Batman has one of the most impressive rogues’ galleries in comic book history. From the Penguin to the Scarecrow, he has countless colorful and terrifying villains that plague Gotham City. And although most of the criminals and villainshe fights are powerless like him, there are several who are some of the strongest and most dangerous villains in the DC Universe, which requires him to really up his game. Some of these villains can outsmart Batman with their similar or even greater intellects. Other members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery use their brute strength alone to overwhelm even the strongest superheroes. With villains like these running around Gotham City, its citizens are lucky to have a hero like Batman who will take them on, even if the odds seem to be against him.
These are the ten most powerful and dangerous gods and monsters Batman has ever faced.
10) Bane
Bane is the ultimate combination of brains and brawn. He has defeated and broken Batman, as well as other members of the Bat-Family, on several occasions. Bane is a criminal mastermind who has deduced Batman’s identity and taken over Gotham City. His most iconic tool is the addictive super-steroid known as Venom. When Bane pumps it directly into his bloodstream, it dramatically increases his muscle mass to superhuman levels. He’s thrown trucks, survived falls from skyscrapers, and even destroyed the Batmobile with his bare hands. His most famous achievement of all, of course, is breaking Batman’s back. With Venom, Bane is one of the physically strongest villains in Gotham City.
9) Joker
The Joker may not be the most physically imposing villain. Still, his devious and sadistic mind has made him one of the most dangerous villains in the DC Universe. The Clown Prince of Crime is a brilliant strategist and possesses a wide array of deadly gag-based weaponry. His Joker Venom gas can kill most people with a single breath. The gas causes their face to contort into a wide grin and then they laugh until they suffocate. Joker has even managed to defeat the entire Justice League on multiple occasions. He also seems to have a great deal of plot armor, since even being shot in the head can’t keep him down for long. The Joker has more than earned his spot as the Dark Knight’s archnemesis.
8) Clayface
There have been several villains called Clayface, but Basil Karlo is easily the most recognizable and powerful. Basil was an actor until several hazardous chemicals spilled all over him, transforming him into a giant clay monster. He can now shapeshift to look like anything or anyone with ease. He can also turn parts of his body into deadly weapons or simply suffocate his victims by enveloping them in his mass. Additionally, thanks to his clay-like body, he is virtually unkillable because he can regenerate from even the most severe damage. And with his incredible acting skills, his victims often don’t realize who he is until it’s too late.
7) The Court of Owls
Unlike most of Batman’s other villains who can be defeated and sent to institution Arkham, the Court of Owls will always lurk in the shadows of Gotham. A secret society comprised of Gotham’s elite, the Court of Owls has served as the city’s puppet-masters for centuries. Their exact numbers and the identities of all their members are shrouded in mystery, meaning that potentially any one of Gotham’s wealthiest could be secretly part of their society. They possess endless resources and have a personal army of assassins known as Talons, who they utilize to carry out political assassinations. No matter how many members Batman defeats, there are always more to take their place.
6) Solomon Grundy
Although the undead Solomon Grundy started as a Green Lantern villain, he has since moved to Gotham to become one of Batman’s strongest adversaries. Gangsters murdered Cyrus Gold back in the 19th century, and his body was dumped in Slaughter Swamp. He was reborn as the giant immortal zombie Solomon Grundy. What Grundy lacks in smarts, he more than makes up for with his immense strength. He is even strong enough to fight Superman. And because of his existence as a zombie, even if he is killed, Grundy will always come back to wreak havoc on Gotham City.
5) Mr. Bloom
A mysterious new villain in Gotham, Mr. Bloom is a power broker who gives everyday thugs superpowers. He empowers people by implanting his “seeds” into their bodies, which grant them superpowers at the cost of their free will and ultimately their lives. Mr. Bloom also possesses several powerful abilities himself, including elasticity, regeneration, super-strength, telepathic control over machines, the ability to project fire and ice, and razor-sharp claws. He can also make himself grow to Godzilla-like heights. With a laundry list of superpowers like these, Mr. Bloom is one of the most versatile and formidable villains Batman has ever fought.
4) Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy is one of the most notorious villains/anti-heroes in Gotham City because of her deadly powers. Her body can produce pheromones that allow her to mind controlpeople, her kiss carries a fatal toxin, and she has complete control over all plant life. By accelerating the growth of plants, she can ensnare people in vines, impale them with giant thorns, and even feed them to giant mutant Venus flytraps. Her powers are so strong that she can crush several skyscrapers with her plants and create giant humanoid plant monsters to fight on her behalf. And most recently, she has formed a connection to the Green, which is the spiritual hivemind that connects all flora on the planet. With this connection, Poison Ivy has truly become a force of nature.
3) Failsafe
It’s a well-known fact that Batman has contingency plans to take out the members of the Justice League in case any of them go rogue. What Batman didn’t realize, however, was that within his subconscious lurks the split personality known as Zur-En-Arrh. A manifestation of Batman’s darkest impulses, Zur-En-Arrh created the robot Failsafe in case Batman ever killed anyone. When the Penguin frames Batman for murdering him, Failsafe activated to destroy Batman. He knows all of Batman’s weaknesses and those of the rest of the League, making him one of their most dangerous foes. The Zur-En-Arrh personality eventually found a way to hop from Batman’s body into Failsafe, and the two merged. Failsafe then aided Amanda Waller in her quest to eliminate all superheroes from the planet. Failsafe is what happens when Batman’s contingency plans go too far.
2) Barbatos
Have you ever wondered why Gotham is a cesspool of evil? Well, it turns out that the city is literally cursed by the bat demon Barbatos. In the 1700s, the foundations of Gotham were built upon an underground temple dedicated to the bat demon, who used his influence to corrupt the city. Barbatos is the creator and ruler of the nightmarish Dark Multiverse, and he wanted to conquer the normal Multiverse. To spread his influence, one night, Barbatos turned into a bat and crashed through the window of Wayne Manor. This was the very bat that inspired Bruce Wayne to become Batman. Eventually, Barbatos’ plan came to fruition as he invaded the Multiverse with a team of the most evil Batmen from the Dark Multiverse.
1) Batman Who Laughs
Hailing from Earth -22 in the Dark Multiverse, this version of Bruce Wayne killed the Joker and accidentally inhaled a toxin upon the villain’s death. The toxin made Bruce a sadistic psychopath like the Joker. He then killed everyone on his planet and became the leader of the Dark Knights: an alliance of the most powerful and cruel Batman variants across the Dark Multiverse. Even after the Dark Knights’ defeat, he continued to cause mayhem as he aided the primordial goddess Perpetua in laying waste to the Multiverse. Not yet satisfied, the Batman Who Laughs had one more plot. He merged his body with an alternate version of Bruce Wayne who had the powers of the omnipotent Doctor Manhattan. The process transformed the Batman Who Laughs into the Darkest Knight, a god-like being capable of creating new universes with a single thought. The Batman Who Laughs became the most powerful villain not just of Batman, but of the entire DC Multiverse.
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