In a world overflowing with superhero films, there is no shortage of masked vigilantes or powerful gods trying to save the [fill in the blank].
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Although it seems that Marvel has dominated the superhero movie landscape, people still have a soft spot in their hearts for Batman, Caped Crusader. And even though we all (rightfully) love a good story about Bruce Wayne, a Batman movie is really only as good as its villain.
But who is the best baddie in the history of Batman films? There are a lot of great performances to choose from …
In Tim Burton’s 1989 classic Batman, Michael Keaton battled with the iconic Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Nicholson’s performance as the first movie Joker overshadowed Keaton’s Batman while helping to elevate the character to legendary status.
The sequel, Batman Returns, needed two villains — Danny DeVito’s Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman — to fill the void left by Nicholson. And the two did not disappoint.
But not every Batman villain to follow has lived up to these performances. Batman Forever and Batman and Robin failed to impress — and that includes the evildoers Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, the Riddler and Bane.
Hope was later restored in 2005, when director Christopher Nolan took over the Batman franchise with Batman Begins. Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy — Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises — represents a highpoint in the Caped Crusader franchise. And that’s because of the amazing villains in the three films — Ra’s Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Bane and, of course, Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning Joker.
But how does Heath Ledger’s Joker compare to the one played by Nicholson decades earlier? And how does he compare to the Joker played by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad? Or Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker from, well, Joker?
We’ve ranked every latter-day Batman movie villain, starting with Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman to the most recent Caped Crusader entry.
Which Joker earned the top spot? Find out now.
32. Bane (Batman and Robin)
31. Doomsday (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
30. Slipknot (Suicide Squad)
29. Killer Croc (Suicide Squad)
28. Captain Boomerang (Suicide Squad)
27. Mr. Freeze (Batman and Robin)
26. Carmine Falcone (Batman Begins)
25. Steppenwolf (Justice League)
24. Enchantress (Suicide Squad)
23. Poison Ivy (Batman and Robin)
22. Joker (Suicide Squad)
21. Lex Luthor (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
20. Max Shreck (Batman Returns)
19. Talia Al Ghul (The Dark Knight Rises)
18. Two-Face (Batman Forever)
17. Joker (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm)
16. Phantasm (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm)
15. Joker (The LEGO Batman Movie)
14. The Riddler (Batman Forever)
13. El Diablo (Suicide Squad)
12. Selina Kyle (The Dark Knight Rises)
11. Deadshot (Suicide Squad)
10. Scarecrow (Batman Begins)
9. Superman (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
8. Penguin (Batman Returns)
7. Catwoman (Batman Returns)
6. Two-Face (The Dark Knight)
5. Harley Quinn (Suicide Squad)
4. Ra’s Al Ghul (Batman Begins)
3. Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)
It isn’t easy to follow Heath Ledger’s iconic performance in The Dark Knight — while trying to erase the memory of Batman and Robin‘s Bane — but Tom Hardy’s Bane pulls it off.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says “Hardy is a hell of a villain.”
2. Joker (Batman)
1. Joker (The Dark Knight)
