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The DC universe has some of the best villains in comic book history, many of which have appeared onscreen several times. DC's heroes, such as Batman and Superman, have many iconic foes, but fans can get bored seeing the same characters rehashed.
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Many of these characters have been adapted both in comics and onscreen since the 1940s, and there are only so many fresh takes viewers can handle before they start to hope for something different.
The Joker - Batman's most reoccurring foe
The Joker has been portrayed onscreen by eight different actors since 1961. This means there have been just as many Jokers as there have been Batmans. Mr.J has been overdone to the point that The Joker's cameo in a deleted scene of The Batman didn't feel very exciting to some fans.
From Mark Hamill voicing The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series to Joaquin Phoenix showing audiences a sad, outcast version of the Clown Prince, and even Zach Galifianakis voicing him in The Lego Batman Movie, there have been so many versions of Batman's arch-nemesis that it's hard even to remember all of them. One that always stands out is the late Heath Ledger's iconic portrayal in The Dark Knight. Then there's Jared Leto's performance in Suicide Squad, which stands out for the wrong reasons. Most fans agree; it's time for Batman to face a new foe.
Catwoman - The Bat's Villainous Love Interest
Catwoman, AKA Selina Kyle, has had her fair share of screen time since she first made her onscreen debut in 1966 during Batman, the live-action series. Thirty actresses have played Catwoman throughout movies, TV shows, and video games.
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Some iconic portrayals of the titillating villain, such as Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns and Julie Newmar as the original Catwoman clad in a sequin catsuit. Most recently, Zoë Kravitz adopted the role in The Batman. There have also been versions of the villain that haven't gone over as well with critics, such as Halle Berry's portrayal in Catwoman (2004). Still, many fans will agree that even that movie is iconic in its own right. There have been so many excellent versions of Ms.Kyle that there isn't a need for more. It might be time for DC to hang up the catsuit for a little while.
Lex Luthor - The Evil Genius
Superman has been fighting Lex Luthor since first introduced in the 1940s. The brainy villain has been portrayed onscreen several times, such as Jesse Eisenberg in the Man of Steel films and most recently in the Supergirl series played by Jon Cryer. Notably, he was played by Michael Rosenbaum in Smallville for several years.
Lex Luthor may be "the greatest criminal mind of our time," but Superman is an alien, and there are so many more compelling villains he could be battling. Fans have been awaiting the appearance of the alien cyborg Brainiac since his comic debut in 1958. Viewers have also been expecting the exiled alien Mongul to appear since his daughter, Mongal, appeared in The Suicide Squad. Hopefully, the DCEU will sub out Lex Luthor for some more extraterrestrial villains in the future.
The Penguin - The Flightless Foe
Originally established onscreen by the late, great Burgess Meredith in the 1960s and iconically by Danny DeVito in Batman Returns, Oswald Cobblepot has fought against Bruce Wayne over a dozen times on screen since the 60s. Most recently, he was played by Colin Farrell in The Batman. He even showed up in a Batman/Scooby-Doo crossover episode.
Even though the beloved character has been adapted multiple times, DC Fans can expect to see more of Farrell's version of the Penguin. A Disney + series starring Farrell has been confirmed, so Oswald isn't going anywhere yet. Despite this, fans hope to see some new Batman villains on the big screen soon.
The Riddler - Questioning Criminal
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The Batman universe has seen The Riddler in film and TV eight times. He hasn't been seen on the big screen quite as much as The Joker, but it's enough for fans to want a break from the criminal trickster. He first appeared in the Batman TV series, played by Frank Gorshin. He was also portrayed iconically by the hilarious and wild Jim Carrey in Batman Forever.
Despite the character being portrayed several times, Paul Dano's representation of him in The Batman was a breath of fresh air. Gone was the comical Riddler fans were used to. Director Matt Reeves showed a much darker, grittier side of Edward E. Nigma. Hopefully, this is the Riddler we see in films for the next little while because fans don't want another new version of the character anytime soon.
Harley Quinn - The Joker's Former Sidekick
Harley Quinn first made her onscreen debut in 1992 with the iconic voice fans know and love during Batman: The Animated Series as Joker's sidekick. Although there have been several animated versions of Harley, she didn't officially show up in live-action until Margot Robbie's role in Suicide Squad.
Robbie does such a great job playing Harley, and fans are still anticipating her appearance in an onscreen version of Gotham City Sirens, which has been rumored but not confirmed. Regarding female villains that could square up against the Caped Crusader, fans are hoping to get an updated version of Poison Ivy, rather than another version of Harley Quinn or Margot Robbie again, as fantastic as she is.
Doomsday - Clark Kent's Toughest Battle
Doomsday is the fiercest enemy fans have seen Superman battle onscreen, requiring Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman to team up to defeat him. Doomsday was reanimated by Lex Luthor using Zod's corpse and Luthor's blood to defeat Superman. This plan was somewhat successful since the monster, and Clark Kent died in battle, albeit temporarily. He was also one of Clark Kent's primary foes in the Superman comics and has appeared in Smallville, Krypton, multiple TV shows, and the aforementioned Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
His origin story has been told a couple of times now, and fans don't need to see him battle Superman again. He may be one of the strongest DC villains, but his strength gets less impressive if he keeps showing up.