The creators of Batman have chipped and polished a strong character that has appealed to comic fans and Hollywood for generations. Bruce Wayne’s identity is defined by a turbulent past that holds him hostage to his role as the Dark Knight of Gotham City and challenging him is a whole circus-ring of bad guys. Now, a super-villain is supposed to be evil, after all, he or she is supposed to be the antithesis of the hero’s personality. But there is something really twisted and disturbing about the villains that Batman has to deal with. Here is the Rogue Gallery!
1. Catwoman
For her love-hate relationship with the Dark Knight, we’ll have to bring her to the bottom of the list. When she’s good she’s Batman’s favourite, and when she’s bad she can be quite frisky. She is a master thief and has moves that could incapacitate the next rogue on the seedy streets of Gotham.
2. The Riddler
Unlike any other villain written for comics, The Riddler baffles Batman and the readers. A uniquely written character of a man driven to commit petty, non-violent crime in a narcissistic battle that’s raging in his own head. The Riddler is a smooth-talking, clever and entertaining criminal who likes to make Batman run in circles and thrills with his brain teasers, riddles, and genius gags.
3. Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy takes on the mantle of the eco-terrorist, an overtly sexualised and seductive villain who loves plants more than people. Her origin lies in a couple of botched up experiments. She has the power to control human minds with her fatal kiss and the ability to manipulate and use toxins from plants that she is immune to.
4. Penguin
An eccentric villain with keen intelligence, Penguin is a criminal and gangster who uses a series of semi-legitimate businesses as a front for his underhanded operations. While his girls and gadgets (like the umbrella that spits bullets like a machine gun) are a plus, he loses credibility on the countdown to major baddies for his squawking, bumbling style.
5. Scarecrow
Dr. Jonathan Crane had a rough childhood and upbringing that instigates him to inflict fear and terror on people. He was an employee of Arkham Asylum before he fully lost his mind to the Scarecrow. The Scarecrow’s villainy is brought on by his mask, which is what shields him from the fear gas and enhances the effects of the hallucinogenic drugs that he uses to terrorise his victims.
6. Harvey Dent a.k.a Two-Face
He is Batman’s greatest failure, a criminal mind born of the misstep of human folly and super-human ego. Harvey Dent was the golden boy of Gotham, the District Attorney who worked with Batman and Commissioner Gordon to clean the streets of Gotham from within the system. The White Knight to Batman’s Dark Knight, Harvey Dent’s Two-Face is a chilling character who suffers a mental breakdown after an accident scars one side of his face. The visual representation of his face is a constant reminder of his schizophrenic struggle, which makes him a strong and powerful character.
7. The Joker
Beyond evil, there is insanity and beyond insanity there is the Joker. It is true what is said, that without the Joker, crime has no punchline. By far the most popular villain in a comic or animated series, the Joker behind his white face and green hair is a manic, sick mind. His cackle, affected speech and mannerisms glorify his insanity. While all other Batman villains mirror a subverted version of the Messiah complex that the Dark Knight suffers from, the Joker himself is the polar opposite of Batman and that is what makes him the evilest villain in the Batman universe.
Even evil has a beginning. Watch the origin stories of Batman’s Rogue Gallery in Gotham, Season 1 , starting on 14th September, Monday-Friday at 10 p.m. Only on Zee Café .
Feature Image: flickr.com/GBPublic_PR
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