10 Best Supergirl Villains in DC Comics, Ranked

Supergirl has faced countless foes over the years, many of which are not hers. Born of the Silver Age, Supergirl has become one of DC’s most iconic yet misunderstood characters. Given that she mostly fights within the realm of Superman’s villains, it’s hard to nail down her top 10 adversaries.

Supergirl is interesting because she doesn’t have an archenemesis. While Superman has Lex Luthor and Batman has the Joker, Supergirl, unfortunately, doesn’t have a designated main enemy. However, that doesn’t mean that she hasn’t faced off with some pretty interesting characters over the years. There have been some bad ones, especially in the early days, but Kara Zor-El has stood the test of time and proven her strength against many serious threats. These are the top 10 Supergirl villains, from psychics to the destroyer of universes.

10 Blackstarr

First Appearance: Supergirl Vol 2 #4 (1983)

An often-forgotten villain of the 1980s, Blackstarr is an ultra-powerful, hyper-intelligent supervillain. Though her gravity-bending powers are her signature, it is her fanaticism and fascist rhetoric that she is known for. Don’t be fooled by the funky outfit – Blackstarr is a character full of hatred and megalomania.

A Holocaust survivor that would go on to adopt Nazi rhetoric, her backstory isn’t the most favorable or sensitive. A short-lived character of the ’80s, she has gone on to be considered one of DC’s more questionable choices for villains.

9 Psi

First Appearance: The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1 (1982)

Yet another product of the 80s, Psi, or Gayle Marsh, would go on to make various appearances in DC Comics, notably the Suicide Squad. Raised under cult-like conditions and brainwashed by her adoptive father to believe in something called “the Decay,” Psi would go on to fight Supergirl with her psionic powers, which include flight, psychokinesis, telepathy, telekinesis, and a slew of others.

She even bests Supergirl on their first encounter, trapping her in a telekinetic lock. Questioning her mission of ridding the world of the Decay, Psi is a complex villain worthy of reexploration.

8 Reign

First Appearance: Supergirl Vol 6 #5 (2012)

A humanoid biological weapon designed on Krypton but later outlawed, Reign is a Worldkiller. Genetically modified alien species, the Worldkillers are blood-thirsty and serve as threats to all that live. Zor-El would go on to regret their creation, and they were outlawed by the Kryptonian Science Council and destroyed shortly thereafter. However, five survived the destruction of Krypton, and with Reign as their leader, they would make their way to Earth. Reign’s goal is to find answers as to what she is and what purpose she serves.

Given that Earth houses Kryptonian survivors, she decided the correct answer to her queries was to conquer the planet. Supergirl, of course, takes Umbridge with this, culminating in a battle where Reign thought Supergirl would join her. When she is denied, she and the other Worldkillers try to take the Maid of Might down. It doesn’t work, and ultimately they are chased out of New York City, but Reign still stands as a solid Supergirl foe.

7 Emerald Empress

First Appearance: Adventure Comics #352 (1966)

The Emerald Empress is the product of the Eye of Ekron, which corrupts its wielders. The Eye of Ekron is an ancient, powerful artifact that gifts its user with immense powers, making the three women to harness the Eye of Ekron formidable. The Eye can be used for flight, energy manipulation, and superhuman stamina, making its user the perfect opponent for a Kryptonian. Three women have held the title of the Emerald Empress, one being a bullied teenage girl and the other a woman driven mad by the eye. Still, it is Sarya of Venegar who would become Supergirl’s enemy.

Sarya of Venegar commonly faces the Legion of Super-Heroes, but she has faced off with Supergirl in the early days of DC’s Rebirth. Assembling a team called the Fatal Five, the Emerald Empress faces off with the Girl of Steel to destroy her existence and the DEO. Sarya, who comes from the future, blames Supergirl for her father’s death. The two face off, and Supergirl pulls apart the Emerald Eye of Ekron, which causes the Emerald Empress to vanish. The Emerald Empress would return, but would not face off with Supergirl again.

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6 H’el

First Appearance: Supergirl Vol 6 #13 (2012)

When H’el approaches Supergirl and proposes the revival of Krypton, she takes him up on the tempting offer, though warily. H’el, a surviving Kryptonian clone, is sent to Earth to preserve Krypton’s legacy, history, and knowledge. The journey is rough, and H’el arrives later than Kara and Kal-El. Once on Earth, H’el begins to stalk the remaining Kryptonians, and decides that Kara is the ideal potential ally. Gifting her the ability to speak English, the two work together on H’el’s plan to build a sun-eating machine that will destroy Earth and bring back Krypton.

As expected, Supergirl isn’t too excited about the plan when she learns it will mean the end of Earth, and when faced with the decision between the two planets she loves, she ultimately picks Earth. The struggle between Kara and H’el shows a lot about Supergirl’s character. She’s flawed enough that she falls into an adversary’s trap, yet selfless enough to recognize when it’s time to start moving on from tragedy. H’el is an excellent villain to explore that characterization.

5 Satan Girl

First Appearance: Adventure Comics #313 (1963)

Satan Girl has gone through a variety of changes over the years, from being a colonial Satanic practitioner to a statue-bound demon. Satan Girl first appeared in the Silver Age, a product of Supergirl’s exposure to Red Kryptonite that created an evil counterpart called Satan Girl. In the modern age, Dolores Pratchet practices Satanic magic, and makes a deal with the demon Carnivore to save her daughter. Pulling Supergirl out of her timeline, the two would fight and Supergirl would escape death at the stake and set the timeline right, with Satan Girl crumbling into sand.

The character of Satan Girl would return under different circumstances. Now named S’tanicule Gyrstress, she is freed from a Brocian statue when Brainiac 5 blasts it. Spreading the Crimson Plague, she is soon sent back into the statue and trapped forever. Satan Girl is a cool concept that suffers from disorganized characterization. It would be intriguing to see the character concept brought back with an updated, more concrete backstory. The aesthetic is just so awesome to look at that it’s a shame she’s fallen to the wayside in the past few years.

4 Silver Banshee

First Appearance: Action Comics #595 (1987)

Starting as a Superman villain, Silver Banshee would go on to be both a foe and a friend to Supergirl. In the 1980s, Silver Banshee is a woman named Siobhan McDougal. A Gaelic woman peeved by her patriarchal family, she partakes in a solo ritual that sends her to the Netherworld, where the Crone sends her back as the Silver Banshee. Facing off with Superman and Supergirl respectfully, the Silver Banshee would go on to become a recurring character, leaving and returning to Metropolis on several occasions, seeking her father’s occult book as payment to the Crone for resurrecting her.

The New 52 does a complete overhaul of the character. Now named Siobhan Smythe, she quickly becomes friends with Supergirl, defending her against the National Guard. When Smythe’s estranged father, the Black Banshee, attacks the two friends at a café, Siobhan turns into the Silver Banshee. The new approach to her character is an improvement, turning the Banshee into a curse rather than a gift. By making Kara and Siobhan friends, it opens up a new dynamic that explores Supergirl’s social life and Siobhan’s capabilities.

3 Bizarro Supergirl

First Appearance: Superman #140 (1960)

Every person in the Superman lexicon needs a Bizarro equivalent, and Supergirl is no exception. Created by Bizarro 1 to defeat planet-eating monstrosities, Bizarro finds a kinship in his cousin and blasts her into space towards Earth, where she begins to cause chaos. When Supergirl returns her to her home world, Bizarro Girl is rejected as a traitor for not helping Bizzaro World defeat the now-attacking Godship. Scared, she escapes to Bizarro World’s version of the Fortress of Solitude, where Supergirl realizes they’re not so different after all.

The story of Supergirl and Bizarro Girl is about self-acceptance. Bizzaro Girl, instead of being Supergirl’s opposite like Bizarro is to Superman, is rather a reflection of Kara. Still reeling from the loss of New Krypton, Kara needs a character to reflect that sense of loss and disillusion. Bizarro Girl does that perfectly, giving enough whacko, Bizarro comedy while balancing her character with a serious tone and character exploration. Bizarro Supergirl is a fun character that is always welcome to make a return.

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2 Reactron

First Appearance: The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 (1983)

Reactron is so prevalent to Supergirl that she hallucinates him when she is exposed to Scarecrow’s fear toxin in Superman/Batman #77. Designed as Supergirl’s villain, Reactron has been a source of grief for the Maid of Might. His self-induced explosion destroys New Krypton and takes her mother Alura with it.

This follows Reactron’s murder of Zor-El, Supergirl’s father. The radioactive villain has proven himself to be one of Supergirl’s most impactful foes, sending her into a depressive spiral over the loss of New Krypton and her family. The tragedy of his actions towards Supergirl makes him one of her best-dedicated villains.

1 Anti-Monitor

First Appearance: Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 (1985)

The death of Supergirl in Crisis On Infinite Earths and the following retcon of her existence lives on as one of the most depressing moments in DC history. The image of Superman holding Kara Zor-El’s body on the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 is heart-wrenching, marking a sharp shift in DC’s image. No character is safe, and DC isn’t afraid to throw out those who have outlived their narrative purpose – or, in Kara’s case, get too convoluted. The Maid of Might would not return triumphantly until 2004, almost two decades after her death.

Readers have Anti-Monitor to thank for that. Standing as the only villain to kill Supergirl successfully, Anti-Monitor is without a doubt the most formidable enemy Supergirl has faced. A complex being of pure matter contained in a metal suit, Anti-Monitor is a universe-destroying monstrosity that borders on eldritch horror. The root of one of DC’s most iconic runs of all time, it’s a shame that Anti-Monitor hasn’t had a larger impact on the universe character-wise. He’s made very few appearances in modern comics, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Anti-Monitor has had his moment.

Supergirl

Supergirl is a popular DC character that made her debut in May 1959 in the pages of Action Comics #252. Many characters have taken on the mantle of Supergirl over the years, but the most popular iteration of the character is Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin. Supergirl has appeared in many comics, video games, movies, and TV shows over the years, most notably the 1984 Supergirl movie starring Helen Slater and The CW’s Supergirl show with Melissa Benoist. 

Alias

Kara Zor-El

Created By

John Byrne , Peter David , Wally Wood , Otto Binder , Gary Frank , Al Plastino