Villains We Want To See In The Arrowverse

The CW's epic Crisis on Infinite Earths event, the sixth annual multi-show crossover for the characters from DC Comics, was the network's biggest endeavor to date. The clash between heroes and villains brought together a ridiculous number of characters from across the years to make the dreams of many fans come true in spectacular fashion. It wasn't everyone, but they did get close.

With multiple shows in the Arrowverse, most having 20-plus episodes a season, it isn't surprising that avid viewers have seen a lot of their favorite villains brought into live action on the small screen for at least an episode or two. Fear not, though — DC Comics has an extensive cast of characters for the showrunners to use. Let's just hope they all get more respect and attention than Flash showed the original Mirror Master.

There's still a long list of characters that could fit into the version of the DC Universe that CW has established, even if their comic book rivals aren't in the shows yet. With a few tweaks, many of them could fall right into the episodic stories as unique antagonists. A good showing on the television could also help create more buzz for them in the books, and expose new fans to characters they've never heard of, but might enjoy.

Nick Scratch didn't exist in the comics for too long — just under five years of activity — so even some longterm fans may not be familiar. He's best known to most for his role in the No Man's Land storyline and being an enemy to Azrael. 

Nicholas' parents died at a young age and he grew up awkward, clumsy, and overweight. He studied astronomy in college and a chance encounter with a light particle changed him, causing Scratch to become smart, attractive, and supernaturally charismatic. He found success came easy when everyone just naturally believed and trusted him. Most of his notoriety sprung from becoming a rock star, so maybe that's how he could be introduced onscreen.

Scratch has a cool look that could easily be reproduced for television. The power he has borderlines on mind control and conditioning, which would make him a fun match for Dinah Drake (wherever she lands), or let him go back to his hometown and face off against Batwoman, giving us more Gotham underground club scenes. His minions would look like devils, with masks or possibly skin-altering surgeries, and he'd have several hidden agents to help push his agendas. His classic play seems to be setting up a hero to take the fall for murder (as seen in Azrael: Agent of the Bat #48), and this could land him a role as a recurring villain who leaves a lasting effect, or works for a higher power in the shadows.

These twin siblings of Hell act as its protectors — the sheriffs, as it were — enforcing the laws of that realm while taking glee in punishing those who break them. As long as John Constantine is running around on Legends of Tomorrow, there's a possibility these two hellions could show up, but they like to dabble in Swamp Thing's business in the comics as well (Swamp Thing vol. 2 #183) if the writers wanted to do something different. One of their many tasks is to return demons back to Hell after they escape or venture to Earth without permission, which could be an easy setup to bring them into conflict with the Legends without having to make them main antagonists. It's shown in Hellblazer #12 that their allegiance is to Hell and the rules — they don't play favorites and are bound to their duty, which can make things fun and interesting.

This doesn't mean that they have no personality and can't be fun. The two would probably need a different appearance when they're outside of their home — and to save money in the effects budget, leaving their true forms for special occasions — as they are usually seen as gender-fluid, emitting bright light or on fire, and wrapped in barbed wire.

It would be easy to argue that a group of nearly-forgotten villains like the Terrible Trio was given more time and attention on television than they were ever shown in the comics. Appearing in three versions of Batman cartoons (Batman: The Animated Series, The Batman, and Batman: the Brave and the Bold) these animal-based crooks were eventually given identities, but they have had numerous forms since their first appearance (Detective Comics #253), so no one should mind if the Arrowverse does its own thing with them.

This delinquent triple threat may best be handled by having three random people adopt the names in their evil business mogul forms (as seen in Doctor Mid-Nite #1-3), or having them not be people at all. The Terrible Trio-represented animals are Fox, Shark, and Vulture to represent land, sea, and air, so why not name those as secret weapons or bases that fit each of the environments, leaving it as a deep cut for fans of the comics? With that said, no one should be upset if they are depicted as bored college-age rich kids who perform heists for thrills (B:tAS S4:E1), or mutated humans with enhanced strengths and senses based off of their chosen beast (The Batman S5:E9). Either way, they most likely wouldn't make a season-long splash, but rather be part of a bigger conspiracy to keep the heroes occupied.

It may be time to class up Legends of Tomorrow a bit. It can be tough for one villain to take on an entire team without being ridiculously powerful, but James Craddock could be up for the task. This spectral jewel thief would most likely be a secondary villain for the heroes, spanning only a few episodes, but being dead grants him a certain invulnerability against most of them — unless they are of royal blood — and his powers make him the perfect candidate to mess up the team's missions. Gentleman Ghost can become intangible, invisible, create ghostly weapons, and summon other spirits to aid him. His only weakness seems to be the inability to harm virgins, which could create a weird tie-in to have an unlikely savior when thinking of the characters Legends has used in the past.

Depending on which comics you read, Gentleman Ghost has many different origins. The original version of the character (first appearing in Flash Comics #88) used devices to help him and it was left a bit more ambiguous as to whether any part of his persona was true. Other versions (like in New 52's Gotham by Midnight Annual #1) presented him more as a mortal with supernatural powers, but what makes Gentleman Ghost a better fit for the Legends crew is that in his most prominent origin story, the dastardly degenerate fell through a time rift, putting him in their jurisdiction. It would be easy to make him more of a comedic villain, but the monocle and dapper accent shouldn't fool anyone, Craddock can be quite the threat (as seen in JSA #82-87).

As long as they leave the green and yellow outfits at home, Kobra and the snake cult could be a cool addition to any part of the Arrowverse, as they are a literal terrorist army set on conquering the world and fulfilling a prophecy to bring about an age of chaos. The cult has a lot of history (first appearing in Kobra #1) and different leaders depending on the comic, but typically the man under the hood is one of two brothers, Jeffery or Jason Burr. The two were born as Siamese twins but one was kidnapped at birth, thought dead by his parents. This medical condition also caused them to share a sort of psychic bond, and they feel each other's pain. Jeffery eventually kills Jason, but Jason is later resurrected (Faces of Evil: Kobra #1) through the power of a Lazarus pit. It may sound confusing, but having both brothers alive in a show could make for an interesting twist on who is actually under the snake mask.

The pits they use also help control their minions and these agents are well trained. Kobra himself is listed as a genius and fierce hand-to-hand combatant, who has even bested Batman (Batman and the Outsiders #27). One version of the cult even had blood magicians who could turn the insides of a victim into snakes, which would be great to see played out on television. Bringing in this group would also give the showrunners access to Lady Eve and King Snake for more fodder, and it shouldn't be too hard to insert them in, seeing as how Arrow name-dropped them in the season 7 story arc featuring Dante.

A new character by comics standards, Johnny Sorrow was first mentioned in 1995 (Starman #8) but wouldn't make his actual first full appearance for another four years in the Secret Origins of Super-Villains #1 giant special. Though he is still relatively new, this Lovecraft-inspired villain is portrayed as having fought the Justice Society of America in the 1940s, which would be the beginning of his tragic story. Sorrow was an actor in silent film comedies who turned to crime after he found himself left without work as the industry changed. An item he stole to help him with these crimes was hit during a scuffle and ripped Sorrow apart, sending him to a forgotten realm of horrors where he became something truly terrifying. He would be sent back to Earth with a mask to serve his new master, only to accidentally kill his wife and vow vengeance on the JSA.

The silent films he starred in may have been funny, but he is not to be taken lightly. Sorrow is immortal and possesses psionic powers as well as the abilities to levitate and teleport, but his most dangerous weapon is what lies under the mask. Many who see his true face are driven mad (unless they already were, like Harley Quinn in Justice League vs Suicide Squad #4) or die, which can lead to some interesting story potential.

A high-profile villain with lofty goals if written correctly, Sorrow would most likely be trying to summon his master the King of Tears, or the showrunners could go wild and partner him up with someone like Despero (Virtue and Vice), a classic "alien set on world domination" archetype he's teamed up with before. Sorrow also spends his time with other rogues, often putting together his version of the Injustice Society, giving him plenty of underlings and fodder for someone like Supergirl or Flash to go through.

There have been multiple people to be called Star Sapphire, the chosen one of a race known as the Zamarons, until later becoming their own corps in the pages of Green Lantern Vol. 4 #18-20. Their motivations and powers are based on love, but usually not in the purest of fashions. The Star Sapphire often acts with love too much in mind, selfishly and without control, causing them to traditionally be more villainous. Carol Ferris is the most well-known character to take the name and Ferris Airfield has been mentioned in the shows, but plenty of things could change for the Arrowverse.

It would be easy to see a corrupted form of Lyla Michaels taking on the ring and mantle, forced to go against her husband and a new set of heroes, introducing the Lanterns and their enemies without having to go straight for Sinestro. The storyline could involve their child, maybe conclude with a memory wiping, like in the comics (Green Lantern #16), and end with a non-traditional fight compared to most of these shows. The ring could also make an appearance on Supergirl, finding its way to Alex with all of her love woes. Not only would that give Kara a strong enemy, but one she couldn't, and wouldn't, want to beat down right away.

The Star Sapphires have creation powers through their rings, as well as an assortment of love and emotion-related abilities, but one of their greatest assets may be using conversion crystals to encase other individuals inside and turn them to the cause (as seen in Green Lantern Vol. 4 #36), just in case the showrunners wanted things to get crazy. The character would make for a good single villainess, or the show could bring in the whole crew for a good hard fight.

Black Mask has been a favorite among Batman's rogues gallery for numerous comics readers, but his stock is on the rise to a much larger audience thanks to his appearance in the Birds of Prey movie. He comes across as a simple crime lord, but he's incredibly tactical and forward-thinking, a kingpin with the determination to conquer. The man called Roman Sionis has a much more strange and interesting origin (see Batman #385), one that tries to blame his psychotic mental state and actions on having been dropped just after birth, being bitten by a rabid animal, or the time when he was struck by lightning, but perhaps all of these contributed to his extreme brutality. His parents didn't help matters, which led to him burning the house down with them inside. After ruining his family's cosmetics company, he blamed Bruce Wayne for his disgrace and crafted the black mask to cover his face, making it out of wood from his father's coffin.

Although Black Mask has primarily matched up against Batman and has a long history with Catwoman, that doesn't mean he'd have to face off against Batwoman. That pairing might be the best fit, but fans may like to see this strategist try his hand against someone like the Flash, causing the do-gooder trouble with no powers. The New 52 version of Black Mask did have tech in his headpiece that gave him mind control-type abilities and the Jeremiah Arkham version of the character switched things up with a slight supernatural tinge. Many will prefer the original take on the villain for the Arrowverse, the tough and ruthless marksman who managed to survive so much. We want to see that fiend who tortured Catwoman's sister and fed his victim pieces of her husband (Catwoman Vol. 3 #15).

Whether he's portrayed as the cult leader or kingpin-type antagonist from the comics, Black Mask would make a great candidate for a multi-season villain or even a red herring for hardcore fans, watching him slowly go from failing businessman to putting on the mask before making a bid at the crown.