The 10 greatest Batman movie villains ranked worst to best

There have been nine live-action Batman movies dating back to 1966. Eleven if you count the two serial projects. Each of them had their takes on the villains within each film. There have been cartoony, dark, and sometimes embarrassingly bad renditions of comic book characters. But who are the best of them all?

This article will rank the best Batman antagonists from the live-action Batman films. The obvious choices are on the list, but the order and reasons differ. Let's start with someone who's severely underrated.

10. Riddler

• Movie: Batman Forever
• Performer: Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey’s Riddler had the misfortune of being the villain after Tim Burton’s two brilliant movies with incredible villains (Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, and Max Shrek). However, Jim Carrey was good during this project by being himself.

Carrey was fresh off of Ace Ventura and gave the performance that everyone wanted. He had the slapstick and physical comedy that you expected from him. But that wasn’t the best part. He somehow managed to add a little darkness to the neon lights. Imagine what he could have done if the movies went in a different creative direction.

9. Harvey Dent/Two-Face

• Movie: Dark Knight
• Performer: Aaron Eckhart

A debate can be made that Aaron Eckhart’s Two-Face should have been higher. The problem is he spent most of The Dark Knight as a hero. Unfortunately, his line about living long enough to become the villain came true. Therefore, he must be acknowledged.

Eckhart performance and transformation from Harvey to Two-Face was flawless. The biggest change that doesn’t get discussed is how he altered his voice. It wasn’t just gravely. It was angry. The violence and furious vengeance mean nothing if he maintains the Harvey Dent voice and cadence.

8. Joker

• Movie: Batman (1966)
• Performer: Cesar Romero

You can’t forget about the great Cesar Romero. He could be the first comic book accurate portrayal of a character. He was all shenanigans, smiles, and silly schemes. However, within the japes was the heart of a theatre performer. You could tell by how he projected his voice and enunciated every word. To this day, he’s still amazing without having to be too grim. Watching his performances is a great Youtube rabbit hole to go down.

7. Max Shreck

• Movie: Batman Returns
• Performer: Christopher Walken

Max Shreck doesn’t get the respect he deserves for being pure evil because he doesn’t have a colorful gimmick. Realistically, he was among the worst people in Gotham City. He knowingly had toxic waste from his “clean” textile plant, he shredded documents that could incriminate his dastardly deeds, and there’s the fact that he was willing to make Oswald Cobblepot mayor to get ahead.

Only Christopher Walken could pull this off. There was something about how Walken was uncaring about everything that happened. He pushed a woman out a window without a care in the world. Shreck didn’t offer anything for her silence. He just killed Selina Kyle and laughed before he did it.

6. Bane and Talia al Ghul

• Movie: Dark Knight Rises
• Performers: Tom Hardy (Bane) and Marion Cotillard (Talia al Ghul)

You can hate his voice until the day ends and returns, but how can you deny everything he accomplished? Bane broke the Bat physically and exposed him. Sure, you can mention that Bruce was out of practice. That’s a legitimate argument. However, that wasn’t Bane’s fault. That being said, none of this is possible without Talia al Ghul.

Talia was the woman behind it all. Bane was the face, the muscle, and the one physically setting things in motion. But her plan has to be acknowledged. Without her, Gotham wouldn’t have become a city run by criminals and Batman wouldn’t have been broken. She also slept with the man who murdered her father. Imagine having to do that to accomplish your goal. That's true dedication.

5. Penguin

• Movie: Batman Return
• Performer: Danny DeVito

There were times when Danny DeVito was scary. The first time Penguin and Batman met is a good example. There's a wickedness in Penguin’s voice. It was eerie, calm, and confident despite being confronted by Batman. And with the drop of a hat, Danny DeVito switched to being goofy within seconds.

As vile and disturbing as Penguin was, he was just as funny. Sometimes it was simple like mocking Max Shreck with a severed hand. Other times it was dark like biting someone's nose after saying, “At least my nose isn’t gushing blood.” Then there’s the combination of the two like…mocking someone with a dead person’s severed hand.

4. Catwoman

• Movie: Batman Return
• Performer: Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer was one of the best performers in any Batman project. Like Michael Keaton, she proved that an actor known for dramatic roles can shift to action. Without her brilliance, some of the scenes would have fallen flat. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Michelle Pfeiffer had to be mousy, transform into someone with confidence, and then become Catwoman. Plus she had to show some resemblance to her old personality while she worked for Max Shreck (who just tried to kill her). Overall, she was perfect. Catwoman would be ranked higher if she could be considered a true villain.

3. Riddler

• Movie: The Batman
• Performer: Paul Dano

Paul Dano combined the comic book Riddler with something more sinister. On the comic book side, his plan was like Edward Nygma’s in Batman: Zero Year the way he flooded Gotham. He also left riddles at the crime scenes. On the other hand, Edward Nygma wasn’t forming a cult and killing gangsters while they were in police custody in DC Comics.

This was the perfect first villain for The Batman. Unlike The Dark Knight Trilogy, Bruce had to be more of a detective instead of relying on his peers. This established that Batman was more than a vigilante with gadgets who punched villains.

2. Joker

• Movie: Batman (1989)
• Performer: Jack Nicholson

Everyone knew Jack Nicholson was more than capable of pulling this off. They didn’t expect him to be as good as he was.

Jack Nicholson didn’t just play Joker. Sometimes he switched back to Jack Napier. It was a reminder that his new, damaged face with the big grin was a gimmick. The violent mob enforcer was still inside him but only brought out during emergencies. It's like holding onto the big Joker when you're playing spades.

Jack Nicholson was like Cesar Romero’s Joker, just darker. All the comic book elements were there, but the violence was turned up to the max. No one saw the death, destruction, and manipulation from a Batman movie until that point. Only Jack could have pulled this off.

1. Joker

• Movie: Dark Knight
• Performer: Heath Ledger

No one should be shocked that Heath Ledger is at the top spot. People have talked about his greatness as Joker for years. I’ve done it in previous articles. Instead of focusing on what he did in The Dark Knight, let’s discuss how he changed villains in superhero movies.

Ledger’s Joker breathed new life into the idea of villains. They could be dark within a movie full of colorful tights. The person playing the antagonist could once again be the better actor. And creators could take chances when they wrote them. Without Heath Ledger’s Joker, there’s no way Killmonger, Thanos, and High Evolutionary exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For that, this writer thanks you.

Is this article bogus? Do you agree with the rankings? What other Batman-related lists do you want to see? We want to hear from you. You can email us at entertainment@fansided.com.