It’s no secret that the DCEU hasn’t gotten off to a strong start in building its universe. All the discourse surrounding the Snyderverse has caused a divide amongst fans and seemingly Warner Bros. about the DCEU’s future. There’s no clear direction for the DCEU as there are few strong connections between movies: The Batman and Joker don’t even take place in the DCEU. It’s tough to say how the DCEU can rebound from its early missteps, but they could certainly start by bringing some of its bigger villains into the mix.

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Villains have always been DC’s biggest selling point and have even made them more notable than Marvel at times. Some of DC’s biggest villains have already appeared in the DCEU with The Joker (Jared Leto), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), and more already causing chaos. Both Suicide Squad movies have even brought a slew of DC villains, both noteworthy and lesser-known, together to try to save the world. Yet, there are still some big DC villains who NEED to enter the DCEU.

Ra's al Ghul: Leader of the League of Shadows

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The all-powerful and seemingly immortal DC foe R’as al Ghul and his destructive League of Shadows could easily provide that big looming villain the DCEU desperately needs.

Most saw the character brought to life in Batman Begins where he was played by Liam Neeson and in the Arrowverse as well as Gotham where he’s portrayed by Matthew Nable and Alexander Siddig, respectively. It’s tough to say where this could happen since Batman is MIA and Green Arrow hasn’t shown up yet, but the DCEU needs an all-powerful figure like Ra’s al Ghul since Jessie Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor hasn’t worked out.

Brainiac: A World Stealer

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Brainiac is a major DC villain that provides the perfect kind of ominous presence and alarming capabilities to be a big threat for the Justice League since their attempts with Darkseid have failed for the most part.

While the Superman villain has appeared on the small screen in Smallville and Krypton, where he’s portrayed by James Marsters and Blake Ritson, respectively, he deserves a big-screen debut. Sure, with Superman’s future hanging in the balance Brainiac’s appearance seems unlikely, but there is a future for Supergirl that shows some potential.

Killer Frost: An Icy Antagonist

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While Killer Frost has appeared in the Arrowverse, where she’s played by Danielle Panabaker, the fan-favorite DC villain deserves to join the DCEU and has a lot of possibilities to do so.

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Throughout the comics, Killer Frost has notably gone toe to toe with Aquaman, The Flash, and other heroes in her path of ice-cold vengeance and, more importantly, is a key member of the Suicide Squad. Personally, it would be perfect to see Killer Frost debut in another iteration of the Suicide Squad to fit her antihero backstory.

Sinestro: The Yellow Lantern Corps

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Truthfully, the ball needs to get rolling on bringing the Green Lantern Corps into the DCEU since it’s a major DC faction that not only brings some of DC’s most notable heroes, but also one of its greatest villains in Sinestro.

Look, it’s cool that Sinestro is set to debut in the upcoming HBO Max Green Lantern Corps series, but who knows where that series is really at. There hasn’t been much substantial news on it in a while and certainly doesn’t feel close to coming out. The DCEU needs a foreboding, powerful villain like Sinestro.

Lobo: DC’s Interstellar Bounty Hunter

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Warner Bros. has been trying to get a Lobo movie off the ground since 2009 and has seen no success in bringing the character to life outside of Emmett J. Scanlen’s portrayal in Krypton: perhaps because they’re going about it all wrong.

Lobo undoubtedly deserves his movie where fans watch his gritty and gruesome hunts across the galaxy, but maybe it’s better to test the waters for the character by watching him face one of the DCEU’s finest. Fans would be overjoyed to see the legendary bounty hunter in any sort of fashion, honestly, and a brief villain appearance could set the stage for him to become a major player in the DCEU.

Poison Ivy: Gotham City’s Green-Thumbed Siren

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The infamous Batman villain, Poison Ivy, has had quite a resurgence co-starring in the wildly popular Harley Quinn animated series and having multiple live-action portrayals, most recently in Gotham, but has yet to come to the DCEU.

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While the purposed Gotham City Sirens movie that would pair Poison Ivy with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and likely see the debut of Catwoman in the DCEU is still going through a lengthy development hell, the upcoming addition of Batgirl to the DCEU does present a solid possibility for Poison Ivy to join the DCEU.

Gorilla Grodd: DC’s Hyper-Intelligent Gorilla

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Gorilla Grodd brings a great mix of brain and brawn as an antagonist with his hulking strength being matched by the high intelligence that allows him to use telepathy.

Grodd has already been brought to life in the Arrowverse, where he’s voiced by David Sobolov and is that kind of unexpected threat the DCEU desperately needs. He could easily serve as a great foe to the Justice League and personally, would be fun to see him go against Peacemaker in the upcoming second season.

Hush: A Bandaged Blast from the Past

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Frankly, it would probably make more sense to Tommy Elliot’s Hush appear in Matt ReevesBatman universe given its style and efforts in divulging Bruce’s past, but the Arrowverse has proven that Hush doesn’t always need to fight Batman.

His recent appearance throughout Batwoman has given the character a welcomed new origin and motivation that could easily be translated to Batgirl’s story within the DCEU.

The Brain: It’s Literally a Brain

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With the success of the Doom Patrol TV series, the DCEU has got to get their own version of the Doom Patrol in the works, especially so they can bring their iconic archnemesis, The Brain, to the big screen.

The Brain is a highly intellectual mastermind who comes in an almost comical form with him simply being a brain attached to a machine. He could easily serve as a great Justice League enemy as he tries to establish his Brotherhood of Evil or simply bring the Doom Patrol into the DCEU, something fans would love to see after the character’s live-action debut in Doom Patrol.

Reverse Flash: The Flash's Greatest Enemy

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Image via Marvel

Of all the villains mentioned here, no villain introduction is more likely and imminent than that of Eobard Thawne, aka Reverse-Flash.

The upcoming Flash movie is borrowing elements of the iconic Flashpoint story that will likely bring along Reverse Flash as the film’s main villain. Fans have already gotten to know the character through CW’s The Flash, where he’s portrayed by Tom Cavanagh and Matt Letscher, and Reverse-Flash could be a pivotal force in the DCEU going forward.

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