What These DCEU Villains Look Like Out Of Costume

There's a lot more to taking over the universe than wearing a big, shiny suit of computer-generated armor. Though we're not going to lie, the big, shiny suit of computer-generated armor certainly helps. Plus, there's the fact that heroes are rarely style icons — that's a villain's job. These bad guys look good. 

Indeed, there's a lot to love about cinematic supervillains' over-the-top looks. But under all that CGI, fake hair, and pancake makeup, it can be tricky to appreciate the actor underneath. That's a real shame, as villainous roles tend to draw more flexible performances. When it comes to the bad guys, there are fewer heroic pretty boys and more rough-and-tumble character actors, willing to go big with memorably over-the-top performances.

The DCEU has no shortage of villains sporting dramatic looks. But what do the actors who sport the armor, space suits, and occult headdresses look like beneath all that costuming? We're here to answer that question. From supermodels to indie darlings to seasoned character actors, these are the performers who bring the darker ilk of the DCEU to life.

Technically, there are a bunch of villains in 2016's Suicide Squad ... a whole squad of them, in fact. But Enchantress, the ancient inter-dimensional entity possessing the body of unassuming archeologist June Moone, is the film's biggest baddie. Delevingne's feral, gyrating, mud-soaked portrayal marks the first live-action incarnation of the character.

While Delevingne assumes an American accent as Dr. Moone, she uses her natural English accent as Enchantress. Born to an upper class family, Delevingne was raised in London. She eventually dropped out of school to follow in her older sister Poppy's footsteps and pursue modeling. Indeed, modelling was always in the cards, as Delevingne scored her first gig at the age of 10 for Vogue Italia. Delevingne hit her runway stride in 2012 when she walked at New York Fashion Week, where her distinct bushy brows and flirty smirk set her apart from her peers.

But acting was always part of Delevingne's long-term plan. She made her big screen debut in 2012's Anna Karenina. Three years later, she earned the starring role of enigmatic Margo in 2015's Paper Towns, a coming-of-age dramedy based on John Green's book of the same name. Since Suicide Squad, Delevingne co-starred alongside Dane DeHaan in Luc Besson's ambitious 2017 sci-fi flick Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and appeared in 2018's critically well-received Her Smell. Delevingne has also opened up about being pansexual in an interview with Variety.

Michael Shannon's casting as General Zod in 2013's Man of Steel may just be one of the most inspired casting decisions in the DCEU. Shannon, who was tasked with filling the iconic boots of Terence Stamp's original take on the Kryptonian war criminal, swapped sinister cool for his trademark intensity. What results is truly impressive — we'd kneel before Shannon's Zod any day.

Raised in Kentucky and Chicago, Shannon dropped out of high school and began attending auditions, eventually becoming a regular fixture of the Chicago theater scene. In a 2013 profile, Shannon's wife Kate Arrington told the Chicago Tribune that "[Shannon] once told me being onstage was the only place where he could be as angry as he felt and it was still acceptable." 

Indeed, Shannon has become a reliable player when it comes to unsettling, pained, and menacing characters. Shannon has portrayed paranoiacs (Take Shelter), sinister puritans (Boardwalk Empire), and imposing lawmen (The Shape of Water). With his furrowed brow and gravelly tone, Shannon makes for a compelling villain — his unnerving performances never fail to get under your skin.

Lex Luthor might not be buried under piles of make-up or bulky CGI muscles, but you should never underestimate the transformative power of hair. Just ask anyone with bangs. Now, does Jesse Eisenberg's take on Luthor feature one of the worst hairstyles in the DCEU? Maybe. But thankfully, on his off days, Eisenberg sports an endearing curly mop, rather than Luthor's 'do, which looks like it was assembled out of the hair clippings of local surfers. 

Serving as a primary antagonist of Batman v Superman, Eisenberg's eccentric, giddy take on the Man of Steel's archenemy has been divisive, to put it mildly: Many fans bemoan his departure from more mature takes on the diabolical mastermind. But, like it or not, one thing is indisputable — Eisenberg certainly turned in a memorable (if bananas) performance.

Born in New York City, Eisenberg attended a performing arts high school. He co-starred in the 2002 indie film Roger Dodger in his senior year, marking his first foray onto the big screen. After starring in Noah Baumbach's well-reviewed 2005 indie drama The Squid and the Whale, Eisenberg became a household name in 2009 with his role in Zombieland as a rule-obsessed survivor in an undead apocalypse. In a filmography full of sympathetic neurotics, the straightest line to "morally corrupt rich guy" is Eisenberg's Oscar-nominated performance as Mark Zuckerberg in 2010's The Social Network. Though not even Lex Luthor could be so evil as to invent Facebook.

Depending on which version of Justice League you watched, Steppenwolf either looked like a somewhat generic metal giant or a very, very spiky behemoth with a (surprisingly adorable) squished face.

Buried deep under all that chrome-colored CGI is versatile Northern Irish actor Ciarán Hinds. Trained as an Irish dancer, Hinds originally studied law before pursuing acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. With a commanding presence and large, expressive eyes, Hinds has appeared in everything from critical darlings like In Bruges and Martin Scorsese's Silence to entries in big franchises like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. Readers may be familiar with Hinds' various appearances in historically-set miniseries, including HBO's Rome and AMC's The Terror. Hinds also appeared as the honorable (if intimidating) Mance Rayder, leader of the Free Folk on the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Zack Snyder's love for 1981's Excalibur, which happened to be Hinds' theatrical debut, is no secret. Even Hinds suspects his involvement in the sword and sorcery classic played a part in him landing the role of Steppenwolf: "Maybe that's how I got the role [in Justice League]! Who knows?," Hinds speculated to The Independent.

Hiding behind the gnarly scar and stylish leather duds of Shazam! baddie Dr. Sivana is classically-trained English actor Mark Strong. Born in London to an Austrian mother and an Italian father, Strong is an old hand at portraying stone-faced, cold-hearted villains.  His prior showings include Kick-Ass' crime boss Frank D'Amico, the Kingsman franchise's Merlin, and long-time Green Lantern nemesis Sinestro, who never truly got a fair shake at villainy as a sequel to the infamous 2011 flop never materialized.

Strong's background in Shakespeare came in handy when it came to instilling Sivana with a sense of gravitas. "There is a dignity and a presence to a comic book villain like Sivana that is a direct descendent ... of some of the villains that I was used to playing on stage as a young man," Strong explained to AMNY.

As for Sivana's evil look, speaking to Syfy Wire, Strong explained that his goal was to manifest evil incarnate: "So, he's chosen something long, a sort of Nazi-like, long leather coat with a fur collar and a pair of dark sunglasses. I suppose as he gets that evil power, this is how he chooses to manifest himself in the way that he looks."

From the campy jaunt of Jack Nicholson to the compelling chaos of Heath Ledger, the Joker has seen his fair share of incarnations on the big screen. But until Suicide Squad, none of them had a face tattoo that reads "damaged". This guy's a little twisted! Doesn't he know we live in a society?

Hiding under the lime-green hair dye and clown-white foundation is none other than Jared Leto, former Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman-turned-actor. Whatever your thoughts may be on Leto's portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime, the fact remains that anyone who brings a model of their own severed head to the Met Gala is probably on the Joker's level.

Leto has been a fan of method acting since his 1997 performance in the Olympic biopic Prefontaine. This approach proved somewhat troubling during the production of Suicide Squad, when Leto's in-character pranks included, among other horrors, sending the cast a dead hog. Leto's intensity can be seen in much of his film career, from the grating yuppie gait of American Psycho's Paul Allen to his shocking turn as a heroin addict in Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream. He also appeared in a film called Fight Club as a dinged-up pretty boy, but we've been told we're not supposed to talk about that.