In the landscape of comic book material, the Batman universe is credited with bringing the most memorable villains. The Caped Crusader’s foes range from the maniacal Joker, the ingenious and powerful Bane, to chaotic characters like Catwoman. With such a celebrated history across various forms of media like movies, video games, and TV shows, among others, there’s a lot of material where fans have seen these villains.
Voters on Ranker have decided which of the Dark Knight’s enemies they consider to be the greatest. These have been upvoted by thousands of fans worldwide, which leaves no doubt that the ones appearing here are the pick of the bunch. It’s interesting to see who all made the cut and what makes them so popular with the fanbase.
Ra's Al Ghul
There are many popular quotes from Ra's Al Ghul in Batman media because the villain has lived for centuries where he’s accumulated his knowledge of the world. In the comics, Ra's Al Ghul has been alive for a thousand years thanks to his use of the Lazarus Pits that grant him immortality.
His skewed sense of justice makes him a parallel to Batman, as the latter looks to foil Ra's Al Ghul’s extremist plans to achieve peace. Ra's Al Ghul also brought the League of Assassins to the DC Universe, with this clan going on to become Batman’s recurring foes.
Catwoman
There have been many live-action portrayals of Catwoman over the years, with the character largely shown as an anti-hero in recent times. However, her classic portrayal is as a thief and antagonist who wanted Batman out of the way for her to continue her crime spree.
Catwoman’s villainous traits have remained to an extent, as the character always morally contrasts Batman, which makes their relationship an impossibility. Her popularity has soared whenever a new portrayal has come in place, although Michelle Pfieffer’s version arguably remains the most well-known.
Poison Ivy
It’s difficult to find unpopular opinions about Poison Ivy, especially in recent times where she’s also portrayed as a protagonist. She’s been praised for showcasing a feminine contrast to Batman’s masculinity, with Ivy rarely ever being intimidated by Batman like other criminals are.
She’s been the kind of villain who truly tests Batman’s mettle as Gotham’s protector, as Ivy’s powers allow her control over plant life and toxins that can kill people en masse. Ivy can be sympathized with to an extent since her villainy comes from her belief that mankind is harming nature through its polluting ways.
Penguin
Penguin is one of Batman’s most enduring villains and presents a challenge through the use of numerous thugs he has in his employ. Various incarnations have made him appear more grotesque than the comic book version, but these have interesting twists like Danny DeVito’s versions who had a connection with the Penguin animal.
Unlike most of Batman’s villains, the Penguin is completely sane and aware of his actions. This dynamic makes him unpredictable since Batman can’t predict how Penguin will be using his goons against him. Penguin's many insecurities and grudge against Batman have brought in plenty of memorable moments between the two.
Bane
The popularity of this character has been high ever since Tom Hardy masterfully played the villainous Bane. He’s been a perfect opponent for Batman because Bane is a blend of power and skill, with the villain employing his genius intellect to trap Batman numerous times.
He remains most notable for shattering Batman’s back to become the first villain to decisively incapacitate the Dark Knight. Bane’s use of the venom has made him arguably the greatest physical threat Batman has faced in terms of his rogue's gallery and he’s also led various villainous alliances.
Mr. Freeze
The perception of Mr. Freeze saw a big turnaround around three decades ago when the character was changed into a tragic figure. Originally a rather stereotypical villain, Batman: The Animated Series provided him with a sympathetic backstory of wanting to cure his wife, which made him far more appealing.
Mr. Freeze has generally gotten on the wrong side of Batman when his pursuits have clashed with the Caped Crusader’s, with plenty of battles taking place between the two. The conflict he feels between committing bad acts with wanting to save his wife adds a great level of depth to the character.
Two-Face
While Two-Face’s usual mode of operations is as a gangster with a lot of mooks, his backstory is what makes him so interesting. Various interpretations have ranged from showing Harvey Dent’s alter-ego to being a split personality while certain others portray it as a representation of his damaged psyche.
Two-Face’s blind faith in chances has brought several intense moments where he leaves the lives of others based on which side of the coin lands on his palm. His past with Bruce Wayne also adds another layer of characterization, with many fans even sympathizing with him.
Scarecrow
Scarecrow is a villain that encapsulates the dark backdrop of the Batman series, especially since he plays to the fears the Dark Knight tries to hide. Scarecrow has been presented in every way from a hammy villain to a genuinely terrifying foe who’s crippled people through the use of the fear toxin.
Some incarnations like the ones in Batman Begins and Batman: Arkham Knight have depicted his fear factor to a huge scale, with all of Gotham City falling prey. Stories featuring Scarecrow can venture into the horror genre and it’s always fun to see how the story plays out.
The Riddler
Batman is regarded as the World’s Greatest Detective and the villain to test this claim has been The Riddler. The antagonist has a deep obsession with beating the Dark Knight, so much so that he creates intricate plots and traps in a bid to one-up the protagonist.
Storylines surrounding The Riddler have always been the most intelligent ones, as these require a lot of detective work from Batman and have fans guessing what every riddle is supposed to mean. The Batman went to show that The Riddler can even be a terrifying character, meaning there’s still a lot of room to tread where he’s concerned.
The Joker
It’s impossible to think of the Batman series without The Joker’s name springing to mind almost instantly. The Clown Prince of Crime is notable for not wanting anything to do with power or money, as he just wants to antagonize Batman for the fun of it, even if it means Gotham has to suffer.
The Joker’s ambiguous past has contributed to adding the mystery behind his true motives, with various interpretations showing him as a tragic character or someone who’s always been maniacal. Portrayals by Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix, and Mark Hamill have kept The Joker mainstream popular, with the character showing no signs of fandom fatigue.