#ComicBytes: Five smartest villains in the DC Universe
What's the story
The DC Universe is peppered with incredibly smart minds on both sides of the line. There are genius crime-fighters like Batman, who rely on the tactical planning to win situations. On the other side, there are shrewd master planners like Lex Luthor who devise elaborate schemes for world domination. Here we take a look at some of the smartest supervillains in the DC Universe.
The Riddler
Check out the big brain on Ed
Edward Nygma, better known as Riddler, first appeared in Batman comics in 1948. One of Batman's smartest villains, his fondness for elaborate puzzles and traps shows his genius level intellect. He constantly keeps challenging Batman's brains to prove himself better. In issues like 'Hush', we see the ruthless planning of Nygma shine through as he thoroughly outwits Batman for the most part.
Darkseid
The genius god of Apokolips
Darkseid, the DC equivalent of Thanos, is naturally smarter than the average human being. As a New God, he is blessed with super intelligence, which he uses to plan universe-destroying schemes with ruthless precision. He created advanced technology which allowed him to manipulate mass. But his crowning achievement would be cracking the anti-life equation, which gave him the power to wipe out free will.
Ozymandias
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair
Ozymandias, 'the smartest man in the world', appeared in Alan Moore's critically acclaimed 'Watchmen'. He is a brilliant strategist with a photographic memory. His ruthless plan included killing millions to unite earth's population, ensuring world peace. He even made sure that his master scheme was not revealed to his former team-mates until it was underway and too late to stop.
Lex Luthor
The man who can beat a God
Lex Luthor is Superman's primary villain and the owner of LexCorp. He invented various cutting-edge technologies and is supposed to have mastered all sciences. Someone who even the Batman grudgingly respects, Lex is a master manipulator and inventor. The powered suit that he uses to fight Superman gives him physical invulnerability. He is, justly, considered to be the smartest man in the DC Universe.
Brainiac
The test of mind over matter
Surprisingly, quite a few Superman's villains are geniuses, and Brainiac is no exception. He has the ability to shrink entire cities and kidnap them like he did with Kandor, a Kryptonian city. Gifted with a level 12 intellect, Brainiac has infinite calculation ability, mastery of physics, engineering and alien technology. He can also absorb knowledge from other beings, or transfer his consciousness into them.