Across the DC Extended Universe, heroes like Shazam and Aquaman have had their chance to shine alongside the legends such as Superman and Wonder Woman. Additionally, villains such as General Zod and Ocean Master have stolen the show. However, some of the best characters are those "in-between."
The DCEU has introduced a plethora of anti-heroes across the films including the two Suicide Squad movies and Birds Of Prey. Which ones are the best? It's tough to say, as so many have won over the hearts of fans despite their dubious ways and criminal history.
Deathstroke (Zack Snyder's Justice League)
So far, Deathstroke has been featured in one film: Zack Snyder's Justice League. Still, Deathstroke is an iconic villain and from the moment that it was revealed that Joe Manganiello would be playing DC's greatest assassin, fans were cheering for his debut.
Sadly, Deathstroke has only had a cameo in the DCEU thus far that fans have overall loved. Nonetheless, many anticipate the return of Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke, and that came close when he was almost cast in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
Captain Boomerang (Suicide Squad)
Appearing in both 2016's Suicide Squad and 2021's The Suicide Squad, Captain Boomerang was a praised member of Task Force X. He wasn't all that powerful or skilled, but this wild Australian criminal provided laughs across his two film tenure, even with his brief but upgraded role in The Suicide Squad.
Jai Courtney stole the show in every scene which is why fans were shocked to see the character meet his fate; it became one of many surprising character deaths in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad.
El Diablo (Suicide Squad)
In 2016's Suicide Squad, several members of the Squad were, sadly, underutilized but one that managed to steal the spotlight was Jay Hernandez as El Diablo. He was a fire demigod and gangster who suddenly became a pacifist who rarely used his powers of fire to help out his Squadmates.
However when he did, Diablo proved to be one of the most powerful metahumans. How El Diablo really shined was with his dark and tragic backstory in which he accidentally murdered his wife and kids. This helped audiences connect to Diablo which made it even sadder when the character sacrifices himself for the Squad.
Huntress (Birds of Prey)
While the Birds Of Prey mostly consists of heroes such as Black Canary and Renee Montoya, Huntress balances a fine line between hero and villain. Unlike most vigilantes in Gotham, Huntress AKA Helena Bertinelli has zero issues with killing criminals, even in the most brutal of ways.
Huntress does end up joining the Birds Of Prey to stop Black Mask and his reign of terror but she isn't particularly a protector of peace and justice. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was praised for her performance despite having the least screentime of the heroes in Birds Of Prey, her ever-present rage issues providing some of the best action scenes as well as humorous moments.
King Shark (The Suicide Squad)
The descendant of a shark god, Nanaue AKA King Shark in the DCEU is far from a villain but he does have a taste for human flesh which gets him into trouble. However, this is less because he's evil but more akin to a child in a large shark man's body.
In The Suicide Squad, King Shark goes through a small but impactful story arc. All he wants is friends and he slowly learns how to make friends with members of the Squad. This made King Shark not only funny but sympathetic as well but when he kills people, he does it in brutal ways.
Deadshot (Suicide Squad)
Will Smith really got to show off his acting skills, playing a darker character. Most would expect the main protagonist role to be the standard Will Smith hero affair with wise-cracks and charming personality. In truth, Deadshot is played much like how he is in the comics: he's a cold-hearted assassin that does manage to have some humanity in him.
2016's Suicide Squad shows that he has no qualms murdering for money unless it is women or children. He's willing to fight Batman face-to-face, making him one of the only villains in Ben Affleck's Batman mythos to actually share screentime with him. At the same time, he's willing to turn himself in for his daughter and save the world from the Enchantress.
Polka-Dot Man (The Suicide Squad)
Nobody was expecting to walk away from The Suicide Squad praising someone named Polka-Dot Man. Thanks to the talented James Gunn and David Dastmalchian, Polka-Dot Man was to The Suicide Squad what El Diablo was to the first film.
Fans laughed at the ridiculousness of his inclusion but were impressed by how Gunn revamped the character so that his power to throw interdimensional dots was one of the strongest abilities of The Suicide Squad. Polka-Dot Man was even given a dark and tragic backstory that led to more laughs combined with sympathy for him.
Batman (Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice)
In the comics, Batman shows that when he goes to his darker side, he is terrifying. Zack Snyder embraced his side by introducing Ben Affleck's now-iconic Batman as an unhinged man after losing Robin and witnessing the destruction of Metropolis up-close and personal. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman goes to war with Superman but not just to defeat him: he plans to murder the Man of Steel.
He brands criminals which leads to their death in prison, he kills Luthor's mercenaries and nearly kills Superman. This is the beginning of Batman's character arc which has him evolve and return to being the Caped Crusader again in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Bloodsport (The Suicide Squad)
Idris Elba's character Bloodsport was instantly loved by fans because it took one of Superman's most obscure villains and made him one of the most interesting characters of the DCEU. Bloodsport was raised since birth to be an assassin which made him a dark and mean-spirited man as an adult who put Superman into the hospital with a Kryptonite bullet.
Unlike Deadshot, Bloodsport shows less humanity at first but slowly changes over the course of The Suicide Squad to become an honorable leader for the Squad. As a bonus, Bloodsport wears one of the best costumes of The Suicide Squad, wearing armor plates that can transform and merge into all sorts of weapons.
Harley Quinn
Margot Robbie has become as iconic as Harley Quinn as Gal Gadot is to Wonder Woman and for good reason. In Suicide Squad, audiences are introduced to her as a wild card obsessed with the Joker, but she was still willing to save the world. In Birds Of Prey, she learned to detach herself from Joker and survive on her own as neither hero nor villain.
Finally, in The Suicide Squad, she's more confident and showcases that she is capable and willing to kill evil people in her way. However, she is still mentally ill, leading to her making some questionable choices as well as being one of the more brutal fighters while keeping her quirky and charming personality that fans adore.