20 DCEU villains ranked by sort of scary to absolutely sinister

12. Deathstroke

Deathstroke is the only villain on this list who actually only appeared in one scene. In fact, that one scene is nearly a throwaway because it came during the end credits of Justice League. And yet, it made such an impact that we have to include Deathstroke in our DC villains rankings.

Ultimately, part of this ranking is based as much on his appearance in the scene he appears in as it is what we know about him from the comics. The thing about Deathstroke is that, as comic-lovers, we know he is a battle-worn mercenary. And when we see him at the very end of Justice League, it is clear that he has been hard at work within the DCEU (even if we haven’t seen him before now).

In that scene, we see his armor that is already damaged and worn (although not badly), and that alone proves that he is a fierce villain in his own right. But, it is his discussion with Lex Luthor which really seals the deal for us in terms of his level of talents and expertise.

Luthor is trying to recruit Deathstroke to work with him. And considering Lex Luthor proved himself a very formidable bad guy in terms of strategy, he wouldn’t be working with someone who wasn’t also formidable in his own ways. Working with other villains might not seem like a solid strategy for being considered an ultimate bad guy, but in this scene, it sets things up for a potential future in which Deathstroke is more than a villainous team member.

The only way this character bumps up the rankings is if he actually gets more than just a scene to show off that he is in fact part of the DCEU world. But, for now, based on what we know and have seen, this is where he lands in terms of the DC villains.