When it comes to DC’s supervillains, it doesn’t get any better than that Batman Wicked. Representing the diabolical best of Batman’s dark, grim and disturbing Gotham City setting, the delinquents stand in stark opposition to the crime-fighting Caped Crusader; Whereas the world of Superman is exemplified by shining heroics.
Gotham is defined by the evildoers who terrorize it from the deepest shadows. What makes them stand out is that they are all just a few shades of gray away from the Dark Knight himself. That, and they enjoy dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight. Batman has faced tons of terrifying villains over the years who have pushed him to the absolute limit, and These are the top 35 villains that Batman and fans will always remember.
40
Deadshot (AKA Floyd Lawton)
First appearance: Batman #59 (1950), created by David Vern Reed, Lew Schwartz, Bob Kane
While Deadshot over the years became best known for his membership in the Suicide Squad, he started out as a Batman villain. He also became a major Batman villain over the years, though the two shared a reluctant respect for each other. While Deadshot is a killer, and Batman will never admit it, he also lives by a code of honor.
Deadshot is always a dangerous villain because he is the man who never fails. While he doesn’t battle Batman as much as he used toHe debuted as a Batman villain and the two often ended up deadlocked in their battles.
39
Punchline (AKA Alexis Kaye)
First appearance: Batman #89 (2020), created by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jiménez
With Harley Quinn and the Joker officially over, it was only a matter of time before the Clown Prince of Crime found a new gal Friday. Alexis developed a fixation on the Joker after an encounter with the villain in high school, leading her to see him as an entity of change. Punchline is more than just a good fighter and right-hand woman. She is also quite handy with poisons, and has even developed her own brand of Joker Venom.
While Punchline was extremely useful for her obsession in Joker War, Alexis decided to branch out as a more independent villain. Not only did she replace the Joker on the Legion of Doom, she also gained control of the Royal Flush gang, giving her a meteoric rise among Gotham’s villains.
38
Carmine Falcone (aka The Roman)
First appearance: Batman #405 (1987), created by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli
Carmine Falcone is getting a lot of attention thanks to The Batman movie, but he’s a villain who’s been a dangerous bad guy for Batman since the 1980s. The new movie is based on Batman at the same age he appeared in Year oneAnd this is where Carmine Falcone made his debut in DC Comics.
There have been many villains in Batman comics when it comes to the Gotham City underworld, But Carmine stands above most others. His origin in the movie helps him surpass them all thanks to The Batman Possibly making him responsible for Bruce Wayne’s parents’ death.
37
Calendar Man (aka Julius Day)
Detective Comics #259 by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris.
Every Batman villain needs a gimmick. Whether it’s two-phase with his coin or Joker and his deadly practical gags. This was the rule for Batman villains, and it resulted in some truly ridiculous characters, with Julian Day being one of them. Julian Day, also known as the Calendar Man, is obsessed with dates and plans his crimes around them.
He is rarely taken as a serious villain, but after his re-invention in Batman: The Long HalloweenHe began to get more respect, even appear in the Arkham Video games in a supporting role. Despite seeming goofy at first, Julian has evolved into a dangerous serial killer.
36
Mister Zsasz (AKA Victor Zsasz)
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 by Alan Grant, Norm Breyfogle, Adrienne Roy and Todd Klein
While most of Batman’s villains have some redeeming or understandable element in their backstory, Zsasz is utterly irredeemable. Joss grew up incredibly rich and in 25 years ran his own company and amassed a fortune. In a deep depression, after losing his parents in an accident, he took to gambling and lost all his possessions.
This made Zasaj believe that life has no meaning and that by killing people he frees them from their meaningless lives.. While Zsazh is rarely the center of a story, he showed a site And is a terrifying serial killer.
35
The Ventriloquist (AKA Arnold Wesker)
Detective Comics #583 by John Wagner, Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle
Everyone in Gotham City needs a gimmick, and Arnold Wesker certainly found his. Wesker is a skilled ventriloquist who would put on performances with his dummy Scarface. Scarface has the typical mobster personality. Strange, that Waker believes that Scarface is truly alive and able to make choices on his own.
Wesker is often portrayed as a helpless victim of Scarface who is forced to go along with the dummy’s plans for fear of his own life. The delusion is so powerful that it renders Wesser immune to mind control, as Scarface already controls him.
34
Karma (aka Fleet Delmar)
Detective Comics #983 by Bryan Edward Hill, Miguel Mendonca, Diana Egea, Adriano Lucas and Sal Cipriano
Karma was a man named Fleet Felmar who caused terror and destruction across the lands of Markovia. Karma was delusional and claimed to be a freedom fighter and savior of the country while causing mass destruction and death. Eventually, he caught the attention of Batman, who easily defeated him. Disgusted with his actions, Batman was unusually brutal, spraying Karma with fear gas and sixing a swarm of bats at him. The bat even allegedly ended up tearing out Fleet’s eyes and leaving him with severe scars. Fleet would later return as Karma, using a high-tech helmet to seek revenge on Batman.
33
Killer Croc (AKA Waylon Jones)
First appearance: Detective Comics #523 (1983), created by Gerry Conway, Don Newton, Gene Colan
When written right, Killer Croc is as good as Batman villains come. As of late, the character has been reduced to a large mutated reptile with little ambition beyond eating Batman. However, in his debut, Killer Croc started out as a much more interesting villainSo much so that some believe his backstory is the true inspiration for Tim Burton’s Penguin Inn Batman Returns.
When Waylon Jones was born with a rare scaly skin condition and relentlessly abused, it was only natural that he became a murderous cannibal. After a quick stint finding acceptance with a traveling circus, he ended up in Gotham City. By letting his condition dictate his life, Croc has turned into one truly scary rogue.
32
Solomon Grundy (aka Cyrus Gold)
All-American Comics #61 by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman
Perhaps one of the most physically powerful villains in Batman’s rogues gallery. Solomon Grundy was a wealthy merchant known as Cyrus Gold before he was murdered and thrown into the Slaughter Swamp. Due to the strange properties of slaughter swamp, Cyrus would rise again. Unable to remember his original life, Cyrus took the name of Solomon Grundy from Nurse Graham, the only thing he could remember. Since then, Solomon Grundy has roamed the corners of Gotham City or lived in the sewers that connect to Slaughter Swamp, happily killing anyone who gets in his way.
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31
Black Mask (AKA Roman Sionis)
First appearance: Batman #386 (1985), created by Doug Moench, Tom Mandrake
Born Roman Sionis, he was the by-product of self-absorbed wealthy parents who cared more about their social standing than his well-being. Because of this, he took up the idea of ​​masks. After killing them both, he not only inherited the family fortune, but also took the opportunity to forge a new identity by cutting a black mask from his father’s casket and Become a leader of Gotham’s crime world.
While many of the top Batman villains resort to over-the-top dramatics and wacky gimmicks to fuel their crimes, the Black Mask retains a creepy dignity rooted in good old-fashioned sadism and the use of a well-fired gun.
30
Killer Moth (AKA Drury Walker)
Batman #63 by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Lew Sayre Schwartz and Charles Paris.
One of Batman’s oldest villains is none other than Drury Walker, also known as Killer Mott. Drury began his career as an anti-Batman, one with a wide range of skills and weapons that would help criminals against the police instead of the other way around. Although Batman said he doesn’t need a plan for Killer Moth, the Dark Knight appears to have respect for Drury. Not only was Drury one of the first supervillains to step up against Batman, but Batman has admitted in the past that he thinks Killer Moth’s outfit is awesomeAnd he even designed one of his gadgets after killer moths.
29
Deacon Blackfire (AKA Joseph Blackfire)
Batman: The Cult #1 by Jim Starlin, Bernie Wrightson, Bill Wray and John Costanza
Deacon Blackfire is a villain who appears very rarely in Batman stories, but he’s still a surprisingly formidable opponent. Deacon Blackfire is one of the first villains to force Batman to break his one rule, successfully brainwashing Batman to the point that he participates in a massacre on Blackfire’s orders. The defeat was so humiliating for Batman that the Dark Knight even fled Gotham City, intending to permanently hand over control of the city to Blackfire. While Batman was eventually convinced to go back and fight to save his city, Joseph Blackfire was the first to make him even consider giving up on Gotham.
28
Mister Bloom (aka “The Anti-Joker”)
First appearance: Batman #43 (2015), created by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
One of Batman’s more modern villains was actually first encountered by Jim Gordon during his time as the Dark Knight. Bloom is seen as a necessary force of nature Which needs to eliminate the life in Gotham to allow something new to grow in its place. Despite his lightweight appearance, Bloom is overwhelmingly strong, able to survive the harshest punishment and control technology.
Even among the many oddball villains in Batman’s rogues gallery, Mr. Bloom is an outlier. His past, his powers and his ultimate goals are almost all shrouded in mystery, making him quite an intimidating villain.
27
Hush (AKA Dr. Thomas Elliot)
First appearance: Batman #609 (2003), created by Jim Lee, Jeph Loeb
Hush could be higher if he was more of a villain in one key storyline. However, considering how iconic Quiet was for Batman, this villain deserves his place on the top Batman villain lists. Hush is a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne and was born to wealthy parents like Bruce. However, while Thomas and Martha Wayne are caring parents who raise Bruce to be a hero, Hush’s parents are cruel and he grew up hating his life and the life Bruce had. It was a mystery, and the revelation made Hush such a memorable villain.
26
Owlman (aka Lincoln March)
Batman Vol 2 #1 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
Batman has very few living blood relatives, so the idea of ​​family is everything to him. Bruce has managed to heal from a lot of his trauma by building a new family. Lincoln March is the only villain who challenges Batman’s idea of ​​family. Lincoln March is Batman’s secret brother, and although the comic is deliberately ambiguous about the validity of this claim, Bruce has admitted that he does believe that Lincoln is his long-lost brother. While Lincoln isn’t often featured in comics after his first appearance, nothing makes a better villain than a secret evil brother.
25
Clayface (AKA Basil Karlo)
First appearance: Detective Comics #40 (1940), created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane
Every superhero worth his cape has at least one shape-shifting villain. For Batman, it’s Clayface, a hulking mud monster with the ability to reshape his body, turn his limbs into a menagerie of​​weapons, look like anyone he chooses, and make almost all forms of physical attack useless by Dissolve.
Although his backstory is as shifty as he is, Clayface has provided Batman with a compelling foe since the 40s. However, the best and most tragic version of this character comes from the 90s Batman: The Animated Serieswhich fused his past comic counterparts and ended up becoming the visual template for future appearances.
24
Man-Bat (AKA Kirk Langstrom)
Detective Comics #400 by Frank Robbins, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano and John Costanza
Man-bat is a complex character. Compared to Spider-Man’s Kurt Connors, Kirk Langstrom was a scientist trying to cure deafness with an extracted bat gland. Instead, he ends up turning into a bat-like monster. This made him a recurring villain for Batman over the decades, but considering him was An innocent man and not actively malicious, his character has room for growth beyond just being a regular villain of the week. This is shown when Kirk actually gains control over the Man-Bat persona, even becoming a member of Justice League Dark for a time and helping save the world.
23
Poison Ivy (AKA Dr. Pamela Isley)
First appearance: Batman #181 (1966), created by Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, Sheldon Moldoff
Those who were punished by 1997 Batman and Robin May have forgotten that the eco-terrorist, Poison Ivy, is one of the most iconic Batman villains. With her ability to do whatever she wants with plants, the Gotham City Siren is a deadly foe. She can entice any man to do her bidding, even Superman.
After being forced to consume – or being injected with, depending on the origin story – A poisonous plant, it grows in the cruel poison IVYes, obsessed with protecting the planet’s plant life. While this may seem like a noble cause, she plans to do so by eliminating all human life, forcing Batman to intervene.
22
The Penguin (AKA Oswald Cobblepot)
First appearance: Detective Comics #58 (1941), created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane
Batman villain competence at its best, the Penguin has been a long-time mainstay in Batman’s rogues gallery. Debuted in 1941s Detective Comics #58, Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot where originally got its start as your run-of-the-mill hack. over the many years, The character evolved into a notorious Gotham crime.
Despite being the grotesque face of the city’s criminal underworld, Penguin has also shown a practical, sometimes even quasi-legitimate business side, committing his treacherous acts less out of a need to wreak havoc and more out of a pursuit of personal and financial gain. Adding to his danger, the Man of a Thousand Umbrellas displayed refined intelligence and sophistication.
21
Deathstroke (AKA Slade Wilson)
First appearance: The New Teen Titans #2 (1980), created by Marv Wolfman, George Pérez
Although he started out as a Teen Titans villain, Deathstroke has evolved to become a top Batman villain following the likes of Batman: Arkham Origins And more recent comics. He is one of the few fighters to win against Batman multiple times. Slade Wilson was the subject of a failed super-soldier project that turned him into the world’s greatest assassin.
Deathstroke’s rivalry with Batman has had several incarnations. Usually, though, it involves Deathstroke being paid to kill the Bat or getting payback for a previous defeat. Deathstroke is relentless when he has a goal and his tactical abilities match that of Batman, which is why he is even capable of defeating heroes like the Flash.