10 Batman Villains Who Don’t Feel Like Batman Villains

Batman is widely known among the superhero community as having one of, if not the best, rogues galleries in all superhero media, besting the likes of Spider-Man and Superman.Not only is Batman’s villain catalog diverse and unique, but it’s large and filled to the brim with countless villains to stack up against the Caped Crusader. From The Joker to Two-Face and The Penguin, these enemies are as iconic as the hero himself.

But with such a large rogues gallery comes a good chunk of villains that don’t necessarily fit Batman’s unique tone. Maybe their abilities are far too elaborate to feel at home in the Bat’s more street-level world, or maybe they used to be part of another hero’s story and stand out like a sore thumb in Gotham; whatever the reason, these villains don’t feel like natural enemies for Batman.They are otherwise great, but it’s hard to deny that they could potentially excel elsewhere.

10 Deadshot

15 Movie & TV Appearances

Deadshot has been all around the DC universe throughout his tenure as a villain, but he’s always been primarily a Batman villain… for the most part. While he’s served relatively well as a Batman villain, mainly just being a mercenary for the Caped Crusader to stop, many would argue that the DC universe’s greatest marksman would be utilized best elsewhere.

What makes Deadshot have better potential elsewhere is his skills as a marksman, which arguably make him a better foe for someone like Green Arrow, a fellow marksman. In fact, this theory was proved in the hit series Arrow, in which Deadshot was easily one of the best villains. His abilities were a great contrast to Oliver Queen’s skillset, serving as a great example as to why he’s a better Green Arrow villain.

16 Movie & TV Appearances

For a character that’s not really recognized by the general public as a DC villain, the Mad Hatter has popped up many times in Batman’s past in movies and television. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, the character suffers from the fate of falling under the shadow of the source material. His shtick also feels at odds with Batman’s entire deal.

In personality, Mad Hatter is very much like a lot of Batman’s rogues gallery: unhinged! Batman already has the Joker, Riddler and many others who are mentally unbalanced; therefore, Mad Hatter feels a little “been there, done that,” especially considering his competition is far more iconic. Mad Hatter could exist in someone else’s villain catalog and provide that hero with a fresh dose of chaos; unfortunately, Batman is all stocked up on that.

8 Poison Ivy

41 Movie & TV Appearances

Poison Ivy is most well known for her ability to control plants, especially after her appearance in the infamous Batman & Robin, portrayed by Oscar nominee Uma Thurman. Her abilities are visually stunning, not to mention extremely powerful, especially when vibrant plants get involved. Her recent relationship with Harley Quinn also makes her even more compelling than she had been before.

Still, such mighty supernatural abilities don’t seem to fit Batman as much as would, say, a hero like Swamp Thing. Going up against Poison Ivy would prove to be a huge struggle for Swamp Thing, given his intense connection to plant life. The two could really duke it out, with Poison Ivy and him having some amazing parallels. Moreover, Ivy is simply too strong for Batman; her power is on another level, meaning there’s no logical reason for Batman to beat her.

7 The Ventriloquist

10 Movie & TV Appearances

Arnold Wesker lives with dissociative personality disorder. When controlled by his “dark” side, he performs his criminal actions through his puppet, Scarface, a dummy resembling a 1920s gangster. In projects like the animated show The Batman, Scarface has also gotten an upgrade to become a giant robot, which makes him a considerable threat to Batman.

At the end of the day, though, The Ventriloquist is a bit of a goofy character in concept and, most of the time, execution. While Batman certainly has some goofy villains in his long list of foes, Ventriloquist feels just a bit out of the ordinary, even for Batman’s enemies. His backstory fits with the mentally ill angle most Batman villains have, and the gangster shtick feels right at home in projects like the noir-imbued Batman: The Animated Series. However, take him out of that beloved show, and The Ventriloquist sticks out like a sore thumb.

6 Condiment King

‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992), ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ (2017), ‘DC Super Hero Girls’ (2019) & ‘Harley Quinn’ (2019)

Condiment King may be, without a doubt, one of the silliest comic book superhero villains of all time. So often, he is played for a joke in almost every single adaption.A villain who has weapons that spray food condiments as a means to fight the likes of Batman is as dumb as it sounds.

However, Condiment King is intended to be a joke, as he is a parody of the ridiculous villains Batman often fought in the Silver Age of comic books. The self-aware approach is much welcome, but it doesn’t make him any less goofier. Condiment King simply does not fit the modern Batman rogues gallery and the tone of his current stories, which largely embrace the dark, hyper-realistic post-Christopher Nolan approach resulting from the success of the ever-quotable Dark Knight trilogy.

5 Kite Man

‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ (2008), ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ (2017) & ‘Harley Quinn’ (2019)

Ah, Kite Man, the character just a little less ridiculous than the likes of Condiment King. Kite Man’s schtick can be predicted pretty easily: the guy loves kites and uses them to his advantage in his battles against Batman. Not only does he have a ridiculous costume, but the entire idea of his character is just as laughable.

Unlike Condiment King, Kite-Man actually has posed somewhat of a threat in the past. Still, try as he might, he doesn’t really feel like he belongs in the catalog of villains that have caused Gotham a plethora of trouble in the past. To put Kite Man next to the likes of Joker is, well, a joke; however, at least he seems to be in on it — for the most part, anyway. Ironically, Kite Man recently received a spin-off of his own, a truly surprising development considering other, more recognized Batman villains have never even come close to that.

4 Crazy Quilt

7 Movie & TV Appearances

Much like the Riddler, Crazy Quilt loves to leave clues behind for the caped crusader, but in his paintings. Crazy Quilt is another addition to the ridiculous area of Batman’s rogues gallery, but at least he does have some great powers, being able to hypnotize his victims with the helmet he wears.

While he may have a ridiculous costume and a questionable way of leaving clues, there isn’t much outside of that that makes Crazy Quilt special compared to other Batman villains.The leaving clues trope is already done by the Riddler and far better. Unfortunately, Crazy Quilt really has no reason to be in Batman’s rogues gallery, and he probably won’t be around for long.

3 Deathstroke

24 Movies & TV Appearances

Deathstroke is considered both a Batman and a Nightwing villain, meaning he’s pretty much shared between the two. The master assassin is one of the most popular DC villains out there, given how much he gets around the universe, so it’s a no-brainer that he makes a ton of appearances. Most recently, he even appeared in the wonderful My Adventures with Superman, for some reason.

At the end of the day, Deathstroke is and has always been a Nightwing villain. There is no denying that Deathstroke is a stronger and more compelling nemesis for Nightwing, given how connected they are and everything Deathstroke has done to the Titans in stories like the iconic Judas Contract. Deathstroke doesn’t have nearly as many connections to Batman, and when they battle, it’s honestly just a fight between two strong guys. Deathstroke’s battles with Nightwing are far more compelling because of the emotional stakes involved.

2 Solomon Grundy

32 Appearances in Movies & TV

When thinking about Batman villains, one most likely thinks of the likes of Joker, Two-Face, Riddler and Bane. One most likely doesn’t have giant Hulk-like zombies in mind — so why does Solomon Grundy exist? Solomon Grundy was raised from the dead and has fought Batman on countless occasions, amounting to 32 appearances across DC media.

Something feels off when Batman goes up against characters that are on the more supernatural side of the DC universe, given the fact that he’s always been a more grounded and street-level hero. Things change when he’s alongside the Justice League, as he joins superpowered individuals whose skillsets fit the macabre better. But when he’s on his own, most expect Batman to go up against mob bosses and secret societies, not reanimated zombies with superior strength and near-immortality.

1 Maximilian “Maxie” Zeus

‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992), ‘The Batman’ (2004) & ‘Harley Quinn’ (2019)

Once a Greek history teacher, Maximilian “Maxie” Zeus now believes himself to be the Greek god Zeus, thanks to a mental breakdown following the loss of his wife. He would begin using his vast intelligence to make his way up the ranks of the Gotham criminal underworld, carrying around a lightning bolt-shaped electrical rod to electrocute his foes.

Maxie Zeus doesn’t make a lot of sense being a Batman villain. In fact, it’s absolutely absurd that he’s not a Wonder Woman villain,given that both characters have attachments to the gods, and Wonder Woman has explicit knowledge of the gods and could use that to her advantage. His gimmick is far too elaborate to fit with Batman’s rogues gallery, and his demeanor, costume, and MO make him a joke compared to the Bat’s most menacing foes.

NEXT: 10 Major Batman Villains Not in the Live-Action Movies