At its peak, the Arrowverse – the television universe spawned from the hit Arrow – consisted of six shows between 2012 and 2023, dominating the television screens of millions. The Arrowverse hosted a plethora of DC heroes and villains, some good and some not so much, with the many shows treading a fine line between entertainment and ridicule. However, when the Arrowverse writers brought their A-Game, viewers were treated with brilliance.

For many fans and critics, a huge highlight of the Arrowverse was the villains featured across all of their shows. Reinterpreted from the comic books, these villains provided bundles of tension, conflict and harrowing scenarios to test and break the titular heroes. The best villains in the Arrowverse were dangerous, menacing, powerful, and unforgettable, sometimes becoming more interesting than the heroes they fought.

10 Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer)

‘Supergirl’ (2015-2021)

Lex Luthor is the most famous villain of Superman’s rogues gallery and arguably one of the most well-known villains in the entire DC universe. His addition to the Supergirl roster in Season 4, Episode 15, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” marked a big moment in the Arrowverse.

The unlikely casting of John Cryer as the iconic villain received a mixed reception upon announcement; however, the two-time Emmy winner proved naysayers wrong. Cryer made his version of Lex a titan not to mess with and one of the main antagonists of the gigantic crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths. Lex might not be the most menacing or dangerous villain in the Arrowverse, but he remains a considerable threat and a worthy adaptation of the iconic character.

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9 Ra’s al Ghul (Matthew Nable)

‘Arrow’ (2012-2020)

While it was shakily reviewed among fans and critics, Season 3 of Arrow brought about an incredible villain in Ra’s al Ghul. The writers decided to take Ghul’s best story in the comics, in which he faces off with Batman, and interpret it into the Arrow season. Doing so brought the best parts of that comic book and made them the best parts of Season 3.

Across all seasons of Arrow, Ra’s al Ghul is arguably the toughest foe for Oliver to beat. He practically killed Oliver in one of Arrow‘s best episodes and led the League of Assassins, who had been a pain in Team Arrow’s sides for quite some time already. He offered the greatest physical challenge to Oliver, and while other enemies were more important to the show’s overarching story, Ra’s al Ghul is still one of Arrow‘s most memorable villains.

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8 Manchester Black (David Ajala)

‘Supergirl’ (2015-2021)

The fan discussion surrounding Supergirl‘s Manchester Black is controversial. In fact, many believe he was actually right despite being portrayed as a villain. Black’s “villainy” came from an incident where Agent Liberty captured his wife in hopes of using her psychic abilities against aliens.

The death of his wife caused Manchester Black to attempt to kill Agent Liberty and eventually form The Elite, a group of vigilantes attempting to take down anti-alien groups across National City. Black’s brutal approach put him at odds with the heroes and provided another take on Supergirl‘s ongoing alien discrimination storyline. Manchester Black is a brilliant, layered, and complicated villain who challenged audiences’ expectations, and his death at the hands of Martian Manhunter was among Supergirl‘s most divisive choices.

7 Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III)

‘Black Lightning’ (2018-2021)

Black Lightning is one of the most underrated series no one talks about. Black Lightning’s greatest foe, Tobias Whale, was a huge crime boss in Freeland who embedded himself in the local government on the city council while running the gang called The 100. Tobias killed Black Lightning’s father in front of him when he was a child, giving Black Lightning a whole lifetime to grow up and get ready to take Tobias down.

What makes Tobias interesting is that his life in the criminal underworld was spawned from the abuse he sustained from his father for being an Albino. Marvin “Krondon” Jones III does a wonderful job depicting Krondon’s nuances, making audiences understand if not necessarily sympathize, with his actions. Tobias Whale would be a much bigger deal if Black Lightning weren’t so underappreciated, but he remains a memorable antagonist within the Arrowverse.

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6 Bloodwork (Sendhil Ramamurthy)

‘The Flash’ (2014-2023)

After the first three seasons of The Flash, audiences were looking for a non-speedster main villain to change things up a bit. They tried their best with the Thinker, but many believed it fell flat and that the writers may have just not been able to write a main villain that isn’t a speedster… until Bloodwork.

Serving as the primary villain for the first half of Season 6, Bloodwork not only gave Flash a run for his money but actually went so far as to infect him and turn him into the Negative Flash. He managed to take control of one of DC’s most powerful heroes without any speed. With a compelling story and impressive powers, Bloodwork is among The Flash‘s best antagonists. Unfortunately, the show was well past its prime when he appeared, meaning many might not even know who he is.

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5 Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman)

‘Arrow’ (2012-2020)

Calling Malcolm Merlyn, aka the Dark Archer, a thorn in Team Arrow’s side would be quite the understatement. The show’s first major villain, Malcolm would continue to be an antagonist, rival, and occasional team-up for Oliver and his team all the way through Season 5. Even after his final bow, he would be mentioned frequently and shown in flashbacks until the end.

Many consider Malcolm Merlyn the Reverse Flash of Arrow. He’s always coming back, always up to no good and always has a greater plan at play. Merlyn’s sheer consistency and pettiness make him a wonderful villain that everyone loves to hate, and John Barrowman plays him with such wicked glee that it’s impossible not to be entertained by him.

4 Prometheus (Josh Segarra)

‘Arrow’ (2012-2020)

Ra’s Al Ghul may have almost killed Oliver, but no one was more cruel to him than Prometheus, aka Adrian Chase and later Simon Morrison. Initially serving as Starling City’s District Attorney, Chase became a close friend and confidant of Oliver during his time as mayor. Turns out, Oliver murdered Simon’s father during his early vigilante days, and Simon swore revenge.

There is no one more dangerous than Prometheus. Once he got his hands on Oliver and trapped him, it became clear: Prometheus wanted to break Oliver’s spirit; he even managed to get Oliver to admit he enjoyed killing amidst being tortured. Played by Scream VI standout Josh Segarra, Prometheus was a major enemy in Oliver’s journey as the Arrow and one of the Arrowverse’s most menacing antagonists. His actions, coupled with his very personal vendetta against Oliver, made him crucial for the show’s later seasons and cemented his place in the pantheon of TV villainy.

3 Zoom (Teddy Sears)

‘The Flash’ (2014-2023)

The multiversal demon known only as Zoom was a plague to Central City, sending multiversal villain after villain to capture the Flash. Like Prometheus, Zoom’s villainy was personal to Team Flash, as he had posed as Jay Garrick and earned their trust, becoming Caitlin’s lover and Barry’s friend.

Zoom would go on to break Barry’s back and paralyze him, capture Caitlin Snow, bring a multiversal villain army to take over Central City, almost destroy the entire multiverse, and murder Barry’s father, Henry. Zoom broke Barry’s spirit completely, prevailing even though he was defeated. Barry’s grief was so strong that he impulsively decided to save his mother and disrupt the timeline, creating Flashpoint. Zoom is a brilliant villain within the Arrowverse; his actions had severe repercussions, his powers were considerable, and he eluded Team Flash for an entire season. Few villains came closer to winning than him.

2 Deathstroke (Manu Bennett)

‘Arrow’ (2012-2020)

In the DC Comics world, Deathstroke has always been a fan favorite. Whether they know him from his battles with Batman or his villainy against Robin in the critically acclaimed Teen Titans, Slade Wilson is a force to be reckoned with. His reputation precedes him even within the Arrowverse, where he was Oliver Queen’s greatest foe.

Aside from having one of the best suits in the Arrowverse, Slade murdered Oliver’s mother after offering him a choice between killing his mother or his sister, Thea. Slade was not only an incredible physical adversary but an even better mental one. He played mind games with Oliver as he began tearing his life to pieces and unleashing an army of juiced-up super soldiers onto the city. No other enemy challenged Oliver like Deathstroke, securing his place as the greatest villain in Arrow.

1 The Reverse Flash (Tom Cavanagh, Matt Letscher)

‘The Flash’ (2014-2023)

There is truly no argument among fans of the Arrowverse that the Reverse Flash is the greatest villain there is. After murdering Barry’s mom and an entire season of manipulating and pushing Barry to be a better Flash, Dr. Harrison Wells reveals himself as Eobard Thawne, his arch nemesis from the future, who needs Barry’s speed to go home.

Reverse Flash would stick around to be a consistent primary threat to Team Flash throughout the entire series, with their conflict never coming to a true resolution until the final season of the series. Thawne was Barry’s most enduring and personal villain, a ghost who continuously taunted and challenged him. The Flash was at its best when Reverse Flash was the main opponent, and no other bad guy came close to matching his intensity, complexity, and pure villainy.

NEXT: 10 DC TV Shows To Watch Like the Arrowverse, According to Rotten Tomatoes