DC Comics’ villains are some of the most famous in all of pop culture. From Lex Luthor to the Joker and everyone in between, DC's villains are every bit as iconic as their do-gooding counterparts - and some of them have already made waves by aligning more with the heroes in major anti-heroic turns.

Not all villains remain villainous forever, and DC has a notable habit of turning fan-favorite villains into morally-gray antiheroes. And though the creators at DC have already set a handful of their most iconic villains on the path to redemption in recent years, there are still plenty of criminal characters capable of becoming DC Comics' greatest antiheroes.

10 Potential Anti-Hero: Soranik Natu

First Appearance: Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1 by Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, Patrick Gleason, Christian Alamy, Prentis Rollins, Moose Baumann, and Phil Balsman

One of the most beloved Green Lanterns to the Corps following Hal Jordan’s rebirth, Soranik Natu is one DC villain who’s hardly gotten the chance to do anything villainous – and she should be redeemed before it’s too late. The long-lost daughter of Sinestro, Soranik eventually followed in her father’s footsteps to take over leadership of the Sinestro Corps, allying them with her former fellow Green Lanterns to be a force for good in the universe.

The partnership was terminated and Soranik fully corrupted to the dark side after a perceived betrayal from her old lover, Kyle Rayner, but fans haven’t heard from her since 2017's Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #25 by Robert Venditti and Ethan Van Sciver. Such a seismic shift fundamentally pivoted a beloved hero into a seemingly sinister villain with practically no exploration, and it’s time to revive the character and fully flesh out her current moral status quo.

9 Confirmed Anti-Hero: Black Manta

First Appearance: Aquaman #35 by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy

Black Manta is notorious for being one of the most single-minded haters in all of DC lore, but recent years have seen Aquaman’s greatest foe become an erstwhile ally. His self-titled miniseries by Chuck Brown and Valentine De Landro set him on a path to redemption when he prevented a former henchman from committing genocide against the people of Atlantis, giving David Hyde the chance to acknowledge that he’d wasted his life on hate.

Aquamen by Brown, Brandon Thomas, and Sam Basri continued this growth, essentially turning Manta into a member of Aquaman’s extended family, especially seeing as he's Jackson Hyde's biological father. While this newfound dynamic hasn’t been fully explored since Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths reset some of DC's status quo, it’s clear that Manta is no longer the hater he once was and could well become a real hero.

8 Potential Anti-Hero: Prankster

First Appearance: Action Comics #51 by Jerry Siegel and John Sikela

As one of Superman’s more off-kilter opponents, Oswald Loomis, also known as the Prankster, has the opportunity to pull the ultimate prank on Superman by at least occasionally using his comedic abilities for the greater good. A former television host, Loomis launched a dangerous prank campaign against Metropolis following the cancelation of his children’s program, and he remained a perennial thorn in Superman’s side for years to come.

The New 52 re-envisioned Loomis as a Nightwing enemy, turning him into a misguided and vengeful vigilante terrorist seeking revenge against the corrupt officials who murdered his father. While more brutal than his previous incarnation, the motivations of the New 52 Prankster hold true in that Loomis has the potential for moral reform. There’s no doubt that his vision of crime-fighting would still annoy Superman to no end.

7 Confirmed Anti-Hero: Cheetah

First Appearance: Wonder Woman #7 by George Pérez, Len Wein, Bruce Patterson, Tatjana Wood, John Costanza, and L.S. Macintosh

Throughout her publication history, Barbara Ann Minerva has always been closely tied to Wonder Woman as her archfoe, occasional ally, and even potential love interest (in the eyes of some fans). These days, DC has been focusing especially intently on Cheetah’s potential as an ally, teaming her up with Diana and the extended Wonder Woman cast against the likes of Cale Industries, and, more recently, the vile Sovereign.

Cheetah is set to play a significant role in taking down Wonder Woman's most recent Big Bad, the Sovereign. Check out her re-introduction to Diana's world in Wonder Woman #10 by Tom King, Daniel Sampere, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, available now from DC Comics.

This development is a natural outgrowth of Minerva’s revised origin, which is tied into Diana’s own backstory as a part of the “Wonder Woman: Year One” storyline by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott. With the two characters entwined more closely than ever before, it’s only natural for a genuine fellowship to develop - despite all the times that Cheetah has tried to kill Diana.

6 Potential Anti-Hero: The General

First Appearance: Captain Atom #1 by Cary Bates, Pat Broderick, Bob Smith, Carl Gafford, and John Costanza

Wade Eiling has a long and complex history as one of DC’s most prominent military figures. He's been a major threat to the Justice League in his own right as the villainous General after transferring his mind into the android form of the indestructible Shaggy Man. Instantly elevated as one of the DCU's heaviest hitters, the General put the League through its paces both alone and with the reformed Injustice Gang before his eventual induction into the Suicide Squad.

Post-Flashpoint, Eiling resumed his status quo as a military figurehead once again opposing the likes of Captain Atom and the similarly nuclear-powered Firestorm. But should Eiling once again assume his General form, Eiling has real potential as more than a simple villain considering his oath to serve his country. Like many great villains and anti-heroes, Eiling has the right motivation, just not the right mindset.

5 Confirmed Anti-Hero: Manchester Black

First Appearance: Action Comics #775 by Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke, Lee Bermejo, Dexter Vines, Wayne Faucher, Wade Von Grawbadger, Tom Nguyen, José Marzan Jr., Jim Royal, Rob Schwager, Richard Horie, Tanya Horie, and Comicraft

Once one of Superman’s staunchest critics and opponents, the psychic criminal Manchester Black went from enemy to ally once he ed the Man of Steel’s new Authority formed to liberate Mongul’s Warworld. First introduced alongside the edgy Elite as a pastiche of the grim and gritty heroes popularized at the turn of the century, Black initially served as one of Clark’s greatest antitheses: a brutal vigilante unilaterally taking global geopolitics into his own hands.

Eventually steered somewhat straight by the Last Son of Krypton, Manchester was inducted into the Authority precisely for his history as Superman’s strongest critic. Ultimately, Black died at the hands of Superman’s greatest foe, Lex Luthor, but not before finally recognizing Superman’s status as a genuine hero. And seeing how nobody in comics truly stays dead, Manchester could become one of Clark’s strongest allies upon his eventual rebirth.

4 Potential Anti-Hero: Bane

First Appearance: Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 by Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan, Eduardo Barreto, Adrienne Roy, and Bill Oakley

The Man Who Broke the Bat, also known as Bane, may be one of Batman’s greatest foes, but he does have a life outside the Dark Knight. Aside from his unrelated machinations on Santa Prisca, Bane once fought alongside the likes of Deadshot, Catman, and Scandal Savage as a member of the Secret Six, a fan-favorite band of supervillain and antihero mercenaries that starred in their own self-titled series by Gail Simone, Nicola Scott, and Jim Calafiore.

During his time with the Secret Six, fans saw a softer side of Bane, an honorable warrior with a strong personal code beyond his hatred for the Caped Crusader. In the years since, Bane has reverted to his more villainous ways, but there’s no doubt that Secret Six fans would love to see an at least partially-reformed Bane fighting alongside his old allies once more.

3 Confirmed Anti-Hero: Poison Ivy

First Appearance: Batman #181 by Robert Kanigher, Seldon Moldoff, Joe Giella, Murphy Anderson, and Ira Schnapp

Poison Ivy has long been one of DC’s most widely recognizable villains, even to non-comics fans, so it’s no surprise that the publisher would choose to capitalize on such brand recognition. While her current ongoing series by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara initially started as a miniseries detailing her plot to eliminate all humanity to save nature, Ivy isn’t the same villain she once was, as she’s now a certified anti-hero.

Considering Ivy’s growth from floronic femme fatale to ecological freedom fighter, odds are that her anti-hero journey is only getting started.

Pivoting Pamela Isley to a more morally-ambiguous role over the last few years - alongside her paramour Harley Quinn - only makes sense. DC is capitalizing on decades of more sympathetic portrayals and shifting motivations, especially as Ivy's ecological mindset becomes more and more understandable. Considering Ivy’s growth from floronic femme fatale to ecological freedom fighter, odds are that her anti-hero journey is only getting started.

2 Potential Anti-Hero: Giganta

First Appearance: Wonder Woman #9 by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter

Doris Zuel has flirted with anti-heroism in the past, but any dalliance with do-gooding on the part of Giganta has been ironically short-lived. Though she’s long been a Wonder Woman foe, she’s not exactly one of Diana’s most bloodthirsty opponents, and she’s demonstrated a capacity for good in the past.

In the pre-Flashpoint continuity, Giganta even dated the Atom, Ryan Choi, with his brutal murder being one of the setbacks that turned her back towards a more clear-cut life of crime. Now that Ryan is back, there’s a real opportunity for DC to reunite one of their most iconic short kings with this larger-than-life villainess and give Doris the opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Giganta is quite literally Wonder Woman’s biggest opponent, but she doesn’t have to be.

1 Confirmed Anti-Hero: Sinestro

First Appearance: Green Lantern #7 by John Broome, Gil Kane, Joe Giella, and Gaspar Saladino

Long before he became the DC Universe’s ultimate master of fear, Thaal Sinestro was considered the greatest Green Lantern of all, and more than a few times in the last decade, the Green Lantern Corps’ most notable renegade has reminded fans exactly why that is. After all, despite decades of opposing the Corps, Sinestro found himself reing their ranks during the tail end of Geoff Johns’ iconic run on the Green Lantern title.

Sinestro eventually returned to his villainous roots, but the founder of the Fear Lanterns has found himself wearing a Green Lantern ring more than once in the intervening years – first during Dark Nights: Death Metal and more recently in the newly relaunched Green Lantern Corps ongoing series by Jeremy Adams, Morgan Hampton, and Fernando Pasarin. Whether Sinestro stays on the side of the angels for good this time is still up in the air, but there’s no denying that he's has gone from being one of the universe's most iconic crooks to being one of DC Comics’ most complex anti-heroes.