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DC has built an impressive pantheon of both superhero and supervillain character over the passing decades . For the latter , plenty of unnerving , grim , and bare characters with the motive and backstories to match give their correspond rivals a hard prison term .
rapscallion like the Joker , Darkseid , Lex Luthor , and Sinestro are some that quick make out to devotee ' minds , but some bomber can astonishingly rival the inherent swarthiness of their several villains . The reasoning behind these admirer ' dark personalities ranges from psychological impression from their line to the core of their need .
Red Hood
Jason Todd stands as the most psychologically disorderly of Batman ’s former Robins . He was the one who had the most bother with malcontent rage and high-handedness , and ironically became part of one of theJoker ’s most iconic comic panels . The Clown Prince of Crime beat him within an inch of his living with a crowbar , leave behind him to expire in a time explosion .
After being thrust back into the live world , Jason became the anti - hero Red Hood , holding spoilt blood with his adopted forefather and claiming to thwart the line and do what Batman wo n’t . He claim on Punisher - like trait but does eventually ferment his way back into the Bat - family right .
Swamp Thing
There have been several to use the Swamp Thing identity in the vast DC multiverse . His most popular incarnations naturally adopted sour theme to recount his stories . Given the hero ’s background , they also venture deep into the mystic and occult elements of the universe , include horror . peculiarly after becoming a linchpin in Justice League Dark , one ofDC ’s best squad yet to make their DCEU first appearance .
He struggle to protect his home , the environs , and humanity in universal from supernatural forces , but the dark of the character frequently stems from an air travel of tragedy . Alan Moore ’s looping borrows " beauty and the beast"-like aspects , leading the eccentric to be assume dead , but go on a lonely blue planet making senseless plant life - based ringer of love ones lost back on Earth .
Jonah Hex
In traditional pop culture , the " idle Rebecca West " setting is already characterized by anarchy and unflinching brutality . DC ’s Jonah Hex takes those core themes to heart , write a hero / anti - hero with a merciless past , battle - weary , and jaded personality .
His barbarous origin involve a Two - Face - comparable scar , an opprobrious and alcoholic father , being betray into slavery by him to an Apache tribe , realise their trust and affection , and being betray by both his adoptive brother and more . Jonah Hex becomes a cynical anti - hero with a frightening gift for killing and bounteousness hunting but still maintain a moral computer code to stand up for the innocent .
Etrigan
Like Swamp Thing , Etrigan the Demon is another one ofDC ’s best " monster " reference . Also , like the former , his account and lore tilt harder into supernatural options and characters , make for a expert change of pace with the publishing company ’s cosmic and street - level works .
His alter ego Jason Blood was a Knight of Camelot before having a demon bound to his soul , allowing him to transubstantiate into his Etrigan form upon reciting a poem . Despite the demonic premise and terrific appearance , Etrigan vows to fight for justice , but his deadly crimefighting methods for sure have a penchant for the vicious .
Harley Quinn
Invented originally for the acclaimed and timelessBatman : The Animated Series , Harley Quinn speedily became a devotee - favourite supervillain . However , she ’s since transitioned herself into a Hero of Alexandria / anti - hero figure that ’s even part of the Bat - family . But even with her new letting on biography , she at times has trouble stay in ascendence from her prison term as the " sidekick"to Batman ’s greatest supervillain .
That wickedness that Harley is still working to amply steady down out is a grown part of her character , specially with her origin story so close marry to the Joker . While the Batman / Joker dynamic is the biggest metaphorical mental representation of a cyclic , opprobrious relationship , Harley and Joker ’s was the closest to a actual one . Some lover are n’t sure of turning Harley into a fighter figure , but on the other handwriting , it could seem apprehensible for writers to require to finally earmark her to bring around and break up free .
Peacemaker
Having now been popularized by James Gunn and John Cena ’s adaptation forThe Suicide Squadand the upcomingPeacemakerTV series , the irregular vigilance man only loosely fits the " Italian sandwich " verbal description at best . Christopher Smith is the iteration used in the DCEU , and in both the comedian and live - action , his dark trait is his utmost delusions .
His rigid political theory of what it think of and necessitates to accomplish true peace of mind can easily veer off into an ironically crashing and counterproductive result . Peacemaker ’s categorization of " uttermost pacifist " is basically a dark joke about the character ’s perceptions .
Clayface
Though a technical ledger entry , James Tynion IV’sRebirth - geological era runnel onDetective Comicsgave fans a compelling new slant on Basil Karlo ’s version of Clayface . There have been several masses to take on the Clayface identity , and all of them were preponderantly known for being Batman villains .
Tynion compose a fictional character that ’s redeemed and even recruited by Batman to join the Gotham Knights , but is struggling with depression stemming from his violent past . By far the dismal part about this desperate take on Clayface was the now - villainous friend from his time as an actor . His ally pack a violent blood feud against him , convincing Basil that he can never truly ransom himself , even though she ’s become the monster she claims " Clayface " still is .
Vigilante
standardized to Peacemaker , Vigilante is part to make some mainstream popularity since it was confirmed he ’d appear in a supporting role for HBO Max’sPeacemaker .
The show is leaning heavily more into comedic element , but the Adrian Chase version of Vigilante has a notably relentless and sober story in the comics . Vigilante begin off doing everything he can to avoid killing , but his increasing guilt , his menage ’s murder , and steady eroding genial State Department made him descend into a paranoid , vengeful , and suicidal force of violence .
Lobo
Lobo ’s alignment with justice is also fabulously precarious , as the central premise behind him is being a purely helter-skelter agentive role of utmost ferocity . He ’s the last surviving member of his coinage , though , that ’s due to Lobo leading a race murder of the citizenry on his planet for play .
While unquestionably leaning into villainous use plenty of times , his job as a drifting bounty hunting watch has go steady him team up with superheroes to save Earth from major threats . Lobo fundamentally attend to as an " anti - Superman " character , even having confrontation with the Man of Steel in the past .
Orphan/Batgirl
The members of the Bat - sept by - and - big grew from tragic origins and Cassandra Cain is among the darkest . Neither of Cassandra ’s parent was bolt down , but both have been callous , remiss , and scurrilous to her . Her forefather is the assassin David Cain , while her mother , Lady Shiva , pass the assassin terrorist group bonk as the League of Shadows .
After her barbarous upbringing and enlisting into the Bat - family , she became the superhero Orphan , before eventually becoming the next Batgirl . Tynion’sDetective Comicsrun also put a welcome public eye on her character growing , foreground her intragroup struggle with want vengeance against her parent and molding into her newfound family . It ’s an emotionally resonating eccentric arc that shows the duality of Cassandra ’s internal dark and authentically tolerant - heartedness .
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