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Batman Villains

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See also Gotham Organized Crime for a complete list of references to distinguish between these closely named or closely related articles.

Rogues Gallery TemplateRogues Gallery Template
Batman Villains

Batman's Rogues Gallery
Main Nemesis
Status
Status

Universe

Main Base Of Operations

Rogues Gallery
Image:Quote1.png Where's the thrill in committing the perfect crime if nobody knows it was you? Image:Quote2.png
--The Penguin


Arch-Villains

Current Members

Former Members

Deceased Members

Associated Characters

Place of Formation

Notable Creators

First appearance

Detective Comics #29
Image:Quote1.png Where's the thrill in committing the perfect crime if nobody knows it was you? Image:Quote2.png
-- The Penguin

Contents

Membership History

Organized Crime

Main article: Gotham Organized Crime

The first villains the Batman ever had to fight in Gotham City were naturally the local organized crime syndicates, set in place long before himself. Gotham City is one of the most notorious cities in America for both crime and corruption, and as such has some of the toughest and most relentless mobsters.

The Roman Empire
During the Batman's first several appearances, Gotham City was largely controlled by the Falcone crime family, a local mafia division with ties reaching far out into Chicago and New York.

  • Carmine "The Roman" Falcone:[1] Carmine Falcone, nicknamed "The Roman" for his unparalleled dominating expansionism, was unquestioned crime lord of Gotham for many years. He had virtually all of the cities politicians in his pocket, including chief of police Gillian Loeb, and met with no competition until the Batman began thwarting his various endeavors. After the mysterious serial killer "Holiday" began bumping off members of his organization, he was forced to hire some of the very new "Costumed Freaks" in Gotham to help manage his problems, arguably making him responsible for their successful semi-coup of the Gotham Crime Landscape. Falcone was murdered by Harvey Dent, shortly after he had become Two-Face. Falcone had three children:
  • Sal "The Boss" Maroni:[3] One of the other most prominent mobsters in Gotham City at the time of the Falcones, also working for the Roman Empire, was "Sal Maroni." Maroni helped fund some of the earliest experiments of Dr. Hugo Strange, and was responsible for the birth of Two-Face when he cast acid into the face of his prosecuting lawyer (alternatively Harvey Dent or Kent).

Rupert Thorne

Assorted

  • Joe Chill:[5] Joe Chill was the low-level mobster who murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne in a mugging, and has since because somewhat more of an entrepreneur.
  • Tony Zucco:[6] Tony Zucco is the mobster responsible for murdering Dick Grayson's parents when the owner of Haley's Circus refused to pay protection money. He is deceased.
  • Lew Moxon:[7] Lew Moxon is traditionally held as responsible for the deaths of the Waynes, having hired Joe Chill to do it and make it look like an accident. Post-Infinite Crisis however, Joe Chill seems to have acted alone.

The Costumed Freaks

Heavy Hitters:

  • The Joker:[8] The Joker is perhaps Batman's oldest and most dedicated foe. A sadistic clown bent on nihilism and grinning death, despite having no obvious powers, he has presented more of a challenge to Batman over the years than any number of those more powerful or well-trained than himself. He is responsible for, among other things, the murder of the second Robin, Jason Todd, and the paralyzing of Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, who he made into a paraplegic.
  • Catwoman:[9] Selina Kyle, starting as a criminal who wore a cat-themed costume and often operated as a burglar, has a love/hate relationship with Batman. For years, she skirted on the edge between villain and antiheroine. However, she has largely reformed in recent years, adopting the role of the guardian of Gotham City's crime-infested East End, though she still comes into conflict with Batman on occasion. She has also been known to take revenge upon those who commit crimes against animals, especially cats.
  • The Penguin:[10] Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, a short round man with a long pointed nose, fancies himself a gentleman of crime. He usually wears a tuxedo, top hat, and monocle, and carries any variety of umbrellas which have various hidden functions such as vehicles or weapons.
  • Bane:[11] An escaped prisoner from an island prison in South America, Bane has abnormal strength as a result of having had experiments with a derivative of the drug Venom performed on him. He became known as "The Man Who Broke the Bat" when he broke Batman's spinal cord, forcing Bruce Wayne to give up the Batman persona while he recuperated. It is later revealed that Bane is the biological son of King Snake.
  • The Black Mask:[12] (No information yet)
  • Hugo Strange:[13] (No information yet)
  • Hush:[14] Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Tommy Elliot blamed Thomas Wayne for saving the lives of his parents, who he hated and had tried to murder. He recently resurfaced taking up the guise of "Hush," and coordinated a massive physical and psychological attack from many different fronts using the other members of Batman's Rogues Gallery as accomplices or pawns.
  • Killer Croc:[15] Waylon Jones is a former crocodile wrestler turned into a criminal deformed by mutation into a humongous humanoid lizard. He has low intelligence but great strength, as well as crocodilian abilities, such as a keener sense of smell and the ability to hold his breath underwater for long periods of time.
  • Mister Freeze:[16] Dr. Victor Fries was formerly a scientist and is an expert on cryonics. He tried to cryopreserve his stricken wife Nora Fries until a cure was found to her disease. During the process, an accident caused his body to function only below freezing point, requiring him to wear a special self-contained refrigeration suit. He uses similar ice technology for weapons.
  • Mister Zsasz:[17] Victor Zsasz, a more or less "common" serial killer, keeps a tally of his victims by cutting new scars into his body with his trademark carving knife.
  • Poison Ivy:[18] Pamela Lillian Isley, a former student of advanced botanical biochemistry, employs plants of all varieties and their derivatives in her crimes. She has the ability to control/manipulate all plant life and is immune to all poisons and toxins. She is often described as fanatical about defending plants from other humans, even being willing to murder for her beliefs. She also has a severe love/hate relationship with Batman. In some instances she claims to love him, in other encounters she functions as an ally, and at other times she is more than willing to kill him.
  • The Riddler:[19] Edward Nigma is a criminal mastermind who has a strange compulsion to challenge Batman by leaving clues to his crimes in the form of riddles and puzzles. Recently, he has seemingly abandoned his criminal lifestyle and has opted to utilize his skills to turn a profit as a freelance investigator.
  • Scarecrow:[20] Professor Jonathan Crane, an insane scientist and psychiatrist, specializes in the nature of fear. Dressed symbolically as a scarecrow, he employs special weapons, equipment and techniques designed to use fear to his advantage in his crimes.
  • Two-Face:[21] "Two-Face" is a criminal who has one half of his face horribly scarred, and the other stunningly handsome. He's completely obsessed with the number "2," duality, and fate. As such, all of the crimes that he commits revolve around the number "2," and he's psychologically unable to do anything else. He carries a double-headed coin around with him that has one of the heads scarred, and he flips the coin before he makes any decisions involving a question of law and illegal activities; even when it would senselessly inconvenience him, sometimes surrendering when he otherwise could've escaped. Tragically, before becoming Two-Face, he was "Harvey Dent," Gotham City's District Attorney, and one of the Batman's closest friends and allies. Batman considers Harvey Dent's descent into madness to be one of his own greatest failures.
  • Harley Quinn:[22] Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a former criminal psychiatrist, fell in love with the Joker and became his most famous accomplice. She wears the outfit of a traditional harlequin jester. She affectionately refers to the Joker as "Puddin'" and "Mistah' J", and is best friends with Poison Ivy.
  • Clayface:

The Black Glove

Circus of Strange and new era supervillains

The League of Assassins

  • Ra's al Ghul:[27] Ra's al Ghul is a centuries-old international eco-terrorist. He was one of the first to deduce the Batman's secret identity, and as such maintains an intimate relationship with him, going so far as to support an on/off relationship between Batman and al Ghul's own daughter, Talia. He lives in a state of somewhat immortality, thanks to the help of revitalizing Lazarus Pits. Having been alive for centuries, he is incredibly intelligent and agile, having had time to train his mind and body to their absolute peaks. His name translates literally as "The Demon's Head," and he is credited with establishing the League of Assassins to further his goals. Ra's has two daughters:

Minor Villains

  • Abbatoir:[35] (No information yet)
  • Amygdala:[36] (No information yet)
  • Axel Alex:[37] (No information yet)
  • Anarky; Lonnie Machin, a teenage prodigy who, believing in anarchism, creates improvised gadgets and attempts to subvert government in order to improve society. Batman recognizes him as a force for good, but does not support his violent methods.
  • The Black Spider:[38] (No information yet)
  • Calendar Man: Julian Day is known for committing crimes that corresponded with holidays and significant dates.
  • Captain Stingaree:[39] (No information yet)
  • Catman: Thomas Blake was a world-famous trapper of jungle cats who turned to crime because he had grown bored with hunting and had squandered most of his fortune. He became a burglar who committed his crimes in a catsuit made out of an ancient African cloth he believed gave him a cat's nine lives.
  • The Cavalier:[40] (No information yet)
  • Condiment King:[41] (No information yet)
  • Cornelius Stirk:[42] (No information yet)
  • Crazy Quilt:[43] (No information yet)
  • The Crime Doctor:[44] (No information yet)
  • Deacon Blackfire:[45] Joseph Blackfire was a religious leader bent on taking over Gotham City, who may or may not have been over a hundred years old; he crossed paths with Batman during the events of "Batman: The Cult." Blackfire organized an army of homeless people, and even brainwashed the Batman himself into his ranks. They waged a violent and bloody war on crime, which resulted in the deaths of many innocents. Blackfire was eventually murdered by his own followers.
  • Deadshot: Floyd Lawton is often a hired assassin, regularly boasting to "never miss." He is capable of using a large variety of weapons, but prefers using a pair of silenced, wrist-mounted guns.
  • Doctor Death:[46] (No information yet)
  • Doctor Double X:[47] (No information yet)
  • Doodlebug:[48] Daedalus Boch is an artist who believes he receives visions of inspiration and then compulsively recreates them on whatever canvas they indicate, including people.
  • The Electrocutioner:[49] (No information yet)
  • Facade:[50] (No information yet)
  • Film Freak:[51] (No information yet)
  • Firebug:[52] (No information yet)
  • Firefly: Garfield Lynns, an orphan who became a pyromaniac and has developed a fireproof suit and flamethrower to further pursue his 'hobby'.
  • Humpty Dumpty:[53] Humphrey Dumpler, a large, portly, well-mannered man, is obsessed with putting broken things back together again, even if he has to take them apart. Thinking she is broken, Dumpler dismembers and reassembles his abusive grandmother in an attempt to fix her.
  • The Globe:[54] Hammond Carter is obsessed with maps and "plots crimes by latitude, longitude, time zones and the shape of landmasses."
  • The Great White Shark:[55] Formerly crooked investor Warren "The Great White Shark" White, who avoids prison time by pleading insanity and is sentenced to Arkham Asylum. There, among other indignities and torture, White is assaulted and locked in a refrigeration unit by Jane Doe, who is attempting to take over his identity. His injuries, compiled with excessive frost bite, leaves White deformed. His skin turns a pale white, and the frostbite claims his nose, lips, hair, and several of his fingers, leaving him very much resembling a great white shark and driven partially insane. He now uses his business connections to serve as a liaison and fence for many of his fellow inmates.
  • Jane Doe:[56] Jane Doe is a cipher who obsessively learns her victims' personality and mannerisms, then kills them and assumes their identity by wearing their skin, eventually becoming that individual even in her own mind.
  • The KGBeast:[57] The KGBeast was a rogue KGB assassin who first came to Gotham City to assassinate a number of political targets, including Ronald Reagan. During the events of "Ten Nights of the Beast," while fighting Batman, he was forced to chop off his own hand with an axe to avoid being captured; he had it replaced with a mounted multi-purpose machine gun and bayonet. Deceased, as of "Batman: Face the Face."
  • Killer Moth: Cameron van Cleer/Drury Walker was an anti-Batman who aided criminals just as Batman aids the police, but only for money.
  • King Snake: (No information yet)
  • Lock-Up: Lyle Bolton is a man specializing in incarceration and high tech security systems, discharged from the police academy for being too gung-ho, and dismissed from several security jobs. He once sets up a private prison for costumed villains.
  • Lynx: (No information yet)
  • The Mad Hatter: Jervis Tetch, formerly a research scientist, is completely smitten with the works of Lewis Carroll. As his criminal name indicates, he takes the appearance of the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He is an insane neuroscientist and developed hardware that can control the brain and induce hypnotic states, and often uses hats or other headgear for mind control.
  • Magpie: (No information yet)
  • Man-Bat: Dr. Kirk Langstrom, sometimes an enemy of Batman, is unfortunately cursed to periodically turn into an animalistic humanoid bat who fights Batman. As a scientist, Kirk Langstrom is Batman's ally.
  • Maxie Zeus: Maximillian "Maxie" Zeus was a former history teacher. He became an insane mob boss with a penchant for Greek mythology. Maxie had a god complex and usually used electrically-based weaponry to emulate the Greek god Zeus.
  • The NKVDemon: (No information yet)
  • Orca: (No information yet)
  • Nocturna: (No information yet)
  • Professor Milo: (No information yet)
  • Prometheus: He is the son of two hippie criminals who travelled across the United States with him. They committed indiscriminate murders and thefts, often of a brutal nature (similar perhaps to Bonnie and Clyde). Eventually they were cornered and forced the police to gun them down in front of their son, whose hair turned white from the shock. That night, he swore an oath to "annihilate the forces of justice". His real name has not been revealed.
  • The Ratcatcher: Otis Flannegan is a one-time actual rat catcher who turns to a life of crime. He has the ability to communicate with and train rats and uses them to plague Gotham many times.
  • The Reaper:[58] (No information yet)
  • The Red Hood:
  • The Joker: Originally, the identity of "The Red Hood" was used by a gang of thugs who wished to create the illusion they were working under a mastermind, to divert blame from themselves. They would hire a new person for every job the pulled to wear the Red Hood helmet, and the police were none the wiser. The Red Hood came to an end when one of their stooges, wearing it during a robbery at the Ace Chemical Processing Plant, fell into a vat of toxin and nearly drowned. This man, driven insane by the chemicals, would later evolve into The Joker.
  • Jason Todd: The second Red Hood was none other than Batman's former prodigy, Jason Todd himself, the second Robin, murdered at the hands of the Joker. Jason Todd was resurrected, and came back to Gotham to plague Batman for not avenging his death during the events of "Under the Hood." He also significantly cleaned up Gotham Crime, specifically Black Mask's city-spanning organization, using incredibly violent methods in an effort to prove to Batman that his rule against killing was unwise. He would also engage in battles with Green Arrow and Speedy in Star City during the events of "Green Arrow: Road to Jericho," and Nightwing during "Brothers in Blood." Jason Todd has since reformed, although remains an anti-hero, and has adopted the identity of "Red Robin."
  • Roxy Rocket: (No information yet)
  • Signalman: (No information yet)
  • Spellbinder: (No information yet)
  • The Tally Man: (No information yet)
  • The Ten-Eyed Man: (No information yet)
  • Tweedledum and Tweedledee; Dumfrey and Deever Tweed are a pair of cousins, whose similar looks often have them mistaken for identical twins. Fat and lazy, the pair prefer to direct henchmen to carry out crimes, while they retire to a safe haven. The pair often wear costumes modelled on their namesakes from Lewis Carrol's Through the Looking-Glass (and what Alice found there).
  • The Ventriloquist and Scarface:
  • Arnold Wesker: Arnold Wesker is a small, mild-mannered ventriloquist. His puppet is a gangster named Scarface. Under the puppet's psychological influence, Wesker becomes a dangerous criminal and crime boss. He was among the villains who was killed by the second Tally Man.
  • Peyton Riley: A new female Ventriloquist, called Sugar by Scarface.

Villain Activity

Secret Identity

Over the years, knowledge of Batman's secret identity has been one of the most both coveted and controversial desires of his rogues gallery. Many have tried, and a number have actually succeeded in discovering his secret identity.

  • Golden Age, many two-bit crooks actually learned of Bruce Wayne. However, they were each predictably murdered by an external factor before they could make use of the information. This included, along with others, both Joe Chill and Lew Moxon, each of whom Batman revealed his identity to shortly before he intended to exact dire revenge. Joe Chill ran to tell his fellow thugs, but after he explained to them he was responsible for the Batman's creation, they murdered him for that; only realizing their folly once it was too late. Lew Moxon believed Bruce to be the ghost of Thomas Wayne (who Moxon had murdered), and crazed, ran out into the middle of the street where he was hit by a truck.
  • Ra's al Ghul deduced Batman's identity with almost no trouble. He had determined that whoever Batman was would make the perfect husband for his daughter, Talia, and embarked to find out for himself. Al Ghul simply figured out what equipment exactly would be required to live as Batman, and then deduced that Bruce Wayne was the only person on Earth regularly buying these. Ra's has used this information to make his attacks against Batman more personal, but does not fraternize with the regular villain community, and as such has never shared it.
  • During the events of "Strange Apparitions," Hugo Strange was able to capture Batman through a complex feint scheme with an illegitimate hospital, and numerous trained venomous snakes. Although many other villains have undergone controversy in this situation, Hugo Strange simply removed his mask without hesitation, and then actually usurped his identity, and became Bruce Wayne himself. Strange also auctioned his identity on the black market, although he would later retract his offer; an act for which boss Rupert Thorne was believed to have killed him for. However, it was later revealed that Strange had simply faked his own death, as he often does.
  • The Riddler, seeking the answer to all of life's questions, yearned to learn Batman's secret identity perhaps more than any other villain. At one point when he was near death, he sunk himself into a Lazarus Pit to save his own life. In the ensuing bout of insanity, he simply realized Batman was Bruce Wayne. Later, he met Thomas Elliot, the man who would become "Hush." As Elliot had a massive grudge on Bruce Wayne, and the means to act upon it, the Riddler confided in him, and the two worked together launching a multi-pronged attack on various aspects of Batman's psyche during the events of "Batman: Hush", utilizing many other villains as their pawns. Although Hush remains aware of Bruce Wayne's alter ego, the Riddler devastatingly realized upon Batman's telling him that he couldn't actually really use the information to his advantage, as "a riddle everybody knows the answer to is worthless", which he wouldn't be able to stand. Later, the Riddler would undergo mental trauma, and it is unclear whether or not he currently remembers at all.
  • Catwoman has long been aware of Batman's identity, as she is no longer an enemy, but a functioning ally of his.
  • Perhaps most controversial with Batman's identity is the Joker himself. The Joker, despite numerous opportunities to uncover it for himself, has expressed numerous desires not to know who he really is. As if he feels it would sort of cheapen or ruin their unusally relationship, as Batman is the only other person he actually seems to consider real. Perhaps most notably, in "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge," he has Batman unconscious and completely at his mercy, but elects to leave him alone as he feels it was only on a technicality, and he had always envisioned his victory against Batman as "at the end of a bitter struggle."

Family Matters

Information Needed.

Recommended Reading

Related Articles

Paraphernalia

Equipment:

Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

  • No special notes.
  1. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #404
  2. ↑ First Appearance: Batman: The Long Halloween #1
  3. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #66
  4. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #469
  5. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #47
  6. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #38
  7. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #235
  8. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #1
  9. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #1
  10. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #58
  11. ↑ First Appearance: Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1
  12. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #386
  13. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #1
  14. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #609
  15. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #358
  16. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #121
  17. ↑ First Appearance: Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 1
  18. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #181
  19. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #140
  20. ↑ First Appearance: World's Finest Comics #3
  21. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #66
  22. ↑ First Appearance: Batman: Harley Quinn Vol 1 1
  23. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #40
  24. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #298
  25. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #478
  26. ↑ First Appearance: Batman and the Outsiders #21
  27. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #232
  28. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics 411
  29. ↑ First Appearance: Batman: Death and the Maidens #1
  30. ↑ First Appearance: Strange Adventures #215
  31. ↑ First Appearance: Strange Adventures #215
  32. ↑ First Appearance: Strange Adventures #215
  33. ↑ First Appearance: Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5
  34. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #567
  35. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #625
  36. ↑ First Appearance: Batman: Shadow of the Bat #3
  37. ↑ First Appearance: Untold Tales of the Batman #1
  38. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #463
  39. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #460
  40. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #81
  41. ↑ First Appearance: Birds of Prey #37
  42. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #592
  43. ↑ First Appearance: Boy Commandos #15
  44. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #77
  45. ↑ First Appearance: Batman: The Cult #1
  46. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #29
  47. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #261
  48. ↑ First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
  49. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #331
  50. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #821
  51. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #395
  52. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #318
  53. ↑ First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
  54. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #840
  55. ↑ First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
  56. ↑ First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1
  57. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #417
  58. ↑ First Appearance: Detective Comics #575
  59. ↑ First Appearance: Batman Special #1
  60. ↑ First Appearance: Batman #582

Trivia



See Also

Links and References


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