Villains

The Joker

A homicidal artist and an agent of chaos, the Clown Prince of Crime is the embodiment of everything Batman fights against…and everything he fears. No name strikes terror into the hearts of Gotham’s citizens quite like the Joker. In a city overrun with larger-than-life criminals, the always-laughing villain stands alone. A complete psychopath with no moral compass whatsoever, the Joker, whose real name and identity remain completely unknown, is characterized by his chalk-white skin, green hair and a permanent rictus grin stretched across his face. But there isn’t a single thing funny about this particular clown, who only finds humor in the suffering of others.

The Joker first appeared in Gotham City around the same time that the Batman arrived on the scene, and since their very first confrontation, the Clown Prince of Crime has been the Dark Knight’s most formidable nemesis. While Batman represents justice and order, the Joker is his complete opposite, seeing himself as an agent of chaos, the living embodiment of the cruel randomness of fate. The Joker’s psychosis causes his personality to shift between goofy prankster and mass murderer on a dime, making it impossible to predict his next move. It’s this unpredictability that really makes him such a dangerous opponent.

Certainly, no villain has managed to inflict as much pain and suffering on Batman as the Joker, who has on more than one occasion brought death to Bruce Wayne’s extended family. As long as there is a Batman bringing justice to Gotham City, there will be a Joker to bring nightmares.

Penguin

Oswald Cobblepot. Not exactly a name designed to shake the pillars of Gotham’s dark criminal underworld. Maybe it’s his other name that strikes fear into the hearts of citizens both good and bad: The Penguin.

This is a villain fueled by a pathological rage that compels him to turn his odd physique, bird-like profile and awkward waddle into a well-dressed force for fear. No one knows more about what the evil forces of Gotham are up to at any given moment than he and he uses that information to blackmail, intimidate and corrupt anyone he can, especially when it’s in the service of bringing down Batman.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but they also say evil is as evil does. A master manipulator, the Penguin is usually surrounded by violent henchmen who do his bidding without question. But when it comes down to a face-to-face, expect him to unleash a deadly barrage from a variety of umbrella weapons and other ingenious devices—often taking the form of fowl. And when all else fails, the Penguin will fight as dirty as they come, hand to hand combat doesn’t ruffle his feathers at all.

Riddler

Riddle us this: what cerebral criminal with an affinity for purple and green loves challenging the Dark Knight with cleverly calculated crimes and puzzling plots?

One of the Dark Knight's most infamous villains, Edward Nygma enjoys flaunting his intellectual superiority by conducting crimes and leaving clues for Batman to piece together. While this habit constantly leads to the aptly named Riddler failing in his criminal endeavors, his puzzle-problem actually stems not only from his own narcissism and ego, but also from a deep-seeded psychological compulsion. Because of this, the Riddler often finds himself a resident of Arkham Asylum following his inevitable capture.

Possessing a genius-level intellect, the Riddler creates elaborate, sometimes Rube Goldberg-esque traps, and is even willing to use innocent civilians as bait. Although not physically imposing, the Riddler's brilliance, neurosis and lack of empathy make him an incredibly dangerous foe. He cares very little—if at all—about the lives of those he uses in his plots and instead only sees them as disposable pawns in his continuing intellectual battle against Batman.

Two-Face

Cities can be hard, crowded places full of people with different interests, backgrounds and points of view. Voices go unheard and attempts to make a difference often feel pointless. Unless we’re talking about Gotham, in which trying to do good isn’t just fruitless—it’s dangerous.

A prominent and well-educated District Attorney, Harvey Dent fought valiantly to uphold the law and make the city a better place. In any other city, it would have worked. Not in Gotham—a place where greed and corruption stretches from the depths of Crime Alley to the shimmering heights of the mayor’s office. Dent’s spiral into Gotham’s madness came swiftly after a criminal threw acid into his face, leaving half of it horribly scarred. Seeking refuge in the underbelly of Gotham, the name Harvey Dent and all the good it stood for was lost…and Two-Face rose from the darkness.

Armed with a set of .22 calibers, superior intellect and deep knowledge of criminal law, Two-Face is entranced by the idea of chance—making most of his decisions based on the outcome of a coin toss. Capable of orchestrating and carrying out well-organized, large-scale criminal operations, he makes sure the city’s streets continue to run red with blood. He’s unpredictable, and serves as a reminder of Gotham’s perpetual ability to corrupt and destroy all who seek to do good within it.

Ra's Al Ghul

Independently wealthy. Utilizes his vast fortune to finance and further his goals. Incredibly intelligent. A brilliant strategist. Master martial artist. Allied with a host of expert warriors under his command.

No, we’re not talking about Batman, but a man who has proven to be one of his most dangerous and destructive adversaries. He is Ra’s al Ghul, the Demon’s Head, leader of the League of Assassins and the only person in the world capable of going toe-to-toe with the Bat on every level.

Ra’s al Ghul first became aware of Batman after the Dark Knight became entangled with his daughter, Talia. As another man of power who was fully committed to his cause, Ra’s al Ghul saw Batman as a worthy heir to his position as leader of the League of Assassins, a shadowy group that seeks to cleanse the world of corruption and achieve perfect environmental balance. However, the Dark Knight refused, seeing Ra’s al Ghul’s methods—such as killing half of humanity through biological warfare—too ruthless and brutal.

Utilizing the regenerative powers of the Lazarus Pit, Ra’s al Ghul can heal himself from any injury and has often been resurrected from death itself. His exact age is unknown, but he has been around for hundreds of years, giving him an immeasurable amount of knowledge and resources. He is easily one of the world’s greatest threats and can be seen as the embodiment of Batman’s desire to be more than a man, to be a symbol. For long after Bruce Wayne is gone, Ra’s al Ghul shall live on.

Scarecrow

As the Guardian of Gotham, Batman strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies—utilizing terror itself as a weapon in his crusade against the villains that plague his city. However, there is another denizen of Gotham that knows how to use fear to his advantage. One that turns Batman's own weapon against him and revels in terror and dread: the Scarecrow.

As a young child, Jonathan Crane was subjected to sick and twisted experiments on fear conducted by his own father. Emotionally scarred and mentally unstable from the ordeal, Crane spent his childhood living in fear until he made an important realization—if he could control fear, it would never again control him. Over time, this interest in fear become an obsession. Graduating from college with a doctorate in psychology and specialty in phobias, Jonathan began experimenting on others, subjecting them to a hallucinogenic fear toxin he developed that brought out their worst nightmares. Although Batman has developed a number of remedies to counteract these toxins, Crane is constantly improving upon his formula, creating more potent and deadlier versions.

The Scarecrow constantly proves to be a dangerous threat to the Dark Knight not due to physical strength, but to the emotional and psychological damage his toxins can cause. In fact, Scarecrow tends to shy away from physical confrontations and instead lets his victims fall prey to their own waking nightmares. A doctor of the deadliest caliber, the Scarecrow's horrific acts don't stem from a villainous desire for power or money, but from an unbreakable urge to learn and hone his craft—mastery over fear itself.