Whether someone ends up a hero or a villain in DC Comics can largely be decided by circumstance. In many cases, it's experiences beyond their control that send characters on a path that turned them into villains. But for an elite few, they easily could have been heroes had one thing just gone a bit differently.
Some of those villains like Harley Quinn have already found a way to become heroes—well, at least anti-heroes. Regardless, there are other major DC villains who could easily have stood alongside Batman or Superman instead of fighting them.
10 King Shark Has Toed The Line For Years
A huge anthropomorphic shark who likes to eat people doesn't seem like a good candidate for being a hero. Then again, the superhero community in DC Comics has put up with Guy Gardner for many years so anything is possible.
King Shark is a long-time member of the Suicide Squad and has been part of a number of heroic acts. If he had been raised in a different environment, he easily could have found himself on the side of the good guys. That's assuming his eating habits changed.
9 Amazo Needs To Be Reprogrammed
There are more than a few mad scientists wandering around DC Comics, creating any manner of horrors to inflict on heroes and civilians. Amazo is an android created by Professor Ivo who can replicate the powers of the heroes he fights. That's actually quite impressive.
Keeping in mind that he usually faces off against the Justice League, this means that Amazo can literally become a one-man Justice League. With a little reprogramming, Amazo could easily end up being one of the greatest heroes DC has ever seen.
8 Deadshot Is Barely A Villain At This Point
Trying to figure out which side of the line between hero and villain Deadshot is on is almost impossible. Yes, he is a highly trained and experienced assassin who has killed an untold number of people. But he has also been part of the Suicide Squad for so long it's hard to remember him doing anything actually evil.
After serving in the military, Deadshot suffered from severe PTSD. This tore his life apart which set the stage for him to become an assassin. Had he gotten the help he needed earlier on, he might have been able to avoid becoming a villain in the first place.
7 Ocean Master Should Let Go Of His Jealousy
A villain's motivation can come from a lot of different places. Some of them suffered extreme childhood trauma that sent them on a bad path while others are just greedy. In the case of Ocean Master, he's basically fueled by his jealousy of Aquaman and his desire to lead Atlantis.
The irony of this situation is that he could have been a staunch defender of the oceans and an ally to Aquaman. The only thing standing in the way of him having a much better life was letting go of his jealousy and moving on from it.
6 Someone Should Just Pay Deathstroke To Be Good
When it comes to being a hired gun in DC Comics, few come close to Deathstroke. The man has the skills, the weapons, and the enhanced abilities to take on pretty much any threat. He probably shouldn't fight Darkseid on his own, but the guy would still give it a try.
Deathstroke really isn't good or bad. It's just that his career path tends to put him in the path of DC's heroes more often than not, building an animosity between them that's caused him to be viewed as a villain. If the Justice League wants him to be good, Batman should just put him on the payroll.
5 Sinestro Just Needs To Control His Ego
Becoming a Green Lantern is all about strength of will, something Sinestro has in spades. There was a time that he was considered to be the greatest Green Lantern of them all. But the arrival of Hal Jordan challenged that status and was an affront to his massive ego.
From there, Sinestro went on to become the leader of the Yellow Lanterns who thrive on exploiting fear. It's important to note that Sinestro was a hero for a long time. And if he was able to get over his overblown ego, he would have continued to be for years to come.
4 Lady Shiva Is Neither Hero Nor Villain
If there's one truth that every martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant in DC is hopefully aware of, it's that they should stay out of the way of Lady Shiva. There is a good chance that she is the best fighter in that world, something she has proven over and over again.
Honestly, Lady Shiva cannot be easily classified as a hero or a villain. Shiva fights with and against whoever suits her needs at that moment. As such, all that it would really take to get her permanently on the side of the good guys would be a compelling enough argument. Does Superman have super debate powers?
3 Bane's Childhood Turned Him Into A Villain
While Batman likely has the deepest and strangest rogues gallery roster out of any hero in DC, Bane still might be the most infamous of them all. The massive, Venom-powered warrior has broken Batman's back on two separate occasions. One of them even forced the Caped Crusader to hang up the cowl for a time.
Bane's youth was one filled with absolute brutality. It hardened his mind, body, and soul, transforming him into the dominant monster who took Batman well past his limit. Had his childhood been different, he may have grown up to be a member of the Bat-Family.
2 One Bad Experience Changed Heat Wave's Life
This sometimes gets lost in the conversation, but The Flash has a lot of enemies who don't have speed-based abilities. One of them is Heat Wave, a pyromaniac with a gun that shoots fire. When teamed up with Captain Cold, they make an interesting duo.
Heat Wave's villainy was informed by a traumatic incident in his youth when he burned his family home down with his family inside. He was a hero for a time after The Top messed with his head but that was eventually changed. With the proper therapy and help, he could easily leave the Rogues behind.
1 Ra's Al Ghul Has A Good Mission But A Bad Methodology
Calling Ra's al Ghul a villain is a gross oversimplification of his character. In truth, he is a warrior for the world, seeking to make it a better place by protecting the environment and limiting humanity's negative impact on everything around it.
The problem is that he often chooses a path to accomplish these goals that puts him up against Batman and his friends. Calling his group the League of Assassins certainly hasn't helped. Making better choices and implementing some rebranding would go a long way to changing how people perceive him.
0 Comments