Batman has benefited from one of the greatest rogues galleries in the comic industry. Batman has been the most popular hero in comics for a while, and this has led to some of the greatest creators of all time working on Batman comics. This talent has made Batman amazing, and it’s also helped make his villains some of the best around. Every amazing creator has a story for the Joker, Two-Face, the Riddler, Bane, and many, many more. We’ve seen a variety of stories about each of these villains, but they are just the surface of the amazing iceberg that is Batman’s rogues gallery.
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Gotham City is a rich environment to create amazing villains. Batman has some of the toughest villains ever, and some of the coolest don’t get talked about a lot because of the more popular villains. This is a shame, as many Batman villains that no one talks about are the best of the bunch. These seven Batman villains need to get more spotlight, as they belong among the greatest villains of all time.
7) KGBeast
Batman faces some overpowered villains, but one that never gets the credit he deserves for being OP is KGBeast. Anatoli Knyazev was one of the top assassins in the Soviet Union and was sent to the US to deal with ten scientists. Batman did his best to stop him, but he couldn’t, and over a hundred people died. KGBeast cut off his hand to escape Batman, starting a rivalry that would see Batman tested in ways he hadn’t been before. KGBeast is something of an anachronism as the KGB hasn’t existed for decades, but he’s also just an awesome villain. He’s shown up multiple times over the years to hurt Batman, and is always an exciting villain. I feel like KGBeast could easily be the next Bane-level villain in the Batman mythos if the right creator decides to dust him off.
6) Scarface and the Ventriloquist
Batman: The Animated Series was amazing. It not only gave Batman fans stories with the greatest Batman villains, but also redefined a lot of lower-level Batman foes. Scarface and the Ventriloquist are one of these lower-level villains, and it’s a shame that creators don’t throw the two of them into more comics. Scarface and the Ventriloquist play into one of the tropes of Batman’s villains — mental illness — and are also way more formidable than most people realize. The Ventriloquist’s DID actually made it so that the Psycho-Pirate couldn’t use the Medusa Mask to control him, which is pretty impressive. There was also a second, female Ventriloquist for a time, both of them working with Scarface. Scarface and the Ventriloquist are the kind of villains that are just waiting on the right story to make them superstars.
5) The Reaper
“Year One” is a classic Batman story, but most people aren’t as fond of “Year Two”. This story took place in Batman’s, well, second year and pitted him against the Reaper. The Reaper was Judson Caspian, a socialite by day and vigilante by night who was more violent than Batman was. The Reaper came out of retirement when Batman began his quest, and the two tangled, with the Reaper dying by falling off a building. Since “Year Two”, there have been several other Reapers, including Joe Chill Jr. The Reaper is a cool idea in the history of Gotham, and “Year Two” and its sequel Batman: Full Circle are both pretty great. The Reaper has appeared in the background multiple times since those original stories, and he’s one of those villains who’s just waiting for the right story.
4) The Wrath
There have been multiple “evil Batmen” villains over the decades. These villains take the origins or methods of Batman and use them for evil. The Wrath is one of these. The Wrath’s parents were criminals killed by the police, and he decided to destroy law and order. He became the evil Batman, even getting himself a sidekick named Scorn. The Wrath hasn’t really done much over the years; he’s always been something of a low-level villain. However, he’s a villain with potential, and it’s a shame that he’s not as well-known as he should be.
3) Ten-Eyed Man
The Ten-Eyed Man is a villain who started out pretty silly, but has become something way cooler as the years have gone on. The original Ten-Eyed Man lost the use of his eyes and had his optic nerves rerouted to his fingers, giving him ten eyes. A new version has popped up in recent years, in underrated Batman tales like “Gotham Nocturne”. This Ten-Eyed Man is more unhinged than ever, his mind broken by his ability to see through his fingers, always trying to expand his mind and never seeing the world for what it is. He’s a villain who is much more interesting than most Batman foes and deserves more spotlight.
2) Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva is one of the most skilled fighters in the DC Universe. Shiva was a member of the League of Assassins and quickly earned a reputation for being extremely formidable. Shiva is usually cannon fodder for other villains, and rarely the main villain. In fact, most of the time, when she’s the main villain of the story it’s usually just for her to have a one-on-one fight with another character. However, I think that it’s about time for Lady Shiva to grow beyond all of that. Shiva owns some wins over many of the best fighters in DC, so it’s about time that she got more attention.
1) Hugo Strange
Hugo Strange is one of the first Batman villains, having first appeared in Detective Comics #6, a mere nine issues after the debut of Batman. Strange has always been played as more of a psychological villain, using his knowledge of the human psyche (and sometimes biology) to try to wreak havoc on Gotham. Hugo Strange has rarely had the kind of story that made him into a big deal, mostly playing second fiddle whenever he shows up. However, Hugo Strange has survived for years and is way cooler than he seems.
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