Who's your favorite Batman villian?

[SPIDEY27]

Just wondering, who is your guys favorite Batman villian? Mine is The Joker followed closely by The Riddler. Remember this is just the character, not the portrails of them in the movies.Post you top 3.
1.Joker
2.Riddler
3.Catwomen

[ModeMan]

Joker. Most definately. He's the biggest.

After him I'm not sure. I like all the Batman villains pretty much equally. They all posess their own unique atributes. Quite a few of his big-time villains aren't even insane. Catwoman(though she can't really be considered a villain these days, Ra's al Ghul, and Penguin etc. are relatively sane compared to so many others Batman faces. I think he's got a really good line-up of villains, though. No other hero has any villains like the ones in Batman. Not unless they've been ripped off. Another reason I like Batman so much.

[Frostbite]

Condiment King.

[D.K.HOOD]

Rat King! No wait, that was Ninja Turtles.

Um, Joker rules all villains, hands down. Lex Luthor can kiss Joker's ass. Sure Doc Doom is powerful, but can he tell a good joke? I don't think so.

Well SPIDEY27 you said don't mention the movies but what about the cartoon. I have to go with Clayface as my second favorite by that criteria. Mr. Freeze would be my third.

[HULK33]

My favorites are......

1.Two Face
2.Penguin
3.Mr.Freeze

But Joker is sweet too.

[beppo_the_super_chim]

two face, i still think no writer has really touched upon the potential of most of batman's villains. Two face if portrayed correctly is a fantastic character.

joker needs to be drawn less brightly. ok so i know that defies the point of the character but alex ross draws joker brilliantly. So do some of the artists on batman. joker just needs to be a bit darker.

Ventriloquist may have untapped potential but it is doubtful

I think penguin has become a very good character in the 90's I just hope he stays as corrupt business man rather than stupid clown

Bane is ok but hasnt really been used as best as he could. his link to batman has to be explored more.

[ModeMan]

Beppo, have you seen Return of the Joker? Joker gets some decent character designes in it. One is very dark and without color. Sleek. They said they were trying to get a Hannibal Lecter look from him. I liked it. And for classic Joker they redid his look for the movie into what I think is the best design he's had. And very refreshing after the dissapointing design in the New Batman Adventures.
The Justice League Joker has a pretty dark, grim design too.

[JaLoHo]

Here are my three favorites:

1. TW0-FACE-the duality of the character is perfect for a hero who also has two faces depending on what he is doing. Harvey Dent more than any other Bat villain in my opinion is the perfect opposite number for our hero because he reveals the fight Wayne wages with himself every time he suits up to fight evil. Should he continue with this fool's errand or give it up and live a real life? Scarred side came up, off into the night I go.

2. RA'S AL GHUL: I like him because he's like the Keyser Soze of the Bat franchise, the one who's in the background pulling the strings and setting plans in motions. He's the villain or the ally depending on the situation. Not how it helps the Bat but how it furthers his own plans. Someone the Bat should always watch out for despite Talia's influence.

3. JOKER: The Clown Prince would have been higher on the list but I've grown tired of shtick somewhat. Creators have seemed to paint him into a corner because how many people can he kill with the only penalty being a trip back to Arkham? He's still the deadliest of the Bat's villains because he is unequivocally in it for the ride and is utterly unpredictable. One day the Bat will break his vow and take a life and I'll give you three guesses as to who's ticket he's going to punch.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and Poison Ivy. All because of their depictions from the animated series which really breathed new life into these second-stringers while creating a foil for the ages in Harley.

[kvdp_blade]

1. Mr.Freeze

2. ClayFace

3. Poison Ivy

[This message has been edited by kvdp_blade (edited 04-09-2003).]

[Sonic1002]

1. JOKER (The Clown Prince of Crime; the most vile, dangerous, and psychopathic of all the bat's foes)
2. The Scarecrow (Fear incarnate; the terror of Gotham)
3. Mr. Freeze (The man with a heart of ice)

[SickBoy]

My two favorite Batman villains are the Joker and the Scarecrow. The Joker is just perfect - he's a wonderful blend of humor, charm, and a sick demented psychopathic mind. Joker is very mysterious and intense, an overall great villain. The scarecrow comes in second for me because he's a very dark character, but he lacks the charm and pizzazz (is that even a word?) of the Joker. He is pretty cool though - I enjoy his costume and his methods of using fear.

[Darth_zaiyen]

1) Mr. Freeze - I love Mr. Freeze with all my heart (except for the live-action versions). Not just because he's so bad-ass, but because what drives him. He has nothing against Batman (at first). All he wanted was for his life to be happy again and all in all, he just loves and misses his wife. Perhaps it's sense of security in having a loved one that makes me like him so much, for I am much same way. Except I don't go turning people to ice when they piss me off. But if I could...

2)Riddler

3)Joker

[joker21]

1. Joker (look at my name)
2. Two - Face
3. Poison Ivy
Catwoman would have been second, but she aint no villain no more.

[jj]

1. Joker
2. Penguin
3. Scarecrow

I always thought that Riddler, Two-face, and Mr Freeze were always lesser versions of the three I have listed.
The only difference between riddler and joker are their costumes. penguin and two face are both battling with their half-human half-freak identities. the scarecrow and mr freeze are both out to inflict the pain they experienced onto other people. catwoman and poison ivy are the only two who are different from everybody else.

[Frostbite]

I'd disagree with you, but I haven't got the energy.

[jj]

oh come on... you know I'm right. I'm not saying that they aren't all great characters. they are. it's just that the similarities between some of them are very close... I don't think you can deny that.

[webslinger2k]

1)Joker (just has to be)
2)Riddler
3)King tut - just couldnt miss him off!

[norrinraad]

In the right hands, Batman's rogue gallery can be very spooky indeed. Check out the Batman/Darkness crossover from a couple years back. Jackie crosses paths with the Joker, Two-Face, Catwoman and Killer Croc. The book brilliantly shows how loony these characters appear to someone who's not familiar with them. Joker especially is depicted as being totally psycho and is creepier there than I've ever seen him before. Jackie comments about how he felt the need to take a shower after talking to him. And the spookiest thing was they all resented Jackie for gunning for Bats, because they all wanted the pleasure of killing him for themselves! These characters (with the exception of Selina) all share one thing in common: an obsessive hatred for Batman. It's sometimes easy to forget that these folks are all cold-blooded killers, especially when you consider how some of them have been written in the past.

[D.K.HOOD]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jj:
oh come on... you know I'm right. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nope. But everyone's entitled to their own opinion.

[ModeMan]

I totally disagree jj.
The only ones you listed that have any similarities to me are Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze. And even their similarities are loose.

Joker and Riddler couldn't be more different. Where Riddler is an excentric felon, Joker is a psychotic monster. Both have their gimmicks, but so does every other villain in the Batman world.
Two-Face and Penguin? The same? Ok, Penguin isn't a freak. Ignore the movies. He's just a very intelligent, but short and fat guy with a bit of a long nose. Tim Burton marred his image a bit. Penguin is just a former crook who still dabbles in illeagal activity from time to time. There's no great complex psychology about his character. It's the reason he doesn't go to Archam when he gets captured.
Two-Face, however, is a totally unbalanced individual who's crimes are a compulsion. I mean he's a guy who makes all his decisions by coin toss and can't resist commiting a crime on Febuary 2nd. He's very much insane. Penguin isn't.
Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze. Scarecrow derives pleasure from other peoples' fear. He's more interested in fear than anything. He often doesn't even have some ulterior motive behind it, he just has a great interest in seeing peoples' actions when they're afraid.
Mr. Freeze has no feeling. No real emotion. He doesn't even derive pleasure from what he does, he just does what he does. He lives for revenge. and he takes it out on everyone. He's a very different person, psychologically, from Scarecrow.
Every villain in the rogue's gallery is unique. Completely. It's easy to see.

[MarvelKid18]

Joker
Twoface
Scarecrow

I'm done.

[jj]

Obviously I disagree with you also, so I guess I'll just leave it at that. I see where you're coming from, though.

[Sonic1002]

Did I mention I love http://www.comics2film.com/UBB/joker.gif . Oh, right. I did. HAHA.

[Frostbite]

Favorites change, and since I posted my favorite on this thread, it has changed from Condiment King to Movie Freak, back to Condiment King, then to my current favorite, Pussycat (http://www.lesleygore.com/images/251_Lesleybatman.jpg).

[DynamicDude]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frostbite:
Condiment King.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I cringed when I first saw that character in "Make 'Em Laugh." Who in their right mind would wear a pickle helmet and their underwear (white briefs, no less) on the outside of their clothes? The Joker must have seriously f***ed up that guy's mind.

The worst villains, of course, came from the TV series. Egghead took the cake (or the eggs, I should say) because in Vincent Price they had a consummate actor in the old style (who inspired TIM BURTON, for crying out loud!) and they made him out to be a whiny buffoon. I also hated that Frank Gorshin's Riddler laughed like a little girl and that Cesar Romero's Joker had a @%$&#%$ mustache! (Since when does Joker have a @%$&#%$ mustache?)And then there was Paul Lynde's mincing Scoutmaster: "Don't be afraid ta use yer nails, boys! Nyaaaaah!"

(Okay, so that last one was on the "Radioactive Man" show. I just thought I'd mention him anyway.)



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[Frostbite]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DynamicDude:
I cringed when I first saw that character in "Make 'Em Laugh." Who in their right mind would wear a pickle helmet and their underwear (white briefs, no less) on the outside of their clothes? The Joker must have seriously f***ed up that guy's mind.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
And that's why he's one of my favorite characters.

[DynamicDude]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frostbite:
<B> Originally posted by DynamicDude:
I cringed when I first saw that character in "Make 'Em Laugh." Who in their right mind would wear a pickle helmet and their underwear (white briefs, no less) on the outside of their clothes? The Joker must have seriously f***ed up that guy's mind.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
And that's why he's one of my favorite characters.

By this time, Frostbite, you might be thinking that I am a vicious homophobe. Well, I'm not. And anyway, homophobia is nourished by gay stereotypes in the media. Just ask any gay person.


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[Frostbite]

What is wrong where you? "You might be thinking that I am a vicious homophobe." "You just love to slap me in the face." I have nothing against you personally; stop seeing things where they don't exist.

[Sonic1002]

Easy boys. We are all civilized people here. Let's try to act this way.

[Captain America]

My Favorite Villains would have be:

1. Two-Face: This man is more deadly to Batman than most other Villains, including Joker. Unlike Joker, Two-Face has the Strenght to stand a chance against Bats if they were to go hand-to-hand. He's a genius due to him being a Lawyer and he's a Crime-Boss. Not to mention his Coin Flipping technique is badass.

2. Bane: Not sure, this one is more like a Burden. Ever since I seen him on the Cartoon I've always liked him, after I started reading the Comics i've seen the difference between him in the Cartoon and him in the Comics. In the Cartoon, he's always getting his ass kicked. In the Comics he's the one always doing the ass kicking http://www.comics2film.com/UBB/biggrin.gif. His whole Venom ordeal was sweet, i've always loved the Villains who could easily outpower the Hero.

3. David Cane: Same with Bane, I dunno why I liked him but for me it clicked him being a Master Assassin, even training Bruce himself! I thought that had to account for something. He's got a cool name and he's just one of my Faves.

[ModeMan]

I don't know, man. Joker poses a more physical threat to Batman than most people realize. Just another thing that makes him so dangerous. When he runs out of gimmicks and goes hand to hand he pulls out some amazing stuff. Not that he stands a chance against Batman in hand to hand combat, but I don't know if his chances are any less than Two-Face's.

Bane and Cane are awesome. Definately. Brain, brawn, and obsession. They're some of the villains who are scary because they're so much like Bruce. They're not so insane like the others. Just cold and calculating. They're also among the very select few in the rogue's gallery who know Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same man.

[Sonic1002]

I know Bane knows his identity. I believe Ra's knows it. I believe that Two-Face is the MOST like the Bat. He, like the Bat, suffers from having duel personalities. Just my small input. But, the villian with the most chance of injuring the Bat is the Joker. He is mentally crazed and is just plain old insane. I've heard he is a devestating hand-to-hand combatist. But, that's not his strong point in fighting. He has the acids, gases, weapons that only he could think up, etc, etc. He is a lunatic. He crippled Barbara and killed a Robin. All bane did was break batman's back. He recovered. There isn't much recovery from a bullet into the spine or DEATH. I just think Joker is the most threat to Batman's (and anyone else he cares about's) health. So, you have my opinion. Do with it what you will.
-Sonic1002

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Now comes the part where I relieve you, the little people, of the burden of your failed and useless lives. But remember, as my plastic surgeon always said: if you gotta go, go with a smile.
-Joker

[D.K.HOOD]

Joker is always the deadliest Bat-villain. Two-Face is dangerous but even he has a predictability that works in Batman's favor. With the Joker, you can't predict anything that he might do. I love the phrase Bruce used to warn Superman about the Joker in the animated World's Finest. Bruce says "expect the unexpected". That's what makes him so dangerous for Batman, because Batman relies on being prepared for anything, but that doesn't always work with the Joker.

[DynamicDude]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sonic1002:
<B>I know Bane knows his identity. I believe Ra's knows it. I believe that Two-Face is the MOST like the Bat. He, like the Bat, suffers from having duel personalities. Just my small input. But, the villian with the most chance of injuring the Bat is the Joker. He is mentally crazed and is just plain old insane. I've heard he is a devestating hand-to-hand combatist. But, that's not his strong point in fighting. He has the acids, gases, weapons that only he could think up, etc, etc. He is a lunatic. He crippled Barbara and killed a Robin. All bane did was break batman's back. He recovered. There isn't much recovery from a bullet into the spine or DEATH. I just think Joker is the most threat to Batman's (and anyone else he cares about's) health. So, you have my opinion. Do with it what you will.
-Sonic1002

</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, the Joker can be an efficient brawler when he puts his (crazed) mind to it. Remember MAD LOVE? Mister Jay got so P.O.'ed that Harley Quinn came closer than he ever did to icing Batman (with a tank full of piranhas) that he beat the living piss out of Ol' Pointy-Ears and was about to switchblade him to eternity when Bats knocked him into oblivion.

And as for there being no cure for death...what about the Lazarus Pit?



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[Frostbite]

The Lazarus Pit only works for living people. Otherwise, Bruce would've put his parents' bodies in there a long time ago.

[ModeMan]

Yeah, it was always my understanding that if you're alive and well and hop into the Lazarus pit it kills you, if you're already dead it doesn't do anything, but if you're on the brink of death it will save you. Curious properties this must consist of.

What I meant by Bane and Cane being so much like Batman was that they capture the soldier aspect of Batman that the other villains don't. And they're driven by obsession rather than madness. They're efficient warriors and calculating killing machines. Basically they're just like Batman except their actions go toward a life of crime. And Batman wont kill(duh).
Batman and Two-Face always shared a unique relationship due to their duality. But Two-Face seems to have dissociative fugue that switches sides based on a coin toss whereas Batman isn't a multiple personality. He takes on different personas at will but is pretty much aware of and in control of who he is. He hasn't always been. He went a long time assuming that Bruce Wayne died along with his parents and he was Batman now. That Bruce was a facade. He constantly struggles with it the same as Two-Face, but recently with the whole 'Bruce Wayne: Murderer' he seems to have come to terms with the whole thing.
Just another reason I loved Batman #604. "I am Bruce Wayne. I always have been."

So, yeah, psychologically Two-Face and Bruce are very similar. One just gave in to the chaos and one took the control he still strives to keep. Pretty compelling stuff. I love in DKR when Harvey was telling Batman to look at him and Batman says, "I see a reflection."
Anyway, in most other aspects I see great similarities between Bane, Cane, and Batman.

Man, Batman is such a cool character.

[DynamicDude]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Frostbite:
The Lazarus Pit only works for living people. Otherwise, Bruce would've put his parents' bodies in there a long time ago.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

My understanding was that the Lazarus Pit could actually resurrect the dead. In "The Demon's Quest," when Talia is imploring Batman and Robin to put her father in the pit, she says: "The Pit is what keeps him alive, what has kept him alive for 600 years. You must believe me!" Robin looks uneasily at Batman, and Batman - who is cradling Ra's's body in his arms - says: "We have no choice. HE'S STOPPED BREATHING!"



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[Sonic1002]

If i heard heard right, as long as the body is still warm, there is a chance for survival. So someone who has been dead for any lengthy period of time has no chance.
-Sonic1002



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Now comes the part where I relieve you, the little people, of the burden of your failed and useless lives. But remember, as my plastic surgeon always said: if you gotta go, go with a smile.
-Joker

[Frostbite]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DynamicDude:
My understanding was that the Lazarus Pit could actually resurrect the dead. In "The Demon's Quest," when Talia is imploring Batman and Robin to put her father in the pit, she says: "The Pit is what keeps him alive, what has kept him alive for 600 years. You must believe me!" Robin looks uneasily at Batman, and Batman - who is cradling Ra's's body in his arms - says: "We have no choice. HE'S STOPPED BREATHING!"<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
First of all, just because one stops breathing doesn't mean one is dead. Secondly, living people go into the Lazarus Pit all the time. That's how Black Canary got her fertility and her Canary Cry back.

[Essex]

I just discovered this thread and don't feel like reading it all, but whoever puts down Gorshin's Riddler deserved to be stoned to death http://www.comics2film.com/UBB/mad.gif

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"That which does not kill us...makes us stranger." - Trevor Goodchild, Aeon Flux

[Frostbite]

Adam West puts down Gorshin's Riddler. On AdamWest.com, he says the Riddler "cackles like an injured wild bird".