7 DC Villains Who Discovered Batman’s Secret Identity (Including His Worst Enemies)

For any superhero to fight crime anonymously and keep their loved ones safe, they must hide their civilian identities from the world. Few heroes understand that better than Batman. With his vast wealth and years in the art of stealth and deception, the Dark Knight puts a lot of effort into making sure that no one figures out that he’s really the wealthy billionaire and playboy Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, all this preparation often falls flat because Batman’s worst enemies have repeatedly discovered his secret identity and used it against him. With this information, these villains have the power to ruin Batman’s life forever.

Most people can’t put together that the richest man in Gotham is the only person with the money required to be Batman. However, when DC villains do figure out Batman’s day job, they suddenly become some of the Dark Knight’s most dangerous enemies.

7) Hush

When the criminal mastermind Hush made his debut, one of his defining traits was that he knew Bruce Wayne was Batman and exploited this knowledge to hurt the Dark Knight and everyone he loved. Hush eventually revealed himself to be Thomas Elliot, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne. When Thomas Wayne thwarted Elliot’s plans to kill his abusive parents, he swore vengeance on the entire Wayne family, including Bruce. With the help of the Riddler, Elliot discovered that Bruce is Batman and sought to destroy him. Not only does Hush know Batman’s secret identity, but he’s actually tried to steal it for himself. In one of his most insane schemes, Hush got plastic surgery to look like Bruce Wayne so that he could infiltrate and dismantle his former childhood friend’s life. With their personal history, Hush knows Batman better than most of Gotham’s rogues, making him a true menace to the Caped Crusader.

6) Riddler

For decades, the Riddler was always trying to solve the most difficult riddle of them all: who is the Batman? The Riddler finally got his answer after bathing in the Lazarus Pit to cure his cancer. As the mystical pit rejuvenated the Riddler’s body, it also temporarily enhanced his mind, which allowed him to put the pieces together that Gotham’s wealthiest man, Bruce Wayne, was Batman. The Riddler then gave this information to Hush. When Batman confronted the Riddler, the villain gleefully boasted that he would tell everyone the hero’s secret identity. However, Batman played into the Riddler’s pathological need to be the smartest and his love of puzzles by pointing out that a riddle known by everyone is worthless. Also, Batman threatened to tell Ra’s Al Ghul about the Riddler’s unauthorized use of his Lazarus Pit, something which the leader of the League of Assassins definitely would not have been happy about. So, the Riddler kept his mouth shut. Later, the Riddler suffered a concussion that conveniently caused him to forget the answer to the world’s greatest riddle.

5) Lex Luthor

Ironically, Luthor discovered Batman’s secret identity before Superman’s, even though the Man of Tomorrow doesn’t even wear a mask. During the storyline Forever Evil, the Crime Syndicate unmasked Nightwing to the world. When the DC heroes and villains worked together to stop the Syndicate and rescue Nightwing, they found that he had a bomb strapped to his chest that was connected to his heart rate. When Luthor temporarily made Nightwing flatline to disarm the bomb, Batman saw red and nearly strangled the villain to death. Recognizing that only a parent believing that they lost their son could experience such rage, Luthor deduced that Batman was Dick Grayson’s adoptive father, Bruce Wayne. Thankfully for Batman, Luthor had no interest in exposing the hero’s secret identity because he was going through a redemption arc. Even when Luthor went back to his villainous ways, he never exposed Batman’s secret identity because he’s so busy trying to kill Superman.

4) Hugo Strange

One of Batman’s earliest villains, Dr. Hugo Strange lacks superpowers and colorful gimmicks, but he more than makes up for it with his intelligence. A mad psychiatrist obsessed with becoming Batman himself, Strange is infamous for constantly trying and ultimately succeeding at uncovering the Dark Knight’s secret identity. While under a false identity, Strange treated Bruce Wayne for radiation burns he received after fighting Doctor Phosphorus. These wounds, along with psychological deduction, led Strange to realize that Bruce was really Batman. Initially, Strange tried to auction off the information to the highest bidder, but this effort ended when some gangsters nearly killed him trying to get the information out of him. Still, Strange used his knowledge of Bruce’s identity to steal the hero’s riches and superhero identity. Luckily, Batman managed to use some psychological warfare of his own to gaslight everyone, including Strange, into thinking that he isn’t Bruce. Even if in the current DC continuity Strange isn’t aware of Batman’s identity, it’s only a matter of time until he learns it.

3) Bane

Bane may oftentimes be viewed as merely a muscle-bound brute, but his ability to deduce Batman’s secret identity mere months after moving to Gotham shows that his greatest strength is his mind. Bane’s debut storyline “Knightfall” saw him stalking Batman to figure out his weaknesses. By studying Batman’s body language, Bane managed to figure out quite quickly that he’s Bruce Wayne. With this information, Bane ambushed Batman in his own home before shattering the hero’s spine and leaving him for dead. Since that fateful first encounter, Bane has exploited the knowledge of Batman’s secret identity more than any other villain, making him one of the Dark Knight’s greatest threats. Bane will regularly attack Batman and his loved ones when and where they’re most vulnerable. Some of Bane’s most infamous acts include leaving three brutally beaten Robins in the Bat Cave, breaking Flashpoint Batman’s back, and even murdering Alfred. With the knowledge of who Batman really is, Bane can more thoroughly break him.

2) Ra’s Al Ghul

The leader of the League of Assassins, Ra’s Al Ghul has access to plenty of top-secret information, including Batman’s secret identity. In his debut story, Ra’s showed just how much power he had over the Caped Crusader by revealing that he knew the masked vigilante was Bruce Wayne. For Ra’s, it was a simple matter of deducing that someone with the number of gadgets and vehicles that Batman has would need to be exceptionally wealthy to fund his crime-fighting campaign. Some continuities even have it that Ra’s was one of Bruce’s teachers when he was training to become Batman. Since that fateful first meeting, Ra’s has sought to make Batman his successor as the leader of the League of Shadows. Their relationship is further complicated by the fact that Ra’s daughter, Talia, had a romantic interest in Batman and even sired his son, Damian Wayne. Whether by attacking his Batman or Bruce Wayne persona, Ra’s won’t stop until the Dark Knight becomes the new head of the League of Assassins.

1) Joker

As Batman’s archenemy, the idea of the Joker knowing the Dark Knight’s biggest secret is a terrifying concept. While we never get a clear answer as to how the Joker discovered that Bruce Wayne is Batman, storylines like “Endgame,” “Joker War,” Three Jokers, and even the current Batman run all make it clear that the Clown Prince of Crime knows the truth. However, the Joker rarely uses this crucial fact to his advantage or tells anyone about it. The reason is that the Joker finds Bruce to be boring, whereas Batman, the mysterious creature of the night, is far more entertaining of a rival. While the Joker may steal Bruce Wayne’s fortune, he’d never divulge the hero’s secret identity because it’ll take all the fun out of his dynamic with the Caped Crusader. The Joker once even set up a scenario in which Batman would forgive his parents’ murderer, Joe Chill, so that the hero could divert all his time and hatred towards his archenemy. For the Joker, the only thing that matters is his eternal war with Batman, not Bruce Wayne.

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