controversial Max Lord Was Given Great Depth

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Wonder Woman 1984 Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Director Patty Jenkins Release Date December 25, 2020 Runtime 115 Minutes

Wonder Woman 1984 proved a controversial movie for many reasons, but the film’s depiction of villain Max Lord was something that many comic book fans took issue with. Though the film’s portrayal of Lord was far from comic accurate, the reimagining of the villain actually made him a particularly interesting character in the DCEU. What’s more, Pedro Pascal was cast in the role, adding an extra layer of charisma to Lord that helps bring the version of the character to life exactly as intended.

What makes Wonder Woman 1984’s Max Lord such a good villain is that there are multiple points in the movie in which the audience begins to root for him. Partly down to the sympathetic characterization of the villain and partly to Pascal’s excellent performance, Max Lord ultimately comes off as singularly likable. The complexities of the character may have been part of the movie’s comic inaccuracies, but they actually made Max Lord a better DCEU movie villain overall.

7 Gabriel's Role As A Villain Challenged Perception

Constantine (2005)

2005’s Constantine is an often overlooked but well-considered comic book movie following Keanu Reeves’ John Constantine. The movie follows the titular exorcist as he uncovers a plot involving angels, demons, and the beginning of a war that threatens to establish Hell on Earth. Featuring as many demons as the movie does, there’s no shortage of evil characters, but it’s Tilda Swinton’s Gabriel who essentially acts as the film’s main antagonist.

Swinton’s androgynous portrayal of the archangel Gabriel comes with a twist: the angel’s disdain for humanity has bubbled over into a plot to release the son of Lucifer. Gabriel’s status as both an angel and a villain challenges perceptions by casting a traditionally good figure in an antagonistic role, subtly laying a foundation of complicated moral standings within Constantine’s movie canon. Gabriel being the movie’s true villain establishes angels as equally threatening to humanity as demons, making Swinton’s role all the more fascinating.

6 Doctor Poison Was An Interesting Supporting Villain

Wonder Woman (2017)

Wonder Woman Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Director Patty Jenkins Release Date June 2, 2017 Runtime 141 Mins

Doctor Isabel Maru, also known as Doctor Poison, is not the main antagonist of Wonder Woman. In fact, she’s not even the movie’s secondary antagonist, instead acting as a sidekick of sorts to Danny Huston’s General Ludendorff. Maru’s main role in the movie is developing a deadly gas for the German forces to help turn the tide of World War I in their favor, putting her in Wonder Woman’s crosshairs when she mistakenly identifies Ludendorff as Ares, the god of war.

Maru’s characterization and obsession with poison and death makes her Wonder Woman’s most striking and interesting villain. In spite of her small amount of screen time, she stands out as one of the more fascinating villainous characters, particularly as both Ares and Ludendorff are uninteresting in comparison. Doctor Poison’s potential as a future DCEU villain ultimately went unfulfilled, but she’s still a great antagonist despite being a relatively minor character.

5 Ocean Master's Motivations Were Completely Justified

Aquaman (2018)

Aquaman Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Director James Wan Release Date July 6, 2018 Runtime 143 Minutes

Featuring as the main antagonist of 2018’s Aquaman is Orm Marius, Arthur Curry’s half-brother and the king of Atlantis. Patrick Wilson’s Orm is shown to have a grudge against the surface world due to the constant pollution of the ocean, and the movie’s plot centers around his attempts to spark a full-scale war with humanity as a result. What makes Ocean Master such an excellent villain is the complexity of his character, particularly where it pertains to his motivations.

In essence, it’s difficult to disagree with Orm’s views. From his perspective, his home and his kingdom are being threatened by careless outsiders, and then once Arthur arrives, a stranger appears asserting a claim to his throne. Though he’s presented as a clear-cut antagonist, there are many subtleties to the character of Orm that make him a nuanced and interesting villain.

4 Lex Luthor Is A Classic Supervillain

Superman (1978)

Though many actors have played Lex Luthor in live-action, Gene Hackman’s run in the role is considered a classic example of the character. Hackman first appeared as Luthor in Richard Donner’s 1978 movie Superman, acting as the film’s main antagonist due to his plot to use nuclear missiles to sink parts of the US and make himself rich. Superman is often considered the first modern comic book movie, and its groundbreaking nature extends to its depiction of Luthor.

Hackman’s Luthor is devious and dangerous, and combines moments of levity with a dark and twisted scheme. All of these traits combine to make Superman’s Lex Luthor a particularly solid supervillain, embodying the typical qualities of the character’s comic book counterpart while also fitting the established format for cinematic antagonists. There are many reasons that Donner’s movie is considered a classic, and Hackman’s Lex Luthor is one of them.

3 Black Manta's Drive For Revenge Made Him Great

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Director James Wan Release Date December 22, 2023 Runtime 124 Minutes

Black Manta’s story was established in 2018’s Aquaman, with the character acting as a secondary antagonist. However, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom brought the villain to the fore, with the titular hero battling Black Manta to thwart his plans to overheat the Earth. With the acclaimed Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the role of the villain, there’s a dramatic side of the antagonist that feels especially fleshed out.

Black Manta’s entire villain story works well, particularly as it’s spread across two movies. The arc beginning in the first film with Aquaman refusing to save Manta’s pirate father builds into a all-out blood feud that drives the villain’s every action. Black Manta’s all-consuming hatred of Aquaman is classic comic book fare, and the two-film arc brings it to life in live-action so vividly that it makes the antagonist particularly entertaining.

2 General Zod's Invasion Of Earth Was Large-Scale Villainy

Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Director Zack Snyder Release Date June 14, 2013 Runtime 143 minutes

As the first villain introduced in the DCEU, Michael Shannon’s General Zod was undoubtedly a pivotal character for the franchise. Zod’s plan to use the world engine to recreate Krypton on Earth saw him at odds with Superman, who fought to protect his adopted home. Shannon’s powerful performance as Zod is both compelling and frightening, as he cuts a particularly commanding figure in the role.

There are many aspects of both Zod and Man of Steel that make the antagonist so great. The villain’s refusal to give up his plan ultimately results in Superman murdering him, adding a dark and unexpected aspect to the story and shaping the entire tone of the DCEU as a whole. Shannon’s General Zod was in fact so compelling a villain that he was brought back in The Flash in an alternate reality, proving his longevity despite his death in Man of Steel.

1 Ozymandias Raised Complex Moral Issues

Watchmen (2009)

Watchmen Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Director Zack Snyder Release Date March 6, 2009 Runtime 163 Mins

There is no denying that Ozymandias is the villain of Watchmen’s story, but his calculated plot ultimately has beneficial ramifications for all. That’s ultimately what’s at the heart of the movie’s story: that the work of superheroes and villains is often shrouded in moral ambiguity and is rarely as black and white as many other movies present it to be.

Matthew Goode’s performance as Ozymandias is note perfect, capturing the cold brilliance and eccentricity of the character. It’s the award-winning story that makes Ozymandias such a thought-provoking figure, though, as the complicated implications of his goals make his heinous actions morally complicated. Despite being a truly evil character, Ozymandias’ actions aren’t all bad, as he is ultimately focused on what he percieves to be the greater good. This makes him perhaps the greatest villain in the DC Universe not in a Batman movie.