In five seasons on the air, Supergirl has saved the world from evil Kryptonians, Daxamite royalty, worldkillers, and, of course, Lex Luthor. She has also faced rogues from both her own and Superman’s history. In National City, it seems, there are no shortage of bad guys to beat up.
Villains of the week can be hit or miss on superhero shows, so it can be difficult to weed out the really good ones from those that are only interesting in small doses. The Girl of Steel has battled all manner of evil, so let's take a closer look at some of those foes. Here are some of the best villains from Supergirl.
QUEEN RHEA
Meeting your boyfriend’s mom is stressful under the best circumstances. However, when your planets are mortal enemies and the destruction of yours also caused the destruction of theirs, things can get extra sticky. Kara thought she’d finally found the one in Daxam prince Mon-El, but his mother Rhea had no plans for her son to be with a Kryptonian.
When Mon-El refused her many requests, she retaliated by attacking Earth, demanding its surrender. Supergirl and the DEO stopped her, but Mon-El was forced to leave Earth. She could have been much more intimidating, but ultimately she came off as an overbearing mother more than a supervillain.
TOYMAN
With Kara’s best friend named Winn Schott, we knew it was only a matter of time before Toyman showed up. In the Season One episode “Childish Things,” Winn’s father, the Toyman, breaks out of prison and forces Winn to help him attack the man he initially targeted.
Toyman is so insidious because he preys on Winn’s good nature, as well as his abandonment issues. Of course, Supergirl saves the day and no-one holds Winn responsible, but the guilt he feels for his father’s actions never really goes away.
VERONICA SINCLAIR/ROULETTE
In a world of aliens and metahumans, there will be those who find a way to take advantage of them. Veronica Sinclair did this by starting an alien fight club, where the participants were actually fighting for their freedom. When Supergirl found out, she inspired the aliens to stand up to Sinclair and stop fighting.
She reappeared with a new plan, selling unwitting humans to aliens. Once again, her business was thwarted when Supergirl sparked a revolt. Sinclair was a truly awful person who saw others as commodities, not people. She got what was coming when she was trapped on another planet with her 'clients.'
BEN LOCKWOOD/AGENT LIBERTY
In the superhero world, humans often end up far more dangerous than the worst aliens or supervillains. Season Four went the “ripped from the headlines” route by introducing Ben Lockwood/Agent Liberty.
He was a normal guy who had his life ruined by all the alien attacks throughout the earlier seasons. Fed up, he started an organization that began carrying out vicious assaults on aliens. He also engaged in some very hateful rhetoric. Unfortunately, his impact was lessened when it was revealed that Lex Luthor was secretly pulling the strings all along.
EVE TESCHMACHER
The best villains are the ones you never suspect. Eve Techmacher just seemed like another ditzy assistant when she took over Kara’s job at Catco. However, in Season Four, we learned that she was actually loyal to Lex Luthor, and had been working for him the whole time.
Every move she made, from joining Catco to working for Lena, was dictated by Lex. She revels in being bad, showing no remorse for the things she has to do to help Lex. When everything falls apart, she tries to slip out of town, but is stopped by her real bosses, Leviathan, which means she has even more evil to come.
MAXWELL LORD
Back in Season One, we thought Supergirl’s big bad would be Maxwell Lord. He was obsessed with finding out Supergirl’s secrets, even creating a bizarro clone. He spied on Alex, leading to him discovering Kara’s real identity.
When Non took control of everyone’s minds, he worked with Supergirl and Cat to save National City. The last time we saw him, he was developing his own mind control tech. Lord was one of the losses when the show moved to The CW, but we’re still waiting for him to come back and complete his plan.
LESLIE WILLIS/LIVEWIRE
During a helicopter crash, a lightning strike gives Leslie Willis electric powers, which she uses to attack Cat. After fighting a few times, Livewire is saved by Supergirl, they call a truce and she heads for a normal life.
When she needs allies to help her fight Reign, Supergirl tracks down Livewire and asks for her help. Sadly, Leslie sacrifices herself fighting Reign, but in true comic book fashion, the door is left open for her to return someday.
REIGN
Supergirl has very few enemies who can match her powers, but that changed when a villain from Krypton’s past showed up in National City. Kara’s father had created biological weapons called worldkillers, one of them being Reign, Kara’s friend Sam.
A cult of priestesses sent Reign to Earth in her own pod. Reign was so powerful she put Supergirl in a coma after their fight. She had a code to eliminate evil, but it was twisted by darkness, and she killed indiscriminately. In the end, it took Sam fighting against her alter ego to save everyone.
LILLIAN LUTHOR
After Lena was introduced, we met her mother Lillian. Brilliant like her children, Lillian created Cadmus to rid Earth of all aliens. She was eventually captured and put in prison, but she used the time to play mind games on Lena.
Despite how malevolent she is, her intelligence means the DEO occasionally calls on her for help when things get desperate. Though she’s a supervillain, she’s still a mother who loves her daughter, and will do anything to protect her. Even poisoning Lex!
LEX LUTHOR
We knew Lex Luthor would eventually make his way to Supergirl, and it was worth the wait, as it was revealed he’d been secretly plotting since Season One. While behind bars, he planted a spy at Catco, put Ben Lockwood in position and manipulated a naive Red Daughter for his own purposes.
The one crucial flaw in his operation was his hatred for Superman, which seemed to override everything. If he hadn’t been so set on destroying Argo, he probably would have gotten everything he wanted. He’s seemingly dead, but we know he’ll find a way to come back.