Batman has one of the best rogues galleries in all of comics, and there is no debating that. His clashes with the Joker are legendary, and his battles with Ra’s al Ghul, the Riddler, Bane, and many others are no less entertaining. From horrific threats like Man-Bat, to loveable idiots like the Ventriloquist and Scarface, to monstrous killers like Victor Zsasz, Batman has a ton of villains that are endlessly interesting. There’s a Batman villain to fit every story and possibility, but even with a cast as diverse and universally beloved as his, sometimes you still need some fresh blood to spice things up.
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They say a hero is only as good as their villain, but the reverse is also true, and Batman is one of the best heroes for a cornucopia of villains to bounce off of. There are plenty of other incredible villains in comics that would be perfect to go up against the Dark Knight, and today, we’re going to be looking at ten villains designed for other heroes that would be positively magnificent Batman villains. We have four classic DC villains and six of the best Marvel villains to go through, so without further ado, let’s get right into it.
10) Taskmaster
Batman is the master of every combat style imaginable, and usually that gives him an edge over his opponents. However, that would only make this villain infinitely more dangerous. Taskmaster is the villain who can learn any fighting style immediately upon seeing it once, and perfectly mimic it. He’s fought just about everyone in the Marvel Universe at least once, from Iron Man to Moon Knight, and his skillset makes him a spectacular character to push Batman to new extremes. The Caped Crusader would not only be going up against someone just as skilled as him, which rarely happens, but he would never be able to use the same move twice. It would force Batman to get creative, using his wits, environment, and tech in order to come out on top, aware that next time they fight will be even harder. It’s a fantastic setup for a dynamic rivalry that can make Batman showcase the best parts of his tactical mind.
9) Maxwell Lord
Batman has both worked with and fought against Lord before, but never in a one-on-one confrontation like this. What makes Lord so dangerous is that he all but matches Batman in resources, eliminating one of his biggest advantages, and has a devastating power to control minds. He once even took over Superman, only freeing him upon his death. Lord’s obsession with purgring the world of metahumans can contrast beautifully with Batman’s paranoia, as both see the obvious truth that if a powerful superhero turned evil, they could kill the world in minutes. Lord reflects some of Batman’s worst aspects, especially in how his mind control mirrors Batman’s own need to always be in control of everything. This would be a battle of ideology between two men who are very similar in so many ways, but very different in all of the important ones, and who have so much horrible, messy history with each other already. Plus, Lord just has a face you want to see get punched.
8) Kingpin
The Kingpin of Crime is one of Marvel’s best villains, and could easily fit in as one of the Dark Knight’s. Frankly, any of Spider-Man or Daredevil’s villains could be a perfect match for Bats, but Kingpin specifically is everything you could want in a Batman villain. He is the perfect bridge between the classic mobsters he fought earlier in his career and the costumed criminals he fights today. Wilson Fisk is a man of sheer, unrelenting focus when he sees what he wants, and him making Gotham City his new stomping ground would begin one of the best games of hero-villain chess you’ve ever seen. Kingpin is every bit as tactically smart as Batman, and probably about as physically strong as Bane, and of course has plenty of experience fighting the highest level street tier heroes. Kingpin would mix two sides of Batman’s rogues gallery together like no one else possibly could, and give us a compelling crime thriller in the same issue he gives us a no-holds-barred fight to the finish with way too much property damage.
7) Black Hand
Batman has always been connected to death. He was made when he watched his parents die in Crime Alley, and has been haunted by the deaths of those close to him like Jason Todd and Alfred for years. Black Hand is equally obsessed with death, but he is in love with it, wanting to kill everything because he sees death as the one true constant. Not only would this be a magnificent psychological contrast between the man who tries to prevent every death with the man who wants nothing more than to kill the world one soul at a time, but Black Hand has often had zombie-related powers thanks to his connection to Nekron, the Avatar of Death. A clash between these two could give us a battle between Batman and an army of zombies, maybe even his zombified parents, and that just sounds like a spectacular time for every reader out there.
6) Mystique
Mystique is a bit of a strange pick, but I think a story centered around these two has everything it needs to be a magnificent mystery. Mystique is able to perfectly transform into anyone she wishes and, with assistance from her precognitive wife Destiny, able to always stay one step ahead of anyone coming after her. If these two worked together, they could pull off a spectacular crime that would leave even the World’s Greatest Detective scratching his head, looking for evidence and a way to prove who really committed the crime. They could easily frame someone close to Bruce to add some dramatic stakes, maybe even Bruce himself, inadvertently putting Batman on the run. This would tap way more into the mystery side of Batman’s character, which is exactly what we need more of, as you can never have too many good Batman mysteries.
5) Carnage
This one feels like a no-brainer, because really, Carnage is just the Joker with symbiote powers instead of a clown motif. In fact, he’s even more of a serial killing monster, and exactly as bombastic as loud as all great Batman villains need to be. They’ve clashed before in some Marvel and DC crossovers, but seeing them go at it again with a couple more decades of developments under their belts would be more than welcome. The bloodthirsty monster that is Kleetus Cassidy and his symbiote put together represent a great challenge for the Dark Knight to tear down, as to him, they’re just another killer who needs to be put back in a cage. Of course, if they fought again, I hope beyond hope that we would be given the one thing that makes me want this fight more than anything; Venom-suit Batman. Just imagine Batman wearing the Venom symbiote to put him on an equal playing field with Carnage, and think about how freaking cool it would be! My inner child would be satisfied more than he ever thought possible.
4) Manchester Black
Batman is a much darker hero than someone like Superman, but at the end of the day he is still grounded in an ideal of hope and making the world a better place. His staunch stance earns him a lot of flack, especially as the criminals of Gotham continuously ramp up their atrocities, and that’s what makes Manchester Black such a great choice for a Batman villain. Black’s goal for a very long time was to prove Superman’s way didn’t work, and destroy his sense of hope to make the Man of Steel as jaded as he is. Black’s villainous, bloody style of putting down criminals could definitely prove to be popular in Gotham, especially once you add Black’s nihilistic charisma and his OP psychic powers into the mix. Manchester Black would be a wall Batman would have to get creative to take down, and it’d be just as much a battle for his city’s soul as it would be physically. It’s the perfect chance to highlight why Batman fights how he does, and how his heart separates him from callous killers like Black.
3) Doctor Doom
Victor Von Doom is one of the greatest comic book villains of all time, and it’s easy to see why. He’s smart, deadly, and is so insanely over the top that it makes Black Manta’s hatred of Aquaman look reasonable. Watching Doom buy into his own hype makes for some of the most entertaining comics there’ve ever been, and seeing him battle the Dark Knight would be amazing. Two of the smartest, best equipped guys in either universe going head to head with stakes that could range anywhere from the fate of the world to a perceived slight or test of intelligence. Doom is what you get when you combine Ra’s al Ghul with Dragon Ball Z Abridged’s Vegeta, and it makes him the perfect foe for the subtle, serious Batman to go up against, with Doom able to match the dark tones, then in the same breath shatter them with his melodramatic narcissism.
2) Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness is the trainer of Darkseid’s special forces, torturing children she forces to call her “mother” to turn them into the merciless killing machines the Omega God needs. She’s never been a main threat to Batman before, but she is the perfect person to challenge Bruce’s fatherly nature. The reason Batman does what he does is because he wants to prevent anyone else from experiencing the same pain he has, especially children, so when someone hurts kids, the Dark Knight tends to be extra rough with them. Batman himself is a father to at least six kids, and although he is far from perfect at it, he tries his best to be good to them. Granny Goodness abducting Gotham’s children for her war pits is a fantastic set up for Batman to come into conflict with her, and give us some incredible scenes of Batman being kind to children who have been nothing but hurt. After all, there’s the old adage that goes if you can’t imagine the Batman you’ve written comforting a child, then you haven’t written Batman, you made the Punisher in a funny hat.
1) Punisher
Speaking of Frank, he stands as one of the best possible established villains to go up against the Caped Crusader. On the surface, these two men are a lot alike; both having lost their families in violent gunfire right before their eyes, and both swearing that nothing like that will ever happen again. However, that’s where the similarities end, as while Batman dedicated himself to improving the world, the Punisher is out here to put every person he deems a villain in the ground. Batman is here to enact vengeance, but is predominantly acting to save lives, while all the Punisher cares about is killing bad guys, which is a very, very important distinction. Batman and Punisher would hate each other to their cores, with their relationship mirroring Frank’s eternal battle with Daredevil. A fight between these two would be bloody, emotional, and deeply personal in all the best ways. Especially if they could interact in more than just a one-off comic. Their battles would be legendary, I guarantee.
So there are ten villains who I believe would be fantastic picks for Batman to go up against as regular villains. He’s fought a few of these people before, but trust me, the idea of them being recurring villains could only elevate the tension and drama even higher than ever. Do you agree with the list? What villains would you like to see battle the Dark Knight at some point, even if they’re from outside of Marvel and DC? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
