Live Action Batman Villains

So far in this Batman series I have done posts about the movies, Batman actors, and Joker actors. For the final part of the series, I thought it would be fun to share my ranking of the live-action Batman villains. One of the biggest standouts of the Batman character is his large array of unique villains. Just in the live-action films, there have been 12 unique villains that have appeared with many many more in the animated shows and comics. To avoid making this post too long, I am ranking the characters themselves, not individual performances so for example Bane in Batman and Robin and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises will be in one spot on the list. With that being said, here is my ranking of the 12 Batman villains that have appeared in live-action.

12. Killer Croc

Killer Croc is definitely the most forgettable of the Batman villains to appear in live-action. The only film he appears in is Suicide Squad from 2016. In the comics, Killer Croc is generally a big monster that resides in the sewers that Batman has to go against. He doesn't have much in terms of a character and is just essentially the big bad monster of the week which is occasionally fun to see Batman fight. In Suicide Squad, he has neither good quality. He isn't a big mindless monster, nor does he have much of a character. He is just kind of there. He doesn't play off of the other characters much nor does he have any memorable moments. Overall, he wasn't a very exciting villain, to begin with, and the one movie that he was in didn't do anything to help with that.

11. Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is a bit more of an interesting character than Killer Croc but unfortunately has the bad luck of being in a bad Batman movie. The sole Poison Ivy appearance is in Batman and Robin played by Uma Thurman. In the comics, she is a pretty well-done character. She is all about protecting her plants and has a cool and confident personality to her. While her Batman and Robin character carries this over some, the performance just gets bogged down by the goofiness of the story. Instead of this strong character, we get a pun-heavy role that makes her character come across as goofy more so than actually interesting. This is nothing against Uma Thurman as the character, she was just doing what she was given. In the end, an actually interesting character from the comics was pretty much ruined by an incredibly campy movie.

10. Mr. Freeze

Just like with Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze is an interesting character that was essentially ruined by being in a cheesy movie. Mr. Freeze is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Batman and Robin. Just like with Poison Ivy, his character is also bogged down by cheesy one-liners and bad puns. In the comics and animated show, he is a very serious character with a deeply tragic past with his main goal being that he just wants to save his wife. Batman and Robin have some of these aspects but really fail to take any of them seriously. Mr. Freeze is just a joke for the entire movie instead of being an actual interesting character. Overall, Batman and Robin ruined yet another interesting villain and pretty much scared DC off from putting Mr. Freeze into a movie again.

9. Scarecrow

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Scarecrow. Scarecrow appears in The Dark Night Trilogy, played by Cillian Murphy. He provides a fairly grounded take on the character that still manages to dip a toe in on the crazy side at the end of Batman begins. In the comics and video games, Scarecrow is a much more sinister character with some extremally terrifying sequences. While Cillian Murphy does achieve this at points in the films, it is nowhere near as good as Scarecrow in the Batman Arkham video game. The character is also more of a glorified henchman in the Nolan films. He is a predominant villain in the first 2/3rds of Batman Begins but then just fades into the background for the end as it is revealed that he was working for a bigger threat. I just wish that he would have gotten a more predominant role instead of just the henchman. In the end, Scarecrow is good enough in the Dark Knight films, I just wish he could have been more of an actual antagonist.

8. Bane

Bane is the first character on this list with two different timeline appearances. He is played by Jeep Swenson in Batman and Robin and Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises. Obviously, the Tom Hardy version is much better as he is an actual character as compared to just the mindless monster in B&R. The character of Bane is interesting as he can be both the bulky monster of a man that can toss people aside and break Batman's back while also being an incredibly smart and formidable leader. The comics and animated version of the character is a bit of a hybrid of the two in film. I really enjoy the Tom Hardy version of the character as it is a much more grounded and less cartoonish version of Bane. What holds Bane back for me is that in these films, he is yet another glorified henchman. In B&R, he is just the muscle for Poison Ivy and in TDKR, he is just the second in command to Talia El Gul. He never gets a chance to be his own villain. Overall, I enjoy the character of Bane in TDKR, but wish they would have kept him as the main villain.

7. Ras El Gul

Ra's El Gul is the last character to have a single movie appearance on this list. Ra's El Gul is the main villain in Batman Begins and is played by Liam Neeson. He technically also appears in the Dark Knight Rises, but this is just a hallucination to Bruce and does not count. Ra's El Gul gets a little bit of credit as he is the man who trained Batman and made him the hero he is now. It was also a great choice to have Liam Neeson play the character. What makes Ra's El Gul cool is that he uses martial arts to fight and has an army of ninjas. I also find him to be one of Batman's more formidable villains. The main thing that holds him back is just how little screen time he gets. He is only established as the villain in the final 30 minutes of the movie unlike in the animated show where is a big antagonist of Batman. I just wish would have gotten more of a presence from him in live-action form. In the end, he is great when he is in Batman Begins, I just wish he could have had a larger presence.

From this point forward, I really enjoy all of these character and think the rest of these villains are classic Batman villains.

6. The Riddler

The Riddler is a very fun character and an iconic Batman villain. He has had three appearances in live-action form. He was played by Frank Gorshin in 1966's Batman, Jim Carey in Batman Forever, and Paul Dano in The Batman. All three actors do a good job with the character yet all play the role very differently. Jim Carey and Frank Gorshin play a more sillier version of the character while Paul Dano plays a more serious serial killer version of the character. All of them add something unique to the movies they are in. I really like the whole mystery/riddle aspect of the villain. When The Riddler is around, Batman is required to use more of his detective skills. My favorite of the actors is probably Jim Carey, but all three actors portray the crazy villain very well. Overall, The Riddler is a great and memorable character that steals the show whenever he is on screen.

5. The Penguin

The Penguin is another one of the most iconic Batman villains that have appeared in almost every era of Batman films. In 1966's Batman, he is played by Burgess Meredith. In Batman Returns, he is played by Danny DeVito, and in The Batman, he is played by Collin Ferrell. Just like The Riddler, each portrayal of the character is completely different but still effective. Batman 66 has the classic version of the character, a normal man who acts like a Penguin. Batman Returns has the animalistic version of the character, with a deformed man that actually looks like a penguin. The Batman has a mob boss version of the character. My personal favorite is Danny Devito but all the actors do a good job. The Penguin also has a somewhat tragic story, being rejected by his family and society just makes him an even better character. In the end, The Penguin is just another classic character and a great villain for Batman.

4. Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn is the last character with a single portrayal. She is played by Margot Robbie in the DCEU making appearances in 2016's Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and 2021'a The Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn was originally not even in the comics but was introduced in the animated series. She was so popular that DC decided to adder her to the comics and eventually include her in the DCEU. I really enjoy Harley Quinn as a character as she has such a fun energy and personality. Everything that is happening seems like a game to her which just makes all her scenes so much fun. Margot Robbie goes all out with the role, giving such a strong performance and probably one of my favorites in the DCEU. I also like how her relationship with the Joker is portrayed and how she eventually moves on from him and becomes her own person. Overall, Harley Quinn is such a fun character and a strong personality to have in the DCEU.

3. Two-Face

Two Face probably has the most tragic story out of all the villains. He has two portrayals in live action, Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever and Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight. These two portrayals show him in two different phases of life and in turn create a full story for the character. The Dark Knight shows him as the district attorney who has fallen and transformed into Two-Face while Batman Forever shows him as a full-fledged villain. The Dark Knight version of the story is just so well done. You see Harvey Dent as such a strong and great leader and then have to go through the loss and fall that ensues. It is such a tragic story yet so good. Batman Forever gives a goofier version of the character but there is still some of that sadness in his story. In the end, Two-Face just has such a fantastic story and is such a compelling character.

2. Catwoman

Catwoman is one of the few characters that appear in almost every iteration of the Batman story. She is played by Lee Meriwether in Batman 66, Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises and Zoe Kravitz in The Batman. Catwoman has such a unique relationship with Batman as she is a villain at some point and an ally at others. She is more of a vigilante than a villain but still does some not-great things. I really enjoy the personality of Catwoman as she carries this strong and confident vibe here. I also like her style of fighting as it is very acrobatic. All of the versions of Catwoman do a very good job with the role (except for the solo Catwoman movie, but we don't talk about that) but my personal favorite is Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. She just seems to get into the role the most and go all out with the performance. In the end, Catwoman is an essential part of the Batman story and a great villain and sometimes ally to have.

1. The Joker

Of course, the best Batman villain can be none other than the Joker. He has appeared in every iteration of the Batman story. He is played by Cesar Romero in Batman 66, Jack Nicholson in Batman 89, Health Ledger in The Dark Knight, Jared Leto in the DCEU, and has a brief cameo in The Batman by Barry Keoghan. The Joker is the perfect villain for Batman, basically the perfect opposite of the hero. Almost all of the actors have done a decent job with the characters. The performances all find the perfect balance between crazy and humorous. Overall, the Joker is a classic Batman character that is almost as iconic as Batman. To see my thoughts on all the Joker actors, see my Joker actor ranking in the related posts below.