Greatest Batman Villain?

[Citizen V]

Batman has some of the most demented and dangerious villains in comic history,most of them are known very well.Who is your favorite or who do you think is the greatest Batman villain?

Batman has plenty of villains,too much to list.Only choose 'Other' if the villain you want to vote for,is not on the poll.

I can only pick 10,so i picked the 10 most voted from other forums.

[Jonathan]

As far as I'm concerned, ideally, the two big driving forces behind Batman are the establishment of order and the preservation of all life, goals that stem directly from the senseless murder of his parents. The Joker, on the other hand, exists solely to create chaos, for whatever reason(s), and he doesn't care one little bit if anyone gets hurt or killed in the process. He's Batman's complete opposite. And that's why I think the Joker's Batman's top villain.

I'd rank the rest as follows:

2. Two-Face
3. Catwoman
4. Ra's Al Ghul and Talia
5. The Riddler
6. Mr. Freeze
7. Poison Ivy
8. The Scarecrow
9. The Penguin (I wish somebody'd establish him as a major enemy again, like he used to be)
10. The Mad Hatter
11. Clayface II

Harley Quinn, Clayface III, Man-Bat, Hugo Strange, and Rupert Thorne get honorable mentions.

[stillanerd]

Hands down, the Joker is Batman's greatest villain, as well as the most iconic and influencial. And what makes him great is that, with him, since he lacks any sense of hesitation and does whatever he feels like doing when he's involved--and has a fun time doing it--you know that it's going to be bad news for Gotham and Batman in general. He is also one of the few enemies Batman has that actually gets under his skin, who is cunning and dangerous enough that, at some level, Batman is actually afraid of him and what he is capable of doing. His one drawback, character wise, is that he his actions are so evil it's impossible to humanize him--and maybe we shouldn't. Also, everyone working on Batman wants to write a story using him, so he becomes overexposed as a result. Then again, that speaks to his potency, appeal, and popularity.

[Jack Zodiac]

The Ten-Eyed Man!

[Gaspard]

How ironic that it would have to be a coin toss for me between Harvey "Two-Face" Dent and The Joker.

[TheFili]

I go with the mass - Joker. As stillanerd so rightly said he is the most iconic. But I also chose him because he forms a great "pair" with Batman. They are so radically different and that's what makes them an interesting match-up.

[mr_evilweed]

hmmm...I was going to say The Predator from Batman vs. Predator:D

[TheTen-EyedMan]

The Ten-Eyed Man!

*writes check for large amount of cash to Jack Zodiac".


Right back at you Jack!

[Violently Apathetic]

I am loathe to admit it's the Joker, considering the issues I have with the character and the way he's been used, but in the end common sense wins out and I have to confess that the Clown Prince of Crime takes it. Next I'd go with Two-Face. After that it starts to get pretty convoluted...

[Gary Joyce]

You gotta go with Joker as he is the most recognisable and iconic Batman villain.

My favourite bat-villains though is between Ras and Catwoman.

[onenatv]

C'mon guys, this poll is too predictable. The Joker is the greatest, There's no contest here.:)

[curefreak]

i always liked joker cause he uses batman as a straight man for his jokes and insanity.

[Hulkamaniac]

Joker, hands down , gotta be Mr. J, all the way :D

[Blight]

I was going to say Joker, but then I remembered what Face to Face, Long Halloween, and Dark Victory and changed it to Two-Face.

[BeastieRunner]

Joker all the way.

Ra's and Two-Face get the #2 and #3 spots in my book. #4 and #5 have to go to the Riddler and Catwoman.

[dreyga2000]

Batman's greatest villian is.... HIMSELF!!!!:evilsmile

But in all seriousness the joker is his number rival in virtually all of his incarnations...

[CDB]

The Joker hands down.

[karaokefanboy]

Crazy Quilt.

Someone had to say it.

[NenaBoneta]

I would have to say Ra`s Al Ghul(The Demon's head),he is leathal and he is the leader of the league of shadows.He has well sword fighting skills,and martal art skills.He is also batman's eldest enemy,he is about 600 years old.He is also one of batman's most cleaver and cunning enemy's of all time.
so over all i think his experience,knowledge,cunning mind,and his skills in fighting make him one of batman's greatest foes

[Apathy Boy]

Joker's easily the most popular, but I've never cared for him. Way overexposed, and not terribly interesting as a character. The rivalry between him and Batman feels pretty fabricated; because he's so popular, DC has the Joker do all the really bad stuff, like crippling Barbara Gordon and killing Jason Todd and Sarah Gordon. It feels like too much.

So I'm going to be contrary and vote for Two-Face. Great visual, interesting psychosis and great gimmick. Love the former ally/bitter enemy dynamic too.

Second favourite would be Deadshot, who has one of the best character arcs in comics thanks to the likes of John Ostrander and Chris Gage.

[Kara Zor El]

Joker. Why? Batman has faced him more times than anyone else. He's murdered his sidekick, and the sidekicks mother. The sidekick came back but is now a bat hater. He crippled batgirl. Photographed her in the nude, whilst bleeding to death. Maybe sexually assualted her. Stripped Jim Gordon naked the same day and presented the nude shots of daughter to him whilst dragging him round by a collar and lead in an attempt to drive him crazy. He also killed Gordon's wife. These are all people who Batman loves, or are loved by those he loves. And on top of that he is a mass murderer who everytime bats puts him away, escapes to murder more and more. He also created Bizzaro No1 a potential threat to humanity.

Bane of course has done the most physical damage to Batman.

And Deacon Blackfire is the only man to break Batman's spirit singlehandedly.Deacon Blackfire also took Gotham completely, and had Gordon shot.

[curefreak]

Joker. Why? Batman has faced him more times than anyone else. He's murdered his sidekick, and the sidekicks mother. The sidekick came back but is now a bat hater. He crippled batgirl. Photographed her in the nude, whilst bleeding to death. Maybe sexually assualted her. Stripped Jim Gordon naked the same day and presented the nude shots of daughter to him whilst dragging him round by a collar and lead in an attempt to drive him crazy. He also killed Gordon's wife. These are all people who Batman loves, or are loved by those he loves. And on top of that he is a mass murderer who everytime bats puts him away, escapes to murder more and more. He also created Bizzaro No1 a potential threat to humanity.

Bane of course has done the most physical damage to Batman.

And Deacon Blackfire is the only man to break Batman's spirit singlehandedly.Deacon Blackfire also took Gotham completely, and had Gordon shot.
i thought luthor created bizzaro:confused:

[Kara Zor El]

i thought luthor created bizzaro:confused:

Luthor created Bizzaro, who later died but Joker created Bizzaro No1 when he was Emporer Joker and when Joker was defeated and Myx's power was taken from him. The Joker World vanished but for some unknown reason, Bizzaro No1survived and that's the current Bizzaro in continuity. A creation of Joker's twisted mind.

[Citizen V]

Batman's greatest villian is.... HIMSELF!!!!

Actually,i thought of putting that on the poll.But there was only 10 spaces,so i had to leave it out.

As for myself,i voted for The Joker.

[curefreak]

Luthor created Bizzaro, who later died but Joker created Bizzaro No1 when he was Emporer Joker and when Joker was defeated and Myx's power was taken from him. The Joker World vanished but for some unknown reason, Bizzaro No1survived and that's the current Bizzaro in continuity. A creation of Joker's twisted mind.
thats very scary.

[Greg Waite]

The Scarecrow got my vote.

[The Punished]

Ras Al Ghul---

Ras has distracted the Detective by allowing Talia to mate with her Beloved. Time and again Ras is renewed via the Lazarus Pit to come back and be a thorn in the side of the Detective.

The Detective must always be at his best to top Ras.

[Dustin]

The Joker has been the greatest. No doubt about that.

[whitey museum]

I voted Joker too. Didn't even hesitate.

However, to mix it up a bit, I enjoyed the rare clashes Batman had with Adrian Chase 'aka Vigilante'. These have taken place in Bat-books, and the 50 issue Vigilante series in the late 80's.

[literally exaggerated]

this is obviously Joker. He's like the Beatles or the Babe Ruth of Batman villains. Can you argue that a few others are better? Sure. But pretty much nobody is gonna agree with you.

[Autonomy]

The Scarecrow got my vote.

i would have to agree. scarecrow is hands down my favorite batman villian! he is just like Bruce in so many ways, it makes him a perfect villian.

[Baldur]

I voted for The Joker because its the right thing to do, but I always enjoy watching Batman face off against people with a similar level of intelligence to himself.

[Frankie Dennis]

I voted for the Joker.

The Joker is a great villain because one minute he can be funny, and the next he can be terrifying. This character is completely unpredictable and I find that very interesting.

[shades of eternity]

Ras Al Ghul

Joker is wackier, but I like my villians to be more organized, experienced and just as dangerous with prep time

[DWEarhart]

Fanboy side roars Joker.

Further Thought side says Rah's.

[Beacon]

The Ten-Eyed Man!

Sonova... I wanted to say that.


Seriously though, I have several answers. The Joker is most iconic and represents everything Batman isn't. Joe Chill is the most personal for obvious reasons (and the Pre-Crisis version got the best badguy death ever). Two-Face is one of the more personal ones because he's an ally gone wrong (though I guess you could say the same about Jason Todd). In a lot of ways, Ra`s Al Ghul is BATMAN gone wrong.

None of those are my favorite; Mr. Freeze

[amirab]

When someone says who was Batman's best villain, I say The Joker.

[Hannah]

Batman's best villian? It will always be the Joker to me. He is one of the only villians that is really and truely scarey.

[The Killing Joke]

The Joker easily... but how could The Penguin not be a choice?!? He is easily his second greatest villian.

[The Killing Joke]

I voted for The Joker because its the right thing to do, but I always enjoy watching Batman face off against people with a similar level of intelligence to himself.

The Joker has a similar level of intelligence. He's just insane to boot.

[The Killing Joke]

this is obviously Joker. He's like the Beatles or the Babe Ruth of Batman villains. Can you argue that a few others are better? Sure. But pretty much nobody is gonna agree with you.

Haha. Great quote man.:D

I would go even further and call him The Beatles of villians in general. An absolute icon and still the most frightening villian ever created.

[a-spidey]

i go with bane, maybe because i haven't seen him for a while

[Keehar]

*Le bump*

Gotta go with The Joker. When he's not terrorizing Gotham, he's killing friends and allies of Batman.

What a guy :cool:

[Greg Anderson]

Two-Face. The very model of human nature. Good and Evil. What's not to love?

[RickDangerous]

I'd have to second Two-Face. The inherent dichotomy of good and evil in one form, combined with the personal relation to Bruce and the friend led astray is one of the most dynamic relations in the series.

[Ite]

The Joker, by far.

[Euchre0]

I voted for the Joker, but Two-Face is a close second. While the Joker is the chaos that is the opposite of Batman's control, Two-Face is the result of a failure of Batman and the law that Dent served, which makes him very interesting in concept to me

[kal_el21]

Conventional wisdom points to the Joker since he's in an exclusive club as far as villians go with Lex Luthor, Magneto, and Green Goblin. But that's not how I voted. I chose other and that other being Mr. Freeze. When written well he's an unbelievable character and I only have to point to his first appearance on B:TAS.

[TheBatGotHim]

My favorites in this order

1. The Joker
2. Catwoman
3. The Riddler
4. Mr Freeze
5. Penguin
6. Scarecrow
7. Ra's Al Ghul
8. Clayface
9. Bane
10. Hush
11. Two Face
12. Poison Ivy


And I know Im in the minority of not being a big fan of the Two Face character. ;)

[Beacon]

Conventional wisdom points to the Joker since he's in an exclusive club as far as villians go with Lex Luthor, Magneto, and Green Goblin.

I never really got that logic. I’ve always considered Two-Face and Doctor Octopus vastly superior to Joker and Green Goblin (well, HARRY works for the same reason that Two-Face does but Norman has outlived whatever usefulness he once had). There’s certainly a perfectly valid argument for humanity in general over Magneto or Zod over Lex.

Besides, all the best heroes have themselves as their own worst enemies anyway. That’s certainly the case for Batman and Spider-Man. I’ll take that over a clown and a man with a purse any day.

[zeroEDGE]

joker by a long shot, they have developed one of the best hero-villian relationship ever IMO

[The_green_listener]

I'm discounting the Joker because he is by far the greatest villain....in anything. So I'll go with two face and scarecrow

[DonC]

The Joker. Next question?

[Choppa]

I believe it's the Joker. He's obviously the most popular of all of them and I think he was even listed number 1 in Wizard's top villian list.

[The Zapper]

Any poll like this will always put Joker at #1. I've never seen even seen one that was remotley close. Joker will be around as long as Batman is around. Like Superman and Bats himself, the Joker will never be permenatly killed or replaced. Scarecrow is my pick for a Bat villain other than Joker though. As a friend of mine put it, "I'd rather run into Joker rather than Scarecrow, because I'd know I was going to die with Joker, but Scarecrow is going to mind rape me and either kill me or leave me damaged for the rest of my life." Joker is still the one and only king of Arkham though.

[ZacharyLovesYou]

It's obviously the Joker.

If you said otherwise, it's because you're trying to look unique in the crowd, or you have a favorite. Ask yourself: If I was speaking to The Batman himself, who would he say his greatest villain is? We all know what he'd answer.

[dancj]

IAsk yourself: If I was speaking to The Batman himself, who would he say his greatest villain is? We all know what he'd answer.
"Ra's Al Ghul"

[Rupertmetal]

Yeah, I gotta go with The Joker as the "Greatest Batman Villian" just because he killed RobinII, paralyzed BatgirlI and killed Gordon's wife.

But, if the question was "Best Batman Villian" I'd say Two-Face. My reasons being The Long Halloween and I think Two-Face could kick The Joker's ass and kill him easily, just like Batman can... and should haha.

[Beacon]

Ask yourself: If I was speaking to The Batman himself, who would he say his greatest villain is? We all know what he'd answer.

He’d either go into some speech about how the one villain is just as bad as another or (if he knows the person well enough that admit it) say it’s the guy who killed his parents. By your logic the Joker is only his “greatest villain” in the 80s/90s movies. In most other universes it’d either be Joe Chill or an anonymous gunman.

[bennyblanko]

grotesk... nuff said.

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PULL LIST: All-Star Batman and Robin.

[dupersuper]

Why no Hugo Strange? Joe Chill? Penguin? Scarecrow? Prometheus? Phantasm?

[PunisherFan]

This is too easy, it's the Joker. I voted for Clayface b/c he's one of my favs and never really gets used... although there are like 8 or so versions of him. Dent would have to be a close 2nd to Joker though, with Freeze probably being 3rd

[ZacharyLovesYou]

grotesk... nuff said.

hahahahaha

[olympichero62]

I like The Ventriloquist...Don't ask me why. I just think its funny.

[marvelfan06]

Well, Bane was the only villain ever to directly beat Batman, and I've always been a fan of the Riddler, but really, there's no way it could be anyone but the Joker.

[Beacon]

Well, Bane was the only villain ever to directly beat Batman,

Only if you conveniently forget KGBeast, Lady Shiva, and countless others who have kicked his butt over the years. That’s not even counting the numerous psychological defeats he’s received from guys like Riddler and Joker.

[fierceandfunky]

hush FTW! haha

[fierceandfunky]

oh.. and superman.

[Beacon]

hush FTW! haha

Who is Hush again? That doctor who used to be Bruce’s childhood friend? Jason Todd pretending to be that doctor who used to be Bruce’s childhood friend? Clayface pretending to be Jason Todd pretending to be that doctor who used to be Bruce’s childhood friend? All these retcons are confusing me! I say we just count this as a vote for the Riddler because he was the mastermind behind the whole thing … unless he wasn’t. :confused: