Highlights
- Much of Batman's success can be attributed to its fantastic cast of villains, many of whom are just as captivating as the hero himself.
- Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy revolutionized comic book adaptations, attracting a broader audience with its gritty and dark themes.
- The best Batman villains benefit from the darkness that surrounds them, allowing them to shine in modern Batman movies and comic book storylines.
Since its creation in 1939, Batman has gone on to become one of the most successful and well-known comic book series of all time. It's spawned several television shows, a wide selection of movies, and one or two truly terrific Batman video games. For as fantastic a protagonist as the dark knight is though, much of the series' success can be attributed to its incredible cast of villains.
It's through these formidable foes that audiences are able to see both the very best and the very worst of Bruce Wayne, while they themselves are often every bit as captivating as the series' hero; if not more. Some of the best Batman villains seek world domination, while others have more personal goals and targets in mind. One or two of them, however, want nothing more than to watch the world burn.
Updated August 11, 2023, by Tom Bowen: Prior to the release of Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed Batman trilogy, comic book movies had yet to become the unstoppable juggernauts that they are today. The Dark Knight movies showed the world that comic book adaptations don't need to be camp, with their gritty tone and dark themes helping to attract a much broader audience than previous Batman adaptations. Nolan may have walked away from the franchise following The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, but his influence can still be found in modern Batman movies. More than anyone, this has helped the best Batman villains, with the darkness that now surrounds them really allowing them to shine.
15 Deathstroke
First Comic Appearance: New Teen Titans #2 (1980)
There are plenty of great DC villains who have gone on to feature in Batman media, the most notable of which is probably Deathstroke. Having originally started life as a Team Titans antagonist, the expert assassin went on to play an important role in the Batman: Arkham series, appearing in both Arkham Origins and Arkham Knight.
For those unfamiliar with the character, his nickname, The Terminator, should give a pretty good indication of the kind of villain Deathstroke is. With superhuman strength and enhanced intelligence, the Vietnam War veteran can hold his own against even the mightiest of heroes, with both Batman and Dick Grayson being outgunned by the mercenary on multiple occasions over the years.
14 Killer Croc
First Comic Appearance: Batman #357 (1983)
Just about every comic book series ever created has a villain who personifies the idea of mindless brute force. Batman has several, but Killer Croc is perhaps the most memorable. His sheer power is unfathomable, while his appearance (more so in the comics than in the movies, shows, and video games) makes it abundantly clear that this is not a villain to be trifled with.
Interestingly, Killer Croc wasn't always the mindless killer that he is today, with the character originally having one of the more interesting backstories in the DC universe. However, as the years passed, Waylon Jones' gradually devolved from misunderstood miscreant to angry amphibian and now shows no signs of going back.
13 Poison Ivy
First Comic Appearance: Batman #181 (1966)
Despite what the 1997 movie Batman & Robin might suggest, Poison Ivy is one of the best Batman villains of all time. Her ability to control plant life makes the beautiful botanist a deadly and unique foe, while her expertise in ensnaring the minds of others allows her to enlist all manner of heroes and villains to help her to achieve her goals.
Unlike a lot of the other great Batman villains, Ivy's cause is arguably quite a noble one. She wants nothing more than to protect the planet's plant life, though her methodology leaves a lot to be desired. She plans to defend her beloved plants by wiping out all of humanity, which puts her at odds with the Batman more often than not.
12 Phantasm
First Comic Appearance: Batman/Catwoman #1 (2020)
Arguably one of the best Batman villains to have never appeared in a live-action movie, Phantasm was first introduced during the 1993 animated flick, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. However, it would not be until almost three decades later when Andrea Beaumont's character would finally become canon following her appearance in Batman/Catwoman #1 back in late 2020.
The thing that makes Andrea so compelling isn't so much what she does in the present, but more her connection with Bruce's past. The pair were once engaged before the super-rich philanthropist became the Dark Knight and this past relationship adds an awful lot of depth and subtext to a lot of their interactions in the here and now. Of course, Andrea is far more than just a foil though, with her quest for vengeance contrasting wonderfully well with Bruce's signature stance on vigilantism.
11 Mr. Freeze
First Comic Appearance: Batman #121 (1959)
Mr. Freeze is one of the many Batman villains whose reputations were tarnished by Joel Schumacher's unbearable Batman movies from the mid-nineties. Behind all of the terrible puns and over-the-top acting though, there's actually an incredibly interesting character with a surprising amount of depth.
One of the things that makes Freeze so dangerous is not his insanity or his desire to cause harm, but instead his obsession with finding a cure for his wife. It's often said that love is a lot more powerful than hate and this is evident when analyzing the lengths that Victor Fries will go to in order to achieve his one true goal.
10 The Scarecrow
First Comic Appearance: World's Finest Comics #3 (1941)
First appearing all the way back in 1941, the Scarecrow offers something a little different than most of the other villains in the series. Rather than attacking Batman with brute force or state-of-the-art weaponry, he instead uses the most powerful weapon known to man. Fear.
With the help of some experimental toxins, the supervillain is able to evoke feelings of pure dread in his victims and can even elicit hallucinations given the right stimuli. He's not motivated by money and is only really interested in testing the limits of fear on the unassuming citizens of Gotham and the Batman himself.
9 Harley Quinn
First Comic Appearance: The Batman Adventures #12 (1993)
Given how popular the character is amongst the fandom, it's perhaps a little surprising that Harley Quinn is yet to appear in any of the mainline Batman movies. She has, however, featured in several of the other movies in the DC Expanded Universe; in which she is emphatically brought to life by the talented Margot Robbie.
As is often the case in the Batman universe, her insanity makes for an incredibly strong villain, not just because of her over-the-top actions, but also because of how unpredictable they often are. She also helps to flesh out the Joker's character a little more and together they make a near-unstoppable team. That said, she remains an equally wonderful antagonist in her very own right.
8 The Penguin
First Comic Appearance: Detective Comics #58 (1941)
Danny De Vito may not be quite on the same level as some of the many great Oscar-winning actors of his generation, but his portrayal of the Penguin in Batman Returns is nigh on perfect. The character's social awkwardness is expertly captured whilst his often over-the-top proclamations are very much in keeping with the Penguin's usual M.O.
One of the things that set Oswald Cobblepot apart from some of the other villains in the series is that he is perfectly sane and in full control of the things that he does. This allows him to react to Batman's attempts to foil his schemes and often leads to him outmaneuvering the caped crusader altogether. At least in the short term, that is.
7 The Riddler
First Comic Appearance: Detective Comics #140 (1948)
The Riddler is another character who doesn't come out of the Joel Schumacher movies smelling of roses. Even so, the cunning schemes and demented ramblings of Edward Nygma provide some real moments of brilliance and have very nearly bested Batman on more than one occasion.
The use of riddles may seem like a cheap gimmick to some, but it helps to provide the character with a real sense of identity and can often offer great insight into the inner workings of his mind. There are certainly bigger threats to Gotham than this enigmatic evil-doer, but few are quite as memorable.
6 Talia Al Ghul
First Comic Appearance: Detective Comics #411 (1971)
Although undoubtedly a villain, one of the things that makes Talia such an interesting antagonist is her wavering loyalty. There are times when she is more than happy to do her father's bidding or put Gotham to the sword, but her feelings for Batman can often prevent her from doing what needs to be done.
Like her father, she is incredibly clever and is a capable combatant as well, but it's arguably her strong leadership skills that make her such a threat to Gotham. With the Secret Society of Super-Villains at her back, she's able to cause far more carnage than is ever shown in The Dark Knight Rises and is a near-constant thorn in Batman's side.
5 Bane
First Comic Appearance: Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (1993)
At first glance, Bane may seem like a fairly one-dimensional character who's reliant more on his sheer strength and tolerance for pain than any real tactical nous. Even so, he's living proof that with enough brute force, there aren't many things that can't be broken or bent out of shape.
Contrary to what The Dark Knight Rises may at times suggest though, Bane is actually an incredibly intelligent man. In the comic books, at least, he's come up with plenty of brilliant schemes and is one of a very small number of villains to have been able to truly break Batman; both physically and mentally.
4 Catwoman
First Comic Appearance: Batman #1 (1940)
There have been many different versions of Catwoman over the years, both in the comics and on the silver screen. The most recent movie iteration is played by Zoe Kravitz, who delivers one of the standout performances in Matt Reeves' The Batman. Amazingly, with Catwoman having first appeared all the way back in Batman #1, Kravitz's portrayal comes more than eight decades on from the character's original debut.
Selina Kyle is a bit like Felicia Hardy from the Spider-Man universe, not least because both of their alter-egos are inspired by cats. Kyle's background and more erratic moral compass arguably make her a far more compelling character though, as evidenced by her inclusion in so many of the Batman movies. She's a good person who does bad things, making her both a sympathetic villain and an uneasy ally for the caped crusader.
3 Two-Face
First Comic Appearance: Detective Comics #66 (1942)
From up-and-coming district attorney to deranged criminal, Dent's story is one of the most compelling and tragic in the Batman series. His mental illnesses lead to the character becoming obsessed with the concept of duality and this is something that he himself brings to the series in spades.
While Aaron Eckhart's portrayal of Two-Face is infinitely better than Tommy Lee Jones' back in the nineties, it still only scratches the surface of this fascinating character. While the acid may have destroyed Dent's face, it failed to completely erode his good-natured personality and this causes plenty of inner conflict which is both absorbing and fascinating to behold.
2 Ra's Al Ghul
First Comic Appearance: Batman #232 (1971)
Having once helped a broken and defeated Bruce Wayne to find purpose and direction, Ra's al Ghul is much more than a simple villain. He's smart, he's idealistic and he has the drive and dedication to do what he believes needs to be done. In many ways, he and Batman are actually quite alike. Well. Except for the killing, that is.
Liam Neeson did a fine job bringing the character to life in Batman Begins, but there's so much more to the character than is ever shown in the movies. He's willing to go to extreme lengths to fulfill his desire for balance, including wiping out most of the world's population. He never quite goes full Thanos in that respect, but it's not for lack of trying.
1 The Joker
First Comic Appearance: Batman #1 (1940)
Although there is technically a plural form of the word 'nemesis', by definition, there can only really be one. For Batman, that 'one' is undoubtedly the Joker. Since his very first introduction back in 1940, the clown prince of crime has posed a near-constant threat to the city of Gotham and has caused the deaths of an uncountable number of its citizens.
Through his diabolical actions, he has been able to summon the very best out of Batman, but also, at times, the very worst. Few villains are able to get under the caped crusader's skin quite as effectively as the Joker, nor have any caused him quite so much trouble over the years. His desire for chaos and carnage makes him a difficult villain to stop, but his ability to incite and inspire mayhem makes him an impossible one to ever truly defeat.