DCU Villains with the best Character Arcs

[Mainline]

Iconic heroes are often criticized as being stagnant, but with panel-time and the stories essentially dedicated to them they at least have ample opportunity to evolve. Worse off are the villains who show up and do their schtick only to reappear months later. I am NOT talking about REINVENTION, where a villain disappears only to return badder than ever or better conceived. I'm speaking of a legitimate, step by step, character arc showing the evolution of a character from "this" to "that".

So who's your nominee for a DCU Villain with a compelling character arc?

[Shellhead]

Vandal Savage always seemed to have some potential, but didn't come across as very memorable in his actual appearances. JSA Classified changed all that, with an interesting 4-part storyline focused on Vandal Savage's long life, brutal philosophy and twisted worldview. The story didn't make him a sympathtetic character, but it did transform him into a compelling villain.

Before this JSA Classified storyline, I thought of Vandal Savage as an immortal mastermind who dabbled in depressingly generic evil schemes of limited imagination. Now I think of Vandal Savage as an immortal caveman, who has survived all these centuries due to a mixture of ruthless ambition, low cunning, and complete amorality. He has readily embraced new technology at every stage, whether it be fire, gunpowder or cloning, but he is equally comfortable with clubbing or biting somebody to death if other means are unavailable.

Paul Gulacy did a great job with the pencils on this arc. Depending on the individual panel, Vandal Savage looked like a dignified artistocrat or a primitive hunter, without changing anything more than his facial expression and his posture.

[kel25]

A little while ago Deadshot had a wonderful miniseries. I thought it was one of the best story arcs I had read in a long time.

It’s a pitty DC hasn’t made a TPB of it. :(

[handOFfate]

A little while ago Deadshot had a wonderful miniseries. I thought it was one of the best story arcs I had read in a long time.

It’s a pitty DC hasn’t made a TPB of it. :(

I'll second this. I thought that with the popularity of Villains United, DC would release a Deadshot TPB, but they haven't. This mini changed the character; he went from completely emotionless ruthless killer to having some sense of morality. I'm glad Simone followed up with it in Villains United.
Geoff John's Flash rogue profiles were also pretty good. The standouts were the Captain Cold one (where he tracks down his sister's killer) and the Heatwave one (which sort of made the character Flash's twoface).
Another very good mini is Lex Luthor: man of steel. It didn't make the character any less of a bad guy, but we did get some insight into his character.

[shaunyc56]

Deadshot thanks to the mini. The interaction between him and Green Arrow is priceless. Also Catman, they took a guy who was written off as a joke and made him a hard, interesting dude. The scene in Villians United w/ him and deadshot in the kitchen is very intense.

[algertman]

Black Adam

charecter of the decade

[algertman]

A little while ago Deadshot had a wonderful miniseries. I thought it was one of the best story arcs I had read in a long time.

It’s a pitty DC hasn’t made a TPB of it. :(


Dc should collect that and the old Ostrander mini together. Both are great reads

[shaunyc56]

Black Adam

charecter of the decade


When Black Adam ripped that guy apart, all I could think was why isn't Submariner this cool. I make that comaprison because I don't really see Black Adam as so much of a villian anymore. More like slightly overzealous monarch.

[handOFfate]

The only thing is, Goyer and Johns did it right with Black Adam. He didn't just go from villain to hero in one arc. They slowly changed him over a period of over 30 issues, making him somewhat more heroic without changing his personality a whole lot. Just look at his friendship with Atom Smasher. They went from detesting each other to uneasy truce to friendship.

[Sean Walsh]

A little while ago Deadshot had a wonderful miniseries. I thought it was one of the best story arcs I had read in a long time.

It’s a pitty DC hasn’t made a TPB of it. :(

I'd like to think DC is waiting for Christos Gage to finish more projects so that they can put together a Showcase-sized TPB featuring his stories. :D

I sure can dream, can't I?

[Saturn Girl]

Terra.

Her introduction, her integration into the team, the revelation that she was Slade's mole, maintaining her facade and the ending to The Judas Contract - the whole arc's execution was absolutely perfect. She was such a wonderful little psycho, right to the end.

Too bad Marv Wolfman diluted the impact the character had on the lives of all the Titans by introducing Terra II. Bringing back a dead character I can forgive - it happens all the time. But Terra II is like decaf espresso - sure she looks and tastes relatively the same, but she has no edge. The coolest thing about the original Terra wasn't her powers - it was her duplicity, her skill at manipulation, her ruthlessness.

I will always prefer to see Terra as an unrepentant villain, not the white-washed generic heroine #398 that she morphed into.

[Ontir]

Mist III The woman who gave birth to Jack Knight's child. She set a goal in the beginning of his series, and continued to pursue it, to the bitter end.

the Time Trapper He manipulated all of time, in a bid for complete and total power, only to have his greatest weapon, Mon-el, turn on him, and sacrifice that universe he knew and destroy him.