All of Absolute Batman’s Villains, Ranked by Terror

Batman is famous for having one of the greatest rogues’ galleries in comic books. The Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face, and so many more are so iconic that they’ve become household names, even known by those who couldn’t tell you anything about Batman. His villains have helped shake the genre itself, to the point where multiple of his enemies can run comics of their very own. They say that a hero is only as good as their villain, and while Batman is beyond great in his own right, you can’t deny that his villains being so well-known and iconic are major assets.

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Meanwhile, the Absolute Universe is all about taking what we know and reinventing beloved characters with all-new looks and darker motivations. Absolute Batman has already introduced a whole litany of Batman’s iconic villains. Some have become his allies, but others are worse monsters than ever before. It seems like Bruce fights a new eldritch horror every week, and that’s exactly what we’re here to talk about. We’re going to look at all of Batman’s currently introduced villains and rank them based on just how terrifying they are. This list is seriously scary, and I am so excited to dive right into it.

8) The Robins

At the bottom of this list are the Robins. Sure, they’re a hyper-competent team of the best-trained warriors this side of Themyscira, and they have awesome mech-suits that I pray every day will become a megazord, but that doesn’t make them scary. They’re meant to be symbols of hope, after all. The Robins all think that they’re heroes, trained to take down the villainous Batman. The Robins have bright green and red costumes, and even their mechs are meant to look cool instead of horrifying. The Robins aren’t scary, but they’re the only ones.

7) Black Mask

Black Mask is, frankly, the most like his original counterpart. Sure, his mask is creepier, and he seems even more psychotic, but at the end of the day, he’s just a gangster with a vile crew and a whole lot of money. That’s nothing out of the ordinary for any version of Batman. He got taken down just like any other criminal would, and even then, his Prime Earth counterpart might just be scarier. The original Black Mask is unhinged in a very specific way, but the Absolute villain felt like he was strangely sane, even when he was clearly bonkers. He’s a pretty normal villain, at the end of the day.

6) Deathstroke

We haven’t seen much of Absolute Deathstroke, but everything we have seen is terrifying. He’s Joker’s number one hitman, meaning that he’s somehow even more capable than the monstrous Bane, which is scary enough on its own. What really sets him apart is his brutal dedication. He’s lost what looks to be all of his limbs and half his face over the course of his career, but he still keeps marching ahead and acting as an absolute monster. He literally does not know when to quit, and I can only imagine how visceral his fights with Batman are going to be. I can easily see him shooting up the ranks when he really takes on Batman, but for now, this is a good place for him.

5) Bane

Bane was the first villain Bruce fought that legitimately felt like a wall he could never climb. Bane is a behemoth of muscle and martial prowess before he injects venom, but after? He’s a legitimate monster. That revelation made my heart sink like a comic hasn’t made it in years, and Bane continued to prove that he’s not just muscle, but also a brilliant tactician. He always feels like he’s in control, and he takes pleasure in dismantling his opponents with disgusting violence and calm, reasonable conversation. Bane is a juxtaposition of pain and gentle terror, and he’ll definitely remain a massive psychological hurdle that Bruce needs to overcome.

4) Poison Ivy

The creative team played a real bait-and-switch with Ivy. The initial design shown looked very similar to regular Ivy, only for the issue to reveal that she was a horrific monster crafted from the essentials of every kingdom of life. She’s a grotesque monster with a massive, misshapen form that’s wracked with extra eyes, limbs, and flowers. She legitimately looks like an eldritch horror, and it’s as incredible as it is horrifying. Ivy is probably the scariest-looking villain, but at her core, there’s a tragic story and human element that anchors her. That holds her back from being the scariest villain so far, but only because the rest feel like genuine monsters inside and out.

3) Mister Freeze

Mister Freeze used to be Batman’s most sympathetic villain, but the Absolute version is a true terror. His time in the ice has transformed him into a gangly, blue-skinned monster that can freeze anything he touches. His form is just human enough to add an uncanny element to his terror, but what really makes him scary is his disposition. He’s obsessed with trapping other people within ice so they can experience the suffering that he once did, and every conversation with him reveals the humanity that literally froze to death inside his heart. Looking at Mister Freeze reminds you of something that used to be human, but has forgotten how.

2) Joker

For the first time in years, I am legitimately scared of the Joker. Snyder has reimagined him through the lens of the Pale Man mythos he introduced in his Batman (2011) run. Here, the Joker is an immortal demonic thing that has been posing as his own descendants for generations. He pretends to be a kind philanthropist, but he’s secretly pulling strings to cause as much suffering as physically possible. He literally pumps orphan child blood into his veins for his longevity, for Christ’s sake. Those panels are the most horrifying images I’ve seen in a long time. What’s worse is knowing how only suffering and anguish can make him laugh, and knowing that he’s doing all of this for his sick, twisted entertainment.

1) Scarecrow

We haven’t had the Absoltue Scarecrow for long, but it’s already clear that he’s a villain that sticks in people’s minds and refuses to leave. His design is fundamentally unnerving, replacing his eyes with buttons and sewing his mouth shut while wearing a twisted, horrible smile. He carries himself with an unnatural, disturbing ease while convincing those around him to commit acts of pure atrocity. Absoltue Scarecrow is the living embodiment of dread, and he takes very great pleasure in forcing everyone around him to experience the fear that he loves so much. He feels at once like a dark spirit and painfully, cruelly human, and that’s a balance that makes him truly afraid whenever he’s on page.

How do you think some of Absolute Batman’s other villains will be reinvented? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!