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Batman has perhaps the greatest rogues gallery in superhero comics, but three villains in particular have been a persistent thorn in the Dark Knight’s side. Most Bat-fans should be able to guess that the Joker ranks high on that list, but the other two villains with the most appearances might be enough to rival the Clown Prince of Crime.
In an “Ask the Question” blog post at DC.com, Alex Jaffe answered a fan question about the Bat-villains who have appeared the most in both Batman and Detective Comics. A fan going by “Amazing Jedi-Man” posits that the Joker has appeared the most, but is curious who takes second place.
“Your first guess is right,” Jaffe responds.“It’s the Joker, by a wide margin.” But when it comes to second place, Jaffe gives that honor to two other long-serving members of Batman’s rogues gallery:
After him, it depends on how strict you want to be about the “villain” classification. It might be Catwoman, but many of her appearances in Batman and Detective Comics, especially since 1990, have not strictly been as an antagonist. If you want to discount her, then our second-most frequent Batman foe would actually be the Penguin.
The Joker, Catwoman and Penguin Are the Most Recurring Bat-Villains
If You Count Catwoman as a Villain, Of Course
It makes sense that the Joker and Catwoman have appeared the most across both Batman and Detective Comics, since both characters first appeared all the way back in 1940’s Batman #1. The Penguin followed the next year in Detective Comics #58. All three would go on to be utilized rather frequently in Gotham-based comics, with the Joker’s stature rising enough that he’s not only one of the biggest villains in the DCU, but one of the most popular villains in popular culture today.
Catwoman was initially referred to as “The Cat” in her debut appearance in 1940’s Batman #1 by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson.
Given their popularity, it’s interesting to see what each character was like in their debut appearance. The Joker arrives fully-formed in his self-titled debut story, a force of chaos and anarchy who puts Batman and Robin to the test by staging a series of high-profile murders. The creators seemed to realize they had a hit on their hands, as another story called “The Joker Returns” closes out Batman #1 with another explosive story of the Joker wreaking havoc. The Clown Prince of Crime survives at the end, which was a true rarity in the first year of Batman’s existence, as most of those early stories ended with the villain meeting a grisly fate.
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In contrast, Selina Kyle has gone through a number of changes since first appearing in Batman #1’s “The Cat.” Instead of wearing a catsuit with claws and a leather whip, this early version was a thief who kept one step ahead of Batman and Robin by being a master of disguise. The still-unnamed thief began wearing a creepy cat-mask soon thereafter, but one thing in place from the beginning was her flirtatious relationship with the Dark Knight. Catwoman’s wavering status between villain and antihero also took root fairly early on, as she was reformed and became an ally to Batman in the early fifties.
Catwoman disappeared from DC Comics altogether after Detective Comics #211 in 1954, and wouldn’t appear again until 1966’s Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70.
In spite of being a rather goofy character, the Penguin has been a top Batman villain for the entirety of his existence. While initially just a super-criminal who made use of gadget-laden trick umbrellas, the Penguin has become more of a mob boss in recent decades, perhaps best evidenced by the character’s recent high-profile television series starring Colin Farrell. Given the history, it’s fascinating to learn that Batman’s top three villains are the Joker, Catwoman, and the Penguin.
Source: DC.com
“}]] The top three Batman villains! Read More