Top 10 Worst Batman Villains
Batman has some of the best villains of any superhero and some of the worst villains. The Joker made it to #2 on our list of best comic book villains, showing the popularity and ruthlessness of Batman’s arch nemesis. But hold the Batphone just one minute. Batman’s rogue gallery has its share of villains that he might not be to proud to mention when bragging to Superman. Here are the top 10 lamest and worst Batman villains of all time. So prepare yourself for the likes of Killer Moth and the “dangerous” Crazy Quilt.
10. Batzarro
1st Appearance: Superman #181 (April 2002)
Real Name: None
Superpowers: None
Abilities: Similar to Batman
Why He’s Lame: Like Bizarro (Superman’s evil doppleganger), Batzarro is a failed clone of Batman, with his symbol & utility belt upside-down. While a clone of a super-powered alien like Superman can work, a clone of Batman becomes groan-inducing lameness. At least he calls himself, “Batzarro, the world’s worst detective”.
9. Penguin
1st Appearance: Detective Comics #58 (December 1941)
Real Name: Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot
Superpowers: None
Abilities: Genius criminal intellect, deadly ‘trick’ umbrellas, underworld connections, martial arts: Judo
Why He’s Lame: He fancies himself the “gentleman of crime”, and always looks ridiculous in his tuxedos and umbrellas. While he’s had moments of brilliance in his long-standing criminal career, ultimately there are far better similar characters in comics, namely Lex Luthor (DC, Criminal genius) and Kingpin (Marvel, Crime Lord).
8. Cluemaster
1st Appearance: Detective Comics #351 (May 1966)
Real Name: Arthur Brown
Superpowers: None
Abilities: Glass capsules attached to his costume that can hold a blinding flare, smoke bombs, paralyzing gas or explosives
Why He’s Lame: He failed as a game show host, he failed as a villain by his compulsory nature to always leave clues about his crimes. Unlike the Riddler, his clues were never riddles. To his credit, his crimes paved the way for his daughter Stephanie to become the Spoiler, to foil his crimes.
7. Humpty Dumpty
1st Appearance: Detective Comics #140 (October 1948)
Real Name: Humphry Dumpler
Superpowers: None
Abilities: None
Why He’s Lame: As his namesake suggests, he’s obsessed with putting things back together again… even if he has to take them apart to begin with. He even “dismantled” his abusive grandmother in an effort to fix her when he sewed her together again.
6. Firefly
1st Appearance: Detective Comics #184 (June 1952)
Real Name: Garfield Lynns
Superpowers: None
Abilities: Flight suit, flamethrower, grenade launchers, expert in pyrotechnics
Why He’s Lame: Firefly is a professional arsonist and pyromaniac. Once the protégé of the Killer Moth, their alliance fell apart when Killer Moth realized Firefly’s madness and feared for his life. If someone as lame as the Killer Moth (see below) dumps you, what does that make you?
5. Killer Moth
1st Appearance: Batman #63 (February 1951)
Real Name: Cameron van Cleer / Drury Walker
Superpowers: Originally none, later given the proportionate abilities of a moth: flight, sharp claws, sticky cocoon mucus
Abilities: Flight suit, incapacitating cocoon gun, razor-sonar waves
Why He’s Lame: Beyond the obvious costume, he was created as the anti-Batman, to aid super villains the same way Batman aids police & civilians, except for profit. He even had his own moth mobile, a moth signal, and a steel-line to swing around the city on.
4. Calendar Man
1st Appearance: Detective Comics #259 (September 1958)
Real Name: Julian Day
Superpowers: None
Abilities: Inventor
Why He’s Lame: After looking at his costume, do you really need to know more? He’s obsessed with dates and his crimes always have some correlation with the date on which they are committed. He was even recruited by another on our list, Killer Moth, to join a rag-tag group called The Misfits.
3. Ten-Eyed Man
1st Appearance: Batman #226 (November 1970)
Real Name: Philip Reardon
Superpowers: None
Abilities: 360 degree view, superb fighter and marksman
Why He’s Lame: A blind Vietnam War Veteran who had his optic nerves reattached to his fingertips. Batman repeatedly defeated him by making him catch or touch something with his super-sensitive fingertips.
2. Kite Man
1st Appearance: Batman #133 (August 1960)
Real Name: Charles “Chuck” Brown
Superpowers: None
Abilities: Flying kite suit, kite-based weapons
Why He’s Lame: As I’m sure you guessed, he flies by way of a kite strapped to his back, and uses kite-based weapons for his crimes. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Deathstroke threw him off the top of Wayne Tower without his kite. He somehow managed to survive that, only to be eaten by Bruno “Ugly” Mannheim.
1. Crazy Quilt
1st Appearance: Boy Commandos #15 (May-June 1946)
Real Name: Unknown
Superpowers: None
Abilities: Mind-controlling helmet
Why He’s Lame: A painter and master thief loses his sight and an experimental procedure gives him the ability to see blinding colors, driving him insane. He actually hates Robin more than Batman because Robin unintentionally made him blind again.
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How about the Eraser? An old boyhood chum of Bruce Wayne, Jim Fiasco (nice name!), gets envious of Wayne, goes nuts and starts wearing a helmet shaped like the eraser end of a pencil. How lame is that?
Where is Clock King? He is certainly more useless than the Penguin. Granted, he was originally a Green Arrow villain, but he has made appearances in Batman’s non-comic book media.
This was a pretty funny list, thought I would vote to replace Penguin with someone like the Allergist or Clock King myself. Maybe you should make a list of “Batman villains who were lame enough to die on their first mission.”
Apparently adding the Penguin has ruffled some feathers (sorry, I couldn’t resist), but I hold to the fact he is a lame character. He is only #9, so he isn’t the most lame Batman villain.
C’mon, his weapon is an umbrella. An umbrella, people! And he smokes a filtered cigarette. And he wears a tuxedo all the time. He borders on choosing an alternative lifestyle, if you know what I mean.
“Not that there is anything wrong with that.”
I’m just wondering about your mention of Ten-Eyed Man. Wouldn’t the ability to see 360 degrees be considered a superpower?
No, this is an alternative lifestyle. Lols.
Sweet list. I like that you have the balls to include Penguin. Eff Tim Burton.
Thanks, Anthony. I already had visited that site earlier and made a comment. Great top 10 list.
I have to say that it’s an insult to Penguin fans around the globe to see him included in a list with the likes of Batzarro. Not every Batman villain has to be some lunatic who was disfigured by chemicals at some point in his life. Not every villain has to go around committing crimes due to some random psychotic obsession. It was refreshing to see a character who finally broke away from this pattern. The Penguin had the ability to make Batman act like this: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/batman-on-drugs/716178573
I’m not saying that the Penguin ISN’T useless. I’m just saying that maybe a few more villains are moreso.
And in defense of his umbrella, it’s a pretty great concealed weapon… unless you’re well-known for, y’know, VILLAINY or something like that.
Oh, wait.
Very funny! And I totally agree that Penguin is lame.
I dunno, read Joker’s Asylum: The Penguin by Jason Aaron, and you’ll see he’s a pretty great character.
Joker’s Asylum: The Penguin by Jason Aaron is a testament to Aaron, not the character. I agree that’s a superb story, but a great writer can make a great story about any character. Most of the time the Penguin is written pretty poorly.
And BTW, save your money, don’t buy the other Joker’s Asylum comics, the others are junk!
Some of the ones mentioned above, plus some others (ORCA!) were involved in a multi-part arc story in the full cast audio drama BATMAN: THE ACE OF DETECTIVES from Pendant Audio. http://www.pendantaudio.com/batman.php. Episodes 16 through 27. The Villain War!
You forgot to add The Riddler, Catwoman, and Man-Bat to this list…
Oh what the hell… go ahead and take Batzarro off because your opinion of him is wrong.
firefly is awesome
because he uses fire
Hey,Killer Moth,Firefly, and The Penguin are some of my favorite villains in Batman.And Clluemaster is The Spoiler’s father.Take those off this list!
crazy quilt is awsome
cKHAVIKk, so you’re a Batzarro fan are you? People like you probably don’t deserve to be reading the comic in the first place. Any comic with Batzarro shouldn’t even be considered cannon.
One word: Batmite
Where are:
1 - The Calculator
2 - The Eraser
????????????????????????
The Penguin is not lame!Nor firefly.
haha! Funny list, and I love the comments of people trying to defend the villains. I laughed pretty hard at “Crazy Quilt”…wow. And this was back BEFORE writers had run out of ideas. Ouch.
I agree on Penguin as well…I’ve always hated him, including the Tim Burton version (one of movies lamest death scenes as well).
“I laughed pretty hard at “Crazy Quilt”…wow. And this was back BEFORE writers had run out of ideas.”
It’s not possible to be so low on ideas that the crazy quilt is the only thing you can think of.
I pity the woman who ended up marrying the Crazy Quilt.
I will have to disagree with Penguin on the list. While the way he is written and depicted in the modern era might be lame, you can’t say he was always lame. In fact I will go on the record and say before 1970, the Penguin was a cooler villain then Joker. Yep, that is right, cooler. Let me count the ways:
1) Penguin was the first villain to actually escape from Batman and out smart him. Joker got busted by Batman in his first appearance, not Penguin. Actually a running theme in all of Penguin’s first stories was that he somehow managed to escape.
2) He was not nearly as cheesy as Joker was in the late 40’s through the 60’s. Sure he used trick umbrellas, but Joker was doing just as corny things, like having his own utility belt or trying to have a contest with Clay-Face.
3) While Joker was allowed to be updated and modernized, for some reason the Penguin has been forced to stay in same old character-mold when Burgess Meredith did him. That would be like letting the Caesar Romero interpretation of the Joker be the definitive one.
4) Sure he has a funny name and appearance, but who says criminal masterminds have to be scary looking? I mean, look at the history of the mob in the U.S and you’ll see that most crime bosses had funny nicknames and were not that intimidating looking. Crossed them, however, and you’d be wearing concrete shoes at the bottom of Gotham Bay.
5) And finally, look at the fake 1940’s Orson Welles’ Batman trailer on youtube. How can you say he doesn’t work as a Batman foe after looking at Edward G. Robinson’s “version” of him.
Thomas, you have defended the Penguin as well as anyone could. Excellent work. If it makes you feel any better, I personally think the Joker is kind of lame.
Good work, Thomas. I envy your attention to detail, sir!
One thing that bugs me about most contemporary writers’ take on the Penguin is that he serves little purpose other than to be bullied around by Batman. As someone that was kicked around when he was a child because of a disability, it saddens me to see a heroic character like Batman satiating his readers’ desire to bully the fat and/or rich kid on the playground.
Too often, fans forget that the Penguin’s shtick is that you’re SUPPOSED to underestimate him. You’re SUPPOSED to be so underwhelmed by his clownish mannerisms that you never see it coming when he manages to emerge triumphant. Any comic writer that fails to use the Penguin correctly simply because “he looks goofy” would be among the first to fall for the Penguin’s ruse. And, let’s not forget that DeVito’s characterization is often criticized for being too scary, so it’s not like the Penguin’s completely incapable of being frightening.
I would also argue that Firefly CAN be interesting, depending on the writer. Firefly’s biggest hindrance is that fire-themed villains are a dime a dozen, but you have to admit that his obsessive pyromania makes him a worthy Arkhamite. I suggest Detective Comics #689 for anyone looking for an interesting take on Firefly.
Thanks for the compliments Baggabeetz and TopTenz Master.
Good point, Baggabeetz, about Penguin supposed to be underestimated. In fact, that was something I forgot to mention on my list of arguments in support of the Penguin. There is a reason the umbrella was chosen as his weapon. It also serves as a metaphor for the Penguin’s character and nature. Like his umbrellas, the Penguin appears as something completely harmless and even mundane, but also like his umbrellas it actually conceals something very deadly that people completely underestimate.
If I can offer a suggestion to help make the Penguin relevant again, it would for him to lose the top hat and tuxedo. When he originally appeared that was the clothes of choice for a sophisticated gentleman going out on the town, but not anymore. He should be dressed in sartorial splendor by today’s standards, wearing Armani and Brioni suits, with Seville Row shirts and an expensive Burberry coats, and replacing his cigarette holder for expensive cigars. I mean if Lex Luthor can get a makeover and not have to wear the lab coat or the grey smock he wore when he first appeared, why does the Penguin have to so fashionably out of date?
By the way, how in the word did the Penny Plunderer avoid this list?
While I commend you for your Penguin defense, Thomas, I’m not sure if if putting the Penguin in updated clothes would help. I think there’s something to the fact that he still wears tuxedos. Not just because it still keeps him having the look of a penguin, but it also speaks to his stubbornness to change himself. I mean, if he wanted to he could get liposuction and a nose job and no longer resemble a penguin too much physically.
I always liked that about him.
I think that Mr Freeze, in all his incarnations, is a totally lame baddie.
At least in the Batman TV show, he was played variously by George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach. Even those fine actors couldn’t raise Mr Freeze from his lameness.
In Batman and Robin, Arnold Schwarzenegger played Mr F, and botched it nearly as badly as he has with California.
Speaking of Batman and Robin, we were “treated” to a free showing after the movie we came to see ended. Even for free, we couldn’t abide wasting another moment of our lives on such lame fare, and we left mid-movie.
the thing with modern penguin he isn’t like the rest of the villains he runs a ‘legitimate’ business and is a source of info
Harlly Quin is lame
I bet calender man never could get a date. And this list is pretty lame, but there are some that really deserve to be here too. And I think Batzarro is deliberately lame. Besides, didn’t he die?
“Penguin Triumphant” is a great little graphic novel from 1992 that should make an instant Penguin fan out of anyone. Until I read it, I didn’t really “get” the character either (not that I’d tried all that hard).
Exact quote from Bruce/Batman: “EVERYONE seems to consistently underestimate the Penguin — myself included. In point of fact, Cobblepot is ruthless, vindictive, calculating, inventive — and perhaps the most BRILLIANT man I’ve ever fought.
“He’s smarter than I am.”
. . . and this isn’t a young Batman, either: Tim Drake is by his side as Robin, and Bruce is even drawn with a touch of gray in his hair. I thought it was pretty refreshing to see the Penguin portrayed not as an object of pity or comedic relief, but as a truly despicable but brilliant criminal, hatching schemes within schemes. John Ostrander’s writing was definitely the best part of this one. (The pencilling has a lot going for it, but the inking and coloring pretty much sucks.)
Definitely recommended if you’re feeling open-minded about the Penguin.
No way does he belong in the top ten of lameness, but I understand the desire to put SOME character on the list that’s recognizable to most of the casual fans and the mainstream.