When it comes to the best rogues’ gallery, Batman has almost
everyone beat. Most villains in his gallery are well-known and there’s a lot of
diversity with them. Some challenge Batman’s mind while other challenge his
physicality. They’re also quite crazy at times too. Well… they’re usually
crazy. That's kind of Batman's thing these days. So, here are my 11 favorite Batman villains. I stuck with 11 because
it’s a cool number that will risk his neck for the brotha’, man! I will say that Killer Moth, Catman, Maxie
Zeus, and Eraserhead didn’t make it to the list. Sorry.
11. Killer Croc – Most of Batman’s villains really don’t pose a physical threat. You can pretty much knock out most of them with one punch. You might need more than a hand or foot to stop Waylon Jones from probably eating you. Born with a horrible skin disease, Jones eventually turned to a life of crime as Killer Croc. While he isn’t the brightest of the bunch, his enhanced strength and durability is definitely a match for Batman. I really liked the way he was used in Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: TAS.
10. Catwoman – Catwoman gets this spot mostly because I
don’t know if she’s that much of a villain. Now, I know she was back in the
day, but in recent years, she been less of a villain and more of an ally. Still,
when she’s used as a villain, she’s used to good effect. She’s a thief and she’s good at it. She and
Talia Al Ghul are really the only villainesses who can really get under
Batman’s skin. I highly doubt Batman would let the Joker kiss him… Ew. Anyway,
I thought their relationship was best handled in the movie, Batman Returns. She
was also cool in the animated series and The Dark Knight Rises.
9. Carmine “The Roman” Falcone – While he’s not one of the
crazy rogues, Falcone is not one to forget. Falcone was the main Mafia boss in
Gotham City when Batman started his crusade. Before the crazy rogues, Falcone
was his main threat. The guy has the Mafia on his side, so who can’t love that?
He was awesome in Batman Begins and he was cool in Batman: Year One and The
Long Halloween. He’s even made a comeback in Batman Eternal.
8. Poison Ivy – Poison Ivy’s a weird but good choice. She’s literally the crazy plant lady. Because of a lab accident, she has the ability to control plants. Since she loves plants and hates humans, she provides a nice threat to Gotham. She’s also a scientist, so she knows how to mess someone up. I’d say she also looks nice, but I’m not into plant people. As always, the 90’s animated series did her well and she was a pretty cool boss in Batman: Arkham Asylum.
7. Mr. Freeze – “The Iceman Cometh,” indeed! Yes, I know
Batman and Robin is a horrible movie but those puns rule. After a lab accident
turned his body into a living ice cube, Victor Fries went into a life of crime.
With his high-tech weapons, he provides a nice threat to Batman. Personally,
I’m more of a fan of Freeze when he’s trying to cure his wife from an incurable
disease. We saw this in the animated series and even Batman and Robin. I’m not
exactly a fan of “Crazy!!!” Freeze since Batman has enough of those. That is
one of the only things about Scott Snyder’s run I’m not a huge fan of.
6. Bane – He is one of the only villains who truly broke
Batman. Mind you, Batman wasn’t in his best shape, but Bane still did something
that many haven’t done. Raised as a child in prison, Antonio Diego was
experimented on and given a drug called Venom. The drug enhanced his strength
greatly. Not only is he a capable fighter without the Venom, he’s also pretty
smart. The guy was able to trick Batman, so you know he has to have a brain. To
me, he’s been best used been in the movie, The Dark Knight Rises, and Batman:
Arkham Origins.
5. Two-Face - He’s the man with two faces. Because of an
accident that scarred the left side of his face (or body in most iterations),
District Attorney Harvey Dent developed a personality disorder. His every
decision is linked to his double-headed coin. Because of his disorder, he
commits crimes that involve the number two. Dent is probably one of the more
sympathetic villains. He was a good man that lost it all when he was damaged.
As always, Batman: TAS did him well and The Dark Knight used Dent well if only
for a little bit. Also, read The Long Halloween if you want more Dent.
4. The Scarecrow – No, Dr. Jonathan
Crane wasn’t inspired by The Wizard of Oz because he would probably be a
character who’s obsessed with brains. Crane was always fascinated with fear. He
developed his own fear toxin in order to spread havoc all across Gotham. He can
make anyone relive their fears including Batman. The villain was pretty was
pretty cool in Batman: TAS, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Batman Begins.
3. The Riddler – That Edward Nygma is a bit of a nut, ain’t
he? The man is obsessed with riddles to the point of madness. He also likes to
use elaborate traps in order to get what he wants. His intellect makes him a
worthy villain for the Batman. He’s greatly used in all of the Arkham games. He
was also well done in Batman: TAS and a couple of other animated series.
2. Ras Al Ghul – Next up is the Head of the Demon, Ras Al
Ghul. As leader of the League of Assassins (or Shadows in other places), he has
a mission to bring order to the world. He’s also over 500 years old because of
his regular dips in the Lazarus Pits. He’s pretty smart and is one of the only
villains that can really stand toe-to-toe with Batman. If Joker is Batman’s opposite, then Ras is
what Batman could be if he wasn’t averse to committing genocide for the greater
good. Besides, the guy has legions of ninjas to do his bidding! That’s cool in
my book. The villain was done well in the animated series and Batman Begins.
1. The Joker – He’s the Clown Prince of Crime, an agent of
chaos, and a dude that apparently had a bad day. After he took a bath in
chemicals, the Joker became one of Batman’s greatest threats. Not only is he
smart but he will do anything for a laugh. He’s truly unpredictable and has
dealt serious blows to Batman and his allies. He even has help in the fine form
of Harley Quinn. Of course, the animated series and the Arkham games did him
the best. The 1989 Batman movie and The Dark Knight also did the character
justice.
Well, that’s all I got. I know there were a lot of villains who I didn’t
list. If you have any other favorites, let me know.
