History ArchEnemy / TheDCU

* ComicBook/{{Superman}} has ComicBook/LexLuthor, ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, [[Characters/SupermanGeneralZod General Zof]], and [[Characters/SupermanDoomsdayCharacter Doomsday]]. The Ultra-Humanite was Superman's first Arch Enemy, though he has since been surpassed by the aforementioned foes.

* ComicBook/WonderWoman's is generally Cheetah or Circe, depending on who's writing. Ares gets in on the act too. He was, after all, her original [[MediaNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] arch enemy, and is the biggest bad in her rogues gallery. As of Flashpoint Hera may be stepping into the role.

** ComicBook/TheJoker is Batman's Arch-Enemy. He's the One, he's the best. His insanity and chaotic nature are the complete opposite of Batman's rigidly, even obsessively ordered intelligence. Though these (intelligence and obsession) are also their similarities. Both were shaped by great tragedy and loss (at least in the Joker's most commonly accepted origin story). Many people have said that Batman is just as insane as The Joker, he just manifests it in a [[CrazySane different]] and more positive way and keeps control over it. The Joker himself has pointed this out numerous times and in many adaptations.

*** ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'' plays this for laughs: the Joker calls himself Batman's ArchEnemy, the Dark Knight disagrees, and Joker [[EvilIsPetty spends the rest of the movie trying to prove Batman wrong]]. Batman ultimately is forced to admit Joker's status so both can save Gotham.

** [[ComicBook/RasAlGhul Rā's al Ghūl]] has a great deal of respect for Batman, may be even more dangerous, and a far larger scale threat, than the Joker, and is the father of one of Bruce's main love interests and his son's grandfather. Ra's is definitely the main BigBad of Batman's enemies.
** ComicBook/TwoFace: Batman sees him, with good cause, as [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]] as [[EvilFormerFriend they were friends once]] before Harvey's disfigurement, a point that Two-Face enjoys rubbing in. Every single one of the Robins has also had a reason to put them high on their hit lists, as he beat [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] within an inch of his life on one of his first outings as Robin (handing him his first defeat in the process), orchestrated the murders of Jason Todd's parents, and in "A Lonely Place of Dying" nearly killed [[ComicBook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]] in one of his earliest solo missions as Robin, with Dick having to save him. While the individual Robins have their own enemies, Two-Face is easily the archenemy of the collective Robin identity.
** As far as honorable mentions go, ComicBook/{{Bane}}, ComicBook/TheScarecrow and ComicBook/TheRiddler also deserve mention. All three are highly effective [[ShadowArchetype Shadow Archetypes]] of Batman, who have pushed him through some severe trials. While they are overshadowed as Archenemy material by the above three (apart from Bane [[spoiler:murdering Alfred Pennyworth, the man who raised Bruce after his parents' death]]), [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises some]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries adaptations]] [[Series/Batman1966 have]] played up their mutual hostility with Batman and standing in his Rogues gallery.

* ''ComicBook/TheWarlordDC'': Morgan has the evil sorcerer Deimos.

** Aquaman's Arch Enemy spot is shared between [[CainAndAbel his brother]] Orm, aka Ocean Master, and Black Manta. Depending on continuity the reasons behind Arthur and Orm's rivalry differs. But it usually revolves around the two brothers fighting over who is more fit to lead Atlantis. With Black Manta, their relationship is just full of mutual hatred, especially since Manta has [[WouldHurtAChild killed Aquaman's baby son]] and [[YouKilledMyFather father]], and Aquaman has indirectly caused the death of Manta's father.

* In the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse, ComicBook/LexLuthor is still ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s primary enemy, but {{ComicBook/Darkseid}} and [[OmnicidalManiac Brainiac]] [[EvilerThanThou surpass]] him whenever they show up.

** The Joker and Batman in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', its sequels, and ''Justice League''. Unlike the contemporary comics, where their battle is more or less [[ComicBookTime destined to go on forever]] (or at least until the next ContinuityReboot), the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse actually gets to show their rivalry from its early beginnings all the way to the inevitable, brutal final battle. The notion of an archenemy is also deconstructed; whereas Joker early on seems to hold Batman in high regard as a genuine WorthyOpponent, by the time of their final battle he openly admits to have grown utterly tired of their "game". Bruce himself also has no delusions about what kind of person Joker really was, and tells his successor as much decades after Joker's death.

** Blight to Terry [=McGinnis=] in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. Blight is the supervillain alter ego of [[BigBad Derek Powers]], a CorruptCorporateExecutive who took over Wayne Enterprises and had Terry's father murdered, therefore motivating him to take up Bruce Wayne's mantle and [[CreateYourOwnHero become Powers' greatest enemy]].

** Slade to Robin.
** Brother Blood to Cyborg.
** Blackfire to Starfire.
** Trigon to Raven.
** Terra to Beast Boy (because she was his PsychoExGirlfriend).

** In UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|of Comic Books}} comics, Jay Garrick (Flash I) had the Thinker, who appeared more often than any other villain. The two would eventually become friends in old age, but by that point, Edward Clariss AKA The Rival, Jay's own Reverse-Flash, had been introduced. The ComicBook/InfiniteFrontier-era storyline ''ComicBook/JayGarrickTheFlash'' would introduce a new archenemy for him in Doctor Elemental, a MadScientist who is revealed to be [[spoiler:Professor Hughes, Jay's academic advisor [[CreateYourOwnHero responsible]] for giving him his powers]].
** Barry Allen (Flash II) has had a few. In UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}, it was [[Characters/TheFlashRoguesGallery Gorilla Grodd]], who was the one exception in his roster of HarmlessVillain antagonists. In UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}}, it was Eobard Thawne AKA the Reverse-Flash and his repeated attempts to outright steal his foe's life, and who eventually killed his wife. In UsefulNotes/{{the Modern Age|of Comic Books}}, after Barry's return, Geoff Johns had promoted Captain Cold to leader of the rogues -- in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}} it was usually the original Mirror Master or an outside villain in this role -- and brought the Rogues back into prominence. Cold specifically considers Barry to be his Flash nemesis (he's fought all four of them, and in the Modern Age mostly Wally). Later on, it was cemented that Thawne was Barry's archnemesis because he killed Barry's mother and is the most dangerous of Barry's foes.

* ComicBook/HawkAndDove had Kestrel in UsefulNotes/{{the Modern Age|of Comic Books}}, and Condor and Swan in the ComicBook/New52.

*** Kal-L, UsefulNotes/{{the Golden Age|of Comic Books}} Superman, has Alexei Luthor, Lex's Eastern European Earth-2 counterpart.

* ComicBook/WonderWoman's is generally Cheetah or Circe, depending on who's writing. Ares gets in on the act too. He was, after all, her original [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] arch enemy, and is the biggest bad in her rogues gallery. As of Flashpoint Hera may be stepping into the role.

** As far as honorable mentions go, ComicBook/{{Bane}}, ComicBook/TheScarecrow and ComicBook/TheRiddler also deserve mention. All three are highly effective [[ShadowArchetype Shadow Archetypes]] of Batman, who have pushed him through some severe trials. While they are overshadowed as Archenemy material by the above three (apart from Bane [[spoiler:murdering Alfred Pennyworth, the man who raised Bruce after his parents' death]], [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises some]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries adaptations]] [[Series/Batman1966 have]] played up their mutual hostility with Batman and standing in his Rogues gallery.

** ComicBook/TwoFace: Batman sees him, with good cause, as [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]] as [[EvilFormerFriend they were friends once]] before Harvey's disfigurement, a point that Two-Face enjoys rubbing in. Every single one of the Robins has also had a reason to put them high on their hit lists. He also beat [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] within an inch of his life on one of his first outings as Robin (handing him his first defeat in the process), orchestrated the murders of Jason Todd's parents, and in "A Lonely Place of Dying" nearly killed [[Comicbook/Robin1993 Tim Drake]] in one of his earliest solo missions as Robin, with Dick having to save him. While the individual Robins have their own enemies, Two-Face is easily the archenemy of the collective Robin identity.
** As far as honorable mentions go, ComicBook/{{Bane}}, ComicBook/TheScarecrow, and ComicBook/TheRiddler also deserve a mention. All three are highly effective [[ShadowArchetype Shadow Archetypes]] of Batman who have pushed him through some severe trials. While they are overshadowed as Archenemy material by the above three, [[Film/TheDarkKnightRises some]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries adaptations]] [[Series/Batman1966 have]] played up their mutual hostility with Batman and standing in his Rogues gallery.