Who's Batman's second main enemy besides Joker; Ra's Al Ghul, Two-Face, or Bane?

[JBatmanFan05]

The smartest criminal of them all, The Riddler.

It is fair to wonder if Scott Snyder takes this view, Riddler as #2 rogue. Maybe King too.

[Alan2099]

I'm also going to have to back Riddler.

Bane's first storyline was his most impressive and he's been struggling to live up it it ever since.

Ra's is ... just lacking something. His scope and methods feel out of place in the normal range of bat titles. He feels more like he should be fighting James Bond than Batman.

[EmeraldGladiator]

Definitely Ras, outside of the Joker he's had the most impact on the franchise. Sure other Villains might have had more appearances though.

actually that is what makes a villain more significant. Over at Marvel there was a time that whenever you saw Thanos you knew it was going to be big because Marvel didn't use him that often so it had more of an impact. What started the Sinestro Corps War off with a bang was the inclusion of the Anti-Monitor who hadn't been seen/used since Crisis on Infinite Earths. Overexposure lessens impact. As highly acclaimed as Snyder's run on Batman has been he seems to have the Joker in every third arc. I never followed Ultimate Spider-Man too closely but it felt like the Ultimate Green Goblin was in every other arc. Back to the OP's question they all serve different purposes. Two Face conflicts are close and personal a person he loves/understands and the conflict that arises from it. Ra's is more like what would Batman be if he were immortal and had no moral compass, those conflicts have planetary stakes. Ra's doesn't show up just to mess with Bruce (when written correctly). Bane was an attempt to create a lasting Bat-villain that has existed less than 40 years. I thought it was cool in Knightfall that at the end Bane went to Blackgate prison and not Arkham because he wasn't crazy. His arcs are both big and scope and sometimes personal so it falls somewhere between Two-Face and Ra's. All that being said I vote Ra's because while conflicts with the Joker, Two-Face and in some cases Bane are personal, Ra's conflicts are typically planetary and philosophical.

[po-boy]

Batman really has a fantastic rogue's gallery. IMO it is by far the best in comics. Two-Face is my personal favorite Batman villain because I really enjoy his duality (both mentally and physically), his obsessive compulsive nature, his tragic shared history with Batman, and I have a personal preference for more street level stories.

That being said, I think Ra's is Batman's second greatest enemy. He is obviously more formidable than Two-Face, and he also has a complex history with Batman because of Talia and Damian. He is Batman's equal both physically and mentally. He feels a bit different than most comic book villains, possibly because he was created in the 70's in a response to the spy craze, and I enjoy the respect that he and Batman have for each other.

[SIN TZU]

TDKR Bane nailed the two most important aspects most of his other media incarnations discard, his intelligence and patience, so I'm really not keen to have him show up again in the Snyderverse where he'd probably be just a generic strong guy with CGI muscles.

Oh I agree it's his best detection on screen I can think of I just didn't think the film was as good as I think it could've been, Bane alone I thought was great. But yeah I probably should've used better punctuation.

[Aioros22]

Man, comparing Bane with Doomsday..

Knightfall, King`s run, Graham Nolan`s Venom material, Secret Six. This is a character that definatly got some depth. It was lost for awhile but it was there. He wasn`t written a generic villain upon his creation, at all. Doomsday is just a mindless genetic machine birt to kill. The end.

[Nero]

I agree about Ra's. While he makes for a cool threat and can provide some good stories, as a character on his own, he's lacking.

I don't see how this is true on any level. Ra's doesn't lack a character on his own, he has one that is very distinctive and unique from practically all of the other Batman villains in that he really wants to save the world but he has a distorted view on how to achieve that. It's the character of Ra's that sets the stage for him having a complex relationship with Batman as oppose to it being just a simple case of black and white. Ra's being a "seventies villain", is irrelevant because he can still work in this day and age and his popularity is further proof that he hasn't "overstayed his welcome", either.

[LordLeviathan]

depends how someone views it :
the most dangerous: Ra's
the most damaging: Bane
The most personal: Two face

[batnbreakfast]

Man, comparing Bane with Doomsday..

Knightfall, King`s run, Graham Nolan`s Venom material, Secret Six. This is a character that definatly got some depth. It was lost for awhile but it was there. He wasn`t written a generic villain upon his creation, at all. Doomsday is just a mindless genetic machine birt to kill. The end.

DC wanted to follow the successful Death of Superman with "Death of Batman" if I remember correctly... and thus Bane was born. This will always leave an aftertaste for me. I'll give you that Bane is better executed than Doomy and I even enjoyed him in Secret Six but I almost consider SS Bane an Elseworlds take.

[batnbreakfast]

I don't see how this is true on any level. Ra's doesn't lack a character on his own, he has one that is very distinctive and unique from practically all of the other Batman villains in that he really wants to save the world but he has a distorted view on how to achieve that. It's the character of Ra's that sets the stage for him having a complex relationship with Batman as oppose to it being just a simple case of black and white. Ra's being a "seventies villain", is irrelevant because he can still work in this day and age and his popularity is further proof that he hasn't "overstayed his welcome", either.

Great points. Now name a great Ra's tale from the last 10 years. Should be hard.

[darkseidpwns]

Great points. Now name a great Ra's tale from the last 10 years. Should be hard.

Damian Knows Best and Hunt for Robin were good. There's the next issue of All Star Batman too which is the finale of the arc.

[darkseidpwns]

DC wanted to follow the successful Death of Superman with "Death of Batman" if I remember correctly... and thus Bane was born. This will always leave an aftertaste for me. I'll give you that Bane is better executed than Doomy and I even enjoyed him in Secret Six but I almost consider SS Bane an Elseworlds take.

Bane was born because O'Neal wanted a new villain for an event. Dixon was chosen to create Bane because he was sceptical about that entire process.
He then based the character on Doc Savage and the Count of Monte Cristo. Doomsday was just a monster, the only thought that went in to him was probably in his design.

[Flash Gordon]

Ra's.

Bane is almost there though, with TDKR and now Tom King's I AM BANE. He's Anti-Batman.

I do think the Riddler could be built into this role though. I've always envisioned him as Professor Moriarty to Bruce and Dick's Sherlock and Watson.

[Batarang]

I will go with The Two Face.

Big The Long Holloween fan here. How Batman, Gordon and Dent being The justice trio, the saviors of Gotham at the begining and Harvey's fall from that one of the good guys, great ally position to villain was so dramatic. It must be so hard on Batman... to see Dent like that. It's like Gordon turning evil and he has to go after him. It's hard... They were really close allies and friends. So this makes it pretty strong stuff for me.

[Marvell2100]

Tough choice. I'd have to go with Ra's. I think he brings a lot on every level to challenge Batman and there are many instances where he doesn't come off as a villain or at least a sympathetic villain. Plus they are forever connected.