Summary
“The hammer of justice is unisex.” This great quote is from none other than Batman, and something that couldn’t be more true when it comes to the DC Universe. No matter the gender,villainy is around every corner, in every multiverse. There are some great female villains inDC Comics, and the most iconic deserve the utmost recognition, not that it undermines the plethora of female characters inDC Comics.
These female villains are noted for their dedicated time on the comic pages and the turmoil that they put famous DC heroes in. It takes experience and guts to be an iconic female villain, and these characters are the best of the best for their feats and the legacy that expands with every year in the comics.
Updated on July 24, 2025 by Ben Painter:DC Comics villains like the Joker, Lex Luthor and Darkseid are very iconic, but it is not just the male baddies who are held in high regard among fans. Several female evildoers are just as iconic. None more so than the Joker’s former partner in crime, Harley Quinn, who has been shot into the mainstream with appearances in the live-actionSuicide Squadand her very own animated series,Harley Quinn. There are so many more female villains in DC who have tangled with the likes of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. This update adds five more of themost iconic female villains in DC Comics.
35Duela Dent
First Appearance:Batman Family#6 (August, 1976)
Originally introduced as a part of Earth-3, the universe of the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League. She traveled over to the mainstream universe and became an annoyance to Robin. Dent claimed she was the Joker’s daughter, but it was later revealed that she was the daughter of the Jokester, the good version of Joker from Earth-3.
InCatwomanVol 4 #23 (October 2013), a version of the character was introduced in the DC Prime-Earth, but this version was a disturbed child of an unnamed couple whoclaimed she was the Joker’s daughter. She has spent time as a member of the Suicide Squad but now allies herself with Red Hood and Arsenal as part of the Outlaws.
34Sofia Falcone
First Appearance:Batman: The Long Halloween#6 (May, 1997)
First appearing in the iconic Batman comic, The Long Halloween, Sofia Falcone was the daughter of Gotham crime boss Carmine “The Roman” Falcone. After the death of her father she became the head of the organisation and eventually the serial killer known as the Hang Man.
In the mainstream media, she is best known for being played by Cristin Milioti inThe Batman’s follow-up series,The Penguin, which was a very accurate interpretation of the character. Although her history is closer tied to Two-Face rather than ‘Oz Cobb’.
33Tigress
First Appearance:Sensation Comics#68 (August, 1947)
There have been two characters who have donned the title of Tigress, originally by Paula Brooks in the New Earth continuity. She would later go on to be known as The Huntress. Brooks would be worked into Prime Earth briefly as a villain of the Justice Society and a rival of Wildcat.
However, Tigress is best known as the mantle of Artemis Crock, a villain of the Green Arrow and daughter of Paula Brooks and the villain, the Sportsmaster. They trained her from a young age to be a criminal, making her a proficient athlete and archer. The character is probably best known as a hero,a member of the Young Justice teamfrom the TV show of the same name. This Artemis began as a young hero but had similar origins.
32Copperhead
First Appearance:All-Star Batman#2 (November, 2016)
Copperhead was always portrayed as a male character in the comics, that was until the video game Batman Arkham Origins gave her a more feminine persona. This was well-received by fans, and this version made its way onto the page in 2016.
Just like the plot of the game, she was hired to assassinate Batman, but this didn’t go to plan. She moved on to Central City to lead her family’s crime operation, but this, of course, was halted by the Flash. Her real name is unreveled, but she uses a set of claws coated in potent toxins to aid in her crime.
31Morgaine le Fey
First Appearance:Batman#36 (August, 1946)
Morgaine le Fey is a character which is both a Marvel and DC interpretation, just like Ares, Dracula and Hercules. Due to them being based on myths and legends. In this case, Morgaine le Fey is the evil sorceress of Arthurian legend.
After surviving for centuries, her age and beauty did not, and she found herself in Gotham City, in the modern-day, to work with Jason Blood would help her find the tomb of Merlin to restore her to her full power and glory.She is a powerful magic userand will stop at nothing to be on top once again.
30Scandal Savage
First Appearance:Villains United#1(July, 2005)
Scandal Savage is the daughter of the immortal supervillain, Vandal Savage and has followed in her father’s footsteps in the path of evil. Born in Brazil to an unknown mother, Savage is best known as a member of the villain group, the Secret Six and is in a relationship with fellow member Knockout.
She operates as a mercenary, and she and the rest of the Secret Six are hired for missions, usually involving assassination.Her primary weaponsare her wrist-mounted lamentation blades that can change size depending on what she aims to do with them. Savage claims they have been in her family for a long time, considering Vandal Savage has been alive for over 50,000 years, this claim is probably true.
29Silver Swan
First Appearance:Wonder WomanVol 2 #3 (April, 1987)
This was until the work of Diana’s enemy, Doctor Psycho, who used his mind-control powers to influence Kapatelis into hating Wonder Woman. In the Prime Earth timeline, Silver Swan idolizes Wonder Woman and receives Nanite implants to fix her broken legs. Upon realizing Diana was never special to her, she snapped and became the supervillain known as Silver Swan and has tangled with the Amazon on many occasions.
28Emerald Empress
First Appearance:Adventure Comics#352(January, 1967)
Emerald Empress is a supervillain from the 30th Century and is a member of the Fatal Five, the sworn enemies ofthe Legion of Superheroes. With no real superpowers of her own, she employs the mystical Emerald Eye of Ekron, who gains her various energy and magical abilities.
She is also known to work with the powerful multiversal threat, Superboy-Prime, as a member of the Legion of Super-Villains. Her relationship with the Emerald Eye of Ekron is not all that it seems, and she appears to be controlled by it, acting with relief to be free after Legionaire Princess Projectra used her powers to break their bond.
27Superwoman
First Appearance:Justice LeagueVol 2 #23(October, 2013)
In Earth-3 of the DC Comics Multiverse, the Justice League is evil and is known as the Crime Syndicate. One of these members is Superwoman, who is their Wonder Woman representative. Although her powers are much more akin to Superman, hence her name as Superwoman.
Her true name is actually Lois Lane, and she is in a dysfunctional relationship with Ultraman, although she engages in affairs with fellow Crime Syndicate member Owlman and the team’s archnemesis Alexander Luthor (Lex Luthor, who is on the side of good in this reality). She and her teammates are hellbent on world domination and will kill whoever it takes to get there. They have clashed with the regular Justice Leage on many multiversal escapades.
26Plastique
First Appearance:FirestormVol 2 #7 (December, 1982)
A political activist and eco-terrorist, Plastique gained the ability to project explosive force from her body, which she uses to aid in her terrorist activities. Originally, she was an enemy of Firestorm but has tangled with the likes of Captain Atom, who she eventually would go on to marry. Upon this betrothal, she hung up her gloves of evil but returned to a life of crime following their divorce.
Bette Sans Souci may be better known as a member of the Suicide Squad.She is a regular member of the roster, using her abilities for the side of good, albeit with the threat of death looming over her.
