Throughout its five seasons and counting, Supergirl has faced many a worthy opponent. But she’s also gone up against a few duds. Some villains did not live up to their hype while others blew the fans away. Whether as Kara Danvers or as Supergirl though, the titular heroine has overcome every foe.
Supergirl created storylines using some villains from the heroine’s more famous cousin, Superman. But that didn’t mean she didn’t hold her own against them. No matter the villain, Supergirl prevailed. Here are five of the best villains on the show, and five of the worst.
BEST: Astra
Kara’s aunt Astra, the twin sister of her mother Alura, landed on Earth when Fort Rozz crashed on the planet. She was originally imprisoned for crimes against the government in her radical attempt to change their ways of using Krypton’s resources. When she crash-landed on Earth, Astra found history repeating itself.
Kara was faced with her past and a choice: choose her adopted sister Alex or her blood relative, Astra? Astra created the perfect opportunity for Supergirl to make the hard decision that is asked of all superheroes.
WORST: Mr. Mxyzptlk
The trickster god Mxy interrupted Kara and Mon-El right as they were about to share their first kiss. He confessed his love for the heroine, who gently turned him down. But he continued to cause trouble, interfering when she stopped some thieves she then had to save from the god’s dangerous tricks.
When Mxy donned his version of the Superman suit during the invasion of Parasite, it was the last straw. Mxy’s antics made him more of a nuisance than a villain.
BEST: Agent Liberty and the Children of Liberty
Ben Lockwood, a former history professor turned radical, took on the mantle of Agent Liberty to call his fellow humans to arms. The Children of Liberty preached a doctrine of humans first in retaliation for the Alien Amnesty Act. The whole storyline is a not-so-thinly-veiled narrative that mirrors today’s society.
This is what makes Agent Liberty and his cronies so terrifying. The idea of the average man gaining enough social power to bring violence to the world is not science fiction. He’s only made worse when he gains superpowers.
WORST: Maxwell Lord
The CEO of Lord Technologies was Supergirl‘s obnoxious and worse version of Tony Stark. After losing his parents in a lab accident that was supposed to be monitored by government resources, he grew to hate and distrust the government. But that hatred made him blind and transferred over to Supergirl, as she worked with the D.E.O.
He created a copy of the heroine, Bizarro, in an attempt to kill her. Of course, he failed, underestimating just how strong Kara Danvers was. He also underestimated Alex Danvers when he threatened to reveal her sister’s secret.
BEST: Red Daughter
An exact copy of Supergirl created from Kara’s use of Harun-El, Red Daughter fell directly into Lex Luthor’s lap. Red Daughter’s compassion and instinct to protect were twisted by Lex and the Kaznian government, revealing what could have been Kara’s fate if she’d landed in the wrong place and time.
Red Daughter was a complex villain, as she mirrored Kara’s life but wanted to kill her on Lex’s behalf. When the Luthor brother betrayed her, she changed her alliance and helped Kara save the aliens by sacrificing her life.
WORST: Silver Banshee
The alter ego of Siobhan Smythe had a first-rate costume and amazing superpowers. The Silver Banshee had the potential to be a really cool villain. But her civilian side Siobhan just made her a petty mean girl. Her constant attempts to undermine Kara as Grant’s assistant turned fans against her quickly.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Siobhan started a romantic relationship with Winn Schott, Kara’s best friend, much to the heroine’s dismay. It wasn’t until Winn discovered Siobhan’s sabotage and ended their relationship that the better villain Silver Banshee came out.
BEST: Lex Luthor
Lex is infamously known as Superman’s archnemesis, so bringing him into Supergirl was a risky move. But the connection with Lena Luthor made the transition smooth. Lex entered the scene and manipulated his sister perfectly to get what he always wanted: superpowers.
Always the master chess player, he used Red Daughter and Kaznia to create a threat that only he could stop, making him the hero he always thought he was. John Cryer’s mad performance of Lex was right on target, all the way to the bitter end.
WORST: Queen Rhea
Talk about nightmare in-laws. Queen Rhea, mother of Mon-El and co-ruler of Daxam came to earth with her husband Lar Gand to retrieve their lost son. Upon seeing he had fallen in love with a Kryptonian, their planet’s sworn enemies, she didn’t take it well.
Rhea feigned friendship with Lena to manipulate the scientist into creating a portal to bring the Daxamites to Earth to conquer. She was even willing to kill her own husband to see that her son would rule the Daxamites without a Kryptonian by his side.
BEST: Reign
Reign’s story started similar to Kara’s, as she was sent to Earth in a pod and crash-landed with a woman that took her in. But she lived as Samantha Arias and forgot her true identity as the Worldkiller until the Children of Juru awakened her.
Together with her sisters Purity and Pestilence, Reign was meant to bring about an apocalypse. The true villainy of Reign was the personality’s ability to take over a kind individual as the darkness inside grew. It’s a fascinating take on the debate of nature versus nurture.
WORST: Eve Teschmacher
The seemingly ditzy Eve Teschmacher turned out to be a secret genius. Once Lena found out about her assistant’s true capabilities, she promoted her to her lab assistant. But as it turned out, Eve was working for Lex the whole time. She was in love with the psychopath and willing to do anything for him.
If her villain storyline had ended there, Eve’s betrayal would have had a greater impact. But in the season four finale Eve is seen in disguise at a bus stop, running from another enemy that made her do it all.
