Wonder Woman villains who deserve live action treatment, either in a Wonder Woman TV show, animated series or film.

I´ve been reading a lot of people saying that WW doesn´t have a good rogues gallery. This really doesn´t make sense to me, I think her gallery is actually quite up there. Not as good as Batman or Daredevils, but whose is? She definitely on pah with Superman and Green Lantern, for instance, who don´t have many great ones, but the ones that are good are some of the best in comic history. Even some of my favorite characters like the Hulk, don´t have nearly as many potentially iconic villains as WW. I think whats happened is people judge her by her silliest ones, or, ones that come out of the silver age, but even Batman´s silver age foes were a joke. I think she needs an animated series to establish some of her Rogues to the world, because honestly she´s got some real cool and really different ones as well.

1. Alkyone

Why?

This chick scares me. She reminds me of what the evil chick in Misery would be like if she had super powers. She´s a psychological match for WW, and she´s very strong, with cool magical weapons. Most of all being her magic Bow and Arrow, with arrow tips made of the tears of Medusa. She´s also a skilled warrior and general, but most of all she´s a sick puppy obsessed with Hypollyta, Queen of the Amazons, with a predilliction for infanticide, who believes in her cause, that the only way to return paradise island to its former harmony is to rid it of the dragon child Diana princess of Themyscira.

Best Medium: Film and animated series

2. Dr. Psycho

Why?

A psychiatrist, with telepathic powers used for deadly hypnotic suggestions. I think he´s really a fantastic foil for WW, and presents a deadly threat to her allies and friends.

Best Medium: I´d say to start with in an animated series, so people take him seriously, cause he´s actually quite a nasty piece of work, who is quite different from any other mainstream or well known super villain.

3. Ares

Why?

Ares is one of the most unfortunately underused villains of Wonder Woman. He has the real potential to be a sick archnemisis, and such cool powers. The man could take on the Justice League with ease, but they just don´t get it. He forces WW to see the paradox of her mission for peace when she herself is a warrior. He is both physical threat and psychological. He´s her true foil. A force of nature, who delights in death, finds salvation in destruction and lives only to create anarchy. He´s also very pertinent to the world we live in now with all the conflict he could exploit and so many angles could be taken, he could really become quite a dark distressing figure if used properly but alas DC just don´t get it. I hope at some point they do a dark edgy WW graphic novel with Ares as the main villain, but with an edgier more modern take on the character than Perez´s brilliant work in the 80s.

Best Medium: Main villain of WW film, dark graphic novel

4. Cheetah

Why?

Another trully outstanding villain, who hasn´t been given her due. Known as WW archenemy, I´m not sure she deserves the mantle, I´m yet to be convinced. But what Greg Rucka recently did with the character has really developed her as a force to be reckoned with. Barbera Minerva an archeologist in search for immortality is granted her wish, but is cursed by the spirit who gave it to her to hunger for flesh. she becomes a slave to the curse and the need for flesh, constantly bonded by her unquenchable thirst. I think again the mark of good villain, like The Joker, is how many ways you can interpret the character and give them a fresh modern feel; so while I don´t agree Cheetah should be WW arch villain, that spot should be taken by my top 3 on the list, I do however think Cheetah is an excellent villain and one of WW best.

Best Medium: WW animated series, Animated film sequel

5. Genocide

Why?

She´s basically WW doomsday or Bane. She is more than a physical match for WW, and is possessed by Ares with a lust for death and destruction, exactly the forces WW has been sent to oppose.

Best Medium: Another Graphic Novel, maybe as a back up to Ares, or is set up by Ares in an earlier Graphic Novel. The final chapter in a series of darker WW films.

6. Dr. Poison

Why?

What a great villain to update. Possibly for a Wonder woman Earth One comic. I mean first of all just look at her. It is such a distinctive look and poison such a twisted method of harming victims, but again unfortunately underused. I personally would turn her into a preop transexual serial killer with a predilliction for using unknowing test subjects to trial experiments with deadly toxins. As it stands not her very skin and body has absorbed these deadly poison and she´s become a living breathing toxin.

Best Medium: Animated show, darker graphic novel.

7. Circe

Why?

I haven´t much to say about Circe. Most people know her, an evil sorceress who has no time what so ever for Mans World, and looks down on mortals as weak and with utter disdain. Again a great villain. Kind of WW Ras Al Ghul, or has that potential.

Best Medium: Animated, possibly somewhere in a film as well.

8. The Hellions

Why?

Now these are my personal favorites, unfortunately they´ve only had one appearance in Gail Simones run. They are the children of Ares, Brother Spider, Brother Goat, Brother Scorpian, Brother Rat and Brother Adder are the 5 half sibling children of Ares. They walk around in prep school clothes, using mannered and articulate speech to sarcastically denounce violence and civil unrest while infact being the instigators of it. Using subtle suggestions and manipulation to cause it, hiding behind there innocent and polite demenar.

There powers are explained thus: The Crow Children act by talking, though it's clearly not normal social interaction - their words have an impossibly convincing effect when it comes to seeding hatred, resentment, envy, defiance and the like. Victims will even experience mild hallucination as a result of dissonance, for instance perceiving a trusted ally as demonically deformed to try to reconcile the words of the Crow Children about that person with reality.

Just cool

Best Medium: I think safest bet would be a Graphic Novel and animated series.

9. Veronica Cale

Why?

I thank the heavens that Elizebeth Hurly was seen by the general public as Veronica Cale in the WW TV show. It was actually the worst thing about the show, the woman can´t act. I must admit, I myself always thought of Veronica Cale as a Lex Luthor rip off, and in many ways she is, but she´s nonetheless compelling in her own right, a Dallas born business tycoon and genius who´s worked for everything she has and feels WW has stolen her glory, but now spends her time plotting with some of Wonder Womans most dangerous foes often concocting diabolic plans to undermine her. It is unfortunate she´s a bit like Lex, but I think her personal style is just different enough to make her a pretty cool and relatable villain.

Best Medium: Film and animated series.

I know I´m probably preaching to the converted, but it just astonishes me people say WW´s rogues are so weak. OK she has her Egg Fu´s and Minister Blizzard´s, but superman and batman have their Colnel Future´s and Crazy Quilt´s between them. To have at least 9 is pretty good going, it´s better than Iron Man or even Green Lantern I believe. As I said some are highly original as well. Anyway let me know your thoughts and any I´ve missed out.

I think it would have to be Ares for the first and Cheetah for the sequel

This is awesome.

Great list. I can't specially wait to see Ares and Circe in my opinion.

Really good list, id like too see Circe and Cheetah in a movie.

Thanks, notice no new 52 villains lol.

I'm more of a batman fan and I agree he has a better rogues gallery, but he also has some of the worst. Sure some of wonder woman's rogue are pathetic, but they aren't as bad as these are. BTW I would also add giganta, I liked her on justice league and unlimited.

Circe, Ares, and Cheetah would be awesome on film.

@Skewer: See the thing is I like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman equally, but people always dissing WW makes me start to dislike them, which isn´t cool cause I think Batman is truly the most iconic hero and is dark and super cool, but nowadays you have to be a wise ass or bad ass or you´re considered uncool. But what I think is most important is how timeless the stories are, I believe WW is and should be in the trinity for exactly that reason, her story is timeless and can be reinvented for any generation, including her villians, I just wish DC would get on and do it. Market her through an animated series. Thats the best idea.

@Skewer: By the way about Giganta, she´s a weird one, there´s potential, but I just don´t see it. she´s not bad, but she´s not on pah with the ones I´ve mentioned. I prefer her Gorgon enemies. they´ve been cool.

hey, you did a great job, I really like your list, are any of these villains used in the new 52. I'm catching up.

@Loki9876: Apart from Ares I think not, oh and Cheetah did something recently. But I´d stick with Perez, Greg Rucka and Gail Simone, if you want to read them at their coolest.

I think all of these characters deserve film treatment, but I think the best way to do that would be in a Television Live Action format. You can tap all of the potential of these characters while exposing them to greater public faster than theater features. While the animated venues are AWESOME!!!! I don't think that they reach as many people as prime time television.

I'd like to read where you find posts about Wonder Woman's Villains getting disrespect.

@Press Oblivion: everywhere.(To disrespect question) problem with live action, it doesn´t have the budget to do WW justice. Just think about Paradise Island, to do a place like that justice you need millions or to draw it. also ww powers, her lasso, unless your careful and have the money it will look silly on TV. Even superman lois and clark, supermans powers were done shodilly and I love that show. I just wouldn´t risk another WW media failure as a fan.

We disagree and that's fine.

It would take decades to feature all of these characters in theatrical releases. Smallville Fringe, and Supernatural are excellent examples of how they can make the special effects budget work and you could potentially introduce these characters all in one season.

Taking a risk is a necessary step to having a product. Everyone bemoaned that David E. Kelly attempt at the character before they even saw it but I'm of the school of thought that a Bad Show can be made better in time where as you cant' do anything with a show that doesn't exist.

@Press Oblivion: you need to look it up,her rogue gally get disrespect by a lot of people.

@gokuwarrior: I'm just asking for reference links. I don't see a lot of disrespect on these boards.

@Press Oblivion: it's easy to see,here,and in many forums they are often taken as a joke,because of a lot inconsistent feats,the fact that many writers have humilated them,many people thin k they are weak.

I think a few need to be reworked and some need to be brought back. Pricilla rich could work again if they use that amulet that was used in that episode of batman the brave and the bold as a plot device as well as baron von gunther(did I spell that right?) with a new origin.

I would like to see if they would pull off furry Cheetah, without too much CG or a bulky fursuit o.0

@Skewer: @KillerZ: Yeah I think that could be cool, but yeah they´d need a seriously revised origin, kind of like what the superman animated show did for Braniac.

@killerz I think Cheetah could be more like a Flesh eating vampire that becomes more scary looking as the film went on.

YEP

Im gonna take a wild guess and say that the OP really liked Gail's Simone's WW

The use of Ares as a villain is a modern trope. He was a brutal deity in Greek times, but not evil, it's a vagarity of our times that we conflate war with evil, but for most of history war was simply a fact of life, something unpleasant, but it happened. It wasn't until wars were reported in lurid detail, photographed and filmed that we began to see war as something "evil"

I think Ares could make a very interesting character in WW if people were aware that they are just acting on a trope without actually examining it.

@arnoldoaad: I´m a fan, but I think she had moments of greatness, but I´d like to see what she would do with a WW graphic novel.

@kapitein_zeppos: Interesting point. How do you see him functioning in WW then.

I'd like to see Ares as a tragic figure. Make him brutal and dangerous because war has become more brutal. He's a destructive force, but there is no real malice behind it. Ares is the God of War warped into something Wonder Woman is in a good position to oppose. She has the tools of compassion, courage and truth to defeat the forces that feed and warp Ares into an engine of destruction. Far more interesting than just another guy the size of a Mack truck going muahahahaha while planning his next evil act.

@kapitein_zeppos: Yeah that would seriously cool.