The Top 12 Batman Villains

Batman is one of the longest running characters in the history of comics, and there are many reasons why he has been so successful. One of the main reasons is that he has, without reasonable debate, the best rogues gallery of any superhero. Here, I’m counting down my Top Twelve Batman Villains, based on a combination of factors such as quality of the character, their presence in popular culture, and personal preference. But the main determining factor was “how well does this villain work in contrast to Batman?” A strong protagonist-antagonist relationship is one that helps both characters come out looking better at the end of the day.

#12. Clayface (Basil Karlo/Matt Hagen)

Choosing the#12 spot was not easy, and basically boiled down to personal preference. Other characters that were considered include Killer Croc, Mr. Zsasz, The Red Hood, Man-Bat and Black Mask. But there’s something about Clayface that just speaks to me as a reader. I am a fan of monsters (think Frankenstein and the Wolfman) and I also enjoy villains who have a tragic backstory that makes me feel for them. Clayface fits both of these bills nicely. While the original Clayface was simply an actor named Basil Karlo who used make-up to make his face look however he wanted, the Clayface most people recognized was Matt Hagen, a treasure hunter who turns into a massive shapeshifting blob of mud. My favorite interpretation of the character is from Batman: The Animated Series, where Hagen’s name and powers are used, but he is given Basil Karlo’s backstory. Clayface is also a rare Batman villain who can challenge him physically, adding an extra element of danger to stories involving him.

#11. Mr. Freeze (Victor Fries)

Very few Batman villains benefitted more from Batman: The Animated Series than Dr. Victor Fries, a scientist who suffers through a horrific accident that turns him into a being that has to stay at zero degrees in order to survive. Taking on the alias of Mr. Freeze, Victor creates a survival suit and a cold gun capable of rapidly freezing anything to terrorize the people who ruined his life. Originally a one-note character from the Silver Age named Mr. Zero, the television show fleshed out the character and in turn made him one of the most sympathetic bad guys of all time. In addition to his accident, it was revealed that Victor’s primary motivation for his crimes was to raise money to save the life of his wife Nora, the victim of a rare disease. To save her life, he had her chryogenically frozen, only to be made into a monster by those same chemicals. He is a villain motivated by love and loss; in many ways, a representation of what Batman could become if he allowed his emotions to cloud his judgment.

#10. Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel)

Almost from the moment she arrived on our television screens as The Joker’s perky but psychotic girlfriend, Harley Quinn started accumulating a fanbase that has turned her into one of DC’s most successful marketing machines despite only being around for about two decades. Funny, dorky, and more than a bit off of her rocker, Harley brought a new layer to The Joker but more impressively carved a niche for herself. Her mad, inexplicable love for the madman allowed DC to explore an emotionally and physically abusive relationship in a complex way, something that I am sure has contributed to Harley’s popularity. The reason she is low on the list is that she very quickly became an anti-hero because of how easy she is to root for, and because ultimately, she’s not that much of a Batman villain. She’s gone up against the Bat a couple of times, but she is mostly a character that contrasts with The Joker and more importantly, a compelling character in her own right.

#9. The Riddler (Edward Nigma)

Conundrums and puzzles are obsession of Edward Nigma, perhaps the smartest idiot in the DC universe. Intellectually superior to most, his narcissism compels him to leave clues to his crimes in the forms of riddles. While he is smart enough to fool the Gotham Police most of the time, he is rarely ever a match for Batman. While not a physical threat, Riddler is perhaps the best villain for one of the most important roles that Batman plays; the Detective. Requiring an intelligent and creative writer in order to use effectively, Riddler is somewhat underutilized but still has a place among Batman’s greatest rogues because when he’s done right, he’s just a brilliantly entertaining character. I also think readers identify with him as he tries to think of a problem that Batman cannot solve.

#8. Bane

Bane was one of the hottest villains in comics when I was a child; the brand new menace to Batman who was both a mental and physical threat. Bane’s greatest story was his debut story; a brilliant strategist with a burning hatred of Batman, he planned a massive escape from Arkham Asylum that stretched the Batman to his absolute limits as he battled every major foe he’d ever been put up against. Knowing that Batman was Bruce Wayne, Bane waited until he was was physically exhausted before assualting him in his home, breaking Batman’s back in one of the most famous Batman moments ever. While his intelligence and physical skills are already impressive, Bane’s most unique source of power is “Venom”, a unique blend of steroids that exponentially increases his strength. While there aren’t many great Bane stories aside from that debut, he made an incredible first impression and dominated Batman comics for the better part of two years.

#7. Two-Face (Harvey Dent)

Harvey Dent was once the handsome, noble and popular District Attourney of Gotham City, one of Batman’s strongest allies in his fight against crime. However, Harvey carried a dark secrect, a dual personality that was one of the most sadistic men in Gotham. When a vat of acid was thrown in his face during a trial, Harvey was left physically scarred on the left side of his face and his personality was split down the middle. A criminal mastermind whose every deed, good or ill, is determined by the flip of a two-headed silver dollar, Two-Face is an interesting look at duality. He was a noble man on a crusade for justice, much like Batman, but one bad day turned him into a monster, albeit one who still occasionally acts on the side of good when his better nature wins out. I think the story of how Harvey becomes Two-Face will always be a compelling tragedy, but I do think that the villain only has a limited amount of use after that point.

#6. The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepott)

While most of Batman’s rogues serve as twisted reflections against Batman, Oswald Cobblepott is more of a dark reflection of Bruce Wayne. Born poor and ugly but determined to improve his lot in life, the man who would come to be called The Penguin fought his way through Gotham’s criminal element to become one of the most influential crime lords in Gotham. Known for having an element of class but also ruthless cruelty, Cobblepott is kind of Batman’s version of Lex Luthor; more interesting as a guy that Bruce can never quite put away but is always fighting against. He’s also an interesting example of how a character can have a sympathetic backstory without being sympathetic; he’s a cruel, heartless man and I love him for it.

#5. Poison Ivy (Pamela isley)

Poison Ivy is probably my second favorite Batman villain, a femme fatale who is one of the most powerful female villains in comics. Possessing the ability to manipulate plant life to her will and also producing deadly toxin through her lips and pheramones that no man (or woman) can resist, Pamela Lillian Isley is truly a beautiful nightmare. She’s also a great analysis of extremism; Bruce Wayne is not unsympathetic to taking care of the environment, but Ivy values the lives of plants more than people. Ivy just stands out as a unique character in the Batman pantheon and I think that’s what draws me to her; she’s different and fantasticly so.

#4. Ra’s al Ghul

Ra’s al Ghul is the Moriarty to Batman’s Sherlock Holmes, a brilliant man with a twisted sense of morality who wants to remold the world into one that fits his vision of perfection. Nearly immortal thanks to numerous baths in mystical pools called Lazarus Pits, Ra’s possesses near infinite resources and limitless ambition. While he views Batman as his rival, he also views him as his equal and would like to sway to his point of view, inheriting the earth as the bride of his daughter Talia. Ra’s is a character that I’ve personally never been fond of, but I respect that he is a great concept for a villain and has been a part of some of Batman’s best stories.

#3. Catwoman (Selina Kyle)

I debated whether to put Selina on this list at all, since she is less of a villain these days and more of an anti-hero; however, I think that her role as an antagonist to Batman is a crucial element to the character that can’t be ignored. If nothing else, she is one of the most essential characters to the Batman mythology, giving the character a gray area of morality in a world where most people are either wholly good or wholly evil. Selina is a little of both. Catwoman is one of the greatest comic book characters of all time, and one of my favorites, but when it comes to the best Batman rogues, two men are superior foes in my opinion.

#2. Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane)

Scarecrow is my favorite Batman villain and it really isn’t close. The master of fear is perhaps the truest dark reflection of Batman; both men use fear as a weapon, but Crane uses it against the innocent. He is the one preying on the fearful, and that makes him the perfect antagonist for Batman. One of the reasons that Scarecrow is one of my favorites is that his character is unsettling and terrifying psychologically, not just physically. This is a man who enjoys to torture people through horror, and often targets children. And what’s perhaps scariest is that Jonathan Crane is not psychotic or even sociopathic. He has a full grasp on what he is doing, but does it deliberately. He is just a screwed-up, evil human being.

#1. The Joker

The Clown Prince of Crime is Batman’s greatest nemesis, a ruthless psychotic monster obsessed with killing Batman and willing to go to any means necessary to do it. If you want to know how screwed up of a place Gotham City is, the greatest hero is a man who dresses like a demon and the most vile terrorist is a man dressed as a clown. Batman is stoic, The Joker is always laughing. They play off each other perfectly because they have absolutely nothing in common, except that they will never budge. Joker is also one of the all-time greats because he is incredibly versatile as a character; he can be an almost harmless trickster suitable for children’s television, or a deranged lunatic that is one of the great cinematic villains in history in Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The fact that both versions of those character feel completely true to the Joker character is a testament to how perfect he is an archetype and how effective the rivalry is. He is the obvious choice for the top spot.

Supervillain Spotlight – Catwoman

About mid-way through this week I realized that I had barely done anything to highlight comic book bad guys, while doing spotlight features on DC’s “Big Three” heroes. As people like to say, a hero is only as good as his villain. so I think it’s about time for me to give my favorite antagonists their due credit. And I’m starting with somebody who made her name as one of Batman’s most popular enemies, but is arguably more popular as somebody who walks the thin line between hero and villain.

Her real name is Selina Kyle, but Gotham newspapers and the world usually refer to her as…

Catwoman

The Comic Book Origin

Selina Kyle doesn’t really have a definitive origin, which I think is actually a good thing for her character. Various media has portrayed her as a street rat (The Dark Knight Rises and ABC’s Gotham among them) and as a rich socialite and animal rights activist (Batman: The Animated Series). Frank Miller had her work as some kind of sex worker, possibly a prostitute or a dominatrix. I know, Frank Miller is portraying a woman in an overly sexual manner. Shocking. I think it’s interesting that the same character can have so many origins yet still end up as basically the same character. In a city full of vigilantes, dirty cops, murderers and madmen, Selina Kyle is really just a humble thief trying to make the best of things. An extremely good thief, mind you, but it’s worth noting that she is rarely portrayed as being a homicidal maniac. When she is digging her claws into somebody, it’s usually pretty well deserved.

One of the greatest influences on the character of Batman is the United Kingdom’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. If Batman is analogous to the master detective from Baker Street, then Catwoman is certainly inspired by the character of Irene Adler. Both women were just one off characters, but their stories were instantly notable because they were able to get away from the legendary crime fighters. While Irene has certainly enjoyed a presence in Sherlock Holmes adaptations since then, I’d say Catwoman definitely fared better. Her unique dynamics with Batman’s character gave her a platform to break out on her own, and she enjoys almost the same world wide recognition from the general public.

The Real Life Origin

Catwoman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and introduced to comic book audiences in 1940 as the antagonist of one of several stories in Batman #1, although neither her true name nor her more popular alias was used in this first story. She is simply known as “The Cat”, a jewel thief who Batman and Robin stop on a cruise, although their mutual attraction seems to affect Bruce’s judgment as he allows her to escape. Kane and Finger wanted an antagonist who was different from the killers that Batman usually faced, and also wanted a degree of sex appeal for male readers and a character who women might find engaging as well. Her early stories had her occasionally in conflict with Batman but just as often aiding him on some cases when they had mutual goals. This dynamic was well established before 1954, when she disappeared from comics for almost a decade due to worries about the Comic Book Code and if her character could be portrayed at all.

However, Catwoman would return to comics in 1966, just in time to become an iconic character on the popular Batman TV Show starring Adam West where she was most famously played by Julie Newmar. Since then Catwoman has stayed a fairly consistent presence both in comics and in Batman adaptations, being famously portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns and by Anne Hathaway in Chris Nolan’s final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. Most comic books fans consider her to be an important character because she is one of the few morally gray areas in Bruce Wayne’s life; her very presence in comics makes Batman a more rounded and compelling character.

Sexuality, Romance and Strong Female Characters

If I may get on my feminist soapbox for a second; there are many writers and artists who probably think they are promoting strong female characters, but honestly have no idea how to do it and usually overcompensate with hideous results. Some think that in order to be a strong and empowered character a woman has to be able to physically be strong and able to hold her own or even dominate in a fight. This idea in and of itself is not a bad thing, but misses the most important aspect, which I will get to momentarily. Others view a woman’s sexuality as the most important issue; a woman cannot be a strong character if she has sexual interest in men, or if she does she must be the controlling partner in that relationship. This of course ignores the fact that the vast majority of the world is made of people who want a satisfying love life and that any relationship where someone is completely in control is abusive, not healthy or empowering.

A strong female character can be someone who takes down her opponents in a fight, and she can be a woman who chooses not to have sex or is more of an aggressor in the bedroom than her partners. But these traits alone do not make a strong female character because they do not make a strong character period. If a male character’s only traits are his ability to fight people and how many people he chooses to have sex with, it’s a very bland and boring caricature that is not interesting. And the same applies to women. Using sexuality and physical prowess as the basis for how strong a character is misses the very nature of writing strong characters.

Regardless of gender, strong characters have a few things in common. They have a well-defined, three-dimensional personality that is a combination of a characters ethics, values, and other variables that you can find on any personality assessment test such as the Myers-Briggs test. Strong characters typically have a clear goal that they are working towards, or at the very least something of extreme importance to them that is worth protecting. Great characters are the ones that remain true to themselves in the face of life-changing experiences that show us who they really are under pressure. And the very best characters are the ones who bring something unique to the world that they exist in, while also providing something for the reader (or viewer) to relate to, empathize with, and cheer for. Or root against, in the case of a good villain.

So What Makes Catwoman A Strong Character?

Catwoman’s defining character traits are not her catsuits, her claws or her bullwhip. They aren’t her thieving skills or her love and hate relationship with Batman. Selina is a confident and playful person who lives for adrenaline; whether that’s completing a heist, leaving would be attackers with nasty scars, or getting Batman to chase her on the rooftops of Gotham. It’s her selfish nature and taste for the finer things in life that threaten to make her unlikable, but she has an altruistic streak that often casts her in the role of antihero. This gray morality makes her interesting and unpredictable to a certain extent, but her philosophy basically boils down to “I’ll do whatever makes me happy and safe unless it would endanger innocent lives.” Which is not a common mindset in comics but I do think that it is one many of us can relate to.

Selina’s all of that AND she is a character that isn’t afraid of her sexual appeal, but revels in it. She’s the cat’s meow and she knows it; this is an extension of her confidence and her thrill seeking nature. Sexuality doesn’t define Selina’s character, her character defines her sexuality, which is the key difference. And she’s not just a skilled combatant and master thief for no good reason; she’s had to fight to survive, and is driven to protect the innocent when they are threatened, so being a strong fighter is a necessity. When there is a reason behind a character’s actions, we invest in them more than if there isn’t, no matter how cool those actions are in and of themselves.

In short, the more effort that is put into developing a character’s personality and why they do what they do, the stronger the character is. And Catwoman is one of the most well-thought out, unique and interesting characters in comic books, regardless of company, gender or her status as villain or anti-hero.