DC Comics produced some of the worst characters in its history throughout the 2000s. While that is a harsh classification of how the designs panned out, there were plenty of noughties figures who are not at all memorable, served their respective narratives in poor ways, or from a visual perspective, are just ridiculous. It was an era of innovation and plenty of brilliant heroes and villains made their debut in the 2000s, making it a worthwhile time period to revisit when exploring the archives. But no one should expect many of these unfamiliar faces to return in the current era.
The 2000s, for DC Comics, was a complex time. It was before any of the major reboots of the current timeline took place but, despite the industry always being in flux, saw the release of some of the best-selling DC Comics of all time. It was thus a period of polarization, and that change led the way for the tasking of risks. Forging characters with such imaginative premises should never be frowned upon, so while they might be classed as some of the worst, readers still love to be entertained by odd concepts.
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Imperiex
Monstrous characters are a mainstay of the landscape of DC Comics. But when it comes to power, it’s all relative. One of the worst characters of the ’00s is Imperiex, whose own power levels are so ridiculous that it’s hard to see how he can effectively be written into a story. Debuting in Superman #152 in 2000, the character was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill.
Imperiex is arguably one of DC’s most terrifying characters on paper, with the force of the big bang in his grasp, allowing him to destroy and forge universes. That leaves very little room for narrative development, but what’s more, despite his OP abilities, Imperiex’s design is gaudy, colorful, and pretty goofy looking, taking away from that threatening aura.
Orca
Animal-based villains have been pretty successful for DC Comics in the past. Gorilla Grodd and King Shark are two notable examples of antagonists that have been featured in major ways. However, Orca feels like a copycat. The marine biologist who was bonded with a whale first appeared in 2000’s Batman #579 by Larry Hama and Scott McDaniel.
The most powerful monsters in DC Comics wouldn’t even consider Orca to be a threat of any notability. While the character has been used in a handful of intriguing narratives, the lack of originality and the ridiculous origin story have made Orca memorable for all the wrong reasons. Real-name Grace Balin, there have been a few reimaginings of Orca, none of which managed to really stick.
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Sebastian Ballesteros
Cheetah is a fantastic addition to DC canon, with the Wonder Woman villain getting elevated to the status of Legion of Doom leader on multiple occasions. It’s thus unfortunate that Sebastian Ballesteros has been introduced as a male incarnation of the Cheetah, lacking any real design innovation. The character was introduced in Wonder Woman #170 in 2001 by Phil Jimenez and Joe Kelly.
Dive back into some of the best apps for comic book readers for a chance to revisit Ballesteros in his glory. The ridiculous copycat is also a carbon replica of most business villains, but with the added narrative twist that he helped to create an iteration of the Silver Swan. There has never been a properly effective way to utilize Ballesteros, making him a bit of a failure.
Batzarro
The 2000s saw lots of other characters copied in some regard, with Batman next up. Bizarro was the reversed incarnation of Superman, a much-loved character who gained plenty of sympathy from readers despite his violent tendencies. Naturally, DC crafted Batzarro, the Bruce Wayne equivalent that debuted in Superman/Batman #120 in 2005 from Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.
A DC Comics villain operating without the strict code of honor that Batman boasted, Batzarro barely lasted a year before getting killed off, demonstrating the lack of appeal for the character. While in its premise the concept is intriguing because it had already been done before, it lacked that story spark that could have helped it stand apart. What’s more, visually, Batzarro is just disturbing.
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Zeiss
Philo Zeiss has been reimagined on a number of occasions. The character is a rather bland hitman, with all the martial arts expertise that readers might expect. Even the costume of the antagonist is straightforward, a trench coat often adorning the professional. Ed Brubaker and Scott McDaniel brought Zeiss into existence in Batman #582 in 2000.
Even the best DC Comics of all time would struggle to make the most of Zeiss’ power set though. With reflexes enhanced by cybernetic systems, that’s pretty standard for the medium. However, in a silly turn, Zeiss also wears goggles that allow him to see the world differently, slowing down time, analyzing the data input, and honing his movements further. At least it’s a creative power set.
Agamemno
Agamemno has a lot working against him. For starters, he was created to fit into the Silver Age of the comic book industry, a time period that saw creators invent all manner of odd villains who never managed to reappear. Secondly, Agamemno’s cosmic background adds to the out-there design, with Mark Waid and Terry Dodson holding nothing back in his first 2000 appearance in Silver Age #1.
Diehard fans might know the obscure DC villain who once turned himself into energy just to explore the universe. With a hugely powerful set of abilities that are never really defined, he’s one of the worst characters of the ’00s because of his laughable costume and visual design, alongside his ex-machina combat style that boasted very little consistency.
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Fright
No guesses for how the name Linda Friitawa eventually got turned into Fright, like so many of the worst DC Comics characters of the ’00s, Fright’s origin story begins by copying another. It was the fear toxins of Scarecrow that inspired this figure. Created by Judd Winick and Dustin Nguyen, her first appearance came in 2004, debuting in Batman #627.
There are so many great memes that sum up DC’s strangest characters, and Fright would surely match many of them. She really follows the traditional formula of a scientist pushed out of their career for their mutant experiments, before turning those abilities into a criminal empire. Unoriginal and frankly not that frightening, Fright’s Scarebeast creation was the one interesting thing about the Hugo Strange knockoff.
Humpty Dumpty
Alice in Wonderland-inspired characters are a huge part of DC canon, with the Batwoman villain Alice and the Batman antagonist Mad Hatter leading the way. But DC has dipped even further into fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and fables with the silly addition of Humpty Dumpty. Dan Slott and Ryan Sook brought the character to DC in 2003 in Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #3.
Even the most obscure DC superheroes might not have heard of Humpty Dumpty, whose real name is genuinely Humphry Dumpler. With an egg-shaped head and no powers to speak of, Dumpty is largely obsessed with putting things back together again. The character might be intensely disturbing, but he’s one of the worst characters because there is very little that can be achieved in the way of good storytelling.
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Zookeeper
Samuel Register is just one variation of the Zookeeper character, but probably the most notable. Always researching the Sakutia virus, Zookeeper’s infatuation with animals led to self-experimentation and thus Beast Boy-esque powers of transformation. A copycat once more, Geoff Johns and Tom Grummett first came up with the character in 2004 as part of Teen Titans #13.
He might be a lover of nature, but this DC comics character shouldn’t be idolized. In a bizarre turn of events, Zookeeper even manages to weaponize some animal allies, taking an army into a battle that has to be seen to be believed. DC’s roster hosts a fair few odd ideas, but Zookeeper really feels of his era. The 2000s character might have one of the worst gimmicks in comics.
Karnevil
Jeremy Karne, once again, began with a name that is pretty derivative of the moniker he’d take on. Of course, Karnevil as a title is pretty bad by itself. But as the nemesis to Detective Chimp, it’s no surprise that Karnevil is one of the worst characters from the ’00s. He was imagined by Bill Willingham in Shadowpact #1 which was released in 2006.
Strangely featuring an incredibly dark DC storyline, Karnevil was literally sent to hell but was so sadistic that they couldn’t handle him. The kid isn’t a believable threat, yet his violent tendencies have demonstrated he is a cold-blooded killer. No matter how much bloodshed Jeremy is responsible for, it’s always difficult to take him seriously, especially after being bested by a monkey.
