Summary
Since its creation in 1939,Batmanhas 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, andone or two truly terrificBatmanvideo 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.
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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 bestBatmanvillains 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 July 16, 2025, 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.
15Deathstroke
First Comic Appearance: New Teen Titans #2 (1980)
There are plenty of great DC villains who have gone on to feature inBatmanmedia, the most notable of which is probablyDeathstroke. Having originally started life as aTeam Titansantagonist, the expert assassin went on to play an important role intheBatman: Arkhamseries, appearing in bothArkham OriginsandArkham Knight.
For those unfamiliar with the character, his nickname, The Terminator, should give a pretty good indication ofthe 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.
14Killer 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.Batmanhas several, but Killer Croc is perhaps the most memorable. His sheer power is unfathomable, while his appearance (more so in the comics than inthe 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.
13Poison Ivy
First Comic Appearance: Batman #181 (1966)
Despite what the 1997 movieBatman & Robinmight suggest,Poison Ivy is one of the bestBatmanvillains 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 greatBatmanvillains,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.
12Phantasm
First Comic Appearance: Batman/Catwoman #1 (2020)
Arguably one of the bestBatmanvillains to have never appeared in a live-action movie,Phantasmwas 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 inBatman/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.
11Mr. Freeze
First Comic Appearance: Batman #121 (1959)
Mr. Freeze is one of the manyBatmanvillains whose reputations were tarnished by Joel Schumacher’s unbearableBatmanmovies from the mid-nineties. Behind all of theterrible puns and over-the-top actingthough, there’s actually an incredibly interesting character with a surprising amount of depth.
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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 to achieve his one true goal.
10The 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 toevoke feelings of pure dreadin 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.
9Harley 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 mainlineBatmanmovies. She has, however, featured in several ofthe 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 theBatmanuniverse, herinsanity 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.
8The Penguin
First Comic Appearance: Detective Comics #58 (1941)
Danny De Vito may not be quite on the same level as some ofthe many great Oscar-winning actors of his generation, but his portrayal of the Penguin inBatman Returnsis 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.
7The 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 Nygmaprovide 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.
6Talia 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.
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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 inThe Dark Knight Risesand is a near-constant thorn in Batman’s side.
