Top 6 Batman Villains

Poison Ivy

Pamela Isley likes plants. Like...like likes plants. Like, that way. She's managed to briefly hypnotize just about everyone in the DC Universe, including Superman, leading to all sorts of mayhem and collateral damage. For a so-called archvillain, Poison Ivy tends to be a pawn much of the time, playing a part in the real villain's monthly plot. The thing about being the top villain is, unless you're the Joker, chances are you're gonna end up dead or in Arkham Asylum by page 30. Pamela has a knack for survival. Her strengths lie in her beauty and guile, which at first you may think of as a weakness; but who's still here? Poison Ivy, that's who.

Ra's and Talia al Ghoul
Ra's and Talia barely got on this list, because Mr. al Ghoul is responsible for the one of the hugest deus ex machinas in Batman history: the stupid friggin' Lazarus pit. It's basically a Pet Sematary in a cesspool that brings back dead bodies. Just about everyone has taken a turn in the Lazarus pit, including a Batman clone, Jason Todd, and of course Ra's has hit the pit several times, and he's always complaining that they're running out. Somehow, though, there always seems to be one lying around when the writers need it (or can't think of anything better). Talia makes the list because she's the mother of Batman's son, pure and simple. She created a relationship such that Bruce will never, ever be able to get rid of her. Yes, she's evil, and yes, she genetically engineered a boy after tricking him into screwing her (he was on a lot of hallucinogens at the time), but Bruce can't turn his back on his own son. Complications just lead to problems, which is a big theme in the Grant Morrison run. Bruce has to juggle his crime fighting responsibilities while dealing with Talia, and showing little Damian the ropes at the same time. Keep in mind, the al Ghouls are perfectly aware of Bruce's superhero status. But, Ra's is forced to back off because, lo and behold, Talia's in love with him and they have a son. So, to sum it up, their strengths don't necessarily lean to brute strength (Killer Croc style), but rather in adding to the complications in Batman's life, leading to some good juicy conflict.

Dr. Hurt and Crew

Dr. Hurt is a Grant Morrison creation, so it's a little hard to explain. Basically, while Darkseid was screwing around with the cosmic energies (warming up for Final Crisis and the anti-life equation, duh), a shard of pure evil escaped and manifested as Bruce Wayne's dad's evil doppleganger. Dr. Hurt is a sneaky dude; he performed sensory deprivation tests on Batman, planting his seeds years before his plan would come to fruition. He's patient, because his only purpose in the universe is to screw with Batman's head. Before the end, he'd reemerged in Gotham claiming to be the real Thomas Wayne, set up a wild game-changing conspiracy involving Bruce's parents' murder, took over Wayne Manor, shot Dick Grayson in the back of the head, and buried Bruce alive. In the end, the whole Batman crew might have been done for if not for a certain archvillain stepping in to help solve the mystery.

Harvey Dent was not a bad guy. In fact, before his tragic face acid incident, he formed an alliance with Commissioner Gordon and Batman to take down Gotham's organized crime for good. How ironic that his transformation would aid the transition from organized crime to batshit (pardon the pun) insane theme-costumed archvillains. Highlights include robbing the 2nd National Bank at 2:22 on February 2nd and being played by Billy Dee Williams in a Tim Burton movie. He's a great character because Batman knows the original man, the district attorney with good intentions pumping through his veins, yet despite all of Batman's efforts, there's no hope for redemption. The scarred coin, symbolizing his black and white world views, may be the most recognizable Batman villain motif. His scarred face works as a symbol of the dichotomy of superheroes, especially with Bruce Wayne. At what point does the mask become the true identity, and the secret identity is the mask?

The mysterious Selina Kyle gets the #2 slot not because of how many sidekicks she's killed, but rather because she's the only Batman "archvillain" who can hardly be called a villain at all. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the Godfathers of Batman, and modeled after movie stars Jean Harlowe and Hedy Lamarr, her main purpose would be to add a little sex appeal to the comic about a man and boy duo running around in their underwear. It took me a long time to understand the Catwoman character separate from the Michelle Pfeiffer/Tim Burton origin. In the comics, no one really knows who she is, except that she's a cat burglar masquerading as a Gotham socialite. Her overall goal is unclear, except that she really enjoys taking money and jewelry from mobsters. Selina is also unique to this list because, other than occasionally getting a hankering to jump across buildings in a skin tight cat suit, she isn't all that crazy. The off-and-on Catwoman/Batman relationship is always a reminder that Bruce Wayne is just a man, and quite a lonely one at that. If there was ever a true match for Bruce, it would have to be Selina. Sure, Batman had a kid with Talia (see above), but it was all an evil trick. See? Catwoman simply isn't all that bad, yet like the Joker, she has affected his life more drastically than most.

C'mon. This is a no-brainer. Chances are, if there's a ridiculously elaborate plan to screw with Batman, Joker has something to do with it. He's that cockroach that just won't go away, only this cockroach gets his kicks from murdering innocent people. He beat the second Robin to death with a crowbar, then blew him up. He shot Commissioner Gordon's daughter in the back, paralyzing her. He's changed the course of Batman's destiny so many times it could be called a hobby. He even helped foil Dr. Hurt's plan (masquerading as a good guy) because he decided he's the only one worthy of killing Batman. There's no one more deserving for slot #1.