The many monsters of DC are not always evil, but they are always forces of danger and destruction. In their battles with DC's heroes, sometimes just by existing, they are a danger to the planet and the universe and must be faced and stopped, if even possible.

The monsters, demons, forces, and man-made creatures are all immense, superhuman, incredibly powerful, and all pose a threat to human existence. Some of these monsters are capable of destroying the planet on their own, and others could easily take out galaxies or universes if they desired.

UPDATE: 2022/10/30 22:19 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

The Marvel CInematic Universe opened the doors for its world of monsters with the Disney+ Halloween special Werewolf by Night. This introduced both Jack Russell's Werewolf by Night hero to the MCU but also Man-Thing. DC fans might recognize Man-Thing because he bears a very strong similarity to a DC monster in the Swamp Thing. Both characters entered the world around the same time, and while they have different power sets, both remain iconic comic book monsters in a world mostly populated by heroes and villains. They are not alone either, as both Marvel and DC have a huge selection of monsters, some fighting the good fight and others pure evil.

15 Trench Monsters

Fans of the DC Extended Universe got a chance to see the Trench monsters in action in Aquaman. These were the creatures that Aquaman had to fight and swim through when he went to retrieve the trident and save his mother. James Wan was even going to make a DCEU horror movie about the creatures before Warner Bros. canceled the production.

In the comics, the Trench monsters were more dangerous. In the movie, they attacked Aquaman when he entered their territory but in the comics, they attacked boats and came toward land. These horrific creatures now not only have immense strength, but they can also spit a chemical that paralyzes a victim and have razor-sharp teeth and needle-point nails to puncture and kill their prey.

14 Solomon Grundy

Solomon Grundy was clearly inspired by the famous monster from Frankenstein. While not created with various body parts, Solomon Grundy was a man from the 19th Century, killed and thrown into Slaughter Swamp. Decades later, he rose from the swamp as a monster, his body partially composed of swamp material.

Other villains easily manipulated Solomon Grundy for their own evil uses, but mostly, he just wanted to be left alone. More than once, he proved to be more than a handful for Batman. However, Batman recognized the torture and pain within the monster, and would often help Grundy return to the swamp to live in peace rather than bluntly battle to hurt the creature.

13 Gorilla Grodd

Gorilla Grodd is one of the smartest monsters in DC Comics. He is the son of the former King of Gorilla City, and the current ruler of this land. He is also a powerful telepath and is mostly an enemy of Flash. The reason for this is that Grodd wants to steal the Speed Force from Flash.

Grodd is a dangerous monster because of his high intelligence and cunning. He also has superhuman strength, stamina, and speed. On top of his telepathy, he has telekinesis. Finally, he has the power to absorb the energy and memories of anyone that he kills, meaning the more victims, the most powerful and knowledgeable he becomes.

12 Etrigan

Etrigan is a scary monster, but the good news is that he is mostly a hero. Also known as The Demon, Etrigan is a rhyming demon who worked in the service of Lucifer himself. However, he ended up bonded to a man named Jason Blood and became a hero.

As a demon, he almost has unlimited powers, including accelerated healing, immortality, durability, and magical abilities. He can blast Hellfire from his hands, which can incinerate almost any enemy, and can also use the powers of telekinesis and aerokinesis. However, there are limits, as the longer he is in control of his body on Earth, the weaker he becomes.

11 Swamp Thing

Man-Thing and Swamp Thing entered the world around the same time, and there are many accusations that Marvel or DC stole the other's idea. However, both ended up as iconic characters, with Swamp Thing arguably the more popular. He is also one of DC Comics' most powerful creatures.

Swamp Thing used to be a human named Alec Holland, but after his murder, he rose as the monster the world knows him as today. He is also pretty much all-powerful, and the good thing for Earth is that his only care is protecting the Green. He is immortal and has self-sustenance and superhuman strength, all of which he pulls from the plants around him.

10 Titano

Titano, the Super-Ape was the scourge of Superman in the Silver Age, but he's also a giant ape of immense strength, and anger that fuels that strength. Originally a small ape that was sent into space as a test to see if a human could survive a similar trip, Titano was affected by cosmic rays and changed upon returning to earth.

On earth, he grew to gigantic size and strength with the ability to shoot Kryptonite rays from his eyes, becoming a danger to the planet and Superman in particular. As a man-made creature, Titano is not part of Gorilla City or Gorilla Grodd's universe. Lately, with the continuity reboots and changes, Titano has changed as well, at times being a slightly larger gorilla and at other times a robot shooting Kryptonite rays.

9 Starro

Starro, the gigantic, alien 'starfish' doesn't look like much of a menace beyond his huge size, but it is a destructive force, taking on the entire Justice League more than once. He has the powers of telepathy, mind control, and the ability to regenerate himself and grow to an immense size.

He was the first villain fought by the Justice League and has turned up several times to fight them again, using his organic star-drones to attach themselves to their victim's faces and control their bodies. He recently made a cinematic debut in James Gunn's Suicide Squad where he proved to be one of the best characters.

8 Chemo

Chemo is a being made up completely of toxic chemicals contained by their suit. He is a walking toxic soup, with the ability to spew his deadly chemicals at will. He has superhuman strength and can also emit radiation, using both of these to melt through objects at will or to kill. He also has the ability to reform himself if his suit is damaged, making stopping him difficult.

Chemo seems to be nearly mindless and has minimal intelligence, functioning mostly on instinct or rage. His only plan is destruction, and he accomplishes that with every step.

7 Karaqan

Also known as Kraken, this monster is sometimes portrayed as a protector and at other times as a nearly unstoppable force of destruction. At times, he's protecting Atlantis, at others he's threatening to destroy it and any number of towns and cities along the coastlines.

The Karaqan is a leviathan by nature, and able to survive both in water and on dry land, has a near-impenetrable, armored exoskeleton, immense strength, and can destroy vessels or a seaside town easily.

6 Sun-Eaters

The sun-eaters are weapons, artificial beings created to be used against another solar system. They are not good, they are not evil; they exist to eat the energy of suns so that is what they do, and then they go on to the next solar system and the next sun. They may be mindless, but their actions are capable of nearly limitless destruction.

It might be that some sun-eaters have gained existence as sentient beings and are capable of thought and are able to control their actions. This has not yet been completely settled.