Movies

The Top 10 Batman Villains Of All Time

Published

4 years ago

September 19, 2020

Joel

Image: Jim Lee | DC Comics

Ever since his first appearance in 1939, Batman has consistently been one of the best-selling DC comics, as well as a fan-favorite superhero.

During his 80-year long stint against crime, the Caped Crusader has faced a plethora of interesting villains, some that are evil and dangerous like Joker or Bane, as well as some that are wacky and laughable like the Condiment King or the Kite Man.

One of the main things that made Batman so great is that he is just a simple man. Yes, he is an expert in countless martial arts, as well as the World’s Greatest Detective, but he doesn’t have any superpowers. Batman’s mind is his greatest weapon and that is what makes him relatable to the average comic reader.

His villains are no different. Most are devoid of any unnatural powers but still present a threat to Gotham, even though other DC superheroes would probably defeat them in mere minutes.

So, without further ado, here’s a list of villains who keep Batman awake at night (fighting crime of course):

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Catwoman

This sleek villain is one of Batman’s most infamous foes, and she often takes up various roles. Even though her most common trait is being a thief—and a pretty good one, at that—she’s also a mob boss, an ally, an anti-hero and she was even a love interest for Batman at some point.

Catwoman is nowhere near as evil as the other villains on this list. However, she makes up for it by being as acrobatic as Batman, morally ambiguous, and being able to toy with Batman. She also has cat puns that you’ll either love or hate.

Ra’s Al Ghul

Ra’s Al Ghul is one of the most formidable Batman villains. He is the leader of the League of Assassins, the father of Talia Al Ghul, and grandfather to Bruce Wayne’s own son, Damian.

He has lived for centuries, endlessly honing his fighting skills. He also uses the Lazarus Pit, which rejuvenates him whenever he’s close to death—thus making him almost an immortal.

Born over 700 years ago, Ra’s wants to eliminate the evils of the world by destroying humanity then rebuilding it. He also knows Batman’s true identity, which gives him an edge whenever he faces the Dark Knight.

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn, among the newest Batman villains, has become one of the most popular. Originally meant to be a one-off for the Batman Animated Series, she was such a success that she eventually spawned her own comic book series, TV adaptation, and movie appearances. And with good reason.

Harley Quinn is the perfect result of what Joker is capable of. She was initially a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum but eventually fell hopelessly in love with the Joker.

This led her to a life of crime, and she’s had plenty of confrontations with Batman. She might not have superpowers, but her absence of a moral compass makes her incredibly violent, both to heroes and other villains.

Red Hood

What would happen if Batman chose to start killing? This is what Red Hood represents. He was the second Robin—Jason Todd—but Joker killed him.

Talia Al Ghul took him to the Lazarus Pit, however, and he came back to life. He then returned to Gotham and initiated a war on crime by influencing it from inside.

Because Red Hood doesn’t just kill for the thrill of it—and since he’s trying to bring justice in his own way—he isn’t as villainous as the others on this list. That said, he is more than capable of fighting toe to toe with Batman.

The Batman Who Laughs

What happens when you blend all of Batman’s best features with all of Joker’s worst? You get The Batman Who Laughs. This is the most recent Batman villain, but he’s one of the toughest.

He is the result of a struggle between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime, where the latter dies but manages to infect Batman with chemicals that fuse their personalities.

As an alternate universe Batman, he is one of Bruce Wayne’s toughest opponents. He also has Rabid Robins he keeps chained—though they don’t seem to mind it.

Bane

This venom pumped hulking piece of muscle known as Bane has been one of the toughest Batman foes ever since his first appearance in 1993.

His main power is his strength, which can be additionally augmented with the use of the drug called Venom, which turns Bane into an enormous muscular slab of whoop-ass.

Strength isn’t the only thing that makes Bane so scary. He is also highly intelligent, expert in hand to hand combat, as well as a master escapologist.

Bane rose to recognition in the “Knightfall” story arc, where he broke Batman’s back and became known as “The Man Who Broke the Bat.”

Riddler

This onesie wearing villain seems harmless, but in truth, he is far from that. Riddler has been giving Batman headaches for over 60 years. Edward “E.” Nigma is a dangerous villain who shuns brute strength for a more cunning and intelligent approach.

This genius villain relishes in torturing Batman with complicated puzzles and twisted riddles. At one-point Riddler even deduced Batman’s true identity.

Riddler’s signature attire consists of a green onesie adorned with question marks and a cane in the shape of a question mark. He’s known to sometimes roll onto the scene in his trademark car called “Riddlermobile.”

Two-Face

Two-face is a poster boy for tragic villain stories. Two-face was once known as Harvey Dent, an attorney in service of Gotham and one of Batman’s greatest allies.

Transformation to a ruthless criminal happened when a mobster threw acid in his face, completely scarring one side of Harvey’s face.

This incident left his mental state in shambles and paved a way for Harvey to become Two-face.

Two-face is obsessed with the concept of duality and change. The fates of his victims are decided on a toss of a coin and whims of his shifting personality. Two-face only powers are his expertise in marksmanship and a sizeable army of goons behind his back.

Scarecrow

If not the strongest, Doctor Jonathan Crane is certainly the scariest Batman villain. Scarecrow has been giving Gotham residents the heebie-jeebies ever since his debut in 1941.

He is an expert chemist who uses fear and phobias of his enemies as a weapon against them and against Gotham’s citizens. His scary persona is amplified by his attire.

He usually wears a black suit with a scarecrow mask that becomes even more terrifying when his victims are under the effect of his signature fear gas.

Scarecrow has proven to be quite an adversary for Batman. His criminal record is full of murder, robbery, as well as terrorism.

In the recent Arkham game, Scarecrow managed to take over Gotham and release his fear toxin all over the unsuspecting populace.

He uncovered Batman’s real identity and released it to the rest of the world, which caused Batman to initiate the Knightfall Protocol.

Joker

Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime has been Batman’s arch-nemesis since he was introduced in the first issue of Batman. What makes Joker dangerous is that he is an antithesis of Batman.

While Batman is just, calculated, and merciful, Joker is twisted, unpredictable, and ruthless. Joker doesn’t have superpowers but can stand toe to toe against Batman since he’s highly intelligent and an expert in hand to hand combat.

Even though he is quite formidable in physical combat, Joker doesn’t work alone. He is often accompanied by Harley Quinn and an army of henchmen.

Joker’s list of crimes is far and wide. His crowning achievements are the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the murder of Batman’s protégé Jason Todd – the second Robin.

Final thoughts:

As the story goes, when two shots rang out Bruce Wayne’s life changed forever. Wearing many names the Dark Knight, Caped Crusader, the World’s Greatest Detective, even Matches Malone a cloak adopted by Batman to infiltrate Gotham’s criminal underworld.

Although Batman has many enemies, some notables not mentioned are Penguin, Mister Freeze, and Poison Ivy – The Batman has dedicated his life to justice and will uphold that oath for many years to come.

Images via: DC Comics