DC: 10 Little-Known Villains That Have Big Screen Potential

Content Warning: This article contains references to violence.

DC’s The Suicide Squad took some of the lesser-known antagonists from the comic book lore and made them stars. Before the release of the movie, audiences might have never heard of Polka-Dot Man, and certainly wouldn’t have known there was a character called The Ratcatcher.

The critical success of the film has demonstrated that DC can take risks when adapting their villains, with plenty of their obscure characters actually having big-screen potential. Although foes like The Riddler, Black Adam, and the Reverse-Flash will all be making their way to cinemas soon, there’s a diverse range of little-known criminals that deserve their own chance at the big time.

10 Victim Syndicate

Batman and indeed the rest of the Bat-Family have a host of rogues that are both terrifying and laughable. The Victim Syndicate might be one of the most disturbing groups that Batwoman and indeed The Caped Crusader have had to face off against, from their designs to their abilities.

The team is compromised of those who were severely injured or damaged by the Bat in one of his battles with his arch-enemies. Led by the mysterious First Victim, the group consists of Anarky, Madame Crow, Mister Noxious, Mudface and, The Mute. They are a psychologically damaging threat to Batman; perfect for a live-action adaptation as they remind him of the cost of his crime-fighting.

9 Kite-Man

Fans of the Harley Quinn animated show will already be familiar with the incredibly likable villain known as Kite-Man. His powers really are as suggested, with the criminal fitting himself with a variety of kites that allow him to glide across the skies. He has mostly been treated as a joke previously.

Of course, someone with his kind of power set would absolutely fit into the eccentric world James Gunn has been building. Alternatively, it might be time to turn Kite-Man serious. With more action movies boasting sequences designed around mid-air combat utilizing flight suits, Kite-Man is exactly the kind of character that would serve this kind of set-piece.

8 Duela Dent

Duela Dent’s real identity has consistently remained a mystery. The character has served with the Teen Titans and found herself in the midst of criminal schemes, but each time she appears she seems to take on a new alias. Dent is obsessed with legacy, often connecting herself to famous villains.

She’s convinced herself to be the daughter of Scarecrow, Riddler, and Joker amongst others, but it’s never clear when she’s telling the truth or which parts of her identity are fabrications. The character’s complexity would make her an intriguing player to bring into a thriller or psychological drama if DC wishes to go down that route.

7 Professor Pyg

Professor Pyg could be one of Batman’s most evil villains. A butcher at best, Pyg is a serial killer, taking his victims and experimenting on them. He wears a horrifying pig mask that he has fashioned out of a real animal and tries to force innocent civilians to serve him.

The tone in which The Batman appears to be setting for the future of The Dark Knight on screen would certainly allow for a foe like Professor Pyg to really shine. After all, the world’s greatest detective needs a good mystery to solve (one that’s as disturbing for the themes at play).

6 Mayfly

Mayfly is a little-known Wonder Woman foe who has only appeared a handful of times throughout DC’s comics. The character is an assassin that has been given super-speed in order to keep up with the likes of the Amazonian warrior and indeed the world’s fastest man.

What makes the character so compelling is after she was sent to prison, Wonder Woman tried to create a strange friendship with her. She bonded with the criminal inside her cell, allowing for an interesting dynamic to form. It’s the kind of inspiring story that could add a lot to the big-screen incarnation of Diana.

5 Abra Kadabra

The Flash has a litany of bizarre villains to face off against, from Mirror Master to The Trickster and Prank. Abra Kadabra provides a new threat for Barry Allen that was both out of his comfort zone and combines the themes of the character in a brilliant way.

Abra Kadabra is in every sense a wizard, but he plays on the idea that technology can be conceived as magic. From the far future, he utilizes this tech and his vast intelligence to commit significant crimes in the modern-day. His abilities certainly lend a hand to the cinematic spectacle.

4 Heckler

Heckler is another villain that would mesh well in a Suicide Squad environment. The character seems to be able to take a great deal of damage, being beaten up time and time again and always bouncing back. It’s his silver tongue that he fights with though.

The Heckler quite hilariously manages to throw off and even defeat his opponents by heckling them. It’s worked on some major names and makes him a truly despicable villain. It would be interesting and definitely funny to see this gift play out on film.

3 Fatality

Green Lantern has his own share of tough villains in the comics but Fatality is often overlooked. While she might have briefly been the heroic ring-wielding Star Sapphire, most of Fatality’s life has been consumed by rage and vengeance. She blames the Green Lantern Corps for the loss of her family and world.

With that driving her she travels across the universe taking down any Green Lantern she comes across. Such a powerful being with a clear and sympathetic backstory would provide an excellent opponent to the newer iterations of Green Lantern, who will be making their way to the screen.

2 Weather Wizard

Another Flash foe that has caused plenty of problems for The Scarlet Speedster in the past, Weather Wizard has been portrayed in a number of different ways. Whether it’s a meta-human ability or an advanced piece of tech, the character can quite literally control the weather.

It’s another power that is cinematic in nature and would be a great side-foe for Flash to face in the DCEU to establish his crime-fighting abilities. Weather Wizard can be extremely dangerous and his design could be as visually compelling as his skills.

1 Massacre

The modern version of Batwing has a villainous brother with a dark past. Massacre grew up in Congo where he was abducted and forced to be a child soldier. The training stuck and his mental state deteriorated, with the aging warrior becoming a serial killer without any remorse.

There’s a lot of big themes at play here, each of which is incredibly complex to unpack. It’s the kind of unknown villain which could be given even more depth on screen and perhaps lends itself to the format better. What’s more, the personal connection to Batwing makes the conflict even more disturbing.

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