A horde of new villains will be featured across James Gunn's DCU before the end of 2026. After starting Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters in December 2024, DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are moving forward with expanding this franchise to new corners of DC lore. While the heroes are unquestionably at the center of the story, plenty of new villains will add their own dynamic.
DC Studios will feature 11 villains in the greater DC Universe in 2026. While the Chapter 1 slate consists of the main story being told for DC Studios, multiple other universes and antagonists will also get their chance to shine in the six different projects being released in theaters and on HBO Max.
Every Major DC Studios Villain Being Introduced in 2026
Krem - Supergirl
DC Studios will kick off the year in theaters with Supergirl on June 26, featuring Matthias Schoenaerts' Krem of the Yellow Hills as the main villain. This will be Krem's first time being depicted in a live-action DC movie.
Known as the main villain in the Woman of Tomorrow storyline from DC Comics (on which the movie is based), Krem is a ruthless assassin and outlaw who murders Ruthye Marye Knoll's father and sets in motion her revenge quest. He also severely injures Krypto the Super-Dog, making an enemy out of Kara Zor-El.
Lobo - Supergirl
Along with Krem of the Yellow Hills, Jason Momoa will make his return to the DC Universe as Lobo, following a seven-year run as Aquaman in the former DC Extended Universe.
Lobo is only expected to be in about 15% of Supergirl's runtime, which will introduce the Czarnian bounty hunter during his first interactions with Kara Zor-El. While his role in the story is still unknown, Momoa will bring every bit of passion and enthusiasm he can to the role, as he has described it as his dream DC role.
Cyborg Superman - My Adventures with Superman S3
My Adventures \with Superman Season 3 will introduce a horde of new villains for Jack Quaid's Clark Kent, including a cyborg version of the titular hero.
After Hank Henshaw's jet was shot down in Season 2, he returns augmented by technology, becoming Cyborg Superman. This season, he is expected to be Superman's main enemy, posing a challenge as a mechanical doppelganger.
Eradicator - My Adventures with Superman S3
This season is set to adapt the Reign of the Supermen storyline, which introduces another Superman variant, the Eradicator.
In Season 2, the Eradicator is a dangerous mind-controlling Kryptonian program created by Kem-L, one of Superman's ancestors. Season 3 may take that program and embody it into a sentient form, or it may seize control of another Kryptonian, such as General Zod.
Bizarro - My Adventures with Superman S3
Early in Season 3, My Adventures with Superman introduced the Bizarro version of Superman, a Kryptonian clone created for Project CALIBAN.
Created by George Otto Binder, he would stay inside CALIBAN's laboratory alongside his "Dog" until a LexCorp drone attacked it. Bizarro boasts many of the same powers as Superman, but he may not wind up being a villain for the entire season.
Bane - Batman: Knightfall
Batman: Knightfall, the first of three animated movies making up this story, will be DC's next major Batman movie before The Batman - Part II and The Brave and the Bold. As in the comics, this movie will feature one of Batman's most notable adversaries, Bane, as the main villain.
In this story, Bane systematically wears down Batman and even shatters his spine before taking over the Gotham underworld, forcing Bruce Wayne to take on a horde of escaped Arkham inmates. This storyline was teased for the new movie (per IGN) in its official logline, touching on how Bane "frees Batman's entire Rogue's Gallery."
Mad Hatter - Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2
Coming to Prime Video on July 31, Batman: Caped Crusader will deliver a genderbent version of one of Batman's classic villains, the Mad Hatter.
Reimagined as "Hattie," this villain will host an in-universe talk show called "Hattie's Tea Party," using this platform to enact mind-manipulating schemes. In the comics, the character is obsessed with Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and uses hat-based mind-control technology to manipulate his victims and enact twisted fantasies.
Riddler - Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2
After last being seen in 2022's The Batman, played by Paul Dano, the Riddler will return to the spotlight in Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2.
Most often depicted as Edward Nigma, this criminal mastermind is known for his genius-level intellect, narcissism, and a compulsion to leave clues and puzzles for Batman to solve. His storyline in this show is still unknown.
Sinestro - Lanterns
For 2026's Lanterns show, Ulrich Thomsen will take on the challenging task of playing the villain Sinestro.
This character will be introduced as the alien who trained Hal Jordan to be a member of the Green Lantern Corps, setting up an intriguing coaching tree between Sinestro, Hal, and John Stewart. Sinestro is rumored to appear in every episode of Lanterns, and while he may not be the main villain for Season 1, he is expected to make his nefarious turn eventually.
Antaan - Lanterns
Along with Sinestro, another major villain named Antaan will make his live-action DCU debut in Lanterns.
Played by Paul Ben-Victor, Antaan is an alien who seeks to deliver his own form of justice against those responsible for his people's demise (similar to another Green Lantern character named Atrocitus). He could potentially be part of the Red Lantern Corps, which would be the first time that group is depicted on screen.
Clayface - Clayface
Unlike everything else coming from DC Studios this year, Clayface will feature a villain as its main character when it debuts in theaters on October 23. Starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, this will be the first DCU film to focus on a single villain, after 2024's Creature Commandos centered on a team of antagonists.
This film will tell Matt Hagen's origin story as a struggling actor whose face is disfigured by a gangster, leading him to take part in an experiment that changes him forever. Following this experiment, his body gains clay-like properties, which he can use to mold himself into almost anything in this body-horror-inspired movie.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
