Best Batman:TAS villian

[Erik Lehnsherr]

My favorites were easily Riddler and Mr. Freeze even though I loved the origin episodes of Two Face and Al Ghul. Which were your favorites?

[Kolgrim]

My favorites were easily Riddler and Mr. Freeze even though I loved the origin episodes of Two Face and Al Ghul. Which were your favorites?

I gotta agree with you about Al Ghul, he's at the top of my list as well. And how can you leave out the Joker. He's just that good...I mean bad...whatever.

[steeler80]

I think they did a good job on the vast majority of the villians but I think Mr. Freeze faired the best from the animated treatment. They took a C lister at best and made him one of the most poignant of Bat's rogues gallery.

[Watchman]

That ninja dude. :)

And Joker, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Ra's

[Jaime_Weinman]

Joker is certainly up there; they did a very fine job of combining the two traditional characterizations of the Joker -- the psychotic thug and the wacky clown -- into one character, so he was funny and menacing.

The show's own creation, Harley Quinn, was certainly at the center of a lot of their most effective episodes.

Two-Face was probably the villain they got the most variety out of, apart from the Joker.

Mr. Freeze was definitely their most effective redemption of a villain who wasn't very interesting before, but his return to the series (in "Cold Comfort") didn't work at all; in many ways he's a great one-shot villain rather than a great recurring character.

The classic villains who never really worked on the show were the Riddler (he exists in the shadow of the Joker and also of Frank Gorshin, who kind of owns the character) and the Penguin.

[Elevation]

the Joker, Clayface, and Ras

[Erik Lehnsherr]

Joker is certainly up there; they did a very fine job of combining the two traditional characterizations of the Joker -- the psychotic thug and the wacky clown -- into one character, so he was funny and menacing.

The show's own creation, Harley Quinn, was certainly at the center of a lot of their most effective episodes.

Two-Face was probably the villain they got the most variety out of, apart from the Joker.

Mr. Freeze was definitely their most effective redemption of a villain who wasn't very interesting before, but his return to the series (in "Cold Comfort") didn't work at all; in many ways he's a great one-shot villain rather than a great recurring character.

The classic villains who never really worked on the show were the Riddler (he exists in the shadow of the Joker and also of Frank Gorshin, who kind of owns the character) and the Penguin.


I disagree about the Riddler. He absolutely and utterly outsmarted Batman and Robin in his classic intro "If you're so smart, why are you rich?". And Freeze was the joy of the series. But since I don't read Batman like I should, was there ever a huge makeover to have Freeze in the books match his more serious undertone on TAS?

[BatmanBale]

Was there origin of Catwoman in Batman:TAS? I don't remmeber that one.

[Heavy_P]

Gotta go with the Joker. Mark Hamell did an awsome job with the voice.

[the_coldest_sun]

Mr. Freeze was definitely their most effective redemption of a villain who wasn't very interesting before, but his return to the series (in "Cold Comfort") didn't work at all; in many ways he's a great one-shot villain rather than a great recurring character.

The classic villains who never really worked on the show were the Riddler (he exists in the shadow of the Joker and also of Frank Gorshin, who kind of owns the character) and the Penguin.
I actually liked Cold Comfort. In my mind, I thought there wasn't really much else that could be done with the character. What motivation does he really have now? Then I saw him destroying things most dear to other people. I was like, wow this guy is seriously disturbed in the head. What a sick bastard! I loved it. Though I admit, I'm not too sure how I feel about the robot/head thing.

And as far as The Riddler goes, I loved Riddler's Reform. I loved how Edward only donned the Riddler persona to try and outsmart Batman. Kinda reminded me of Joker's feelings about Batsy but it was still great nonetheless. It was great how Edward went mad because Batman had bested him. Great stuff.

Anyway, my personal favorites were Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and the Ninja. Three tragics and one straight-up badass.

[Guts/Batman]

Kayodiken.

That dude was very badass.

I also liked HARDAC a lot.

[Karl]

Riddler and Joker

Has Heavy P mentioned, Hamell did an awesome job with the voice so it made the character fun to hate.

I also liked how the Riddler almost outsmarted batman and robin in his episodes.

[TheOnlyXTremeFan]

Clayface. Just watched "Growing Pains" and that was a great episode. My favorite Batman episode of all-time is the one where he was being helped by his old nurse and he had that great scene at the end where him and Bats toppled off the cliff and he was melted by the rain. Amazing music during that scene. I love the Clayface theme.

[the_coldest_sun]

I love the Clayface theme.
Me too!!!!!

[megladon8]

I thought pretty much all of them were done fantastically. Only ones I all-out didn't like were many of the one-shots, and Scarface.

[Babylon23]

I've got to go with Joker. Timm and co. really captured the essence and insanity of the character beautifully, and Mark Hammill really brought the character to life.

I think Clayface and Mr. Freeze were given new leases of life with the series. They were probably the best upgrades in the series.

[Sean Walsh]

And Freeze was the joy of the series. But since I don't read Batman like I should, was there ever a huge makeover to have Freeze in the books match his more serious undertone on TAS?

Actually, yes.

Paul Dini (who wrote the original Freeze BTAS story) wrote a one-shot - when BATMAN & ROBIN came out and DC did a few one-shots with the feature characters from the movie - revising his comic persona to somewhat match the BTAS version. However, in the comic, Nora's body was destroyed (a fact thankfully lost in the recent BATGIRL arc apparently).

Since then.......I have to say that DC really hasn't done very well with Mr. Freeze. BTAS really did create an impressively high bar that the comics just haven't been able to reach since.

[Sean Walsh]

My favorites were easily Riddler and Mr. Freeze even though I loved the origin episodes of Two Face and Al Ghul. Which were your favorites?

The Riddler and Mr. Freeze, bar none.

Two-Face's origin was decent but I really didn't care for him after that.

I always liked the Scarecrow's revamp in the last season. His prior version wasn't really that great.

And the Joker is the Joker. But you knew he was gonna be good.....

[Guts/Batman]

Yea.

It was ignored in the last Batgirl arc...where she was brought back to life. Only to be a villain.

[ExoKnight]

Mr. Freeze is extremely well done in B: TAS. The best version of him there is. Also, the TAS version of the Clock King is great. Wish they used that version the regular DCU.

[Patient Boy]

Out of curiosity, what was Freeze's backstory prior to B:TAS?

[colossus34]

i can't beleive you guys are forgetting MAD HATTER!! His first episode in the series was poigant and very well told. And the "Perchance to Dream" is simply CLASSIC!!

[Alan2099]

i can't beleive you guys are forgetting MAD HATTER!! His first episode in the series was poigant and very well told. And the "Perchance to Dream" is simply CLASSIC!!
I was just about to mention the Mad Hatter. They way they did the character on that show blows the comics version completley out of the water.

I don't understand why he wasn't changed around the same way they changed the comic version of Freeze.

[Cash Lone]

I would say almost all the villians had good storylines. I dont like how they dumbed down Killer Croc but they made it work (like the episode where Croc finds the freak circus and joins them).

I really enjoyed villians like Clayface, Mr. Freeze, Manbat. Their visual style worked well in the animation medium.