5 Marvel Villains Who Could Beat Batman but Not Outsmart the Joker

Batman is one of the most formidable heroes in comics but he’s not invincible. This is a man who can figure out a way to stop a god, but gets rocked fighting a clown. Over the years, many villains have been able to take him out, overcoming his planning and technology to give him a hellacious beating. Comics fans love to pit heroes against villains from other universes, especially Batman and those of Marvel Comics. While there are lots of Marvel villains that he would be able to beat, there are some who definitely could beat him given the right circumstances. Batman has cultivated an aura of invincibility, but it’s just that – an aura.

The Joker is Batman’s most dangerous enemy for a variety of reasons, but all of them go back to one thing – the Clown Prince of Crime’s cunning. He wins because he thinks in directions that his foes don’t, allowing him to outsmart people who are definitely more intelligent or powerful than he is. Looking at the Marvel villains who could beat Batman, it’s plain to see that they would fall short against Joker’s insane plans. These five Marvel villains have what it takes to beat Batman, but could never outsmart the Joker.

5) Loki

Loki is one of the most powerful Asgardians and anyone who thinks they can’t beat Batman needs their head examined. Sure, Asgardians aren’t omnipotent gods and can be beaten the same ways humans can (although you need better weapons), but Loki is so much better at everything than Bats is. They’re one of the craftiest villains out there, able to outwit numerous intelligent heroes and villains. However, they would find it impossible to outsmart the Joker. While Joker and Loki have some things in common, there’s a big differences in the way they operate and that would spell disaster for Asgard’s least favorite son. The Clown Prince of Crime is known for being completely unpredictable and the God of Stories’ attacks are often based around knowing what their enemies are going to do next. That’s not something that they’d be able to do with Joker. He’s an expert at turning his opponents’ expectations against them, fooling them into making mistakes. On top of that, he’s known for being exasperating and Loki has always had a problem with their temper. Loki would destroy the Joker in a fight, but before that they would find themselves completely flustered and outclassed.

4) Carnage

Carnage is an interesting villain when it comes to fighting Batman. Cletus Kasady is exactly the kind of villain that the Dark Knight would be able to beat, mostly because he’s kind of stupid, but still has a chance of beating the hero, especially in their first fight. Carnage would also be able to kill the Joker in a straight-up fight, but Gotham’s deadliest clown is smarter than all of that. He doesn’t just go into things half-cocked; he’s insane but he’s not crazy. He would know that he doesn’t actually have much of a chance against the symbiotic psychopath and set out to outsmart him, which would be really easy. Carnage doesn’t play the same kind of games of other villains; he’s all about solving problems in the easiest way possible. Joker would use this to his advantage, constantly playing with the villain’s head to keep him off balance, pulling him further and further into his traps. It would honestly be super interesting to see the two of them face off, just to see all of the tricks that the Clown Prince of Crime would use against Cletus.

3) Apocalypse

Apocalypse is one of the X-Men’s greatest villains, having tried for thousands of years to create a world where the strong survive. Batman can beat lots of enemies, but Apocalypse’s Celestial armor is far beyond anything that the Dark Knight could deal with. Add in En Sabah Nur’s various powers and you get a rout for the Caped Crusader. Much like Carnage, Apocalypse would also be able to completely destroy Joker in battle, but he would be outsmarted by the villain. Apocalypse is one of the smartest bad guys out there in a variety of disciplines, but he’s also really easy to fluster, which is something that the Joker is great at. He would be able to use Apocalypse’s power and arrogance against him, angering the Egyptian mutant more and more. This would allow the Clown Prince of Crime to constantly outwit the older villain. Of course this would just make Apoc mad and things would go poorly for the clown. There’s a chance that Apocalypse would make him an Horseman, because he would definitely learn respect for the other villain.

2) Green Goblin

Green Goblin and the Joker have a lot in common, but the biggest difference between them is that Norman Osborn could beat Batman. It all comes down to physical strength; Bats beats people stronger than him all the time, but the ferocity and power that Norman brings to every fight is enough to injure him quickly in a way that would make the rest of the fight very difficult. Spider-Man is basically Batman turned up to 11 physically and Gobbie can take him, so Batman would fall. However, even with that, there’s no way that Green Goblin could outsmart the Joker. Norman is a very intelligent person and is known for his own wild plans, but he’s also a powder keg of anger. Spider-Man always gets under his skin and if there’s anyone else who could do so, it’s the Joker. He would have Osborn so angry that he would make a lot of stupid mistakes. Of course, that would be very bad for the Clown Prince of Crime in the long run, but that’s just how the cookie crumbles.

1) Doctor Octopus

Doctor Octopus has no aura at all, but that doesn’t change how dangerous he is. Otto Octavious is one of the smartest Spider-Man villains out there and his octopus arms make him a very dangerous physical threat, especially when he’s using his adamantium arms (“Revenge of the Sinister Six” is an underrated gem, folks). This is a villain who can beat Spider-Man, so Batman wouldn’t be beyond his ability. Ock is a glass cannon, but he’s still a cannon and he has what it takes to beat the Caped Crusader. If he got his arms on the Joker, it would be very bad for the other villain, but there’s a way out of anything. Joker doesn’t have the science knowledge that Doc Ock does, but he’s smart enough to push someone buttons and the minute he saw the overweight villain, he would begin needling him relentlessly, mocking his appearance. Doc Ock is only human – mockery has always hit him hard – and it would go on from there. Joker could play the scientist like a fiddle.

5 Smart Marvel Villains Who Make Really Dumb Decisions