The 10 Strangest Batman Villains Ever

Guest writer James Robinson has joined the team of Detective Comics for a special story beginning in the pages of #988. Getting back to the series roots, it promises a murder mystery that will lead “to a conspiracy among some of the Dark Knight’s strangest foes.” Batman‘s rogue’s gallery is one of, if not the, most colorful in all of comics so applying the descriptor strangest to any of his villains takes some serious considerations. Even his most mainstream and popular antagonists work regularly put smiles on the faces of fish or spoil their own crimes with elaborate puns. So who might be party to this thrilling new conspiracy?

In order to help amateur comic book sleuths, and for our own enjoyment, we’ve begun to assemble a suspect list by seeking out the strangest Batman villains ever. These are the bad guys with gimmicks too wild to believe or ideas that never should have made it past a rough draft. Even in a place like Gotham City they stand out as absurdities, the sort of costumed ne’er-do-wells that make Penguin and Bane seem a bit more palatable.

So if you’re curious as to who the strangest villains from across Batman’s career may be, just keep reading.

Circus of Strange

Created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #666

Few modern creators do strange better than Morrison and Quitely. They added plenty of notable villains while working on various Batman titles, but none provide the same level of diversity or color as the Circus of Strange. Each one of its members could make a case for their own spot on this list, starting with the horrifyingly masked Professor Pyg. Rather than sort them out, we’ll keep this crew of carnies together and celebrate them as one of the strangest teams in all of superhero comics.

Ten-Eyed Man

Created by Dick Giordano, Frank Robbins, and Irv Novick

First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #226

This man’s “ten eyes” are actually his finger tips, providing him some surprising abilities when it comes to martial arts and thievery. While he began as another villain with an oddball gimmick, the Ten-Eyed Man has evolved and been through many interesting stories since his introduction. His shift in perspective has led him to some downright psychedelic endeavors that make him one of the consistently strangest adversaries in Batman’s career.

Lord Death Man

Created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff

First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #180

Lord Death Man found similarly inauspicious beginnings as a man with a skull mask and gimmick, but in the pages of “Batmanga” found a role as one of the most theatrically-inclined Bat-foes ever. His penchant for smoke and mirrors, along with a gratuitous number of fake-out deaths, is what still makes that particular manga adaptation so entertaining. It’s a style that he returned to American comics with, making him a far more popular villain on two continents.

Ratcatcher

Created by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Norm Breyfogle

First Appearance: Detective Comics (vol. 1) #585

Anyone who has seen Willard (the original or the remake) knows just how creepy a man controlling rats for his own misdeeds can become. When you slap on a gasmask, it quickly becomes some of the most potent nightmare fuel in comics. Ratcatcher might be one of the most underutilized of these strange Batman villains. Each of his appearances is disturbing, but none of them have quite led Ratcatcher out of the sewers and into the limelight.

Johnny Karaoke

Created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake

First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #660

Johnny Karaoke is an example of a Batman villain with far more ambition than power or sense. While he has a gimmick with his singing (accompanied by the Geisha Grrls), Karaoke is most notably a business administration graduate who felt suited to work in the Yakuza. In spite of poor villain credentials, he still crafted a style and approach that set him apart from his peers and made him difficult to forget, even decades after his quick death.

The Eraser

Created by John Broome

First Appearance: Batman (vol. 1) #188

The dead-eyed stare of The Eraser matches his equally lifeless form, crafted by a suit and mask to resemble a pencil like some sort of cheap, last-minute Halloween costume. It’s this villain’s dedication to a pun that really puts him over the top though, as he will comment that his helmet allows him to “rub out” evidence. While that is certainly a groaner, the combination of a terrible gimmick and off-putting appearance make The Eraser stand out no matter where he shows up.

The Dollmaker

Created by Tony S. Daniel

First Appearance: Detective Comics (vol. 1) #1

Barton Mathis manages to give even creeps like Mr. Zsasz a run for their money when it comes to disturbing shticks in Gotham City. As the third DC Comics character to hold the name Dollmaker, Mathis collected victims in order to construct dolls from their corpses. It’s every bit as terrible as it sounds, and his obsession with stitching can even be observed in his face. This is one bad guy who makes every moment uncomfortable, even when he’s not working.

Condiment King

Created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini

First Appearance: Batman: The Animated Series, “Make ‘Em Laugh”

Harley Quinn may get all the attention, but Condiment King is another villain who made the leap from Batman cartoons to comic books. He was designed to be a truly ridiculous foe, and was so good in that role creators couldn’t bear to let him go. He most recently appeared in the pages of Batman #54, robbing grocery stores in the background of a more poignant story. Even as white noise, it’s impossible to forget about someone this odd.

Deacon Blackfire

Created by Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson

First Appearance: Batman: The Cult #1

Deacon Blackfire has received multiple explanations as to his origin across the years, but what’s apparent now is that he’s really a loudmouth with too big of an ego for his frame, even when you consider some potent supernatural powers. Watching this foe attempt to build himself into an A-list villain has only clarified his low place on the Batman villain totem pole, one that seems all the stranger given his previously large followings and complex schemes.

Crazy Quilt

Created by Jack Kirby

First Appearance: Boy Commandos (vol. 1) #1

This is one bad guy who didn’t start fighting Batman, but who seems destined to call Gotham City home. Crazy Quilt has been given many alter-egos and power sets over the years, but he’s always a colorful characters, literally and figuratively. His most recent appearance showed him to be a pitiful gag villain, but he has also been a mad scientist and bandit across the decades. With a name like this one, every iteration has been delightfully strange in nature.