Batman’s Villains Ranked

I’ve been in a serious Batman mood over the last two weeks. First I ranked the films, then I ranked the Batman actors, so now it’s time for the big one – I want to rank Batman’s rogues’ gallery. The memorable villains who make this superhero universe so iconic.

I can’t rank all of Batman’s villains, sadly, as I haven’t experienced some of them (the “Court of Owls”, for example, is a cool villain who I simply haven’t seen enough of yet). I will therefore be ranking all the villains I’ve seen – predominantly from the films and the Arkham games. That’s still thirty villains in total!

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Every Batman Movie Ranked

Every Batman Actor Ranked

Every Christopher Nolan Film Ranked

James Bond – Every 007 Actor Ranked

Bad

30 – Calendar Man

I’ve only ever experienced Calendar Man once in Batman media – his cameo appearance in “Arkham City”. He came across as the most ridiculous supervillain I’ve ever seen.

He’s a serial killer obsessed with calendars. How is this supposed to be one of Gotham’s most feared villains? It’s a laughable premise for a baddie, and I struggle to imagine how he’d be intimidating in any other Batman stories.

Upon further research, however, it seems as though Calendar Man is the “Hannibal Lecter” of Gotham – he’s a serial killer who gives Batman tips behind bars. A neat premise, albeit derivative, but I still struggle to see the point in him.

Meh

29 – Deacon Blackfire

A cult leader. That’s all Deacon Blackfire seems to be. I’m sure the comics go into more depth, but his side mission in “Arkham Knight” felt like the ultimate filler.

28 – Deadshot

Deadshot is a master of guns. A bit of an anticlimactic power in this melee-heavy universe.

27 – Victor Zsasz

I’ve seen Victor Zsasz crop up in more Batman media than he deserves.

He’s a run-of-the-mill psycho in a universe full of much more interesting psychos. He’s infatuated with electricity … There’s a reason he’s never been the main villain in a major release.

Okay

26 – Man-Bat

I’ll never forget the Man-Bat jumpscare in “Arkham Knight”. Other than that, however, he’s a forgettable villain.

Name pun aside, Man-Bat is just a science experiment gone wrong. He’s mindless and he screeches a lot. Hardly inspiring stuff.

25 – Mad Hatter

This “Alice In Wonderland” freak made for one of the more memorable side villains in the Arkham games. At his core, however, Mad Hatter is yet another random psycho to pad out Gotham’s underworld.

24 – Hugo Strange

Where Calendar Man was handicapped by his pointless appearance in “Arkham City”, Hugo Strange got a huge boost in my estimations thanks to that game’s fantastic plot.

He’s the driving force behind the whole thing (until he isn’t), and his sadism is on full display. His mind is his superpower … but that can only get you so far in the Batman universe.

23 – Deathstroke

Deathstroke fits the Batman style far better than Deadshot. Both are gruff mercenaries who kill for a price, but Deathstroke’s close-range mastery makes him an equal for Batman’s combat capabilities.

His thrilling boss fight in “Arkham Origins” is what came to mind first. He’s a minor villain to be reckoned with – but he doesn’t have the pizazz of the more memorable villains.

22 – Firefly

A homicidal pyromaniac who flies around on a jetpack. Just an average Wednesday for the people of Gotham.

21 – Solomon Grundy

Solomon Grundy is an immortal, zombie-like villain. Luckily for Batman, he has a very strict “no killing” rule – so the fact Grundy is immortal doesn’t really matter.

He takes a hell of a beating, though, and his “Arkham City” boss fight is awesome.

20 – Black Mask

A crime boss with a badass black mask. As his attire suggests, he goes by “Black Mask”. Neat.

19 – Anarky

Batman values order and justice. Anarky values … well, anarchy, funnily enough. That premise immediately puts the two at fascinating moral odds.

I haven’t seen Anarky used well yet – his side missions in the Arkham games were okay at best – but I appreciate what he represents. Even if every other chaos-seeking villain (*cough* Joker *cough*) pulls it off with more flair.

Good

18 – Talia al Ghul

Daughter of a much more interesting villain.

Her job as a ninja / assassin is badass and bumps her up to the “Good” tier, but Talia has been pretty underused in all the Batman media I’ve seen. Her and Bruce’s relationship never feels as exciting as, say, Batman and Catwoman.

17 – Professor Pyg

Yes, I’m ranking Professor Pyg based solely on his appearance in “Arkham Knight”. And yes, I believe his side mission to be one of the strangest, darkest, most unsettling, best side missions in all of gaming.

He’s a deranged pig-like doctor who carves up his victims like a butcher. Rarely was I as freaked out during an Arkham game as when I finally came face to face with the guy.

16 – Red Hood

I love the premise of Red Hood. One of Batman’s previous sidekicks coming back with a vengeance? You couldn’t write a more personal, gut-punching plotline.

I simply haven’t seen Red Hood used at his fullest potential, sadly. I’m yet to watch “Under the Red Hood”, and his turn as the titular “Arkham Knight” was a bit underwhelming. Oh well. I respect the potential a lot.

15 – Carmine Falcone

Carmine Falcone is one of the least inherently interesting villains in the Batman universe. At the end of the day, he’s just a Gotham City mob boss – at least characters like The Penguin and Black Mask have a quirk!

What Falcone lacks in flair he makes up in ruthlessness. He’s a stone cold killer through and through, and his deep ties to the Gotham underworld put him intrinsically at odds with Batman’s mission.

The best Falcone adaptations, like in 2022’s “The Batman”, show just how above the law he is. Which is exactly why Gotham needs a hero like Batman to even the odds.

14 – Killer Croc

A rampaging crocodile man sounds like one of the more ridiculous Batman villains … but Killer Croc is actually one of the most terrifying.

He’s a hulking titan who lives in the sewers and wants nothing more than to feast on human flesh. I’ll never forget his horror-esque section in “Arkham Asylum” – just thinking about it still gives me shivers.

13 – Hush

It’s all well and good to have a villain with a vendetta against Batman, but what happens when a maniac has it out for Bruce Wayne?

The side quest in “Arkham City” where Hush turned himself into Bruce Wayne was one of the most unsettling moments in the series … only for “Arkham Knight” to ruin it with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it side quest.

As it stands, Hush is the biggest wasted potential for me. I hope to see him in some other capacity in the future.

Great

12 – Harley Quinn

Usually when a character’s sole purpose is to follow or fawn over another character it makes them one-note and predictable. Harley Quinn, on the other hand, is so bonkers in her adoration that it becomes entertaining.

She’s infatuated with Joker (“Mr. J!”) whilst also displaying some formidable fighting skills of her own.

11 – Bane

You’d best believe me and my schoolfriends were doing the Tom Hardy Bane voice daily when “The Dark Knight Rises” came out.

He’s weirdly one of the most-adapted Batman villains I’ve seen, and the quality of said adaptations varies wildly. He’s either a doofus (like in “Batman & Robin”) or, more commonly, he’s a tour de force who beats Batman bloody with pure strength.

10 – Clayface

It’s worth noting that I haven’t seen the recent “Clayface” movie, so I don’t know if that would change my opinion. As it stands, I think Clayface is one of the coolest premises for a supervillain.

He’s a villain who can mould himself to fit any situation – whether that means impersonating someone else or becoming a hulking mass of unstoppable clay.

9 – Poison Ivy

A charming seductress who loves her plants above all things.

Poison Ivy controlling Gotham’s plant matter leads to some really unique encounters. Batman is a stronger man than me, that’s for sure.

8 – Ra’s al Ghul

I had to almost break my own rules for this one. Of the two Ra’s al Ghul adaptations I’ve seen (“Batman Begins” and “Arkham City”) neither of them were particularly stand-out.

I can’t deny, however, how important this character is to the Batman lore. Having Bruce Wayne train under an evil mentor – one who’s in charge of the League of Shadows, no less – leads to an incredibly personal and kickass confrontation.

Amazing

7 – Mr. Freeze

“Arkham City” did wonders for my perception of Mr. Freeze. That single outing took him from a campy B-plot foe to one of my favourite Batman villains.

It helps that he has the best boss fight of any Arkham game, but his ice cold aesthetic and tragic motivations make him a memorable adversary. A husband trying to cryogenically preserve his terminally ill wife? Heart-breaking.

6 – The Penguin

I love how the Batman writers said “Cool cool, so we made our hero a bat-man. Why not make his foe a penguin-man?“.

My favourite version of Penguin / Oswald Cobblepot is probably Danny DeVito in “Returns”, but we’ve been spoiled for great adaptations. Nolan North is a captivating sleezeball in the Arkham games and Colin Farrell is a ruthless kingpin in “The Batman”.

The Penguin succeeds where Carmine Falcone sometimes fell flat – Cobblepot is a crime boss at his core, but he’s also the kind of freak that fits Gotham’s style.

5 – Two-Face

The best Batman villains are the ones who weaponize chaos – the polar opposite of Batman’s quest for order. And what’s more chaotic and random than a coin toss?

My favourite version of Two-Face is hands down Aaron Eckhart in “The Dark Knight”. He flips between reasonable spokesman Harvey Dent and his deranged, psychopathic alter ego on a dime, and his hatred – as well as his penchant for 50/50 coin tosses – is completely justified.

Above all else, this is just an awesome character design. The guy’s face is deformed on exactly one half! And his suave suit often mirrors the damage, too!

4 – Catwoman

Catwoman is more than just Batman’s love interest – she’s his smokin’ hot love interest. And she also kicks ass in her own right.

This “cat burglar” was at her best in “Returns” when played by Michelle Pfeiffer. In that movie she was captivating, tragic and rivalled Keaton’s Batman as the main character of the whole thing.

If nothing else, it’s great to have a villain (Antivillain? Antihero?) who keeps both Batman AND Bruce Wayne on his toes.

3 – Scarecrow

Where some supervillains fight Batman with contrast (i.e. chaos vs order) Scarecrow does one better – he fights Batman using the Caped Crusader’s greatest asset.

Scarecrow is always a thematic villain because he uses fear to conduct his villainy – a direct parallel to how Batman employs fear to keep Gotham’s streets clean.

Scarecrow’s fear toxic always leads to some bizarre and oftentimes terrifying visuals – his nightmare sections in “Arkham Asylum” are what came to mind first.

All-Time Great

2 – The Riddler

Batman goes by many names, but one of his most famous is “World’s Greatest Detective”. It’s fitting, therefore, to have a villain who’s whole schtick is creating precarious puzzles and criminal conundrums.

There have been lots of great Riddlers over the years, but I think I’d give the edge to Paul Dano in “The Batman”. He was a homicidal maniac who tested Batman at each and every turn – the scariest part about him, I thought, was that he felt real. This is the kind of depraved serial killer (much like the Zodiac killer) who would need to be taken down by someone of Batman’s expertise.

I always gravitate towards smart characters, and The Riddler is perfect in that regard for two reasons – his own intelligence is dastardly and he also brings the best out of Batman / Bruce Wayne.

1 – The Joker

What other villain could possibly be number one? Batman vs Joker is, in my opinion, the ultimate comic book rivalry. I don’t think any other match-up in DC or Marvel comes close.

Joker is the epitome of chaos – which is perfect against Batman’s crusade for order on Gotham’s streets. A guy in a bat costume is ridiculous … but a killer clown makes him seem normal!

We’ve been blessed with a string of incredible Joker performances (aside from Jared Leto, obviously). Romero brought the 60’s campiness, Nicholson made Joker a whimsical yet intimidating force, Hamill created the most iconic voice, and Ledger – my favourite portrayal – made the Crown Prince of Crime scarier and more erratic than ever.

For as long as Batman appears on our screens, Joker will be there alongside him. Theirs is the perfect feud – one that I’ll happily watch again and again.

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: