Read update
- The next chapter of the DCEU has arrived with Black Adam, and it brought a monster to the big screen with Sabbac, a demon with the powers of six figures of Hell. Though he is far from one of DC's most iconic monsters, it could be the start of more monsters getting the DCEU treatment.
The DC Universe is a world filled with heroes and villains both human and metahuman alike. With DC Comics embracing an overall darker tone, various authors and illustrators like Alan Moore and Greg Capullo have explored the more macabre and unusual characters that go bump in the night.
In addition to DC's usual colorful parade of superheroes such as Superman and the Flash, monsters also exist, and they take many shapes and forms. Across the DC Universe are many monsters who have made an impact with fans as crusading heroes, brooding anti-heroes, and nefarious villains alike.
Updated on October 25th, 2022 by Melody MacReady:
The next chapter of the DCEU has arrived with Black Adam, and it brought a monster to the big screen with Sabbac, a demon with the powers of six figures of Hell. Though he is far from one of DC's most iconic monsters, it could be the start of more monsters getting the DCEU treatment.
In the multiverse of DC, there are so many monsters that have attacked or defended Earth in the past thanks to the darker tones and heavy emphasis on the supernatural elements. They range from cheesy kaiju monsters to people mutated into deadly beings for superheroes to fight.
15 Chemo
This is as classic of a monster for the DC universe as one can get; a kaiju being made entirely out of corrosive chemicals that can melt nearly anything with a touch. He may not be the most interesting monster with a thrilling backstory, but Chemo serves the story as a threat well.
Chemo emerged in the 60s when other Kaiju such as Godzilla and Gamera were all the rage and the world was so fascinated by radiation that it could create anything in comics. It could create heroes such as Firestorm as well as monsters including Chemo.
14 Hugo Strange's Monster Men
Hugo Strange is known for his twisted psychological experiments but with the Monster Men, Strange became a full-blown mad scientist. Using inmates from Arkham Asylum, Strange mutated and altered his victims until they resulted in deformed, mindless beasts.
In this case, one could argue that Hugo Strange is more of a monster than his experiments are, but they still count. They are towering beasts reminiscent of folklore monsters such as ogres or trolls, they have immense strength, and are cannibals, which makes them even more fearsome.
13 Starro The Conqueror
This intergalactic threat deserves credit for being the villain that first brought the Justice League together in the comics. However, he is more than a towering behemoth since he has evolved over the years to be a parasitic hive mind that takes over the bodies of legions using smaller starfish.
What began as a fun alien kaiju became a menace akin to Invasion Of The Body Snatchers or Night Of The Creeps, making him as disturbing as he is powerful. This made him a perfect villain for Task Force X to fight in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
12 Killer Croc
Waylon Jones sadly was born with an affliction that gave him scale-like skin and as a result, he was treated like a monster. Like many similar tragic tales, being treated like a monster resulted in him turning into one: a man-eating metahuman living in the sewers thus earning him the name of Killer Croc.
Killer Croc is one of Batman's most famous foes. His unique condition resulted in his superhuman strength, sharp claws, and powerful jaws of razor-sharp teeth. Not only does Batman often struggle to fight him, but Killer Croc has earned Amanda Waller's attention, eventually becoming a member of the Suicide Squad.
11 The Trench
The legends of sea monsters told by sailors likely all pale in comparison to the Trench. These abyss-dwelling creatures are best described as underwater versions of the Xenomorph creature from the Alien franchise. They are tall, have sharp teeth, and have bipedal bodies that make them a threat both in and out of the water.
They are never alone, traveling in swarms in the hundreds, and can sink a ship within minutes. Fast, deadly, and ravenous, the Trench is enough to make even Aquaman afraid to enter some parts of the sea. Most importantly, they are led by a queen who towers over all the others, again similar to the Xenomorph Queen in Aliens.
10 Etrigan
In his life, Jason Blood was a Knight of Camelot until Merlin bound a demon to his soul thus making him immortal. With the citing of a poem, Jason Blood transforms into the demon known as Etrigan who fights for good despite his violent and fatal methods.
It's a similar situation as Johnny Blaze and the Ghost Rider in the Marvel Universe except Jason Blood tends to be in unison with his other half even if they don't always get along. Etrigan is a unique monster who goes on many mystical adventures, especially with the Justice League Dark team and, on occasion, Batman.
9 Parallax
Parallax is the personification of the yellow energy of fear in the Green Lantern mythos, one of many within the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum. Though he can take any form he wants, Parallax typically defaults to an insect-like monster that seeks to infect the galaxy.
The more people are afraid, the more power both Parallax and the Sinestro Corps obtain. One touch from the monster fills a person with their worst fears and anxieties that can either kill the person or drive them into madness. Parallax is just pure evil and far worse than any of the Sinestro Corps actually are.
8 Clayface
Basil Karlo (or Matt Hagen depending on the portrayal) was already a less-than-stellar person before his powers. After getting the ability to shapeshift, he became worse especially when he took on criminal activities which further pushed him away from being Basil Karlo and into the shape-shifting monster known as Clayface.
Clayface is a throwback to classic horror actors, even his name is a play on Boris Karloff, who played the Mummy and Frankenstein's monster. With his abilities, Clayface can shapeshift into anybody and form melee weapons from his body akin to Robert Patrick's T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This makes him fierce and nearly impossible to defeat, let alone kill.
7 Frankenstein
The same creature from Mary Shelley's novel exists in the DC Universe and even leads his own team of monsters in the comic Frankenstein: Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. The twist in the DC world was that Doctor Victor Frankenstein used the blood of an alien in the process to bring the monster to life.
Frankenstein has been fighting evil for decades due to his immortality and through different wars including World War II and the Vietnam War. Metahuman, undead, and human alike, Frankenstein is always ready to slay them all even in the modern-day. Already known to comic fans and general audiences as one of the most famous Universal film monsters, this DC version is considerably more powerful and intelligent than its silver screen predecessor.
6 Solomon Grundy
"Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday" begins the famous poem that typically follows this character. An undead brute that has haunted Gotham since his death as Cyrus Gold in the 19th century. He was resurrected as Solomon Grundy in the 20th century as a villain of the original Alan Scott Green Lantern.
Since then, Solomon Grundy has been a recurring villain and anti-hero across many DC franchises, even making it into crossovers such as the Injustice comics. He mixes the classic zombie trope with a visual reminiscence of Frankenstein's Monster.
5 Man-Bat
It's the classic science-gone-amiss story: a nice scientist trying to cure deafness in the world tries merging his DNA with that of a vampire bat. What could possibly go wrong? Well, Kirk Langstrom ends up transforming into the massive out-of-control creature known as Man-Bat.
It's like something straight out of a horror movie, and the stories usually take full advantage of that. In Batman: Arkham Knight, Man-Bat provided one of the scariest quests of the Batman: Arkham series, especially with the jump scare that introduces the character in the game.
4 Undead Talons
Within the Court Of Owls are different kinds of Talons: there are the assassins such as William Cobb and then there are the reanimated corpses that are programmed to serve the Court. They are placed in coffins and then resurrected to assassinate those whom the Court targets.
They are fast, inhumanly agile, and nearly incapable of being killed due to their fast healing properties that help make the Court Of Owls such a threat. They stalk from the shadows and use a mixture of claws on their gauntlets, knives, and martial arts to use their victims; they are practically slasher villains for Gotham's elite to control.
3 The Batman Who Laughs
Possibly the worst nightmare realized thanks to the Dark Multiverse: a Batman who not only becomes like the Joker but became a godlike being capable of conquering and destroying the multiverse. The Batman Who Laughs is a vile murderer who can't be bargained with or reasoned with, he just wants mass destruction and chaos.
From how he twists kids into ghoulish Robins to his creepy visage that has become an iconic design, this character has quickly risen in the ranks as an iconic villain of the DC multiverse. Where Joker mixes enough humor into his crimes to be at least enjoyable, The Batman Who Laughs is the worst of Batman and Joker mixed together.
2 Doomsday
If anything in the DC universe can be classified as a monster, it's Doomsday. He is a creature designed to be a living weapon of mass destruction and nothing else. He fights, he kills, and with each fight he gets more and more powerful thanks to his healing factor, making his bone protrusions grow.
Doomsday is capable of fighting the entire Justice League and he has even killed Superman, proving he is stronger than the Man of Steel. He's also shown to fight the mighty Darkseid but what makes Doomsday so scary is his lack of emotion. There is no talking down Doomsday or reasoning with him, he just kills and continues on to find more beings to slaughter.
1 Swamp Thing
Though he did not create Swamp Thing, Alan Moore revolutionized the character by creating a more complex anti-hero. After Dr. Alec Holland is murdered, his consciousness is merged with a plant to create a humanoid creature that fights for the plant life of Earth known simply as the Green while trying to maintain peace with humanity.
It's far from a typical superhero origin and is best described as a tragic monster story, once again emulating classic Universal monsters such as The Wolfman and The Creature From The Black Lagoon. However, Swamp Thing has acted as a superhero and proven to be quite the powerful being in the expansive DC Universe. With his power coming from The Green, which unites all plant life on Earth, Swamp Thing is by far the most powerful "monster" in DC Comics and a hero that has saved countless lives since his debut in the 1970s.