40 Greatest Batman Villains Ranked: The Ultimate Rogues' Gallery List

Batman, the Caped Crusader, has a huge, massive group of enemies! His rogues' gallery is known for being one of the best in all of Comics and for decades has kept audiences wanting more.

Gotham City's Darkest Villains

The world of Batman is not just filled with the dark knight. The city he protects, Gotham City is filled with some truly awful villains who have caused a great deal of trouble and who make for some epic stories! The most recognizable of these villains stand out because of just how closely they relate to Batman himself, a hero known for being ruthless when necessary. While the hero and villain dance on the edge, these evil doers are among the best that have ever existed. Here are the top 35 of the most memorable!

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Deadshot (Floyd Lawton)

Carmine Falcone in front of the bat symbol. Image

Deadshot, also known as Floyd Lawton started out as a Batman villain but eventually became more famous as one of the Suicide Squad. But there's a mutual respect, a shared grudging respect! While Deadshot is truly a killer, Batman would never say he likes Deadshot, but he does seem to give Deadshot respect for his sense of honor, something you might find lacking with many other villains! There were so many stand-off battles that involved both the villain and the hero! While there is less action between the two today! This remains an iconic pairing of villain and hero.

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Punchline (Alexis Kaye)

There has never been anyone like Harley Quinn in the history of Batman's iconic, evil doers but the Joker always seems to find new partners, new associates. It turned out he has an interest in an associate, Alexis Kaye, known as Punchline!

She loves The Joker.
She was a master at fighting
An expert with poisons
A really unique creation of her own, Joker Venom

It seems the two could have something interesting together and their latest collaboration in Joker War was unforgettable.

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Carmine Falcone (The Roman)

Featured Image: Batman and Gotham's Villains (DC Comics) Image

Many have mentioned that Carmine Falcone was among those big figures who rose to infamy in the world of Batman. The movie, The Batman has brought new, renewed interest! Falcone was there when the Batman series made it big in Year One in the 1980s!

Falcone became one of those that completely changed how this villainous role came together for Batman!

Also Read: Batman '89: Catwoman's Surprising Influence on Harley Quinn's Origin

Calendar Man (Julius Day)

Every villain needs an identity! A certain "shtick" to their actions and Julius Day also known as Calendar Man made his! An obsessed character, focusing on dates and doing things around a calendar scheme. It sounds ridiculous. He evolved from a goofy villain to someone considered truly memorable after a change in Batman: The Long Halloween. He was in Arkham games too!

Mister Zsasz (Victor Zsasz)

While most Batman villains have a good backstory and could get help to become better, this guy Victor Zsasz is not one to have a change of heart! The wealthy Zsasz is utterly and irredeemably cruel, and his violent acts can't be explained by anything beyond cruelty. This villain believes he is saving the world and in doing so frees his victims from this useless life. The acts aren't some huge focal point for Batman's storylines! but the stories that feature Zsasz certainly add something dark and truly evil. He is also very often a serial killer who really does terrorize the Batman universe!

The Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker)

What's better than a gimmick? An amazing, compelling story that lets audiences dive into someone's psychological make up! In Arnold Wesker, aka The Ventriloquist. He has such a memorable shtick! A skilled ventriloquist who does all sorts of terrifying acts along with Scarface, his dummy.

While most find it strange, there's more depth. Wesker believes Scarface is real!

Karma (Fleet Delmar)

A man of many personas, a delusional and evil character named Fleet Felmar! His acts of destruction created his new moniker, Karma! Even after being captured and humiliated by Batman, he sought to continue his destruction, a dangerous antagonist whose true identity was even revealed in some of Batman's comic runs! The Markovia man, will even attack Batman again with some new technology!

Killer Croc (Waylon Jones)

Killer Croc is another amazing Batman villain! While sometimes the role is played in a manner that gives it less complexity Waylon Jones was so incredibly creative! Some even say he was the inspiration for Tim Burton's Penguin, as an abused child who's been mistreated is turned into an amazing and haunting character with immense strength.

Solomon Grundy (Cyrus Gold)

Among the strongest characters in Batman's storylines is Solomon Grundy who's able to cause incredible devastation on everyone! What's even more haunting is how this man was murdered. Cyrus Gold's unfortunate encounter that ended up making him become this character! After being killed he was resurrected with these powerful, intense, abilities that also make him immortal, and with amnesia. While there might not always be Solomon Grundy's focus being at the center of Batman's stories, he is among those who never goes away and always has a special presence.

Black Mask (Roman Sionis)

Another tragic, memorable villain in the Batman Universe is Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask. This wealthy and evil person has a sadistic desire to harm those around him! Born into immense wealth and a troubled family he sought to do harm after killing his parents, taking the opportunity to not only inherit a large sum but also begin a new identity. He is a truly chilling character whose cruel acts show off the darker elements of Gotham.

Killer Moth (Drury Walker)

One of Batman's earliest foes was Drury Walker who became Killer Moth! Walker initially sought to oppose Batman by creating weapons, gadgets and being a master of skill that could take on any police or heroes in Gotham City.

While his initial motivations may appear different he was among those early villains to have a go at Batman!

Deacon Blackfire (Joseph Blackfire)

Joseph Blackfire, better known as Deacon Blackfire has these crazy schemes! He even took on Batman in ways that caused Batman to do something many hadn't seen: violating his most critical rules! In a terrible loss Batman was completely overtaken. While there were so many Batman's defeats it was especially tough because it meant Blackfire nearly completely changed what he stood for as a protector of the city! The dark knight escaped and nearly surrendered to him, taking over the city!

Mister Bloom (The Anti-Joker)

Mister Bloom, whose true name remains shrouded in secrecy has truly terrified people as this very strange and peculiar villain in the world of Batman is a force that many people didn't quite understand and this remains an element that makes this antagonist even more eerie!

This anti-Joker character had plans to kill and destroy everyone so that the city could become a better world in a strange and somewhat mystical, poetic twist!

Hush (Dr. Thomas Elliot)

Dr. Thomas Elliot aka Hush started as just a rival to Batman, then exploded as one of the most important figures in Batman's history! His special moments in this iconic comic book saga came when his backstory and what drove him were revealed. The Hush arc stands out for many fans as it helps the Batman comic truly expand on its compelling story.

Owlman (Lincoln March)

Batman really only had a small amount of family. But when we talk about family, it looks like someone who might challenge Batman in a profound, powerful way, the way that truly breaks Batman, is Lincoln March, his secret brother! While it isn't certain if this brother is real! What's interesting about March is his powerful presence, as Owlman! And the threat that someone so close, a blood relative of the hero could end up creating chaos shows how effective this antagonist's character can really be!

Clayface (Basil Karlo)

Every superhero has to take on a shapeshifter! The most powerful and iconic shapeshifter that Batman has encountered and battled through time is Basil Karlo who became the incredibly recognizable and scary Clayface. This character has shown many different types of forms. He can easily shift to mimic others, be a powerhouse as well and completely escape death, being difficult to capture and truly defeating this character with some truly remarkable fighting! The Batman: The Animated Series really developed how Clayface truly became, the greatest visual element which still is how Clayface appears to this day.

Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom)

Kirk Langstrom's Man-Bat storyline might give audiences something they don't expect and brings out some incredibly real themes!

In a strange transformation! It was while doing scientific research that Langstrom turned into a powerful villain.

However, what makes him truly compelling and so well liked by some of those fans and readers! Was he becomes not just a memorable character who was in Justice League Dark and had the strength to work with heroes to really improve the world.

Poison Ivy (Dr. Pamela Isley)

Poison Ivy is a very dangerous adversary who might surprise you! This iconic Batman character has this power over all types of plants, using nature's beauty and intensity as the ultimate form of power! This Gotham figure also has the skill to be alluring to men to really control them to her will! The most famous use of that is seen with Superman.

This villainous character brings in a compelling new view that shows the dark side, but not in a straightforward evil path!

The Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot)

Oswald Cobblepot or The Penguin became the epitome of how Batman villains do their thing! A master of camp and showing some over-the-top evil he was still a super dangerous Gotham crimelord. However, the man wasn't simply about being chaotic and destructive! There was something special because The Penguin had the ability to be legitimate, as he managed to develop these remarkable and very practical business strategies that created even more issues for Batman! His ability to develop strategies that truly were unique to this iconic villain really added to his persona!

Deathstroke (Slade Wilson)

Slade Wilson better known as Deathstroke may have started out as an adversary for other heroes and is amongst Batman's biggest foes as one of those few figures who had managed to win in battle against the Dark Knight and a man known for not just his strength. Wilson was part of a secret military operation and this transformation gave Deathstroke many remarkable attributes.

The best parts of his conflicts with Batman Batman might end up having to go against Deathstroke to protect himself or stop this killer.

The strategic element and skills that Deathstroke had made them worthy opponents as Deathstroke can even manage to beat characters who aren't always easy to defeat like Flash!

This group of unforgettable villains, really represents some truly epic story moments. Batman might not only fight crime with intense determination, he certainly has shown time and again, just what it really takes to combat these truly terrifying foes. These antagonists show a whole different style and will continue to leave fans waiting to see what new adventures Batman has. There is always a question of just what will he do next.