The Joker / Two-Face / The Riddler / Mr.Freeze / Catwoman / Mad Hatter / Poison Ivy / Harley Quinn / The Penguin / Scarecrow / Bane / Ra's al Ghul / Ventriloquist / Killer Croc
The Joker
The Joker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, with contributions by artist Jerry Robinson, the Joker first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940). In 2006, Wizard magazine rated him the greatest villain of all time. Game Informer asserts that "everyone knows the Joker."
The Joker is the archenemy of the superhero Batman. The Joker is a master criminal with a clown-like appearance, including bleached white skin, red lips, and green hair. Initially portrayed as a violent sociopath who murders people and commits crimes for his own amusement, the Joker, later in the 1940s, began to be written as a goofy trickster-thief. That characterization continued through the late 1950s and 1960s before the character became again depicted as a vicious killer. He has been responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) and the murders of Jason Todd (the second Robin) and Jim Gordon's second wife Sarah Essen.
In other media, the Joker has been portrayed by Cesar Romero in the 1960s Batman television series; Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman; voice actor Mark Hamill in TV's Batman: The Animated Series; and voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson in the subsequent animated series The Batman. Nicholson's version of the Joker ranks #45 in the American Film Institute's list of the top 50 film villains. Heath Ledger portrayed the role of Joker for director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight.
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Batman in the DC Comics Universe. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, he first appeared in Detective Comics #66 (August 1942).
Bob Kane was inspired by a movie poster advertising the Spencer Tracy film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and conceived the idea of a villain with a dual personality. Two-Face was once Harvey Dent, District Attorney of Gotham City and close ally of Batman. After a criminal disfigured half of his face with acid, Dent became the insane crime boss Two-Face who would choose to do either good or evil depending upon the results of flipping a coin — a device which was taken from the 1932 version of Scarface.
Originally, he was one of many gimmick-focused comic book villains, plotting crimes based around the number two, such as robbing Gotham Second National Bank at 2:00 on February 2. In recent years, writers have portrayed his obsession with duality and fate and his criminal behavior as the result of multiple personality disorder and a history of child abuse. He obsessively makes all important decisions by flipping a two-headed coin, one side of which is scratched over with an X. The fact that Dent was formerly a close friend and ally of Batman before his scarring colors their now adverserial relationship is also a more prominient element in modern stories.
Although too gruesome for the 1960s television show that popularized Batman and much of his rogues gallery, Two-Face has been a prominent foe of the Dark Knight and was played by Tommy Lee Jones in the 1995 film Batman Forever. The Harvey Dent character will also play a part in the upcoming film The Dark Knight, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart.
The Riddler
The Riddler (Edward Nashton, alias Edward Nigma or sometimes Nygma) is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain and an enemy of Batman. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Dick Sprang, the character first appears in Detective Comics #140 (October 1948).
The Riddler is obsessed with riddles, puzzles and word games. He delights in forewarning both Batman and the police of his capers by sending them complex clues. As the Riddler, the character is always depicted as wearing a domino mask either with a green suit and bowler hat, or a green jumpsuit. He often carries a cane shaped as an elongated question mark.
Like most major Batman villains, the Riddler has become a darker, more three-dimensional character in recent years. Whereas he was once portrayed as a playful but sane criminal trickster, he is now the smooth-talking, yet quirky, victim of an intense obsessive compulsion. This was first introduced in the 1965 issue of Batman (titled, "The Remarkable Ruse of The Riddler") in which he tries to refrain from leaving a riddle, but fails. This compulsion has been a recurring theme, albeit with a darker edge, as shown in a 1999 issue of Gotham Adventures, in which he tried to commit a crime without leaving a riddle, but fails: "You don't understand. .. I really didn't want to leave you any clues. I really planned never to go back to Arkham Asylum. But I left you a clue anyway. So I... I have to go back there. Because I might need help. I... I might actually be crazy."
The Riddler was popularized by Frank Gorshin’s over-the-top, Emmy-nominated portrayal in the 1960s Batman television series. Jim Carrey played the Riddler in the 1995 film Batman Forever with Gorshin as his inspiration. The character was also featured in Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman.
Mr. Freeze
Mr. Freeze (Dr. Victor Fries) (Pronounced as Victor "Frees" or "Freeze") is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Bob Kane, he first appeared in Batman #121 (February 1959).
He is a mad scientist who plotted crimes around ice and cold. In most incarnations, this desire stems from a medical condition in which his body temperature was permanently lowered and he required a refrigerated “ice suit” to survive.
Originally called Mr. Zero, he was renamed and popularized by the 1960s Batman television series, in which he was played by several actors. Over two decades later, a television adaptation of Batman revitalized him once again. Batman: The Animated Series, retold Mr. Freeze’s origin, introducing his terminally ill, cryogenically frozen wife, which greater explained his obsession with ice and need to build a criminal empire to raise research funds. The animated series version of Freeze was also more calm and composed than previous, campier versions and the comic book version has been altered to resemble it.
Elements of this personal tragedy, but not Freeze's calm demeanor, were incorporated into the 1997 film Batman & Robin, in which he was portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise and created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.
The original and most widely known Catwoman, Selina Kyle, first appeared in Batman #1 (Spring 1940) in which she was known as The Cat. As an adversary of Batman, she was a whip-carrying burglar with a taste for high stake thefts. Modern writers have attributed her activities and costumed identity as a response to a history of abuse.
Since the 1990s, Catwoman has been featured in an eponymous series that cast her as an anti-hero rather than a supervillainess. The character has been one of Batman's most enduring love interests, and has occasionally been depicted as his one true love.
A popular figure, Catwoman has been featured in most media adaptations related to Batman. Actresses Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt introduced her to a large audience on the 1960s Batman television series. Michelle Pfeiffer portrayed the character in 1992's popular film Batman Returns. Halle Berry starred in a stand-alone Catwoman film in 2004, though the film features a title character bearing little resemblance to the comic book character. Catwoman is #51 on Wizard magazine's "100 Greatest Villains of All Time" list.
Mad Hatter
The Mad Hatter is a fictional character in the Batman comics, published by DC Comics. He is modeled after The Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He made his first appearance in Batman #49 in October 1948. Like other Batman villains, he has become a darker character in recent years.
Jervis Tetch is fascinated with hats of all shapes and sizes, as well as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass, particularly favoring the chapter 'A Mad Tea Party'. He is obsessive-compulsive, highly delusional, suffers from psychotic manic depression, and can even sometimes be homicidal. He exhibits delusions and thought processes typical of schizophrenia. Not only is he often known to quote and reference Carroll's Wonderland novels, but he often fails to discern between these stories and reality. As shown in Secret Six, he won't eat a piece of food that doesn't have a hat on it. It has been hinted in recent years that he is a pedophile, kidnapping little girls with the name "Alice".
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy (Pamela Lillian Isley) is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillainess who is primarily an enemy of Batman. Created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff, she first appeared in Batman #181 (June 1966).
Poison Ivy is depicted as one of the world's most prominent eco-terrorists. She is obsessed with plants, botany, and environmentalism. She uses toxins from plants and her own bloodstream for her criminal activities, which are usually aimed at protecting the natural environment. She creates love potions that ensnare Batman, Superman, and other strong-willed individuals. Fellow villain Harley Quinn is her recurring partner-in-crime and possibly her only human friend.
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn (real name Dr. Harleen Quinzel) is a fictional character, a supervillainess, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name (a play on the word "harlequin"), she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester. The character is a frequent accomplice of Batman's nemesis the Joker, and is also a close ally of supervillainess Poison Ivy.
The character was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm and was voiced in the Batman: The Animated Series and its tie-ins by Arleen Sorkin, and currently by Hynden Walch on The Batman. In the Birds of Prey series, she was portrayed by actress Mia Sara.
The Penguin
The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot), is a DC Comics supervillain. He was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, he first appeared in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941).
The Penguin's trademarks are the various deadly umbrellas he uses to execute his evil plans. Several stories affirm that he was forced as a child to always carry an umbrella by his over-protective mother, due to his father dying of pneumonia after being drenched in a downpour. In keeping with his pretensions of being a refined gentleman, he also prefers to wear formal wear such as a top hat, monocle, and tuxedo during his jobs.
The Penguin received his alias from a childhood nickname, bestowed by his peers, who teased him because of his grotesque appearance and love of birds (retellings of his origin suggest he also suffered from some sort of hip ailment, which caused him to waddle when he walked. The Penguin shows no signs of suffering from this affliction today). Some comics suggest that he tried to abandon the nickname, which he hates, but it has been permanently brought into popularity by his high-profile criminal career. He has cashed in on its popularity with his "Iceberg Lounge" night club.
A mobster-type criminal, he fancies himself a "gentleman of crime." Unlike most Batman villains, he does not theme his crimes around a psychotic obsession; his intelligence and aristocratic personality starkly contrasts against demented Batman villains, such as the Joker or Two-Face. His nightclub business provides a cover for more quiet criminal activity, of which Batman tolerates as a source of criminal underworld information.
The Penguin does however possess a few eccentricities. He is known for his love of birds and his high-tech umbrellas that serve some specialized function, such as hang-gliding and weaponry. He also keeps beautiful women around him.
Actor Burgess Meredith popularized the Penguin in the 1960s Batman television series, partially because of his signature squawking laughter. Danny DeVito played a much darker version of the character in the 1992 film Batman Returns. This version was not just an unattractive criminal but a physically deformed, sadistic, megalomaniacal monster. Subsequent Batman animated series have alternately featured the deformed Penguin and a more traditional version.
The deformed version of the character has also appeared in comics, most notably in the miniseries Batman: The Long Halloween and its sequel Dark Victory. He only appears for a minor cameo at the end of the Long Halloween, and has no lines. He plays a slightly more notable role in Dark Victory, when Batman goes to him for information. This incarnation also added elements of the 1966 TV series character, as he shouted the well known "waugh waugh" while talking.
Scarecrow
The Scarecrow (Dr. Jonathan Crane) is a DC Comics supervillain, an enemy of Batman. Created by Batman creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane, he first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941). His scarecrow costume, lanky appearance and surname were inspired by Ichabod Crane of the horror fable The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
The Scarecrow is a mentally unstable former psychologist who uses a variety of drugs and psychological tactics to use the fears and phobias of his adversaries. He does not commit his crimes for wealth, but rather as a form of "research" to further study the effects of fear on humans, making the innocent citizens of Gotham his unwilling guinea pigs.
The Scarecrow made only two appearances in the 1940s. Batman writers of the 1960s revived him and he has since consistently appeared in Batman comic books. He was featured several times in the Emmy-winning 1990s cartoon Batman: The Animated Series, where he was first played by Henry Polic II. When the series was revamped and shown together with Superman: The Animated Series, the character was voiced by Jeffrey Combs. In the 2005 film Batman Begins, he was played by Cillian Murphy.
Bane
Bane is a fictional character, associated with 
DC Comics' Batman. Created by writers Chuck Dixon and Doug Moench and artist Graham Nolan, he first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993).
Originally intended as a "dark mirror" of the highly disciplined and multi-skilled pulp hero Doc Savage, Bane spends his childhood in a hellish prison on the corrupt island nation of Santa Prisca. He develops superhuman strength through a forced experiment involving the drug Venom. Although his dependency on Venom is an immense weakness, Bane has been one of Batman's most intelligent and physically powerful foes. He is best known for breaking Batman's back in the "Knightfall" story arc.
Although primarily a villain, Bane is a complex character and has worked to take down drug lords. Despite their history, he has sometimes had Batman's financial backing and direct assistance.
Bane has appeared in some other media adaptations of Batman, including Batman: The Animated Series, its sequels and spin-offs and its successor The Batman. Pro-wrestler Jeep Swenson played him in the 1997 film Batman & Robin. In most of these adaptations, he is more simplistic and thug-like than his comic book counterpart.
Ra's al Ghul
Ra's al Ghul, sometimes written Rā's al Ghūl (Arabic: رأس الغول), is a DC Comics supervillain and an enemy of Batman. His name is Arabic for "the ghoul's head" (the Demon's Head, see Algol). Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams, he was introduced in Batman #232's "Daughter of the Demon" (June 1971). He has also come into conflict with Superman and other DC Comics superheroes.
Ra's al Ghul is an international terrorist and assassin whose ultimate goal is a world in perfect environmental balance. He believes that the best way to achieve this balance is to eliminate most of humanity. Ra's usually tries to assault the world's human populace with a biological weapon, such as a genetically-engineered virus. He is aided in this quest by the Lazarus Pits, reservoirs of rejuvenating chemicals that restore the dying to life; these pits have granted him a lifespan of several hundred years.
He considers Batman his worthiest opponent, and has frequently sought to make the Dark Knight his successor. He is one of the few criminals in Batman's rogues gallery to have deduced his secret identity as Bruce Wayne. For his own part, Batman's opposition to Ra's is complicated by his love for the villain's daughter, Talia.
Ventriloquist
The Ventriloquist is a DC Comics villain, an enemy of Batman. He first appeared in Detective Comics #583 (February 1988).
A meek, quiet man, the Ventriloquist plans and executes his crimes through a dummy named Scarface, with the dress and persona of a 1920s gangster, complete with pinstripe suit, cigar, and Tommy gun.
The issue Showcase '94 establishes his origin story. Born into a powerful Mafia Family, Arnold Wesker develops multiple personality disorder after seeing his mother murdered by an assassin from a rival Family. Growing up, his only outlet is ventriloquism. Years later, after a barroom brawl (in which he kills someone during a violent release of his repressed anger), Wesker is sent to Black Gate Penitentiary. He is introduced to "Woody" - a dummy carved by cellmate Donnegan - thus resulting in the birth of Scarface.
Wesker lets the Scarface personality do the dirty work, including robbery and murder. He is dominated by Scarface, who barks orders at him and degrades him with verbal abuse. Wesker was never able to enunciate the letter "B" in his act, and replaces them with the letter "G" instead. For example, Scarface often calls Batman "Gatman."
In the 1995 Riddler story The Riddle Factory, it is revealed that a gangster named "Scarface" Scarelli had once been active in Gotham City, though had apparently died long before Batman's era. A supernatural aspect to Scarface was hinted at in Wesker's origin story in Showcase '94, when Wesker's cellmate creates the first Scarface doll from a piece of gallow's wood. 2001's Batman/Scarface: A Psychodrama confirms this origin and shows the dummy to be indirectly responsible for at least one fatal accident while separated from Wesker. The dummy also retained his speech impedient while operated by a young boy and seemed to even show awareness of his name during this period.
The Ventriloquist is one of many villains in the Rogues Gallery to be confined to Arkham Asylum when Batman apprehends him. One particularly memorable series of events concerning him took place during the Knightfall saga, after Bane had destroyed Arkham and released its inmates. Unable to find Scarface, the Ventriloquist uses a sock puppet in his place for a short time. After robbing a toy store, he procures a number of other hand puppets to fill in for Scarface, including one of a police officer whom he refers to as "Chief O'Hara" (in a likely reference to the character from the popular 1960s Batman TV show).
In one issue, he is apparently killed, and in a bizarre twist, Scarface appears to still talk and act alive before he is destroyed. This death appears to have been retconned in "One Year Later" (presumably due to the events of the Infinite Crisis crossover). Wesker appears as one of the members of the Secret Society of Super Villains that faces the Jade Canary, who pitches Scarface off the top of a roof.
In Detective Comics #818, an issue in what would later become the book Batman: Face the Face, Wesker is fatally shot by an unseen assailant. The puppet Scarface is stepped on and its head crushed. The dying Wesker uses Scarface's hand to leave a clue regarding his murder: a street name. Later in the storyline, it is revealed that Tally Man, acting as an enforcer for the Great White Shark, is responsible for the murder.
Killer Croc
Killer Croc (Waylon Jones) is a fictional character in the DC universe, an enemy of Batman. Created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Gene Colan, he first appeared in Detective Comics #523 (February 1983).
Waylon Jones is born with a medical condition that caused him to grow progressively more like a crocodile. In the comics his intelligence level has varied from competent schemer to berserk monster.
In his original appearances, he resembled a powerfully-built man covered entirely in green scales. However, his disease has slowly robbed him of all identifiable human traits. In his most recent appearances, he has an enlongated snout and tail.
Once he was a cocaine/arms dealer until foiled by Nightwing and Robin.
In Batman issue 489, Killer Croc attacked a shopping mall where Batman and Robin arrived later. After Killer Croc received several punches, Batman got distracted by an image of Bane, Killer grabbed Batman and tried to break his back. Robin kicked Killer Croc right near Bane and Bane broke Killer Croc's arms. He was then put back into Arkham.
When Bane helped get everyone out of Arkham in the Knightfall saga, Killer Croc went to get revenge on Bane. While in the sewers, he smelt Bane and went after him but only found Robin. Bane then attacked him but the ledge they were standing on broke and the three fell into the sewers. The fight ended up as a draw.
In a storyline that ran in Batman issues 521 and 522, Killer Croc is summoned by a paranormal force to break out of Arkham Asylum and make his way to the Louisiana swamps. Batman follows him there only to find that the mysterious force is actually the Swamp Thing, who offers Croc a place in the swampland where he can finally give in to his animal side and live free from human persecution.
Killer Croc has appeared in both the Hush storyline and its chronological follow up, Broken City. In the former, he is infected with a virus that greatly increases the rate of his devolution.
In 2005's Detective Comics #810, Killer Croc attempts to cure his condition. When the doctor fails, Croc devours her.
