The 1970s were a time when DC Comics began experimenting with more ruthless, coldhearted villains who weren’t constrained by the censorship laws of previous decades. It was also the first time that villains were given their own independent miniseries and storylines. From lethal assassins to malevolent gods, DC created some truly iconic and terrifying supervillains during this period.
10) Count Vertigo
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First appearing in 1978, Werner Zytle, aka Count Vertigo, is one of Green Arrow’s most iconic adversaries. A member of the disgraced royal family of the European nation of Vlatava, Zytle was born with an ear defect that impacted his sense of balance. To correct his affliction, Zytle was outfitted with an implant that not only helped his balance but gave him a weapon. Zytle discovered that he could use the implant to manipulate the equilibrium of other people. He can use this ability to make people nauseous, hypnotize them, or make them see illusions. Count Vertigo used his powers to reclaim his country and become the new ruler of Vlatava as well as the leader of a vast criminal empire that frequently comes to blows with Green Arrow.
9) Kalibak
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Introduced in 1971, Kalibak the Cruel is Darkseid’s devoted first-born son Even though Kalibak didn’t inherit Darkseid’s brains, he serves as his father’s second-in-command, Kalibak is one of Apokolips’ strongest and most savage fighters. He fights like a wild animal, motivated by bloodlust and undying loyalty to Darkseid. Along with his New God strength, Kalibak wields the Beta-Club, which can fire nerve beams that cause people to feel unimaginable pain. Kalibak is constantly at odds with his half-brother, the heroic New God Orion, whom he sees as his ultimate rival. The half-brothers have engaged in numerous Earth-shaking battles, with Kalibak desperate to secure his place as Darkseid’s strongest son.
8) Manhunters
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No man escapes the Manhunters. This is the mantra of the cold and murderous androids who first appeared in 1975. The Manhunters were designed 3 billion years ago by the Guardians of the Universe to act as an intergalactic police force. However, an error in the Manhunter’s programming led them to view all life as the ultimate threat to an orderly universe. In their most infamous act, the Manhunters exterminated trillions of lives residing within Space Sector 666. Even after the Guardians of the Universe decommissioned the Manhunters and replaced them with the more effective Green Lantern Corps, the merciless machines always find a way to return. As an army of powerful killer robots armed to the teeth, the Manhunters are one of the Green Lanterns’ greatest foes.
7) Lady Shiva
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Introduced in 1975, Sandra Wu-San, aka Lady Shiva, is often regarded as the greatest martial artist in the world and the deadliest woman alive. Sandra grew up as a martial artist alongside her sister, Carolyn. When an assassin killed Carolyn, Saudra let go of her inhibitions and limitations and dedicated her life to becoming a perfect killing machine. Shiva acts as both a villain and a hero. She has trained some of the best fighters on Earth, including Batman and the League of Assassins. Shiva is also well-known for being the mother of the second Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. While Shiva and her daughter have anything but a healthy relationship, their dynamic has offered ample dramatic storytelling for both characters.
6) DeSaad
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A sadistic and treacherous manipulator, DeSaad is the chief counselor and torturer for Apokolips’s ruler, Darkseid. First appearing in 1971, DeSaad was once an innocent young New God living on the idyllic world of New Genesis. That all changed, however, when Darkseid made a secret visit to New Genesis and began slowly but surely corrupting DeSaad. Once fully twisted into a spiteful and cruel individual, DeSaad followed his new master back to Apokolips. What Desaad lacks in physical strength, he more than makes up with his conniving intelligence and torture devices that cause victims to pray for death. While he is a sniveling servant of Darkseid, DeSaad still ranks as one of the cruelest individuals in the DC Multiverse.
5) Granny Goodness
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Debuting in 1971, Granny Goodness is one of the most wicked and cruel residents of Apokolips. This sadistic and tactical New God oversees the training of Apokolips’ armies of creatures called Parademons. Granny Goodness’s most horrific work occurs at her Orphanage, where kidnapped young girls are tortured and trained until they become brainwashed members of Darkseid’s elite guard, known as the Female Furies. Once a slave of Apokolips, the woman who would go on to be known as Goodness ascended the hierarchy after being recruited into the army, where her brilliance and cruelty were practically unmatched. Now, as the leader of the Female Furies and the instructor for Apokolips’ forces, Granny Goodness ranks among Darkseid’s most valuable disciples.
4) Man-Bat
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Introduced in 1970, Kirk Langstrom, aka Man-Bat, is a scientist who, in a desperate attempt to cure his deafness, developed a serum that merged human and bat DNA. Of course, the experiment went horribly wrong, and now Langstrom randomly and involuntarily transforms into a giant, mindless, and bloodthirsty humanoid bat monster. In this form, Man-Bat possesses enhanced strength, giant wings for flight, razor-sharp claws, and echolocation. One of Batman’s most tragic villains, Langstrom is constantly trying to cure himself of his Man-Bat persona. He even briefly managed to take control of his Man-Bat form and became a member of Justice League Dark. Unfortunately, Man-Bat reverted to his villainous ways and remains a high-flying menace of Gotham.
3) Talia al Ghul
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The assassin and crime lord Talia al Ghul has been both one of Batman’s deadliest villains and closest romantic partners. Introduced in 1971 as the daughter of the immortal Ra’s al Ghul and the heir to his worldwide League of Assassins organization, Talia is proficient in every method of killing a person. Talia has often been torn between her loyalty to Ra’s al Ghul and her love for Batman. She even had Batman’s child, Damian Wayne, who would go on to become the fourth Robin. However, Talia’s ambition for power has driven her to commit increasingly villainous acts, including attempting to murder Batman and their son. Talia is a criminal mastermind who has exceeded her father’s expectations and has become one of the most dangerous people on Earth.
2) Ra’s al Ghul
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First appearing in 1971, Ra’s al Ghul, whose name literally translates to “the Demon’s Head,” is one of Batman’s most intelligent and merciless adversaries. Thanks to his numerous dips into the mystical life-restoring Lazarus Pit, Ra’s has lived for centuries and, in that time, created the League of Assassins. Ra’s views humanity as a plague upon the Earth and seeks to wipe out most humans to restore balance to nature. Throughout the centuries, numerous cultures and nations have been destroyed by Ra’s machinations. Like Talia, Ra’s seeks to mold Batman into a worthy successor to his bloody crusade. Even though Batman never caves in to the villain’s manipulations, Ra’s’ intelligence, fighting skills, and eternal life make him a constant threat to the Dark Knight.
1) Darkseid
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Debuting in 1970 as the New God of Evil and the Lord of Apokolips, Uxas, aka Darkseid, is the quintessential big bad of DC Comics. As evil given a physical form, Darkseid is one of the most cunning, powerful, and ruthless villains ever conceived in fiction. Darkseid has used his godly powers and legions of nightmarish followers in his never-ending quest to dominate all of life by uncovering the Anti-Life Equation. Darkseid has been the center of many of DC’s most impactful storylines, including Rock of Ages, Final Crisis, and is currently the central villain of both DC K.O. and the Absolute Universe. As the source of all evil in existence, Darkseid has more than earned his role as the ultimate villain of DC Comics.
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