Comics/Graphic Novels

Quiz: Obscure Batman or Flash Villains?

Chris M. Arnone

Senior Contributor

The son of a librarian, Chris M. Arnone's love of books was as inevitable as gravity. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. His novel, The Hermes Protocol, was published by Castle Bridge Media in 2023 and the next book in that series is due out in winter 2024. His work can also be found in Adelaide Literary Magazine and FEED Lit Mag. You can find him writing more books, poetry, and acting in Kansas City. You can also follow him on social media (Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, website).

After well over a century of combined publication history, Batman and The Flash have run afoul of more than their share of villains. We all know of plenty in both rogue’s galleries. Batman has Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and so on. The Flash regularly tangles with Gorilla Grodd, Killer Frost, Professor Zoom, and Captain Boomerang. Many of these villains have graced the big and small screens, even.

But for every great villain, there are a few that never made it into the zeitgeist. This writer or that artist had an idea, a story, and then we never saw that villain again. Maybe they were just too silly or too dark. Maybe they were from an era that leaned hard into bad tropes. Maybe they were just a poor copy of a better villain. Sometimes these C- and D-list rogues come back, sure, but they never really gain any traction.

How well do you know the villainous vagrants of Gotham City and Coast City? How deep in the lore do you get, preferably without a quick peek at Wikipedia? Here’s your chance to test your knowledge with these 10 villains from the shadowy corners of the DC Universe. Good luck.

Be honest. How did you do? Feeling super or super-dense? Don’t worry, these are obscure villains for a reason. Who are some of your favorite D-listers?