If asked the question "who's the best villain?" just about every Batman fan will reply with Joker. For years, the Clown Prince of Crime has terrorized and brutalized the likes of the Caped Crusader due to multiple and deadly reasons, each one more intriguing than the last. Yet, there are sometimes when fans wonder if Joker is the best villain.
Sure, he's got the look, the skill, the vicious streak, but how many other Batman villains push the Dark Knight just as much, always keeping him on edge? And which ones would perhaps take on the mantel of greatest villain?
Joker: Brutal Nature
In the beginning and in some adaptations, the Joker can be more of a clown than a monster, and yet, over time, his vicious nature has become truly unmatched.
Paralyzing Barbra Gordon, tormenting Jim Gordon, killing Sarah Essen, brutally beating Jason Todd, ripping off his own face, hunting and driving apart the entire Batfamily and plaguing Batman with vicious attacks, the laundry list of misdeeds and offenses goes on and on. Above all else, the Joker's horrific and disturbing nature stands out.
Alternative: Court Of Owls
Truth be told, Batman has far too many villains to count. While a great number are jokes, there are some who are truly his greatest foes. Yet, in comparison to the Joker, a single madman, the Court of Owls, a secret society of madmen and women, is something worth talking about.
A recent set of villains from the New 52, the Court is detailed to be a secret society bent on controlling Gotham. From sending their brutal Talons to cleanse the streets, to subjecting Batman to horrific tortures in the labyrinth beneath Gotham, the Owls deserve to be in a live-action movie even if they are pretty new.
Joker: Attraction to Batman
Now, some people see Joker's and Batman's relationship as being "romantic" to some extent. While there maybe some evidence to that, Joker's attraction to Batman runs far deeper than that. In fact, it's far more of an obsession than an attraction.
While a lot of villains share similar obsessions, the Joker's is more intense. He is obsessed and intent on keeping him and Batman in an endless loop, a terrible battle that will never end with just the two of them that he'd be willing to murder anyone to get at Bats.
Alternative: Catwoman
Selina Kyle, Catwoman, is one of Batman's more famous female villains. A notorious thief who seemingly always manages to escape death, Kyle has stole Batman's heart time again and even married him at some point, perhaps putting her into a more anti-hero status.
However, while Selina currently exhibits anti-heroics, her actions as a villain mingle with her on and off period as a hero constantly. One minute, she's reluctantly helping Bruce. The next, she's robbing him or a fellow hero. It adds to the complicated relationship greatly.
Joker: Motivation
Villains' motivations can sometimes be very linear. Most of the time, the bad guys go after the heroes because they're opposing their end goals. Sometimes it's for more complex reasons but it's usually because they want to dominate the world and Superman's in the way of that. The Joker, though? Not so much.
The Joker's motivation for his actions hinges on the fact that he just wants to watch the world burn to spite Batman. He's so intent on proving to the Bat that the world is as mad as he is that he's motivated to watch it burn all to keep his and Batman's rivalry going.
Alternative: Two-Face
Sometimes the best villains are those with ties to the hero's past or life. For a good while, Harvey Dent was the attorney of Gotham, protecting it alongside Batman and Jim Gordon. Then, acid was splashed in Dent's face and he became the tragic villain Two-Face.
Basing his decisions on a coin, depending on which side it lands on, Two-Face has a twisted sense of justice that often pushes Batman to his limits. Constantly trying to find help for his former ally, Two-Face's psyche and mental state always manage to test Batman.
Joker: Multiple Origins
A villain's origin can define and place them. Usually, most villains' origins are undefined or differ depending on the decade. The Joker, however, has never had a concrete origin and it lends to who he is.
Although the now-iconic Killing Joke could be considered his official origin, the true identity and origin of the Joker's remained deep in the shadows. Some see him as a devil in the pale moonlight; others a down on his luck comedian. A few even see him as being Alfred Pennyworth. All in all, the Joker's multiple origins adds to his greatness.
Alternative: Ra's Al Ghul
Not too many villains can outsmart Batman. Not even the Justice League can prepare for all his contingency plans. And while the Riddler is an incredibly intelligent foe, he doesn't exactly share the same ferocity and vile plots as the Demons Head, Ra's Al Ghul.
An immortal being who regains his strength and vitality thanks to the Lazarus Pit, Ra's Al Ghul has managed to turn Batman's own contingency plans against him and the League and gets close to even destroying them. In the aftermath, Batman leaves the League, a victory one could give to the Demons Head.
Joker: One Bad Day
One Bad Day. According to the Clown Prince of Crime, that's all it takes to drive a person insane, to tear them apart. Now, it may sound like a madman's rambling, nothing to be taken too seriously. And yet, the scary thing is is that the Joker's actually right.
Time again, his mantra of one bad day's been proven right and not through the Killing Joke. The world's of the Dark Multiverse and Injustice has given birth to a Batman Who Laughs and a tyrant Superman out of that simple yet powerful quote, a quote that makes the Joker's influence all the more deadly.
Alternative: Bane
There's a sad fact about the masked prisoner from Santa Prisca. Most of the time, Bane is depicted as being a mindless brute, controlled by the drug venom which allowed him to break Batman's back. As such, most fans don't think much of him beyond his incredible strength.
In reality, Bane is much more intelligent than most people give him credit for. Not only did he deduce who Batman really was on his own but before he broke his back, Bane waited for Batman to go through an onslaught of villains before breaking into his own home and snapping his back in his own cave. For that, Bane is one of Batman's greatest foes and embodies the meaning of One Bad Day.