Within the last decade, both readers and gamers witnessed the ultimate friend-villain switch up, as DC’s Injustice plot completely divided the Justice League. Although this arc was one of the most enjoyed by the DC Comics audience, it is far from the only story of betrayal the franchise has to offer.
The DC Universe is full of stories just like this, where villains were once beloved friends, brothers, and sisters of the heroes fans love. These stories tend to provide audiences with emotional satisfaction, or sometimes genuine heartbreak.
Batman And Hush
Bruce Wayne and Thomas Elliot were good childhood friends, before the two became entangled in a constant battle of vengeance. Going by the alias Hush, Elliot now uses his skills as a surgeon to plan precise and elaborate schemes against Batman. Elliot’s transformation into the masked persona proves to be one of the most dangerous villains Batman has had to face. The way Hush operated made sure that almost all of the villains that had it out for the Batman got their share of the fun. The devious schemes played out by Hush provided readers with so much necessary insight on Batman, and helps to further understand who and what Batman is.
Batman And Two-Face
The alliance between Batman and Harvey Dent came to its unfortunate end after Dent was viciously scarred with acid in his face. The incident left Dent’s mind and sense of self in a severely fractured state, causing him to become the notorious Two-Face. Considering that the nature of Two-Face’s tragedy had nothing to do with the actions of Batman or any of the other League members, he was always most likely to reform from his ways. The cause of his reform was not due to Batman’s attempts either, which is what fans would expect. It was the result of Hush performing surgical wonders on his scars. A villain turned the bag guy, good again; now that’s a twist audiences live for.
Nightwing And Saiko
Unknown to Dick Grayson at the time, Mister Haly’s Circus was being used as an “assassin farm” for the Court of Owls. After Dick was adopted, the Court chose Raymond, one of Grayson’s good buddies, and staged his fatal crash. Raymond has undergone years of torture and training, and later set out as Saiko to rid Gotham of Dick Grayson.
Saiko’s transformation, and eventual death, was emotional, and shows the extent of his beliefs about Dick Grayson. It also shows how highly valued his pride was. Most of his life he had been told that he would never attain the level of skills and capabilities that his former acrobat partner reached, and would rather die at his own hand than be saved by the man he believes is at fault for the physical and emotional pain he’s had to endure.
Supergirl And Silver Banshee
Siobhan’s multilingual abilities allowed her to understand Supergirl when she first arrived on Earth, and she soon realized her intent to be a hero. Unlike most of the stories on this list, the hero is actually the one who breaks bad as Supergirl embraces the rage within her and joins forces with the Red Lantern Corps and wreaks havoc on New York City. The arc between these two characters is interesting; it’s not often that the typical villain steps in to stop a hero from doing bad things. Although Silver Banshee is indeed a villain, the two circle back to each other later on, and Supergirl expresses her regret and gratefulness for Siobhan’s help.
The Flash (Wally West) And Zoom (Hunter Zolomon)
Zolomon, who at the time was close with Wally West, was severely injured in an attack by Gorilla Grodd at Iron Heights prison, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He begged Wally for help, insisting that Wally use the Cosmic Treadmill to prevent him from ever being hurt; Wally refused. Feeling betrayed, Zolomon attempted to help himself, causing an explosion, granting him his speedster-like abilities. Zolomon believed the idea that personal tragedy is what made Barry Allen the great superhero that he was. It seems as though the Flash is the hero who’s suffered the most loss, yet he is also the most willing to make sacrifices, and is incredibly positive even in the most dreary situations. Could Zoom’s beliefs actually make Wally West a better flash?
Aquaman And Ocean Master
Meeting each other for the first time, these Atlantean half-brothers had a really healthy relationship. However, Arthur felt out of place on the throne of Atlantis, and handed the helm to Orm. Soon after, misinterpretations were made, and a war was started, pitting Aquaman and Ocean Master against each other. Ocean Master has since been considered an alpha-class threat to the Justice League.
One concept that Atlanteans strongly value is that serving Atlantis is above all other things; this includes family. As Aquaman and Ocean Master find themselves on different sides of the battlefield, this particular story hits the hearts of many fans, especially those with siblings of their own. Ocean Master has caused Aquaman more anguish than any other villain imaginable.
Wonder Woman And Cheetah
Diana is a charming and social being, but before she became comfortable in the world of man, she needed help from her first friend, Barbara Minerva, later known as the villainous Cheetah. Their friendship lasted long enough to get Diana acclimated to her new American environment, until certain villainous plots caused the birth of the ill-intended Cheetah. For the longest time, Cheetah resented Wonder Woman and has battled against her numerous times. However, these two have an understanding of one another. There have been times where they both were used and abused by the Gods and they do eventually learn how to respect each other, regardless of their complex hero-villain relationship.
Green Lantern And Sinestro
Sinestro was, at one point, one of the greatest Green Lanterns, and eventually a mentor to Hal Jordan. However, Sinestro soon embraces the use of fear to impose his own order in the universe. He soon adopted the yellow power ring, and founded his own Sinestro Corps. The mission pitted him against Hal and the rest of the Green Lanterns as Sinestro became one of the most feared villains to exist. Audiences love to see when heroes go up against their old mentors. The rivalry between Hal and Sinestro is often portrayed that the two have equal control over their rings, and have each gained unique skills used to counteract one another. The two would never align on the same side again, until their time as White Lanterns, which is a story for another time.
Superman And Lex Luthor
Clark Kent, back when he was Superboy, went to school with Lex Luthor, and the two became best friends. One day, when an experiment of Luthor’s goes awry, a fire breaks out in his lab. Superboy swooped in and put the fire out with his super breath, which sent acid flying over Lex’s experiment. This caused his hair to fall out, and since then, Lex Luthor vowed revenge against Superboy. Lex Luthor has gone to some devastating extremes to put Superman down, often including the implementation of the deadliest material to Superman’s physiology; kryptonite. However, while not doomed to be the bad guy forever, Lex Luthor became a key Justice League member.
Batman And Superman (Injustice)
With the Injustice comics run, Batman’s worst nightmares finally came to fruition; Superman turned ruthless. Following the death of his wife and unborn child, and the total annihilation of metropolis, Superman was met with an overwhelming amount of pain and grief. This caused him to completely spiral, turning against many of his former hero friends. DC Comics fans ate this story up. There are many factors to consider, one namely being the complete unleashing of Superman in villainous form. It becomes clear throughout the arc that the Superman fans are familiar with has been holding back all this time. The death of Superman’s wife and child completely changed the trajectory of the DC Universe.
