7 Smartest Batman Villains

Batman is generally considered one of the smartest heroes in comics. Guys like Iron Man and Mister Fantastic are usually higher ranked than him, but neither of them has a reputation for winning every battle against even universe-shaking enemies with enough prep time. It takes a special kind of villains top get the best of the Dark Knight, with even the smartest villains in the entire DC Multiverse failing at it. However, the bad guys who fight the Caped Crusader are another story. They are in Gotham with him all the time, or are bad guys that he’s constantly on the look out for. They have to be at the top of their intellectual game in order to thrive.

While plenty of them aren’t up to the job, many of them are. Some of the smartest villains in comics have battled Gotham’s greatest vigilante, and their intellect has made them forces to be reckoned with. These are the seven smartest Batman villains, bad guys who can challenge the smartest hero of them all.

7) The Joker

The Joker is Batman’s greatest villain and also one of his craftiest. As far as it goes, the Clown Prince of Crime isn’t exactly a super genius, at least not in the way that most people think of it. However, he’s an expert at everything that hurts people. He can make all kinds of explosives and poisons with household instruments, can design intricate death traps, and come up with multipronged schemes meant to confuse the greatest detective of them all. He might not be a scientist, but he’s made death a science.

6) Hugo Strange

Hugo Strange is an evil psychologist/scientist, known for creating many kinds of formulas that can control minds and transform people into monsters. He’s known for messing with the minds of everyone he goes up against, trying to transform into whatever he wants. Like most Batman villains, his plans often have glaring holes, but the things that he’s pulled off with his science are pretty impressive. He’s really good at a few things, and it’s helped him become one of Gotham’s greatest enemies.

5) The Calculator

The Calculator was once a guy with a number pad on his chest, and he looked ridiculous. However, one day, he heard the legend of Oracle and decided to do the same thing for villains. He started charging villains for information and became a major bad guy in the villain community for several years. He proved to be extremely intelligent, able to elude Batman and Oracle, which is seemingly impossible. He was an expert at computers and getting anything piece of info he needed, making him a threat to Batman.

4) Hush

Hush is one of many villains who is basically a Batman of evil, having spent years honing himself into someone who can outsmart the Dark Knight. Every time he shows up, he sets up some kind of elaborate plan to win the day and it works all the way to the end. He’s a talented surgeon and has been able to outsmart the Caped Crusader every time for the majority of whatever scheme he was pulling. Hush dogwalks Batman every time he shows up, even if his feats don’t really fit the level that he’s presented as.

3) Bane

Bane is the man who broke the bat, and he did it as much because he was smart as he did because of Venom or his fighting skill. He grew up in the worst prison in Santa Prisca, having to survive everything as a child. He made himself into the most clever person he could and was a master of making plans that Batman could never see coming. When it comes to intelligence, Bane isn’t some kind of polymath like his bat-clad enemy. However, his tactical wherewithal and sheer willpower shows just how intelligent he really is. He looks like he can break anyone, and he can, but he can also outsmart everyone in front of him.

2) The Riddler

The Riddler is one of Batman’s most complex villains, and also one of his smartest. His whole life is about proving that he’s smarter than everyone. He’s constantly tested himself against the Dark Knight, trying to prove that he was the more mentally adroit of the two. Over the years, he’s had his wins and losses, and has constantly showed up with new schemes and new knowledge. If you look at his many attacks on the Caped Crusader, you can see just how smart he is. He makes it a point to learn everything he can so he can be as smart as possible, in the hopes of one day being told that he’s the best (yes, he has daddy issues; read One Bad Day: The Riddler, it’s fantastic).

1) Ra’s al Ghul

Ra’s al Ghul is one of DC’s most justified villains. Technically, he’s correct about humanity destroying the Earth, it’s just how he wants to fix it is monstrous. The Demon’s Head has lived for centuries, using the Lazarus Pits to keep coming back to life. He has hundreds of years of experience, and knows many of the secrets of the world. He has also been able to outsmart Batman numerous times over the years, as well as any other hero he faces, showing that he has the intellectual bona fides. He’s a true evil super genius and one of the most dangerous on Earth.

What’s your favorite smart Batman villain? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

The 10 Best Batman Stories In DC Comics History