The Best Animated Version of Every Major Batman Villain, Ranked

Batman’s comic book history has evolved over the decades, but one thing has remained consistent: his rogues gallery is filled with some of the best villains in fiction. As the character’s life and story have continued to grow in the pages of comics, he has remained a fixture of animation for just as long. Adventures of Batman premiered back in 1969, and there have been few times since then that the character couldn’t be found on Saturday mornings for fans of all ages to enjoy. With each new take on Batman must naturally bring with it a new way of telling his villains’ stories.

Though the argument can be made that at least one particular version of Batman in animation is not only the best but also has the most unique take on the villains, the countless different shows prove otherwise. What we find here are not only the best Batman villains that can be found running around Gotham, but definitive proof that these are the best versions of those characters. No matter what decade or animation style they hail from, they all gave the Batman fits, and sometimes beat him.

10) Mr. Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series

A version of this list could exist where we simply point out how Batman: The Animated Series became the defining point for countless DC villains, reworking them to a point where they not only became compelling but the distinct moment that they’re still rooted in today. That said, Mr. Freeze is absolutely the best version of this distinction.

Previous versions of Freeze were largely defined by the schtick of “ice-themed villain,” but Batman: The Animated Series rewrote the villain’s origin to give him a tragic flaw at the heart of his persona and technology. By giving Mr. Freeze an ailing wife, it not only made his crime sprees have a little more interest to them, but it also gave him an appeal lacking from so many others. It was a change that has become the standard for the villain since.

9) Poison Ivy in Harley Quinn

Though Poison Ivy has long been featured in animated versions of Batman, many kept her defined by the box of “plant-themed villain,” an accurate distinction that didn’t offer much nuance. As the character has evolved over time in comics and other media, though, Ivy’s powerset has been pushed to the brink, making her one of the most powerful Batman villains. Which brings us to the version found in the HBO Max original Harley Quinn.

Easily the most interesting take on Poison Ivy in animation, Harley Quinn‘s version is a top-tier villain with plant-controlling abilities, intellect, and planning that are finally given the proper scale. The character also takes on a distinct persona, one where her detachment from humanity and embrace of plantlife has given her a sarcastic tone, one ripe for comedy. It also helps that this version of Ivy maintains her romantic relationship with the titular Quinn, one of the best pairings in DC Comics.

8) Scarecrow in New Batman Adventures

Though technically a continuation of what fans loved in Batman: The Animated Series, there are some distinctions to be found in The New Batman Adventures, which used its potential as a new series to redefine some characters. The Scarecrow found in the original series sticks to what came before, a scrawny character with an obsession with fear that drove him to a life of crime to continue his pursuits. The New Batman Adventures took this and realized there was missing potential.

Scarecrow in The New Batman Adventures continues his streak of using fear gas on test subjects to continue refining his formula, but now he does it while looking the scariest he has ever looked. His Scarecrow mask not only has a far more sinister look, but he also wears a noose around his neck. Gone were the days of being a mean copy of the character from The Wizard of Oz, instead, a terrifying and sinister look for Scarecrow was introduced and immediately left a mark.

7) Bane in Justice League: Doom

The trouble with Bane is that the character was ill-defined by his appearance in the live-action Batman & Robin. Though he managed to appear in animation before that, his larger arc in the pages of Batman comics failed to really make its way into any noteworthy medium for years.

The version of Bane found in the animated movie Justice League: Doom has two key factors working in its favor to really be the best. First is that he utilizes his brief time on screen to be a complete menace to Batman, proving that he’s his better in a frightening way. The second is that he’s calculated and cold, not just a brute. Every other take on Bane would do well to stick to these comic-book-accurate distinctions.

6) Ra’s al Ghul in Young Justice

Perhaps the most compelling Batman villain who has routinely been done dirty by adaptation, Young Justice was able to use its expansive roster of characters to give Ra’s al Ghul proper breathing room as both a villain and a character with a change of heart. The version found here offers the most complete take on Ra’s al Ghul in animation, or even live-action for that matter, giving the character not only his distinct place as the head of the League of Shadows and a top-tier supervillain but also relationships with daughter Talia and grandson Damian.

5) Catwoman in Harley Quinn

Where this version of Catwoman really excels is in capturing the two sides of the character that have long been her defining traits: a romance with Batman and a love for crime. The character in the series not only keeps working with Batman as a partner in romance and heroism, but she also cannot help herself when she finds a diamond that she really wants to own.

It could no doubt be argued that the Catwoman found in Batman: The Animated Series checks all those boxes, and also has the most iconic visual design, but Catwoman in Harley Quinn has a persona that feels perfectly modeled by the character. She works with a team but only wants things done her way; she carefully saunters through a room evading all prattfalls. It’s a treat to watch and made better by sticking to the ethos of less is more.

4) The Penguin in The Batman

Though the animated series The Batman has some very controversial takes on many DC villains, like The Joker, the version of The Penguin found here is a quintessential take on the gangster. Back to basics may seem like a simple idea, but by sticking to the umbrella guns of The Penguin and making him a bird-themed villain that has a variety of gadgets at his disposal. Some fans may find the through-and-through gangster version of The Penguin that has become a modern staple the more interesting angle for the character, but sometimes a comic book villain can just be a baddie with a particular niche interest. When executed well, this is still entertaining, and The Batman‘s version of The Penguin proves it.

3) The Riddler in Harley Quinn

In truth, most takes on the Riddler are pretty accurate in their adaptation of the villain, a sniveling dweeb whose obsession with puzzles and mind games is actually annoying and not a compelling personality trait. The Riddler found in Harley Quinn uses this as a springboard to extreme comedic effect, but also as a way to evolve the villain over the series. He not only gets buff and shredded over the course of the series, but later enters a relationship with fellow Batman villain, Clock King.

2) Two-Face in Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Like The Batman‘s take on The Penguin, the version of Two-Face found in Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a real back-to-basics take on the villain. Though he maintains his obsessions with twos, duality, and coin-based decision making, Two-Face here both looks like a throwback to his original appearances in Batman comics, but the voice actor throughout the series (James Remar) utilizes different speaking styles depending on which side of the character he’s talking from.

Two-Face may have gone through a radical transformation in Batman: The Animated Series, but the character has been reinvented across comics and stories countless times. Batman: The Brave and the Bold proves that a villain can remain compelling despite being exactly what you expect.

1) The Joker in Batman: The Animated Series

Really, truly, what else could you find here? The Joker is not only the most iconic villain in all of comics, but the one that continues to define Batman, no matter what medium the character is occupying. Though originally inspired by Jack Nicholson’s take on the character from the Tim Burton movie, this version of Joker was able to push beyond that and take on a personality that was a cornucopia of descriptors: funny, creepy, chaotic, genius, and evil.

What really makes this version of The Joker so iconic, and the best, is the vocal performance by Mark Hamill. The former Star Wars actor not only proved his range as the villain but was able to straddle every possible persona that the Joker can occupy: criminal mastermind, sadistic killer, marginal romantic, and arch-enemy of the Batman. That last bit, however, he takes especially personally, which is another reason this is still the best version of Joker, and perhaps the most influential.

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