Batman is the bestselling character in the comic industry and his villains have played a huge role in that. The DC Multiverse is full of great bad guys, with the rogues galleries of Superman, the Flash, the Justice League, and many more standing tall. However, even among this illustrious number, the Dark Knight’s villains are something special. They’re able to challenge one of the most formidable people on Earth, and most of them don’t even have superpowers. Readers have gotten all kinds of Batman stories over the years, with some of his greatest villains getting major upgrades for certain stories, becoming even more potent in battle.
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Some of these villains were able to gain great power on the mainline Earth and some of them are from alternate universes. However, the one thing they have in common is their hatred of the Dark Knight. These are the seven most powerful versions of Batman villains, amped up and even more formidable than before.
7) JLA: The Nail Joker
JLA: The Nail is one of the best Justice League stories of the ’90s, and it introduced a powerful new version of the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime was given powerful Kryptonian weapons from a mysterious benefactor (I won’t spoil it here in case you want to read it) and attacked Arkham Asylum, freeing the villains inside. Batman went in on his own, but was secretly followed by Robin and Batgirl, both of whom were killed by the Joker, who used the energy gauntlets to hold Batman and make him watch. Catwoman iwa able to disable the weapons and Batman beat the villain to death, but his spirit returned to haunt the Dark Knight in Another Nail.
6) Azrael Batman From Tales of the Dark Multiverse: Knightfall
“Knightfall” was already one of DC’s darkest stories, but Tales of the Dark Multiverse: Knightfall #1 would take it even further into the darkness of a broken universe. Bruce Wayne was unable to defeat Azrael on this Earth, and this more violent Batman was able to take over Gotham, creating a police state enforced by his technology. This version of Azrael had been in charge for years and had access to powerful technology, making him more formidable than ever. While he was defeated by Batman and the son of Bane, he was easily the most powerful version of Azrael readers had ever seen.
5) Absolute Killer Croc
The Absolute Universe has been massively successful, with Batman front and center (because of course he is). In this universe, Bruce Wayne wasn’t wealthy and he ended up growing up with some of this greatest foes in the mainline universe, a young group of friends in the most dangerous city ever. Waylon Jones was among his friends, eventually starting a gym, but he was stolen and experimented on at Ark M. He became a newer, most bestial version of Killer Croc. While it’s hard to say if he’s stronger, he was definitely more dangerous. Batman was able to cure him, but that doesn’t mean the monster won’t return.
4) Absolute Bane
Bane has become one of Batman’s greatest villains, handing the Caped Crusader some of his most grievous defeats. His use of Venom gave him overwhelming strength, but he doesn’t have anything on the Absolute version of the villain. His version of Venom gives him complete control over his muscles and skin, allowing him to not only become stronger but also to transform his skin into an iron-like consistency. He is way more powerful than the mainline version of the villain, sorely testing Batman and his allies.
3) Sinestro Corps Scarecrow
Scarecrow is all about fear, creating various fear gases to use his against his foes. When the Sinestro Corps was forming, he was prevented from getting a yellow ring, but that wouldn’t be the only time he encountered one. During Blackest Night, the leaders of the various Corps’ were able to use their rings to create new ones, sending them out to find new bearers, with Sinestro’s making its way to Gotham City. It found Scarecrow and he joined the Sinestro Corps, helping battle against the Black Lanterns. The ring allowed him to feel fear for the first time in forever and he was able to use the ring like an old pro.
2) The Doom That Came to Gotham Two-Face
Two-Face has always been one of Batman’s best foes, but The Doom That Came to Gotham made into a monster unlike anything he had been before. This story mixed the Lovevcraft Mythos with Batman, with Ra’s al Ghul trying to call forth the Great Old Ones. Harvey Dent was chosen to be the vessel of the Old Gods, transforming into more of a monster than ever. He became a portal to their realm, almost allowing al Ghul to call them forth and destroy everything, which killed him in the long run.
1) Emperor Joker
The Joker is Batman’s greatest foe, the two of them locked in a death spiral. Over the years, the Joker has tried to kill his foe in numerous ways, hatching all kinds of schemes, but his deadliest came in “Emperor Joker”. He was able to steal Mr. Mxyzptlk’s reality altering powers and took over the world. He used his abilities to torment Batman, killing and resurrecting him repeatedly, threatening to destroy the entire universe. However, Superman was able to outsmart him – he knew that Joker wouldn’t perma-kill Batman and since destroying the universe would destroy Batman – and Mxy got his powers back, ending the threat of the most powerful Clown Prince of Crime in history.
What’s your favorite upgraded Batman villain? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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