List of DC Comics characters: D

Dan the Dyna-Mite is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Danny Dunbar was the star pupil of Thomas N. Thomas, a high school chemistry and physical education teacher.^[1] The two are imbued with energy following an experiment gone awry, become superheroes, and participate in World War II.^[2][3][4] Following TNT's death, Dan learns to use his powers by himself.^[5][6][7][8]

In Dark Nights: Death Metal, Dan is revealed to have died some time prior before Batman resurrects him with a Black Lantern ring.^[9] In The New Golden Age, he is among the lost sidekicks who are brought to the present day.^[10]

Damien Darhk is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Damien Darhk is an elusive and dangerous criminal mastermind and enemy of the Teen Titans.^[11] He makes his first appearance in Titans #1 (March 1999).^[12] Claiming to be a major player in the American underworld and implying he has an army at his disposal, Darhk is shown to be well-established and well-connected and has remained untouchable by the FBI and the CIA.^[13]

He appears to have some connection to the crime syndicate H.I.V.E. and has access to unique high-tech equipment unknown to any organization. Darhk uses trickery and forgotten science to make his followers and the public believe he has magical powers, but is later proven to be a fraud.^[14]

Dark Arrow is an alias used by characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as a counterpart of Green Arrow and Red Arrow.

The Dark Flash is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a counterpart of the Flash.

Deathstorm is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi. He is a counterpart of Firestorm and enemy of Ronnie Raymond, Jason Rusch, and Martin Stein.

Deep Blue is a superhero in the DC Universe. The character was created by Peter David and Jim Calafiore, and first appeared in Aquaman (vol. 3) #23 (August 1996).^[47]

Within the context of the stories, Debbie Perkins is the daughter of Tsunami and grew up believing Neptune Perkins to be her father, while Rhombus believed her to be his daughter. As Deep Blue, she is among the heroes who respond to Aquaman's call to unite the undersea kingdoms.^[48] Over time, she begins to insist on being called Indigo and learns that Atlan claims to be her true father.

Devil Ray is a fictional character who was originally created for the TV series Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Michael Beach, before appearing in the main comics continuity.^[49] He first appears in Black Manta #1 (November 2021).

The Justice League Unlimited incarnation of Devil Ray was created because Black Manta and other Aquaman characters were unavailable.^[50] He appears as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society until he is accidentally killed by Deadman.

The comic book incarnation of Devil Ray is a human with Atlantean heritage and a former henchman of Black Manta and Human Flame. Having made the Trident of Oricalchum with help from Human Flame's henchmen, he went to Black Manta as he would wield it properly. When Devil Ray was unable to detonate the poison bombs around Atlantis, Black Manta confiscates the Trident of Orichalcum and sends Devil Ray on his way advising him not to go down the same path as him.^[51]

Dex-Starr is an abandoned stray blue domestic cat from Earth, adopted by a woman in Brooklyn who names him Dexter. After his owner is killed, Dexter's rage attracts a Red Lantern ring and inducts him into the Corps. He was described by Geoff Johns in an interview with Wizard as "the most sadistic and malicious" of the Red Lanterns. Originally intended as a joke by Shane Davis, he began being featured more prominently due to positive reception.^[52]

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Djuba is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Djuba is a mutated red gorilla who lives in a cave at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Mike Maxwell later encounters Djuba after his plane crashes on the mountain. After he defeats Djuba in battle, he gives him a mystic helmet.^[59]

In the Earth-1 universe, Professor Lewis Lang and his assistant Burt Belker discover a helmet in the Valley of Ur in Mesopotamia that is identical to the helmet on Earth-2 except for its blue color. This helmet contains a Lord of Chaos that possesses Burt and turns him into the sorcerer Doctor Chaos, whose costume is identical to Doctor Fate's except for a reversed color scheme. Superboy confronts Doctor Chaos and removes the helmet from Burt, jettisoning it into space.^[62]

A new version of Doctor Chaos appears in Justice League of America (2018) as an ally of the Lords of Chaos.^[63]

Doctor Leviticus is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

An unknown woman used the name of Doctor Leviticus to experiment on electrum which would later be used in the Talon experiments of her group the Court of Owls.^[64]

Doctor Moon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Dennis O'Neil and Irv Novick and first appearing in Batman #240 (March 1972).

Moon is a criminal neurosurgeon who sells his services to other villains that require his unethical skills of body modifications, psychological conditions, and torture. Throughout his appearances, he allies with the League of Assassins and various other villains before Manhunter kills him.^[66]

Doctor No-Face is a supervillain in the DC Universe.^[69]

The character, created by Dave Wood and Sheldon Moldoff, only appeared in Detective Comics #319 (September 1963).^[70]

Within the context of the stories, Bart Magan attempts to remove a facial scar using an experimental device. When the device erases all of his facial features instead, he takes the name "Doctor No-Face" and starts a short-lived crime spree in Gotham City.^[71]

Dr. Terrance Thirteen (sometimes Terrence) is a fictional character in comic books set in the DC Universe. The character's first published appearance is in Star Spangled Comics #122 (November 1951). This continued from issue #122–130 (November 1951–July 1952). The feature then moved to House of Mystery and was canceled after issue #7. The character was created by an unknown writer with artist Leonard Starr.

Doctor Trap (Lawrence Trapp) is a supervillain with a mechanical jaw and enemy of the Justice Experience, the Martian Manhunter, and Cameron Chase. Created by Dan Curtis Johnson and J. H. Williams III, he first appeared in Chase #3 (April 1998).

Doctor Tyme (Percival Sutter) is a supervillain in the DC Universe and enemy of the Doom Patrol. He wields a ray that enables him to manipulate and freeze time. Created by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani, he first appeared in Doom Patrol #92 (December 1964).

Debuting in Green Arrow and Black Canary #7 (June 2008), Dodger is a thief who deals in high-end merchandise. Operating from London, England, Dodger will steal or sell anything from information to advanced technology.

At one point he came into possession of what appeared to be an alien spacecraft. Recognizing that the vehicle's stealth capabilities made it a lucrative commodity, he began leasing the vessel to various underworld figures, including the League of Assassins. When the vessel in question was linked to an assassination attempt against Connor Hawke, Green Arrow, and Black Canary began investigating its activity. The trail led them to London where they (along with Mia "Speedy" Dearden) engaged in combat with Dodger at a local pub. Although Dodger proved to be an able-bodied physical combatant, "Team Arrow" subdued him and he told them about the League of Assassins.

When pressed for more information, Dodger was unwilling to cooperate, so the Green Arrow and the Black Canary dropped him from the belly of a cargo plane suspended by a bungee cord until he agreed to give them better intelligence. He took them to his secret lair and triangulated the last location of the stealth ship he had leased.

Green Arrow and Black Canary then persuaded him to accompany them on the search, which brought them to a castle in Leichestershire, England. They evaded several traps and finally discovered a cryogenics tube containing Plastic Man.

Dodger continued to work alongside "Team Arrow" and fought a team of metahumans who claimed to represent the League of Assassins. Dodger contributed little to the battle; however, he did manage to distract one of them long enough for Batman to subdue him. Dodger continued adventuring with the group, battled foes and completed the adventure along with the team.

After settling their business with the League of Assassins, Dodger accompanied "Team Arrow" back to the United States, where he struck up a romantic relationship with Mia Dearden. Mia has now left the States and traveled to London to continue this relationship.

Dominus is a fictional character and a DC Comics supervillain who first appeared in Action Comics #747. He appears primarily as an opponent of Superman.^[75]

Originally, Dominus was an alien priest named Tuoni, who served as one of the five custodians of his world's faith. During this time, he fell in love with his peer, Ahti. However, he was driven mad by jealousy when Ahti ascended past him and assumed the mantle of Kismet, Illuminator of All Realities.^[75]

Studying infernal forbidden magic in an attempt to gain the power to challenge his former lover and rob her of the power of Kismet, Tuoni's assault was reflected by Kismet's divine energies and his body was incinerated. Despite Tuoni's deceit, the omnibenevolent Kismet showed him mercy and shunted his shattered, still-living body into the Phantom Zone.^[75]

Within the Phantom Zone, Tuoni encountered a holographic projection of Superman's long-dead Kryptonian ancestor, Kem-L, who was able to use arcane Kryptonian science to rebuild the former holy man as a psionic cosmic phantasm known as "Dominus".^[76]

In this new all-powerful form, Dominus escaped the Zone via Superman's Fortress of Solitude and attacked Earth. Attempting to find Kismet to steal her cosmic powers, he was opposed by Superman. Swearing vengeance, Dominus telepathically entered Superman's mind and preyed on one of the Man of Steel's greatest weaknesses; his fear of failing the people of Earth.

Using mind control, Dominus convinced Superman to take control of Earth and build the Superman robots to police the planet 24 hours a day, seven days a week forever. In another battle, Dominus used his reality-warping powers to become Superman, using the Superman robots to search for Kismet while Superman was disguised as one of his own robots and later as Dominus.

During his captivity in these other forms Superman improved on his use of Torquasm Vo, an ancient Kryptonian warrior discipline technique where the warrior can control what they think. Superman and Dominus then engaged in a mental-physical battle with Dominus using any stray thought of Superman to reshape reality. The battle ends with Superman banishing Dominus to the Phantom Zone.

Dabney Donovan is a character in DC Comics.

Dabney Donovan is a genetic scientist who founded Project Cadmus with Reginald Augustine and Thomas Thompkins. Dabney Donovan was ultimately fired from the Project because he felt there should never be limits in understanding the potential of the genetic code. Donovan had largely been accredited for the non-human creations of the Project, referred to as "DNAliens" (human beings cloned then genetically altered to discover superhuman potential while also giving them a more "alien" appearance), various normal clones, and monsters based on Donovan's favorite horror films (who lived on a small artificial planet on Earth called Transilvane). One of the DNAliens, Dubbilex, became a prominent staff member.^[77]

Lex Luthor's estranged wife Contessa Portenza worked Dabney Donovan shortly after Superman regained his normal powers when he expended his electromagnetic ones. To assist in the Contessa's plot, Dabney created his own Bizarro clone.^[78]

During the "Fall of Metropolis" storyline, Dabney Donovan was revealed to be the creator of the Underworlders and the true mastermind behind the clone virus. He later murders Paul Westfield and cuts off one of his ears as a trophy.^[79]

Dabney Donovan returned multiple times to plague Cadmus, such as capturing the adult Legion and subjecting them to various torments as wells. After the death of his clone, Dabney was underground when he found Moxie Mannheim badly injured.^[80] He even created youthful clone bodies for Moxie Mannheim and his dead henchmen Ginny "Torcher" McCree, Mike "Machine" Gunn, Noose, and Rough House where they also received superpowers. With an older clone of him used as a bomb upon its death during a meeting with the other crime lords, Moxie had Noose kill Vincent Edge while Dabney Donovan makes use of any genetic material that he can salvage from the dead crime lords.^[81]

When Mickey Cannon re-established Project Cadmus, Dabney Donovan was brought back under armed guard and made an "imprisoned advisor". He briefly took control of the place during the "Evil Factory" storyline.^[82]

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Double Dare are a group of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They were created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel.^[84]

Introduced in the pages of Nightwing, Aliki and Margot Marceau are two female French Cirque acrobats and thieves operating in Blüdhaven. Hired by mob boss Blockbuster, they encounter Dick Grayson and form a tenuous alliance with him after being betrayed by Blockbuster.^[85]

They later join the new expansive Secret Society led by Alexander Luthor Jr. during Infinite Crisis. In Villains United, the twins encounter the Secret Six.^[86]

Double Down is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in The Flash: Iron Heights by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver.

A con man and compulsive gambler, Jeremy Tell gained his powers following a card game in which he lost. Incensed, he attacked and killed the man who had beaten him. The man had in his possession a cursed deck of cards, which cleaved to Tell's flesh and burned off much of his skin. The cards now act as the top layer of his skin, and can be wielded as weapons.

During his time in prison, the serial killer Murmur released the Frenzy virus at Iron Heights. Tell tried to escape in the ensuing mass breakout, but was stopped by Pied Piper. He was taken back to solitary confinement. A later attempt to break out was successful.

After escaping Iron Heights, he and Girder were both hired by Penguin to help him establish a crime ring in Keystone City, but was stopped by Flash and Nightwing.

In the aftermath of the ambush at the wedding of Green Arrow and Black Canary, Double Down hid in the backseat of a car and escaped with Piper and Trickster He held them at knife-point to help him in joining in their escape. At a roadside diner, Double Down wanted to join the two in their run from the law, afraid of the recent supervillain disappearances. The Suicide Squad had tracked them to the diner, and Double Down was taken in. The other two escaped.

Bernard Dowd is Tim Drake's former classmate, and they reconnected, only for Bernard to be kidnapped.^[91] As Robin, Tim went on a rescue,^[92] where Bernard told Robin that Tim helped him come out, unaware that Robin and Tim were one and the same. This revelation made Tim to realize his own identity as a bisexual man.^[93] Tim and Bernard eventually start dating.^[94]

Draaga is a fictional alien character in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #454 (May 1989), and was created by Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, and George Pérez.

In the "Superman in Exile" storyline, Superman exiles himself from Earth and is forced to participate in Mongul's gladiatorial games. During this time, he fights reigning champion Draaga, who is chosen to lead Warworld following Mongul's defeat.

Draaga returns in the "Panic in the Sky" storyline, where Maxima hires him to destroy Superman. Draaga joins Superman in the fight against Brainiac to regain his honor and is killed by an anti-matter doomsday device.^[95]

Dragon King is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was created by Roy Thomas and Rich Buckler, and first appeared in All-Star Squadron #4, in December 1981.^[75]

The man known as "Dragon King" was a high-ranking official and scientist in the Japanese government during World War II, who created the nerve gas K887. He obtained the mythical Holy Grail for Japan, and was able to combine it with Adolf Hitler's Spear of Destiny which the German dictator had loaned to Japanese General Hideki Tōjō.^[98] With the two items, the Dragon King and Hitler were able to create a field of arcane magic that shielded imperial Japan and Fortress Europa from attack by the allies' super heroes or "Mystery Men".^[99] The field ensured that any hero with magic-based powers, or a vulnerability to magic (like Superman), would instantly be converted to the Axis cause, keeping some of the allies' most powerful heroes out of the theatre of war.^[98] Some heroes were temporarily able to circumvent this for humanitarian missions, despite the Dragon King's best efforts.^[100] After Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945, the Dragon King went into hiding and experimented with combining his own genetic material with that of a lizard. He eventually succeeded in making himself a hybrid of human and reptile.^[75]

In more recent history (in modern age), the Dragon King resurfaced in Blue Valley, Nebraska, with a daughter named Cindy Burman, now the villainess Shiv. While making use of a robot that operated as Principal Sherman at Blue Valley High School, Dragon King is served by Paintball, Skeeter, and Stunt. He clashed against the second Star-Spangled Kid, Courtney Whitmore, her sidekick S.T.R.I.P.E., and the Shining Knight, while the latter was on a quest to reclaim the Holy Grail. It is strongly implied during this confrontation that the Dragon King had in the past murdered the All-Star Squadron member Firebrand.^[101] During this fight, the Dragon King himself was defeated and apparently killed by the Shining Knight, although his body was never found.^[75]

He later resurfaced with the Spear of Destiny in his possession and attempted to raise an army of super-powered soldiers, but was defeated by the Justice Society of America.^[102]

Carl Draper is a fictional character in DC Comics, an enemy of Superman.^[104] Draper made his first appearance in Superman #331 (January 1979), written by Martin Pasko and drawn by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte.^[105]

In pre-Crisis comics, Carl "Moosie" Draper grew up in Smallville (see Kator below). Draper was an overweight clumsy teenager whom most of the other kids never noticed or made fun of and was in love with Lana Lang, who had eyes only for Superboy, much to Draper's resentment.^[106] As an adult, Draper underwent a self-imposed self-improvement regimen, including exercise and cosmetic surgery, to overcome his physical shortcomings. He became an expert locksmith and architect, designing an inescapable prison for supervillains called "Mount Olympus". Impressed by the achievement, Superman augmented the prison's security by placing it on an antigravity platform. Initially dubbed "Draper's Island" by Superman, it was informally renamed "Superman Island" by the adult Lana—with whom Draper remained smitten, just as she remained lovestruck by Superman. It was the latter name, plus the novelty of the floating platform, that caught public attention, diverting recognition from Draper himself. This proved the final straw for Draper, who snapped and became the costumed supervillain the Master Jailer.^[107] He attacked Superman and kidnapped Lana under that name. Superman defeated him and he was sent to his own prison.^[108]

In The New Adventures of Superboy #17 (May 1981), at the prodding of Carl, Superboy creates a robot named Kator as a sparring adversary (and gives the "safety cutoff switch" to Jonathan Kent). Kator, however, developed an artificial intelligence and almost killed the Boy of Steel before being destroyed (in The New Adventures of Superboy #18). The robot apparently gave Draper its identity and powers before being destroyed. Draper (as the new Kator) then engages Superboy in combat, but Jonathan Kent presses the safety switch on the "cutoff" device, which removes "Kator's" superpowers from Draper, and Superboy removes the memory of Draper ever being Kator.^[109][110]

In post-Crisis comics, Carl Draper first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #517 (November 1994). This was during the "Dead Again" storyline, when Superman was suspected of being an impostor after his body was found still in his tomb (from The Death of Superman storyline). Draper was hired by S.T.A.R. Labs to design a holding cell for Conduit, when his daughter, Carla, asked him if he could build a prison that could hold even Superman. Draper initially designed a trap that only the real Superman could escape from, explaining this to Superman by way of a hologram of a costumed figure named Deathtrap. When Superman escaped the trap, Draper became obsessed with proving that he could capture the real thing. This version of Draper was dressed in casual wear, only getting an updated costume with chain-based attacks later.

Draper made several other attempts to capture Superman, often programming the Deathtrap hologram in advance so he could publicly be elsewhere. On one occasion, in Superman: The Man of Steel #43 (April 1995), he programmed Deathtrap to appear during a Draper Security press conference and display how Draper's devices were being "subverted", thus both removing suspicion from him and acting as an advertisement for the company.

In Action Comics #739, Superman (in his blue energy form) was captured in an "energy hobble" by Deathtrap, now calling himself the Locksmith. At the end of the story, it was revealed to the reader that his daughter, Carla Draper, was running the hologram this time and that her father was unaware of this. The now-costumed Master Jailer was one of the villains along with Neutron controlled by Manchester Black in the 2002 storyline "Ending Battle"; however, it was not clear that it was, in fact, Draper.

Carl Draper appears in Checkmate #17 (October 2007). At some point, Checkmate discovered his multiple identities and used this to force him into becoming a security consultant, protecting Checkmate itself from attack. In the issue, he prevents numerous assaults on Checkmate headquarters and is promoted to head of security with the title Castellan. Although he has not told his superiors, he strongly suspects that Carla is involved in the attacks. The issue also contains an Easter egg—computer displays show an actual website (now defunct) that could be accessed with the username "CARL DRAPER" and the password "wilhelmina".^[111] The site was a journal and database written from Draper's perspective. In his journal, he claimed to have been only Deathtrap and that he was unconnected to the post-Crisis Master Jailer.

A DC Rebirth version of the Master Jailer appears in the Aquaman/Suicide Squad crossover "Sinking Atlantis" as a member of the Squad. Aspects of his pre- and Post-Crisis history are present, with Carl growing up in Smallville and having a daughter.^[112]

Carla Draper is the daughter of Carl Draper who made an appearance in Superboy (vol. 4) #26 (May 1996) under the name Snare. She responded to a request from the Hawaiian Special Crimes Unit to Draper Security for assistance in capturing the supervillain Knockout, who was on the run with a misguided Superboy in tow. Snare, aware of her father's obsession, tried to prove that she could do something that he could not by capturing Superboy. This led to a fight with the SCU, during which Superboy and Knockout escaped.

The Dreadnought is a fictional character in DC Comics appearing in The New 52 continuity. He serves as an agent of the H.I.V.E., along with Psiphon. He appears in Superboy (vol. 4) #20, where he is sent by the H.I.V.E. to New York City to apprehend Doctor Psycho, who had escaped from a H.I.V.E. facility, and Superboy, whose psionic powers were of interest to the H.I.V.E. The two characters teamed up and managed to defeat the H.I.V.E. soldiers. The Dreadnought was sent flying by Superboy and landed in the Hudson River.

Dubbilex is a DNAlien, an artificial, genetically modified human with psychic powers. Created by Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #136 (March 1971).^[114] In Post-Crisis continuity, he becomes an ally to Superman and was among those who attended his funeral after Doomsday killed him.^[115]

Dubbilex grew close to Superboy, having aided in his creation by providing mental impressions that he had gained from past encounters with Superman to provide Superboy with his '"template"'s memories in the absence of Superman's actual mind. Once Kon-El left the Labs for Hawaii, Dubbilex accompanied him to report his status to Cadmus.^[116] Although their relationship started off somewhat rocky, they became great friends. Superboy taught Dubbilex about many things about the modern world, while Dubbilex represented Superboy during a "parents' night" for the members of Young Justice.^[117]

Codename: Assassin later kills Dubbilex, among others, as part of a plot to destroy Superman and all other Kryptonians.^[118] He is resurrected in The New 52 reboot and appears briefly when Kevin Kho / OMAC attacks Cadmus.^[119]

Henri Ducard is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by Sam Hamm and Denys Cowan, first appeared in Detective Comics #599 (April 1989).

Henri Ducard was a French detective who trained Bruce Wayne in manhunting and acting as one of his mentors,^[122] but his moral ambiguity played a role in their conflict. He would later encounter and befriend Tim Drake on a case involving Lady Shiva and King Snake.^[123]

In The New 52, Ducard would return in the series Batman and Robin, where he trained his son Morgan in assassination under the name "NoBody".^[124]

Cal Durham is a former henchman of Black Manta and a public figure in the DC Universe.

The character, created by David Michelinie and Jim Aparo, first appeared in Aquaman #57 (August–September 1977).^[126]

Within the context of the stories, Cal Durham is a mercenary hired by Black Manta under the pretense of establishing an African American-dominated underwater society.^[127] To this end, Durham undergoes surgical procedures to emulate Atlantean physiology. Discovering that Manta is more focused on destroying Aquaman than fulfilling his social promise, he rebels. This results in Manta attempting to kill him and Durham re-evaluating his goals.^[128] During One Year Later, Durham appears as the mayor of Sub Diego.^{[129][130][131]}