Top 10 Batman Villains

[ket_the_jet]

I am submitting this list to Listverse.com but have grown tired of working on it right now and have no place to save it. Feel free to comment, add opinions, proofread, or submit your own top 10 list.

10. Poison Ivy, Pamela Isley
First Appearance: Batman #181 (June 1966)
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9. The Riddler, Edward Nygma
First Appearance: Detective Comics #140 (October 1948)
Look to the cubicle to your left. That employee is disgruntled. But hopefully, he's not as disgruntled as the popular iterations of Edward Nigma, a Wayne Enterprises employee who goes mad under the pressures of his boss and failing social life. The Riddler is one character whose own ego does not let him kill Batman during the several chances that he has--unless there is a puzzle to be solved. Rather cowardly, the Riddler eventually awakens from a coma to discover he does not remember who he is, and becomes a private detective. He is one of the few villains that knows the true identities of Batman and Nightwing.

8. The Scarecrow, Professor Jonathan Crane
First Appearance: World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941)
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7. Hush, unknown (suspected: Tommy Eliot)
First Appearance: Batman #609 (November 2002)
Despite his relatively short history, Hush is among Batman's most psychologically advanced foils. A childhood friend to Bruce Wayne, Tommy Eliot was also born to a wealthy family. Eliot, however, was jealous of Bruce's family and life. He loathed his parents and killed his drunk and abusive father. Eventually, Eliot travels the world and becomes a successful surgeon. When Eliot discovers a the criminal background of his patient, Edward Nygma, he decides to join forces in an effort to kill Bruce Wayne. He adopts the persona "Hush" and, with the Riddler, manipulate several of Batman's greatest enemies to help their cause. Batman suspects Hush of being Jason Todd, Maxie Zeus, and Deadshot and never discovers Hush's identity.

6. Catwoman, Selina Kyle
First Appearance: Batman #1 (Spring 1940)
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5. Bane, The Man Who Broke the Bat
First Appearance: Batman, Vengeance of Bane (January 1993)
Born to serve his father's sentence in fictional Latin country Santa Prisca's top prison, Bane is one of Batman's strongest and most intelligent enemies. While spending his life in prison, Bane receives a classical education and learns how to protect himself. Keeping himself in peak physical condition and becoming the de facto ruler of the prison, the guards decide to test a venom on Bane which gives him extraordinary strength. Bane soon breaks out of prison and heads to Gotham City, which he hears that fear rules. Bane determines that Batman is the source of fear in Gotham City, so he stages a plan to find Batman. Bane destroys the walls of Arkham Asylum and releases all of Batman's dreaded enemies, which Batman spends three months rounding up. After he returns to Wayne Manor, he finds Bane, who breaks his back. Bane eventually becomes the heir to Ra's al Ghul.

4. Mr. Freeze, Dr. Victor Fries
First Appearance: Batman #121 (October-November 1948)
Originally a stock villain, Mr. Zero, Mr. Freeze was catapulted to fame after Batman: The Animated Series episode "Heart of Ice". Dr. Victor Fries suffered a cryonic accident while trying to heal his terminally ill wife, Nora. Considered groundbreaking for its emotional depth in a children's show, the episode won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program. Mr. Freeze is presented as a villain out of circumstance--he would prefer to be left alone to his research, but often gets wrangled into crime. Arnold Schwarzenegger famously ruined Mr. Freeze in box-office bust Batman and Robin.

3. The Mad Hatter, Jarvis Tetch
First Appearance: Batman #49 (November 1948)
While he began as an early novelty villain (see, Calendar Man, The Cavalier, etc.), The Mad Hatter has become one of Batman's top adversaries. Using mind-control and hypnotic techniques, Tetch nearly succeeds when he kidnaps Batman and puts him in a fantastical dream where Bruce Wayne has the life he always wished. Tetch is a paranoid schizophrenic, highly obsessive-compulsive, and delusional. Recently, The Mad Hatter has become an even darker character with allusions to pedophilia.

2. The Joker, Alias unknown
First Appearance: Batman #1 (Spring 1940)
Possibly Batman's most common enemy, the Joker is a homicidal maniac who takes comic delight in both violent crime and upstaging Batman. An anarchist and psychopath, The Joker views Batman as another side to the same coin, or tragedy to his comedy. He is conniving and evil, convincing his Arkham psychiatrist to become his henchman (Harley Quinn). Among his most infamous dastardly deeds, he crippled Barbara Gordon, killed the second Robin, and murdered Commissioner Gordon's second wife. Immortalized onscreen by Cesar Ramano and Jack Nicholson, The Joker will likely be associated forever with Heath Ledger, whose penultimate performance won him a Academy Award for best supporting actor.

1. Two-Face, Harvey Dent
First Appearance: Detective Comics #6 (August 1942)




_____________________________ ______________________
Honorable Mention: Harley Quinn, Charaxes, Clayface, Mr. Zsasz, The Penguin, Ra's al Ghul, Red Hood, Killer Croc, Spellbinder, The Ventriloquist and Scarface, Hugo Strange

Dishonorable Mention: Calendar Man, The Cavalier, Film Freak, the Gentleman Ghost, The Globe, Humpty Dumpty, King Tut, Kite Man, Madame Zodiac, Orca, The Ratcatcher, The Snowman, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Zebra Man

[turin08]

Joker has to be number 1. HAS to be

[ket_the_jet]

Joker has to be number 1. HAS to be

Why? That is like saying Sauron has to be the top bad guy in Lord of the Rings. Sure he's kind of the arch-rival of the Free Peoples, but Gollum and the Witch-King and Khamul and Saruman all deserve honorable mention.

I'll insert a few more backgrounds and maybe you will understand my rationale.
-wtk

Edit: If you go by success rate, Bane should be number one because he's the only one who has beaten Batman.
-wtk

[Anautikus]

I think the way the Joker has been made to be Batman's "other half" and how one cannot co-exist w/o the other makes him #1, imo. Where's Ra's al Ghul? I always liked him hahah, esp when he was played by Liam Neeson in Batman Begins.

PS - Ledger won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well

[FingolfinFinwe]

I always forget about Ra's al Ghul.  Though when he does come up it seems as though he should near the top of the list.  I probably agree that the Joker should be #1, but it's all opinion.

[rubbercarp]

Mr. Freeze.
As interpreted by Arnold Schwarzenegger. =)



Seriously though. I have only really ever experienced Batman via the Animated Series in the late 90's. And I did always really like Mr. Freeze.

[Gate Troll]

Where's the Penguin?

[ket_the_jet]

The Penguin is great as a mob boss, but as a villain, he is ordinary and un-entertaining.

Ra's al Ghul is a cool villain. My brother loves him. I don't think he's top-10 worthy.

For the record, my brother is the expert. He writes comics for a living.
-wtk

[Anautikus]

He writes comics for a living.
-wtk

Sounds like a kickass job hahah. I still say Joker at #1, but it's a toss up at him and Dent; both were amazing villains. And I grew to Batman, TAS as well; such a good show; not for kids hahah

[FingolfinFinwe]

Hells yes Batman the animated series was the best!

[ket_the_jet]

Hells yes Batman the animated series was the best!

Have them all on DVD. Who says you have to grow up?
-wtk

[FingolfinFinwe]

hm yeah that'd be a good pickup.  How many seasons were there?

[ket_the_jet]

Four seasons. You know, Batman Beyond was a pretty good show too, but mostly because the movie about the Return of Joker was so sweet.

It has a lot of stuff about Jason Todd, who is the most interesting Robin (and Red Hood).
-wtk