Created in 1939, the comic book superhero character Batman has taken many forms across many different media, including print, animation, and live-action on both the big and small screen. The character has been portrayed in video games many times as well, but no Batman game has ever surpassed the Arkham series.
Made up of four different games, Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Origins, and Arkham Knight, the series is beloved by fans for telling incredible Batman stories through excellent gameplay mechanics. The games rely on Batman’s rich rogues gallery, so we’ve ranked the top ten villains that appear in any of the Arkham games.
10 Two-Face
Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, worked alongside the caped crusader in the courtroom as a District Attorney in Batman’s early years. During a campaign to take down a Gotham crime family, Dent was disfigured in the courtroom after an enraged defendant flung acid in the bright prosecutor’s face, causing him to go insane and adopt the new Two-Face persona. Obsessed with fate and duality, Two-Face is an interesting opponent due to his history with Batman, as well as his proclivity for chance-based violence and his split personality.
9 The Penguin
Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin, is the face of Gotham’s seedy underworld business dealings. He runs the criminal underground, dabbling heavily in arms dealing and gambling, among other criminal enterprises. Penguin is perhaps the most connected man in Gotham, making him both a formidable adversary and a useful source of information for Batman. The Penguin is not a physical threat on his own, but his particular brand of cruel brutality, proclivity for torture, and army of devoted goons allow The Penguin to remain one of Batman’s most enduring and tenacious opponents.
8 Mr. Freeze
Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze, is a master of cold and ice. When his wife, Nora, fell ill with a terminal disease, Fries used his knowledge as a cryogenic scientist to freeze her and slow her decline so as to buy him time to discover a cure. Things went terribly wrong, however, when Fries was himself caught in a laboratory accident that permanently lowered his body temperature and made it impossible for him to survive at warm temperatures. He created a cryogenic cold suit for himself, along with an array of cryo-based weapons, and set out looking to cure Nora’s disease by any means necessary. Freeze is motivated by selfless reasons, even occasionally teaming up with Batman when their interests align.
7 Poison Ivy
Pamela Isley, aka Poison Ivy, was a brilliant botanist and biochemist before being unwittingly subjected to an experiment which endowed her with the ability to control plants with her mind. She has a poison kiss, and is capable of emitting strong plant pheromones that allow her to seduce and brainwash unsuspecting victims.
Most impressive is her ability to manipulate the growth and movement of plants. In the Arkham games, she regularly conjures immense plants the size of skyscrapers and uses them to destroy her enemies and protect herself from harm. She is motivated by the preservation of nature, but her fanaticism frequently leads her to commit acts of eco-terrorism. Despite her aptitude for large-scale destruction, she does sometimes act as an ally to the Dark Knight.
6 Deathstroke
Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, is one of Batman’s most ruthless foes. Wilson enlisted in the army at a young age, discovering his natural combat skills and developing a twisted code of honor as he rose rapidly through the ranks. After serving some time as an elite unit, he was subjected to a medical experiment that effectively turned him into a superhuman. He is a master of virtually every form of martial arts, and is skilled with blades and firearms. He works as a brutally effective contract assassin, a job that regularly brings him toe-to-toe with Batman. Deathstroke is one of the only regular Gotham villains who is a physical match for Batman’s combat ability. Combined with his strategic mind and warped honor code, that ability makes Deathstroke an extremely formidable foe.
5 Scarecrow
Jonathan Crane, aka Scarecrow, is the master of fear. A social outcast and reject as a child, Crane always had an odd obsession with fear. He grew up and became a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, where he began conducting research on fear using cruel experiments performed on incarcerated patients. Scarecrow became more deranged as time went on, and he began to develop a chemical toxin that could induce severe panic, violence, and hallucinations. Unmotivated by wealth or power, Crane causes fear for fear’s sake, as well as to continue his twisted research. Because his torment is psychological and frequently hallucinogenic, Scarecrow is one of Batman’s most uniquely challenging foes.
4 The Riddler
Edward Nigma, aka The Riddler, is one of Batman’s most determined and deluded enemies. Nigma is consumed by his obsessive need to prove his intellectual superiority to Batman. Usually depicted as jealous of Batman’s substantial cognitive and physical abilities, The Riddler frequently tries to best the detective by leaving convoluted riddles or by luring the Dark Knight into elaborate puzzles and deathtraps. The Riddler appears in all four of the Arkham games, where he leaves a vast array of collectibles around the maps for the player to retrieve. Despite his delusions, Nigma is one of Batman’s most persistent enemies, and his intelligence and determination make him a dangerous adversary.
3 Ra’s al Ghul
Ra’s al Ghul, whose name means “Head of the Demon,” is a unique villain because he is effectively immortal. Ra’s is depicted as being between 450 and 1,000-years-old in most Batman stories, kept alive by the power of his Lazarus Pits, which are sources of natural chemicals that can heal and prolong life even while they drive their users insane. Several hundred years ago, Ra’s started an organization of elite killers called The League of Assassins.
Extremely proficient in sword and hand-to-hand combat, this long-lived league fights for a variety of causes, including environmental preservation. Ra’s is determined to force Batman to kill him and take his mantle as leader of the League before prolonged exposure to Lazarus chemicals cause him to go completely mad. In some stories, Ra’s even trained Batman early in his career. Ra’s longevity, tactical brilliance, devotion, and physical prowess make him one of Batman’s most lethal enemies.
2 The Arkham Knight (SPOILERS)
This entry contains spoilers for the end of Arkham Knight. The Arkham Knight, aka Jason Todd/Robin/Red Hood, is the only villain on this list to be created specifically for the Arkham games. The Joker had captured former Robin, Jason Todd, and was secretly holding him prisoner in a wing of the abandoned Arkham Asylum. Through more than a year of physical and psychological torture, Joker broke the young man’s will and twisted his pain into hatred for Batman. After being released, Todd petitioned all the supervillains of Gotham to pool their resources and raise a massive army that he would lead into Gotham to kill Batman. In a single night, Todd used his intimate knowledge of Bruce’s tactics, technology, and friends to bring Batman to his knees. The Arkham Knight posed one of the single biggest challenges Batman ever had to overcome.
1 The Joker
The Joker will always be at the top of any greatest villains list. He is Batman’s opposite, the Clown Prince of Crime and Chaos set against the brooding black-clad Bat. By far the best Batman baddie ever conceived, Joker is the main antagonist of every single Arkham game. The Joker has no reliable backstory, and has no comprehensible motivation for his misdeeds. He is a man who thrives on madness, relishes suffering, and laughs at the pain of others. He sees morality as a joke, and that makes him capable of anything. One of the reasons The Joker is such a great foil to Batman, the hero who never kills, is because Joker’s greatest goal is to force Batman to kill him. His ultimate victory would be to break the Bat and separate the man from his morality. Joker’s fearlessness, combined with a complete lack of morality and an uncanny knack for pushing Batman to his breaking point make The Joker Batman’s number one archvillain.
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