Out of all the superheroes, the Rogue gallery of Batman is easily the most impressive. It’s full of lethal villains who all have the same evil plan – take down Gotham City and sometimes the entire world.
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They are the worst of the worst, most being from the dark and seedy underbelly of Gotham – a city which is in a constant state of violent crime, chaos, and complete unrest.
Batman villains also seem to be one step away from being…Batman as they all somehow share similar characteristics with The Caped Crusader.
Like some of his foes, Bruce Wayne is also a loner-type who suffered a painful childhood. But instead of turning to a life of brutal crime, he chose to uphold the legacy of his murdered family while dedicating the life of his alter-ego to protect and serve the city.
While the Bat tries his best to keep watch over his home turf, each of his villains have always been a perfect match for him, posing many challenging threats throughout years of comic books, animated series, live-action television shows and movies.
Just like Batman himself, his villains are dark, gritty and almost always angry.
Let’s take a look at the 7 best classic Batman villains from his Rogues Gallery that have terrorized Gotham City and in some cases even the world for decades.
Mr. Freeze
Let’s kick some ice!
Mr. Freeze is not your typical Batman villain, but he is quite a classic first appearing in Batman #121 way back in 1959. Even though he’s a bad guy with a cold heart, he is still capable of love.
Victor Fries was an accomplished cryogenicist whose beloved wife Nora was stricken with a fatal, mysterious disease. Fries put her in suspended animation while searching for a way to save her life.
GothCorp’s CEO Ferris Boyle stopped funding the research and pulled the plug on Nora. This triggered an accident that turned Fries into a cold-blooded villain that had to be kept at subzero temperatures in a special refrigerated suit.
If he didn’t wear the suit he would die instantly. Mr. Freeze will do anything it takes to bring his wife back to life, even if it means icing an innocent person to death if they happen to be in his way.
He wields a freeze gun and uses ice and cold to wreak havoc in Gotham and against Batman.
In most cases, he can be easily defeated with…you guessed it! FIRE!
Poison Ivy
You know you can’t resist me. No man can…
You wouldn’t think that a “plant lady” would be so viscous, but Poison Ivy is the most lethal femme fatale in Gotham.
Pamela Isley, who first appeared in Batman #161 in 1966, was once an expert in botanics and biochemistry until she fell victim to the vine. She was used as a guinea pig for dangerous experiments in which she was changed forever.
Her mind became twisted and she transformed into Posion Ivy – a beautiful eco-terrorist, who puts nature before the lives of anyone else. She can control plants, while she emits deadly toxins.
Just like flower, she’s pretty and smells wonderful, but her touch and kiss will kill you. Like Batman, she’s a loner and prefers to work by herself.
She uses her potions and pheremones to manipulate the minds of many, including Batman. You can call her an eco-terrorist, a seductress, or just a woman who always gets what she wants.
Bane
I am Bane and I could kill you… but death would only end your agony and silence your shame. Instead, I will simply… BREAK YOU!”
Known for his mix of brute strength and exceptional intelligence, Bane is the only supervillain that has “Broken the Bat.”
He first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 in 1993. While he’s not from the golden era of rogues, he’s proven to be an equal adversary of Batman more than once.
Poor baby Bane spent his childhood and early adult life in prison, carrying a teddy bear named Osito that had a blade stuck in its back. He used his time in jail to learn everything he could and become a pillar of strength.
Although he was a genius, his nightmares of bats tormented him every time he closed his eyes. A terrifying image he just couldn’t shake took over his mind.
He eventually became addicted to a mysterious drug called Venom that pushed the bounderies of his super strength, but if he missed a dose he would become dehabilitated.
He learned of Gotham from another inmate and made his way there with only one thing in mind – destroy the Bat.
The Joker
Here’s the cold, hard truth Bats…I don’t hate you ’cause I’m crazy…I’m crazy ’cause I hate you.
The Joker is the definitive classic Batman supervillain. His only reason for existing is to kill Batman and gain control over all of Gotham City. He first appeared in Batman #1 in 1940 and has been a sharp thorn in Batman’s side ever since.
He’s absolutely mad, insane, crazy, psycho – all of the above. Joker will reign terror down on anyone just for laughs. He’s a stone-cold criminal with nothing to lose and dons a maniacal laugh that chills his victims to the core.
With a few different origin stories, he was once an innocent man who was pushed into a vat of chemicals that stained his skin and gave him the appearance of a hideous clown and twisted his mind.
The Clown Prince of Crime’s tricks and jokes are far from funny, but as long as he’s amused with himself it doesn’t matter.
It’s hard not to root for him because he always steals the show, whether in a comic book, an animated series, or a movie – Joker demands attention.
Although he’s the most evil member of Batman’s Rogues, he’s also the most beloved supervillain of all time.
The Riddler
Riddle me this, riddle me that, who’s afraid of the big, black bat?
The Riddler is obsessed with proving he is smarter than everyone else. He first appeared in Detective Comics #140 in 1948.
He’s a bonafide mastermind who pulls off the perfect high-profile crimes, but always leaves a clue behind for Batman to find. He is obsessed with incorporating riddles and puzzles into his criminal plots.
With this constant use of a gimmick, Riddler’s crimes are flamboyant and ostentatious, drawing the attention of law enforcement. Sometimes he’ll send a pre-emptive warning before hand, but it takes a genius to figure it out.
Because of this obsession, he’s spent a good amount of time in Arkham Asylum. As a fan of Houdini, he has taught himself how to escape whenever he feels like it.
He takes pleasure in forcing his victims into life or death situations, but gives them a chance to survive if they are smart enough to solve his riddles or puzzles, further trying to prove that his intellect is superior to anyone else in Gotham.
Penguin
If there’s anyone I despise more than the Batman, it’s Wayne! He’s got looks, and money…
The Penguin, also known as Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, is the only sane member of Batman’s Rogues. He first appeared in Detective Comics #58 in 1941.
He was bullied a lot as a child because of his short, round stature and beak-like nose. His mother forced him to carry his signature umbrella so he wouldn’t drown in the rain.
As he got older he turned his umbrellas into technologically advanced weapons…and dressed in a fancy tuxedo with tails calling himself the “gentleman of crime.”
He owned a nightclub called the Iceberg Lounge, which was a cover for his theivery and mobster ways. Batman often used the club as a source of intel.
The Penguin was a persistent nemesis for Batman and Robin throughout the early years, pulling off ploy after ploy, and often teaming up with The Joker. He is an intellgent man, mob leader, and also the wealthiest supervillain in Gotham.
Ra’s Al Ghul
The Bat deserved to meet his doom at my hands…at the hands of someone who hated yet respected him! Mortal enemies deserve at least that.
Ra’s Al Ghul (Demon Head) was the only supervillain to instantly know that Bruce Wayne was also Batman.
He was able to crack Wayne’s secret identity within seconds. He first appeared in Batman #232’s “Daughter of the Demon” in 1971.
Ra’s Al Ghul is the leader of the League of Assassins, later named the League of Shadows. He’s a centuries-old international eco-terrorist. Using the mysterious power of Lazarus pits, he’s able to avoid death and live forever.
His mission is to restore much needed balance to the world by any means necessary, even it if means trying to grow an entirely new race of superhumans inside of a sperm whale.
He doesn’t hate Batman, in fact he’s just as much of a fan as we are. Ra’s is constantly trying to convince The Dark Knight to take his place as the leader and wed his daughter. However…Batman isn’t in the business of cleansing the earth.
Because his means to an end are questionable, Batman and the rest of the DC superheroes have had to stop him more than once.
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