DC Villains Were Better Without Powers

Whether it's Lex Luthor's power-suit or Bane's super-strength, some DC villains actually became better at their jobs when they lost their powers

The heroes of the DC Universe range from the non-powered but still formidable Batman to the incredibly powered Superman. The villains that oppose them are even more varied. Some are stronger than the hero, while others are smarter. Every villain has to be a credible threat to the hero.

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Having a villain who is simply more powerful than the hero doesn't necessarily make for a good villain. Villains constantly get upgrades, which works for some of them, but not for all. For some villains, like Bane or Captain Cold, losing powers makes them more interesting. Whether it pushes them to work harder to oppose the hero or sets them on a journey of introspection, some villains have lost their powers and become better.

Leonard Snart has managed to go toe-to-toe with the Fastest Man Alive, armed only with an ice gun. DC's New 52 reboot gave Captain Cold a power upgrade. His ability to freeze became part of his genetic structure. As a metahuman, he was even more of a threat to the Flash but lost the appeal of being a powerless villain.

Deathstorm robbed Snart of his powers. He was no longer a metahuman, but Captain Cold became a more interesting character. He didn't just give up and had to rely on his street smarts. Even without powers, Cold proved he was a natural leader to the Rogues and inspired respect in everyone who worked with him.

Jean Loring was The Atom's wife. She had been a supporting character in comics for years until she became the mastermind behind Identity Crisis. The heroes locked her in Arkham, and she became the host of Eclipso.

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As Eclipso, Jean made regular appearances and fought the heroes. She remained a villain until the events of Rebirth reset her history. DC's decision to make Jean Loring a villain was a controversial one. It was done for shock value and undermined her as a character. They had to erase the fact that she ever had powers to make her a viable character again.

The Calculator wore computerized armor which could analyze a hero's power and provide a countermeasure against it. Appropriately, his costume resembled a calculator. His appearance was silly, and DC had to revamp him to make him a better villain.

The new Calculator didn't have a costume or powers. Instead, he became more of a behind-the-scenes villain, and his weapon was the internet. The Calculator was one of the most connected and organized villains in the DC Universe. He could help other villains with plans and provide them with resources. Calculator was the villainous counterpart to Oracle and just as useful to them as Oracle had been to the heroes.

Sebastian Blood VIII was the first Brother Blood to fight the Teen Titans. He was charismatic, led an army of followers, and had magic and mind-control powers. The next Brother Blood, his son, improved the character.

Sebastian Blood IX started without any powers. The Brother Blood legacy meant he had to kill his father to take his place. He then had to amass an army of followers and secure his power by marrying Raven. A villain working his way to get powers ended up being more interesting than a villain who already had them.

Bane grew up in a prison. Through force of will, he built himself up from nothing. He wanted to prove himself by beating Batman. He was a criminal mastermind whose body was enhanced through the drug Venom. Bane succeeded in breaking Batman and briefly taking over Gotham's Underworld.

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After Bane's defeat, he realized his dependency on Venom was a weakness. He once again had to push himself past his limits so he wouldn't have to rely on Venom. That wasn't enough for Bane, as he wanted to prevent anyone else from being addicted to Venom. His methods were still extreme, but Bane, as an anti-hero, was better than the villain he once was.

Killer Moth was a powerless Batman villain who never amounted to much. He was given a power upgrade when he was transformed into a moth monster called Charaxes. Charaxes had the power Killer Moth never did, but his plot of laying eggs that hatched into little versions of him took him too far away from his roots.

Killer Moth was rebooted as a moth-themed villain with a special gun. He was there for the first team-up between Batman and Green Arrow. Killer Moth would get more use as both a Batman and Green Arrow villain because his gimmick fit into their worlds once again.

Green Lanterns share villains, but Fatality was created specifically to be a villain for John Stewart. He accidentally destroyed her home planet, and she declared war on all Green Lanterns. She was an effective villain despite having no powers.

Fatality had the power of a yellow Sinestro ring and later wielded a violet Star Sapphire ring. She also became romantically involved with John. In a twist that returned her to her villainous persona, it turned out that a shape-shifting Durlan had been impersonating Fatality. The Star Sapphire ring forced her to love John. The changes made to Fatality made her a completely different character, and losing her powers returned her to the best version of herself.

Luthor possessed a genius-level intellect and always used hi-tech devices against Superman. After years of losing to Superman, Luthor created power armor. He could match Superman in physical combat, which made their fights more straightforward with less emphasis on Luthor's strategies.

The Post-Crisis reboot got rid of Luthor's suit. He became an amoral business executive who ran LexCorp. Luthor's power was once again his mind and influence. Luthor became a better villain because he couldn't simply be defeated and jailed. Luthor could now outsource his criminal activities while remaining untouchable. He became a constant presence in Metropolis and engaged Superman in a power struggle like never before.

Poison Ivy's powers have grown and evolved over the years. She was originally on the low end of the power scale and used her knowledge of plants to concoct toxins and poisons. She became more connected to flora, drawing power from the sun and having the ability to control all kinds of plants. She even became connected to The Green.

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The miniseries Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death had her take a step back from overtly using her powers. She returned to being a botanist and conducted genetic experiments on plants without using her powers. Her powers not being constantly used enabled her to lean more on her scientific mind while reconnecting with her human side.

Wonder Woman has fought many villains named Cheetah. Some have had powers, and some have not. Barbara Minerva was the most vicious Cheetah. She used a magic potion to transform into a human/cat hybrid. Minerva's powers were usurped by Sebastian Ballesteros, who became the new Cheetah.

Minerva was stripped of her powers because she wasn't successful as Cheetah. Being powerless relighted the drive to succeed inside Minerva. She had to seek out new forms of power. She eventually earned the right to call herself Cheetah by killing Ballesteros, proving herself the most dangerous Cheetah ever.

NEXT: 10 DC Villains Who Keep Losing Their Powers

Christopher Glennon has been writing entertainment articles for over ten years and has been published in the San Diego Comic Con Souvenir Book. He has an MFA in Screenwriting. He has been reading comic books for more years than he hasn't.