10 Best Batman Villains, Ranked
Batman has been a beloved character for decades, and as a result, he has amassed a vast array of villains. Some of these villains have become household names in their own right, ranging from sadistic and vicious to downright silly and goofy. With so many adaptations of Batman, the discussion about his villains has only grown over time. Some challenge him physically while others mentally, but all are extremely dangerous. Here’s a list of the top Batman villains to keep an eye on.
10. The Batman Who Laughs: A new addition to Batman’s roster, The Batman Who Laughs comes from the Dark Multiverse, where alternate versions of Batman embody different Justice League members. This version of Batman was corrupted after killing the Joker, resulting in a lack of conscience or morality. He is similar to Joker but twice as smart and driven.
9. Hugo Strange: While not a physical threat to Batman, Professor Hugo Strange has caused him a lot of trouble, as seen in Arkham City. An intellectual always pushing the boundaries of science, Strange is known for creating monstrous foes and torturing individuals in the name of scientific breakthroughs.
8. Scarecrow: Batman has a unique relationship with Scarecrow, who represents fear, a crucial element in Batman’s crime-fighting arsenal. Scarecrow can range from a minor villain to a major threat, causing harm to Batman regardless of his place in the storyline.
7. Poison Ivy: Despite Batman’s closed-off heart, Poison Ivy poses a significant threat as a seductress pursuing eco-terrorism. Her reasoning can sometimes be justified, making her a particularly dastardly villain.
6. Bane: A physically formidable foe, Bane uses the drug Venom to increase his strength to superhuman levels. He is also a masterful tactician and strategist, challenging Batman mentally as well as physically.
5. Mr. Freeze: Mr. Freeze was a brilliant scientist who only wanted to save his wife. Due to an accident, he became a driven and callous criminal focused on that singular mission. Batman respects him despite being pitted against him, resulting in epic battles.
4. Penguin: As a representative of organized crime, Penguin elevates Gotham’s criminal elements to supervillain territory, which is what Batman has demanded by patrolling the streets dressed as a giant bat. He is a legendary Batman villain that deserves recognition.
3. Riddler: Riddler challenges Batman’s mind, proving he’s smarter than the Dark Knight. He also has a level of insanity, making Batman’s thinking as much an obsession as an addiction.
2. Ra’s al Ghul: Unlike common criminals, Ra’s al Ghul is an assassin royalty that has lived for centuries. His global plans require Batman to have a wider scope in defeating him. The relationship is complicated by the fact that Ra’s has respect for Batman and wanted him to become his successor.
1. The Joker: Batman and the Joker are the ultimate superhero-supervillain pair, with one fighting for good while the other is determined to cause destruction. The Joker has many iterations, from comical goofball to psychotic killer. Unlike most villains, he doesn’t have a goal or mission, desiring only to cause chaos.
In conclusion, Batman’s villains are varied and dangerous, challenging him in different ways. From the physically formidable Bane to the mentally challenging Riddler, each villain poses a unique threat to the Dark Knight. However, none are more iconic than the Joker, Batman’s ultimate nemesis.
After being such a popular character for decades, Batman has developed quite a huge roster of villains. They have become so well known and popular, many have even become household names themselves. They also vary wildly from the sadistic and vicious to downright silly and goofy.
With so many different adaptations of Batman coming out, the discussion about his wide range of villains has become greater over time. Some lean into psychologically challenging the Dark Knight while others challenge him physically. But regardless of their specialty, they are all extremely dangerous. Here’s a list of the best Batman villains out there.
10 The Batman Who Laughs
The Batman Who Laughs is a fairly new edition to Batman’s roster of villains. He comes from the Dark Multiverse, where there were alternate versions of Batman that embodied different members of the Justice League.
The Batman Who Laughs broke away from this model as he is a version of Batman that was corrupted after he killed the Joker. He’s actually Batman without a conscience or a sense of morality. He’s similar to Joker except twice as smart and much more driven to actually accomplish his missions.
9 Hugo Strange
Professor Hugo Strange isn’t really a physical threat for Batman, but he’s caused a lot of problems for the Caped Crusader, as evident by anyone who played Arkham City. Strange is an intellectual always looking to push the boundaries of science regardless of the human cost and destruction he causes along the way.
He’s known for creating monstrous foes and torturing individuals all in the name of what he considers scientific achievement and breakthrough. He would never last in a straight-up fight with Batman, but he is smart enough to try and think his way out of any confrontation.
8 Scarecrow
As a character, Batman has a special relationship with Scarecrow. It’s not so much the man behind the mask that he’s connected to but rather the idea of the mask itself. Scarecrow represents fear, which means a lot for Batman as he tries to embody fear when he crowds the streets of Gotham or invades Arkham Asylum.
Scarecrow has ranged from a minor villain to a major threat over the years. But regardless of his place in a larger storyline, he should never be underestimated as he has caused Batman a great deal of harm over the years.
7 Poison Ivy
It might seem strange that a dark figure who dresses up as a bat and fights crime at night has a prosperous love life, but he does. This is probably why Poison Ivy poses such a huge threat to Batman. Despite closing off his heart to love, the man beneath the mask is still very susceptible to seduction.
Poison Ivy uses the skill to her advantage while pursuing her goals of eco-terrorism. And a lot of times, Ivy is justified in her reasoning, making her a particularly dastardly villain.
6 Bane
Out of all the characters, Bane has stumbled a bit in his live-action appearances, but he is still a truly terrifying force when he goes up against Batman. First off, he’s a physically formidable foe. He even uses the drug Venom to increase his strength to superhuman levels.
Casual fans may be surprised to learn that Bane is also a masterful tactician and strategist. His mind can even challenge Batman in terms of planning and execution. In that regard, he is a two-pronged foe that can challenge the Dark Knight from many angles.
5 Mr. Freeze
A lot of Batman’s villains are merely individuals that were dealt a rough hand in life. Depending on the version being depicted, this is exactly what happens to Mr. Freeze. He was a brilliant scientist that only wanted to save his wife.
Due to an accident that forced his body to remain at cold temperatures, Freeze became a driven and callous criminal hell-bent on that singular mission. Batman respects the man despite constantly being pitted against him. When these two minds clash in battle, it’s always an epic fight.
4 Penguin
More than anything, Batman’s ultimate goal in Gotham was to fight organized crime. There are more realistic crime bosses such as Falcone and Maroni, but Penguin represents something much different.
He elevates the criminal elements and Gotham to the supervillain territory, which is what Batman has demanded by patrolling the streets dressed as a giant bat. Like most villains, his depiction has ranged from the goofy to the nefarious depending on the version in question, but he is a legendary Batman villain that deserves recognition.
3 Riddler
What makes Batman such a great superhero is that he’s multifaceted and well-rounded. Different villains challenge different aspects of his arsenal. For Riddler, this means challenging Batman’s mind.
Riddler does challenge him physically on occasion, but for the most part, his main goal is to prove that he’s smarter than the Dark Knight. Riddler also has a level of insanity, as our thinking Batman has become as much an obsession as it is an addiction. In fact, he would even sacrifice himself just to prove he’s more intelligent.
2 Ra’s al Ghul
Ra’s al Ghul is a much different kind of Batman villain. He’s not a common criminal roaming streets of Gotham. Instead, he’s an assassin royalty that’s lived for centuries. His plans are global, which causes Batman to have a much wider scope in defeating him.
The relationship is even more complicated because Ra’s has a certain amount of respect for Batman and even wanted him to become his successor. Taking into account the fact that Batman fell in love with his daughter and fathered his grandchild, this is a rivalry unlike any other in comics.
1 The Joker
It’s hard to think of a superhero and supervillain better paired with each other than Batman and the Joker. One is a figure of darkness fighting for good while the other is a figure usually reserved for laughter who is determined to cause destruction.
As many variations of Batman there are, there are also that many variations of the Joker, as evidenced by the video games they are in together. He’s been seen as a light and comical goofball as well as a psychotic killer. Unlike most villains, he doesn’t have a goal or mission to accomplish. He just wants to cause chaos.
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