When it comes to the supervillains of DC, it doesn’t get any better than Batman villains. Representing the diabolical best of the dim, gritty, and disturbing Batman’s Gotham City setting, these delinquents stand in perfect opposition to the crime-fighting Caped Crusader.
What makes them stand out is that they are all just a few shades of gray away from the Dark Knight himself. That, and they enjoy dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight. Batman has faced tons of horrific villains over the years who have pushed him to the absolute limit, and these are the top 45 villains that Batman and fans will always remember.
45
Deadshot (AKA Floyd Lawton)
First Appearance: Batman #59 (1950), created by David Vern Reed, Lew Schwartz, Bob Kane
While Deadshot over the years became most known for his membership in The Suicide Squad, he started out as a Batman villain. He also became a main Batman villain over the years, although the two shared reluctant respect for each other. While Deadshot is a killer, and Batman will never accept that, he also lives by a code of honor.
Deadshot is always a dangerous villain, as he is the Man Who Never Misses. While he doesn’t battle Batman as much as he used to, he debuted as a Batman villain and the two often ended up deadlocked in their battles.
44
Punchline (AKA Alexis Kaye)
First Appearance: Batman #89 (2020), created by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jiménez
With Harley Quinn and the Joker officially over, it was only a matter of time before the Clown Prince of Crime found a new gal Friday. Alexis developed a fixation on the Joker after an encounter with the villain in high school, leading her to see him as an entity of change.
Punchline is more than just a good fighter and right-hand woman. She’s also quite handy with poisons, and has even developed her own brand of Joker Venom. While Punchline was extremely helpful to her obsession in Joker War, Alexis has decided to branch out as a more independent villain.
Not only has she replaced the Joker on the Legion of Doom, she’s also gained control of the Royal Flush gang, giving her a meteoric ascent among Gotham’s villains.
43
Carmine Falcone (AKA The Roman)
First Appearance: Batman #405 (1987), created by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli
Carmine Falcone is getting a lot of attention thanks to The Batman movie, but he is a villain who has been a dangerous bad guy for Batman since the 1980s. The new movie is based on Batman at the same age as he appeared in Year One, and that is where Carmine Falcone made his debut in DC Comics.
There have been many villains in Batman comics when it comes to the Gotham City underworld, but Carmine stands above most others. His origin in the movie helps him surpass them all thanks to The Batman possibly making him responsible for Bruce Wayne’s parents’ death.
42
Kite Man (AKA Charles Brown)
First Appearance: Batman #133 (August 1960), created by Bill Finger, Dick Sprang
Almost every aspect of Kite Man’s original character was intended to make him a walking joke. Or, rather, a flying one. With an origin story mocking the classic formula for comic supervillains, the young “Charlie Brown” was obsesed and enamored with kites. Obviously, growing up to use that love as a full alter ego and criminal identity.
Thankfully, Tom King led the charge in resurrecting and redefining Kite Man as part of DC’s Rebirth. From his tragic backstory losing a son to Gotham villains, to his signature motto “Hell Yeah,” Kite Man has become one of the most recognizable and meme-able characters in the DC Universe. Even if he is still technically a villain to Batman.
41
Calendar Man (AKA Julius Day)
Detective Comics #259 by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, and Charles Paris.
Every Batman villain needs a gimmick. Be it Two-Face with his coin or Joker and his lethal practical gags. This was the rule for Batman villains, and it resulted in some truly ridiculous characters, with Julian Day being one of them. Julian Day, also known as the Calendar Man, is obsessed with dates and plans his crimes around them.
He was rarely taken as a serious villain, but after his re-invention in Batman: The Long Halloween, he started getting more respect, even appearing in the Arkham video games in a supporting role. Despite seeming goofy at first, Julian has evolved into a dangerous serial killer.
40
Mister Zsasz (AKA Victor Zsasz)
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 by Alan Grant, Norm Breyfogle, Adrienne Roy, and Todd Klein
While most of Batman’s villains have some redeeming or understandable element in their backstory, Zsasz is completely irredeemable. Zsasz grew up unbelievably wealthy and by 25 ran his own company and amassed a fortune. In a deep depression after losing his parents in an accident, he turned to gambling and quickly lost his entire fortune.
This made Zsasz believe that life is meaningless and that by killing people, he is freeing them from their meaningless lives. While Zsasz is rarely the center of a story, he has shown up a lot and is a terrifying serial killer.
39
The Ventriloquist (AKA Arnold Wesker)
Detective Comics #583 by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Norm Breyfogle
Everyone in Gotham City needs a gimmick, and Arnold Wesker certainly found his. Wesker is a skilled ventriloquist who would put on performances with his dummy Scarface. Scarface has the typical mobster personality. Bizarrely, Wesker seems to believe that Scarface is truly alive and is able to make choices on his own.
Wesker is often depicted as a helpless victim of Scarface who is forced to go along with the dummy’s plans for fear of his own life. This delusion is so strong that it’s rendered Wesker immune to mind control, as Scarface already controls him.
38
Karma (AKA Fleet Delmar)
Detective Comics #983 by Bryan Edward Hill, Miguel Mendonca, Diana Egea, Adriano Lucas, and Sal Cipriano
37
Killer Croc (AKA Waylon Jones)
First Appearance: Detective Comics #523 (1983), created by Gerry Conway, Don Newton, Gene Colan
When written right, Killer Croc is as good as Batman villains come. As of late, the character has been reduced to a large mutated reptile with little ambition beyond eating Batman.
However, in his debut, Killer Croc started off as a far more interesting villain, so much so that some believe his backstory was the true inspiration for Tim Burton’s Penguin in Batman Returns. When Waylon Jones was born with a rare scaly skin condition and relentlessly abused, it was only natural he’d become a murderous cannibal.
After a quick stint finding acceptance with a traveling circus, he ended up in Gotham City. By letting his condition dictate his life, Croc has transformed himself into one truly scary rogue.
36
Solomon Grundy (AKA Cyrus Gold)
All-American Comics #61 by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman
Perhaps one of the most physically powerful villains in Batman’s rogues gallery. Solomon Grundy used to be a wealthy merchant known as Cyrus Gold before he was murdered and dumped in Slaughter Swamp. Due to the strange properties of Slaughter Swamp, Cyrus would rise again.
Unable to remember his original life, Cyrus took on the name of Solomon Grundy from a nurse rhyme, the only thing he could remember. Since then, Solomon Grundy has roamed the outskirts of Gotham City or lived within the sewers that connect to Slaughter Swamp, happily killing anyone who bothers him.
