7 Best Female Batman Villains, Ranked

Batman is one of the most famous superheroes in the entire world. Of course, they say that a hero is only as good as their villains, and Batman can count himself lucky in that department, because his rogues gallery is widely considered to be one of, if not the best, in all of comics. Many of his villains are more popular than established heroes in their own right. I’d wager that a random person on the street can tell me more about the Joker or Mister Freeze than they could about Captain Atom or any specific Green Lantern. These villains aren’t just people Batman fights. They are iconic characters and sometimes even household names in their own right.

While the vast majority of Batman’s villain menagerie is made up of madmen, there are plenty of mad women in its ranks as well. Today, we’re going to be looking at the seven best female villains that the Dark Knight tangos with. Or at least, ones that he has tangoed with in the past. Many of these characters have leapt from one side of the hero-villain line to the other at certain points, but they all began as villains, and that’s all they need to meet the criteria for this list. So, without further ado, let’s talk about Batman’s female villains.

7) Lady Clayface

Sondra Fuller was introduced in Outsiders (1985) #21 as the fourth person to take up the Clayface mantle. Lady Clayface, also simply known as Clayface IV or Lady Clay, was able to transform herself to look like anyone or anything she wanted, even mimicking the powers of metahumans she transformed into, although she was limited by her own mass. She was one of the heads of the Mud Pack, which was the coalition of every Clayface, which was a blast to see. While she might not be the most popular version of this classic character, there’s no doubt that she was instrumental in helping define what Clayface should be, leading to the interpretation that everyone knows and loves today.

6) Orca

Introduced in Batman #579, Grace Balin was a doctor in marine biology and bio-medicine who fought hard for the underprivileged people of Gotham. After an accident left her paralyzed, she became obsessed with the spinal regeneration of orcas, leading to, you guessed it, her becoming an orca-woman hybrid. While being Batman’s direct analog to Spider-Man’s Lizard is awesome enough, what really sets Orca apart is how much of a tragic villain she is. She always fought for the poor or beaten down in Gotham, with her crimes centered around helping people in some way. She might be misguided in her attempts, but they add a nuance to her that many villains never bother to approach, which makes her a very interesting character.

5) Lady Shiva

Lady Shiva is one of the most dangerous women alive, being one of the single best martial artists to ever live, and consistently being one of the League of Assassins’ top dogs. She actually originated in Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #5 as an adversary-turned-ally to the warrior, but she eventually made her way over to villainhood, where she would fight Batman, Robin, and Batgirl more often than not. Shiva is a threat unlike anyone else, being one of the few people who can consistently defeat Batman in a fair fight. She forces him to think outside the box and use his mind to overcome her, which is always when Batman is at his best. 

Beyond that, her position as Batgirl Cassandra Cain’s mother makes her dynamic with the Dark Knight that much more entertaining when they clash over who deserves to parent her. The answer is Bruce, but the tension that arises from her trying to pull Cass away is still a treat. Shiva has even been a reluctant ally to the Bats, from helping her daughter to training Batman after Bane broke him. Shiva can be your greatest ally, or your deadliest opponent. Usually, she’s both.

4) Harley Quinn

While she’s made the leap from supervillain lackey to anti-hero leaning towards regular hero, Harley Quinn was a fantastic addition to the mythos with her comic debut in Batman: Harley Quinn. She added an extra layer of tragedy to the stories, being a misguided, abused woman who was once such a good person, but had fallen to evil due to what she thought was love. She was also genuinely funny and a threat, often jumping between being better than the Joker at his schemes and assisting him in whatever he did. Harley’s connection to Poison Ivy fleshed out both villains, and to this day, Harley’s growth remains one of the most successful in DC. It was certainly rough at times, but as a villain, there’s no denying Harley made a major impact.

3) Talia al Ghul

Talia’s comic book debut actually predated her father’s, first appearing in Detective Comics #411. While Talia was initially just her father’s devoted servant, she has since grown into one of Batman’s most complex characters. She is a woman constantly torn in innumerable directions. On the one hand, she is a prideful, vindictive assassin who wants to control the world to enforce her deranged vision of prosperity. On the other hand, she deeply loves Batman and their son Damian, and wants to have them at her side. 

Talia always puts her evil desires above her emotions, but they are always there, as the pain of choosing this path over her family is always apparent. Her struggles are rarely shown, but her deep connection to two of the world’s best-known heroes, despite being one of its worst villains, adds a tension that can’t be topped by anyone else on this list. Talia is a deeply nuanced woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals, even if her own family must pay the price.

2) Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy first appeared in Batman #181 and was an instant success. After being betrayed by someone she loved and exposed to what should have been deadly toxins, Pamela Isley was reborn as Poison Ivy. She became obsessed with the natural world, stopping at nothing to ensure the safety of plants, which she often considered far more important than people. She has since become one of Batman’s most powerful, dangerous, and complicated enemies. She can control plants to a degree that anyone other than Swamp Thing would find terrifying, and has succeeded in taking over nearly the entire world more than once. However, what truly makes Ivy interesting is her versatility.

Poison Ivy has been everything from a shallow femme fatale to a misunderstood warrior fighting for female empowerment and the environment. She can be crazy or simply pushing too far past the line, and both interpretations are incredibly valid and interesting. Poison Ivy is one of Batman’s most enduring rogues for a reason, and that is because she can always adjust to fit the situation, so long as plants are present. She’s deceptively deep and definitely has some of the most interesting powers out of all of them.

1) Catwoman

Selina Kyle is the original female Batman villain, having made her grand debut in Batman’s very first solo series comic in Batman (1940) #1. She’s the original themed-burglar that set a standard so many of comics’ other villains, like Magpie, try and fail to live up to. Selina has been a villain fighting out of greed and a reluctant hero fighting to save the day. While she’s one of Batman’s most entertaining rogues because of her criminal escapades alone, what really elevates her to the number one status is her very complicated relationship with the Dark Knight. 

Almost since the beginning, these two have pined for each other, and over the decades have become each other’s de facto love interest. Their relationship is turbulent and messy in all the best ways, as Catwoman manages to bring something out of Batman and Bruce that nobody else can. She’s wild, hilarious, and the greatest thief to ever put on kitty-claws. Catwoman is, without a doubt, one of the world’s most famous villains. Not everyone needs grand plans of ruling the world. Sometimes, wanting something shiny and a little thrill goes a long way, and that is shown best with Batman’s best female villain.

So there we have the seven best female Batman villains. Which one of them is your favorite, and which underrated villainess would you throw on this list? Personally, Magpie was very, very nearly my seventh choice.

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