Batman Movie Villains Ranked (Including The Batman)

Batman is now a blockbuster movie icon, but the villains he fights have been as screen icons for as long as the Caped Crusader has. Going back as far as Adam West’s Batman TV series in the 1960s, actors who have landed the role of Batman villains have gone on to become movie icons. But which ones are the best of the bunch? 

Now that The Batman is out in theaters, we’re once again ranking the Best Batman Movie Villains, from worst to best.

RULES: The rules for our list are simple: We’re only considering Batman movie villains that were introduced in feature films released in theaters. That excludes any of the Batman rogues from the Adam West era, or fan-favorite picks like Mark Hamill’s Joker from Batman animated series and movies.

With that all on the table, here are the Batman movie villains, ranked! 

19. Bane (Batman & Robin)

Just the absolute 🤬 worst. And (hopefully) always will be. 

18. Two-Face (Batman Forever)

Batman Forever’s Two-Face is a master class on how to make a compelling character (and actor) mediocre. How anyone ever talked stone-faced Tommy Lee Jones into taking the role is a mystery, but his version of Two-Face lacked any of the actor’s signature grit and had none of the character’s complex psychology. Two-Face was a gimmicky bore, and that’s just a crime. 

17. Mister Freeze (Batman & Robin)

Sure, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mister Freeze was the villain in the infamous Batman & Robin, and sure he was a campy, cheesy, take on the ice-hearted villain. That said, Schwarzenegger’s massive charisma and action movie persona made this a deliciously gooey bit of cheese. The memes and quotables are now legendary. 

16. Poison Ivy (Batman & Robin)

Uma Thurman definitely nailed the spirit of Poison Ivy in her performance – it just so happened to be in the absolutely worst Batman movie of all time. Given director Joel Schumacher’s goofy vision, the fact that Thurman achieved anything close to the Poison Ivy we know and love was a minor miracle. 

15. Edward Nygma/The Riddler (Batman Forever)

Jim Carrey was at the top of his game when he was cast as The Riddler in Batman Forever. He’s definitely at the top of his game in the film – but it’s arguably the entirely wrong kind of performance for that Batman villain – or Batman movies, in general. 

14. Selina Kyle

Nolan was adamant that his version of Selina Kyle was not “Catwoman” and that’s probably why the character suffers for it. To her credit, Anne Hathaway is as sultry and fiesty as Nolan’s story will allow – which still results in a version of the femme anti-hero that lacks most of the chemistry and charisma that has made her an icon. 

13. Talia al Ghul

The worst kept secret in comic book movies (at the time) was Christopher Nolan casting Marion Cotillard in The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan and Co. actually thought fans would buy the “Miranda Tate” cover for Cotillard’s Talia – but instead, it fooled no one, and the filmmakers’ commitment to that “secret” cost Cotillard (a top-notch actress) the larger opportunity to play one of Batman’s most intriguing enemies/love interests. Next time we get Talia in live-action, just give us “Talia.” Thanks. 

12. Lex Luthor (Batman v Superman)

Like everything with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Jessie Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is a divisive version of the character. However, Batman v Superman’s Ultimate Edition story really shows what a maniacal genius Luthor truly is, as he’s three steps ahead of both Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) for most of the movie. Repeat viewing really do expose the nuance and ruthless psychotic edge Eisenberg’s Luthor has. 

11. Max Schreck

Christopher Walken’s villain in Batman Returns always seemed like a slightly over-the-top and cartoonish portrayal of an evil tycoon – that is until real life began showing us just how crazy evil tycoons really are. Now, Walken’s Max Schreck seems downright prescient. 

10. Henry Ducard/Ra’s al Ghul

For all the controversy about race changes today, Liam Neeson did a great job taking one of Batman’s greatest (and more fantastical) foes and grounding him in the type of performance that helped established Chris Nolan’s version of the character and his mythos. Some say the best villains are those who are actually convinced that what they are doing is noble or good. Whether he was serving as a mentor to Christian Bale’s Batman or a foe, Neeson’s steely resolve as Ra’s was so strong you almost wanted to root for him. 

9. Edward Nashton/Riddler

Call it recency bias if you want, but Paul Dano’s Riddler in The Batman is a dark and creepy new re-invention of the villain. As you will see further down the list, some of the best Batman villain performances of all time are ones where the actors redefined their characters, and Dano is going further than most, by writing his own Riddler: Year One comic! 

8. Scarecrow (The Dark Knight Trilogy)

Cillian Murphy’s Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow was a terrifying secondary antagonist in Batman Begins, and Murphy was so good at the role that Nolan made him one of the only recurring motifs in the entire Dark Knight Trilogy. In fact, Murphy’s collaboration with Nolan is so strong that he’ll next be starring in the director’s biopic film Oppenheimer. 

7. Harvey Dent/Two-Face (The Dark Knight)

Aaron Eckhart is the only actor to take on both halves of the Two-Face story and character in live-action and make it feel like it not only works but works as compelling cinematic drama. As Harvey Dent Eckhart was complex and layered as a shining political figure who had a serious dark streak. Fans may have felt like The Dark Knight’s final segment of Batman facing “Two-Face” was tacked on to the Joker story, but on his own merits (and some great CGI), Eckhart is frightening as the villain. Never have audiences held their collective breath over something as small as a coin-flip. 

Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)

Tom Hardy was handed the unusual challenge of doing a “grounded” take on Bane in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. Hardy had to act while wearing a mask that covered most of his face, with a voice that was so ravaged and garbled it had to be redone in post-production. That all said, Hardy’s Bane has become iconic for both its intensity and unintentional moments of meme-worthy hilarity. It was a formula Hardy would lean into, to much success (see: Venom). 

5. Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot (The Batman)

DeVito is still the G.O.A.T., but Colin Farrell is making a serious attempt to steal the crown. Farrell’s “Oz” only played a minor role in The Batman, but he stole every single scene he was in, with practically every line he delivered. It’s no surprise that Warner Bros. has greenlit an entire TV spinoff dedicated to The Batman’s Penguin; next time we to this list, Farrell may have jumped ahead. 

4. Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot (Batman Returns)

Danny DeVito is a genius, and he and Tim Burton coming together for Batman Returns remains one of the great teamings in all of comic book movies. Aside from being one of the only actors able to pull off Penguin’s signature physical appearance, DeVito’s idiosyncratic hamming was perfect for the world Burton was building, and a perfect foil for Michael Keaton’s Batman. It’s no coincidence that the Penguin role has only been filled by standout actors, thereafter. 

3. Catwoman (Batman Returns)

Michelle Pfeiffer stepped into a role of Catwoman that had a massive legacy behind it, thanks to Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt. However, like Tim Burton did with Joker, he redefined Catwoman entirely, and Pfeiffer danced on a tightrope between absurdist comedienne and Noir femme fatale like none other could. From the costume that is still being worn by fans, to the portrayal of anti-heroine, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is an indelible classic for all of comic book movies. 

2. Jack Napier/Joker (Batman ’89)

Jack Nicholson’s version of the Joker took Batman’s colorful comic book archnemesis and adapted him into a blockbuster movie villain for the masses. In what would ironically be a controversial decision in modern comic book movies, Tim Burton gave his version of Joker an extensive backstory and alter-ego, as gangster Jack Napier. Nicholson’s performance – along with a wave of milestone comic stories (The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight Returns) – helped redefine Joker forever afterward. 

At least, until a new performer came along to redefine the character all over again… 

1. The Joker (The Dark Knight)

It should be no surprise that the top pick for our list is the one Batman movie villain performance to walk away with an Oscar. Heath Ledger was an unlikely (and mistrusted) pick for the role of Christopher Nolan’s Joker in The Dark Knight, but the actor went so deep to achieve his version of the character that some think it bordered on dangerous. To create his Joker, Ledger pulled from various DC Comics creators from the 1980s through the 2000s, and pieced together a variety of character traits and references that became a greater sum of their parts in Ledger’s hands. Like others on this list, Ledger’s performance as Joker was so definitive that every version of Joker thereafter is measured against it.