Who's your favorite Batman Villain?

[JBatmanFan05]

But I will say that I get more excited for Two-Face stories, because he's used a lot less frequently than Joker

Joker is far and away my favorite, but I'm more dying for great Two-Faces stories, especially after Big Burn, which I thought sucked. He is used less frequently than he deserves. Two-Face is my second favorite, a distinction Harvey's obsession would appreciate.

[BlitzMah]

I voted Riddler, although Hugo Strange is scary as sh*ttt...

[mathew101281]

I've always felt Ra's Al Ghul is Batman's most interesting villain, since he is so unlike all the others, and he is the one Batman villain who is both a physical mental and philosophical challenge to Batman. And unlike the others he isn't limited to Gotham. Joker is Batman's nemesis, but Ras is his biggest challenge, a century old immortal, with a globe spanning criminal empire of trained assassins, and wealth that rivals Bruce Wayne's. that's way more dangerous then a crazy clown.

[batnbreakfast]

Joker is far and away my favorite, but I'm more dying for great Two-Faces stories, especially after Big Burn, which I thought sucked. He is used less frequently than he deserves. Two-Face is my second favorite, a distinction Harvey's obsession would appreciate.

Having just finished Big Burn... is Two-Face alive or not after that?

[batnbreakfast]

I've always felt Ra's Al Ghul is Batman's most interesting villain, since he is so unlike all the others, and he is the one Batman villain who is both a physical mental and philosophical challenge to Batman. And unlike the others he isn't limited to Gotham. Joker is Batman's nemesis, but Ras is his biggest challenge, a century old immortal, with a globe spanning criminal empire of trained assassins, and wealth that rivals Bruce Wayne's. that's way more dangerous then a crazy clown.

Batman Beyond Out of the past is a fantastic Ra's tale

[Unfinishedsentenc]

I've always felt Ra's Al Ghul is Batman's most interesting villain, since he is so unlike all the others, and he is the one Batman villain who is both a physical mental and philosophical challenge to Batman. And unlike the others he isn't limited to Gotham. Joker is Batman's nemesis, but Ras is his biggest challenge, a century old immortal, with a globe spanning criminal empire of trained assassins, and wealth that rivals Bruce Wayne's. that's way more dangerous then a crazy clown.

I've said this before on this thread, but with Batman villains, there's always varying degrees of dangerous. Ra's is arguably the smartest, most perfect match for Bruce in every tangible way (and his motives are certainly dark reflections of Bruce's own philosophy). And while he does have the ability to challenge Bruce in a more adventurous, ancient, and supernatural way while also combating Bruce on the aforementioned philosophical level, that doesn't mean others like Joker or Penguin or even Firefly can also bring a fresh, new, and just as dangerous element to Gotham. I mean, every bad guy has the potential to do this; it just takes some creativity.

- Ivy represents a very basic, very raw inner turmoil that almost every man (and every woman) can relate to at one point in time. And that is gender impairment: we can live our lives denying that our sex doesn't hold us back any, and only informs us, not defines us, but then Ivy comes along and believes in the opposite, and promptly uses that sort of identification to get her own way. She's a person who has been used and worn down by her passion as a woman, who has been betrayed by the man she thought she loved, and now feels taken advantage of. And she feels this way so much that she decides to seclude herself not only from men (who she, admittedly, hates more than anyone or even anything), but also at times . . . the human race in general. Since she can't have any babies of her own, she makes her own. Since she can't be a mother towards a daughter, she's one towards a venus flytrap or a conifer. People can also say she simply represents the attachment between human and plant, and the likewise struggle to introduce that green collection of philanthropic concepts and activistic contributions towards the ecosystem within society (even if she often fails to do this in a morally thoughtful and less homicidal way).

- Firefly, who was mentioned above, can be a way for us to glimpse the slow self-destruction of Bruce; and the final boom he is no doubt approaching on his journey. Because Batman keeps on coming back to Gotham, to his enemies, to the loss and tragedy, even though common sense says differently. And Lynns could be the one to say "Hey! He's like me . . . He likes the pain." It's not a addiction to any drug (like Bane) or an addiction to the senseless chaos of our lives (like Joker) but simply an addiction to the kind of existential ecstasy and rush of adrenaline that comes with the act of self-punishment. Of course, where Batman and Firefly clash is when the latter . . . wants everyone to feel that pain as well.

- And Mad Hatter brings that certain niche to the table, you know? I always love seeing the interactions between Bruce and his lesser known villains because they help round out the history between both them and Gotham; that established, varied mythos that exists within the city and the lives of its citizens. In the case of Jervis Tetch, I find it really refreshing and interesting to see a character that's actually inspired by another fictional character; and one who, in turn, takes that iconic image and bends it into something unsettling and horrific and emotionally complex in a considerably different way than it's been presented before. And in doing that, it just makes his gimmick, that particular obsession, all the more unique; unique enough for him to stand out not only in the Batman rogues gallery, but also in the elaborate smorgasbord that is the Batman universe itself.

Hatter's the brainwashing villain in the lineup; a man who feels the need to impose his will on others, to control them, to manipulate them so that they fit into his clean, perfect little world he has created for himself in his head. You can also see that his personality suggests the Hatter himself has been brainwashed in the past, or at least traumatized severely somewhere down the road. He can even match Bruce like he did in "Perchance to Dream?" where he's a character who simply longs for happiness, maybe even for this out-of-body experience, for his life to be one of his dreams (a real-life wonderland he can sink his teeth into) and is willing to give others that happiness in return as well.

So there you go. Sorry to rant, but I think you see my point

[deadboy80]

Bane
Black Mask
Other....other being the Gotham city mob. Love when Batman has to face the mob, or street gangs or strreet level crime. Sort of sick of the rouges gallery fighting all the time. Totaly sick of the Joker.

[comewithme_golem]

the riddler is by far my favorite bat villain. After that it's hugo strange and then catwoman.

i like the riddler too.

[ngroove]

- Firefly, who was mentioned above, can be a way for us to glimpse the slow self-destruction of Bruce; and the final boom he is no doubt approaching on his journey. Because Batman keeps on coming back to Gotham, to his enemies, to the loss and tragedy, even though common sense says differently. And Lynns could be the one to say "Hey! He's like me . . . He likes the pain." It's not a addiction to any drug (like Bane) or an addiction to the senseless chaos of our lives (like Joker) but simply an addiction to the kind of existential ecstasy and rush of adrenaline that comes with the act of self-punishment. Of course, where Batman and Firefly clash is when the latter . . . wants everyone to feel that pain as well.

Just say "He's a former movie pyrotechnics special effects guy, Garfield Lynns, turned pyromaniac, who sickly (bounces between Arkham-Blackgate according to the times) takes sadistic pleasure in watching his flames "dance".

[Crazy Diamond]

Two-Face (Best Batman Villain ever.)
Mr. Szasz
The Tally Man
Clock King (especially in B:TAS)
Joker (haven't liked him in the regular comics for some time though)
Killer Croc

[Mel Dyer]

Joker...

Some literary heroes are better served by an enmity with a dark mirror sort - a character, who is an incarnation of the hero, gone terribly wrong, somehow - like Moriarty to Sherlock Holmes. Aquaman, Wolverine and Woman Woman, each pitted against arch-nemeses - respectively, the Oceanmaster, Sabertooth and the Cheetah - who are more similar to them, than different, ..are such cases. While I don't think every superhero needs an arch-nemesis, who is as much an opposite of the hero, as the Joker is, ..for Batman, it works.

[Straight-Edge]

I chose Riddler, and I enjoy him as he's appeared over the years. Portrayals by Gorshin and Carrey have not hurt that opinion, either (I have a bias toward Batman Forever in that I was a big Jim Carrey fan when it came out, and I started my first job at a local movie theater on June 15, 1995 - the day it opened).

In my own take on the Post-Crisis Bat-world, Nygma was a criminal who eluded Batman during his early years. Successfully pulling off his crimes, taunting Batman with dense, confusing riddles and only infrequently brushing up against the crimefighter. For a few years (well into the Dick Grayson era), Riddler is basically Batman's white whale.

Once Batman caught him, his ego was crushed, and thus began a long, low-point where he was constantly on the losing end of things. This led into the Hush-era, where Batman had become the Riddler's white whale, and when he finally surmised Bruce's identity he sent Hush and the rest of the villains after Batman. In the wake of his spectacular success (pulling it all off, even if Batman discovered his hand in things), his criminal exploits came to an end. When next released from jail, he went to work as a legitimate, if not wholly scrupulous, private eye.

[MajorHoy]

Reviving a thread/poll from back in 2016 . . .

So we have Joker as #1 (no surprise there) Riddler as #2, Ra's Al Ghul as #3, Bane, Poison Ivy and Catwoman tied at #4, and Two-Face as #5. Pretty good list so far.

Don't know how long it's been since anybody cast a vote on this, but it looks like the totals are currently:

1st = Joker with 35 votes
2nd = Riddler with 20 votes
3rd = Ra's Al Ghul with 19 votes
4th = Catwoman with 18 vote
5th = Two-Face with 17 votes
6th = Poison Ivy with 13 votes, and
tied with Bane at 13 votes as well
8th = Scarecrow with 11 votes
9th = Harley Quinn with 9 votes, and
tied with Penguin at 9 votes as well
11th = Mr. Freeze with 8 votes

[Celgress]

Mr. J himself Joker gets the nod from me.

[MajorHoy]

Quick update:

1st = Joker with 38 votes (+ 3)
2nd = Riddler with 20 votes (no change)
3rd = Ra's Al Ghul with 19 votes (no change)
but now tied with Catwoman at 19 votes (+ 1)
5th = Two-Face with 17 votes (no change)
6th = Poison Ivy with 14 votes (+ 1)
still tied with Bane at 14 votes (also + 1)
8th = Scarecrow with 11 votes (no change)
9th = Harley Quinn with 10 votes (+ 1)
10th = Penguin with 9 votes (no change)
11th = Mr. Freeze with 8 votes (no change)