The Arrowverse has had a massive number of incredible DC heroes come to life in the last 8 years. But just as there are phenomenal heroes, there are also several villains that have joined the ever-growing DC TV universe on the CW. Whether they have served as the big bads or as secondary antagonists, the heroes of the Arrowverse has gone up some powerful and formidable foes in their respective seasons. There is no doubt that with the vast selection of villains from the comics that exist, more amazing evil characters will make it screen in years to come.

While some villains finished their journeys a long time ago and there are still some that are just beginning or still in the middle of their stories. Having said that, it’s time to look at the 10 best villains in the Arrowverse.

10 Alice

Batwoman started with a very personal foe for Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) as Gotham’s new Caped Crusader is taking on Alice (Rachel Skarsten), who is also her long lost sister. Having gone missing after a tragic car accident years ago, Kate’s twin-sister has reemerged and become one of Gotham City’s powerful players due to her insanity. While we certainly love baddies who aren’t related to the heroes, evil forces who are tied to the main character are still just as enjoyable and compelling. Alice is one of them as her insane presence gets more intense, she has already climbed up among the best foes for The CW’s DC TV world.

9 Malcolm Merlyn

It was only fitting for Arrow to have Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) go up against his most famous villain from the comics, Merlyn the Dark Archer (John Barrowman). While we are still not cool with how the show ended his journey, the ride was still incredible to follow with this particular villain. Compared to the comics, the show added some complex layers to Merlyn with his care for family, but also his questionable methods in changing the world.

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8 Deathstroke

The second season of Arrow had Oliver take on one of the best DC villains of all time in Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke (Manu Bennett). While Slade may currently be one of the good guys, his time as an antagonist was some of the best times for the character. Having explored his backstory with Oliver that led to them clashing in the present became one of the strongest storylines in the show’s run. What this version of Slade also succeeded with is that he was someone to fear constantly. Slade is one of those characters where you love him both as a villain and an anti-hero.

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7 Lillian Luthor

Supergirl has plenty of Luthor presence to go around and Lillian (Brenda Strong) is one of them. Introduced in season 2, Mother Luthor became one of the show’s best villains, even if she didn’t get to be a big bad. A character that originally didn’t have a big history in the comics ended up becoming one of the biggest players in the TV realm of DC. From her experimentations to her constant battle with Lena (Katie McGrath), Lillian is someone you love to hate and sometimes even love to love.

6 Bloodwork

The Flash is doing a new format in its ongoing season as they are not focusing on just one big bad for 22 episodes. The first half (dubbed as graphic novel 1) had Sendhil Ramamurthy come in as Ramsey Rosso a.k.a. Bloodwork. This became one of the more complex baddies in the show’s run as he simply wanted to defy death itself. Although it didn’t take long until he went down the evil path, Ramsey was still challenging and refreshing for Flash to take on. It also put Barry (Grant Gustin) in an interesting position when he was faced with the ability to possibly survive the Crisis by taking Bloodwork’s offer. But it wasn’t long until Barry stopped him once and for all.

5 Lex Luthor

The fourth season of Supergirl saw the arrival of Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) who secretly had served as the big bad that year. Despite only appearing in three episodes, Lex had been pulling the strings in so many believable and fascinating ways that he can’t be denied a spot on this list. While Lena’s soul is still something to fight for, there is no doubt that Lex is pure evil and can’t be redeemed. That’s what makes him such a delicious and formidable baddie.

4 Prometheus

Arrow had a major force to be reckoned with in the fifth season as Oliver did battle with a villain that he had created in Prometheus (Josh Segarra). While not having any ties to the DC character of the same name, Adrian Chase became a power player that challenged Oliver and his team from start to finish. Even though it was a long season, seeing Adrian’s actions episode after episode made the wait worth it. Prometheus is also the big bad to have ended a season with the biggest bang of them all as he blew up Lian Yu with all of Oliver’s allies still trapped there.

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3 Tobias Whale

Even though Black Lightning may not have started in the Arrowverse, the current Crisis crossover is looking to change that. Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III) has been the main villain of the series as he and Jefferson Pierce’s journey as villain and hero are equally and deeply explored. Tobias, like the many other villains on this list, comes from a complex background that has helped him become the man he is today. While he is actively seeking power and control, Tobias does it in a way that hasn’t necessarily been seen before. With the strong writing and consistently on-point performances by Jones, Tobias is someone we can follow forever.

2 Reverse-Flash

What would Barry Allen be without his biggest nemesis in Eobard Thawne a.k.a. Reverse-Flash? For this one, we are equally in favor of both the Tom Cavanagh and Matt Letscher versions of the character as they are just as imperative to the character’s execution on-screen. After serving as the main foe in the first season, Eobard has always made sure to check in with Barry every once in a while and every time he does, we’re here for it. Their battle will never truly be over and that’s what so many love about their relationship.

1 Anti-Monitor

Even though he just debuted, the Anti-Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) is already one of the best Arrowverse’s foes of all time. He is threatening the Multiverse’s existence in Crisis on Infinite Earths. He is one of those rare exceptions where he hasn’t needed to be on-screen too much to make his effect be felt. As Earths have been destroyed one after another, the Anti-Monitor officially emerged in the latest hour of the crossover. Given how he was set up, we have no doubt that he will be keeping this spot on the list after the game-changing crossover ends.

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About The Author


Andy Behbakht
(1043 Articles Published)

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Andy is a senior writer at Screen Rant as he has covered the world of entertainment journalism since 2010, including superhero/comic book media. In addition to his work as a reporter, Andy co-hosts The Flash Podcast while running and producing the entire DC TV Podcasts network. He is also the founder/editor-in-chief of The Marvel Report since Fall 2015. Andy has previously written for sites such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It’s Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more.

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